Attending an IST course: information for students

What is IST?

IST: a framework to explore consciousness

IST is an interactive technique practiced in pairs: a client and a facilitator. It is a process of self-exploration which closely integrates a therapeutic dimension and metaphysical dimension. As such, IST covers a wide range of applications, from regression and past-life therapy to meditation states aimed at mapping consciousness and connection with high spiritual beings.

Rather than one single process, IST is a framework to explore consciousness at large.

What can IST be used for?

What happens in IST? What are the main experiences occurring in IST?

In the inner space of IST, clients typically re-visit early childhood and past-life experiences. Here, they find and resolve samskaras; imprints left in the psyche by emotionally-charged experiences. This process leads to profound openings and realizations – beyond the resolution of emotional issues, to metaphysical shifts. This can bring about profound inner shifts and the discovery of completely new life directions.

As well as having profound effects at the psychological level, IST also works at the level of the life force. It frees up all manner of blockages behind anxiety, depression, and other personal issues. It fosters confidence, vitality and emotional stability.

IST can also be used as a tool for psychological exploration, unveiling and dealing with subpersonalities (or 'characters'), reaching a state of 'clear vision' of the overall personality – a state of higher self-understanding and maturity.

The Inner Space of IST is achieved through an activation of the third eye, central switch of the body of energy and gateway to a whole spectrum of experiences of consciousness. To many clients, IST sessions are the opportunity to discover completely new aspects of themselves: vast spaces of consciousness in which they naturally connect to higher, spiritual parts of themselves. This is often accompanied by the development of a new sensitivity and of non-physical perception, especially when IST is done in conjunction with the rest of the Clairvision work.

More advanced levels of IST deal with mapping consciousness, establishing various cosmological references, discovering higher realms of the Spirit, connecting to high spiritual beings, putting into practice the processes of inner alchemy part of the Clairvision work.

The aims of IST

Freedom

What are the aims of IST? Before anything else, freedom! Freedom from emotional reactions and conditioning. Through the thorough exploration of one's psychological makeup comes the capacity to differentiate superimposed reactions from the spontaneity of the Self. IST allows you to become aware of samskaras and to see in great detail:

• their real nature, their form in the astral body
• how they impact into the physical body
• when, how and why they were imprinted
• what kind of interference they have created in your life
• the part of yourself, i.e. the subpersonality or character, involved in the samskara

As samskaras are revealed through the IST process, they lose a great deal of their power to affect your life. Inner blocks and negative conditioning are neutralized. You let go of a number of neurotic features, which transforms your ways of relating to others. A whole facade of illusory aspects falls, and you start living closer to your Self.

Apart from this main purpose – that of moving towards psychological freedom through disempowering samskaras – other important benefits can result from this regression work.

A metaphysical experience

When you contact episodes of past lives, you become aware of the person you were in that particular life. It feels like yourself without any possible doubt and yet it is not the same you as now, for time has made you a different person. The superimposition of the two 'you', the past and the present one, reveals what is common to both – your eternal Spirit. This holographic vision of yourself has a shaking power of awakening, not unlike a near-death experience. It explains why certain people undergo a major spiritual shift after their first intense regression in IST.

Activation of the third eye

The effect on the eye may not be apparent in the beginning, because it begins with a simple awareness between the eyebrows. But through many IST sessions, a deep structuring of the third eye and of the body of energy automatically takes place. Familiarity with the astral space and the whirling in the third eye grows. There is a growing realization of the action of angels and other non-physical beings. In the long run, this awakening of the subtle bodies ends up being just as important as the work on samskaras.

In an IST course, third eye work is an inherent part of IST. There are also specific third eye practices first encountered in an 'Awakening the Third Eye' workshop, which are further built on during the course.

An opportunity to give

Last but not least, IST grants you a rare privilege, that of being able to give. If you master the technique, whenever your friends go through an emotionally difficult time you will have the capacity, if they wish, to accompany them to the root of the problem and facilitate a genuine release.

The IST techniques are based on a principle of reciprocity. If you go on being the client without ever giving to anyone as the connector, your own development process may well end up stalemating. On the other hand, it is often while connecting for someone else that certain important shifts will take place inside yourself. While playing the role of the connector, you have to be totally dedicated to your client and forget about your own problems for a while. This unselfish disposition and the expansion of the heart that goes with it is to spiritual practice what ferment is to yogurt.

Life is full of occasions to give on the material and emotional levels. But on a spiritual level, as long as one has not become a spiritual lighthouse, what can one give? It is very nice to send love or positive thoughts to the planet, but how much action does that really have as long as you have not reached access to high states of meditation? Whereas if you put all of yourself into giving to a friend in IST, you can change their life in a tangible way. At your level, here and now, you can accompany them into high levels of light and awaken them to new areas of life.

Emphasis on the here and now

Now it is essential to repeat what the purpose is not. The purpose of IST is not to write a novel about your past lives. The emphasis is resolutely on here and now. IST explores present blockages and releases them through finding their sources. This may take you into early childhood, past lives, or even future lives, but that is not what matters. What matters is that you see and understand yourself at a deep level, and gradually shift from the conditioning of the samskaras, to the free will of your higher self.

Purposes of an IST course

An IST intensive is about more than learning the IST technique. It is also an opportunity to immerse yourself in a space of spiritual connection, a space which becomes stronger during the course of the intensive.

In the course you will gain first hand experience of IST. You will become capable of implementing IST on other Clairvision students, and later on practice it with people who aren't students of the technique.

You will understand the principles of IST, and how a metaphysical dimension can be integrated into psychological work.

Gain self knowledge. Know yourself in depth.

Through IST you will gain a know-how to handle emotions and lose astral weight. You understand what samskaras are, understand how your astral body operates through reactions. You observe theses mechanisms first hand, find out samskaras inside yourself, make the samskara process work for you. You experience the massive release that accompanies a successful regression and move towards freedom from the conditioning of the astral body...

You will find out what drives you, get to know your deep unconscious pulls and understand how they have influenced your life-choices and decisions.

Intensify your third eye work. IST is an extremely powerful way of awakening the third eye and inner vision.

Practicing IST will deepen your experience of meditation. The IST state is akin to meditation. Therefore IST courses always include meditation practices. And through the practice of IST, students go through an awakening of their third eye and of their body of energy which strongly reinforces their experience of meditation.

Beyond emotional work, IST is a technique to map consciousness. Learning IST means gaining a tool that can be applied to the exploration of all areas of yourself, and of non-physical realms that interact with your consciousness one way or another. This is a preparation for higher echelons of IST, where the technique is used to build subtle bodies and implement other processes of the Clairvision work of inner alchemy.

In an IST course you will develop a network of people who have followed IST courses and with whom you can keep practicing IST and working on yourself after the end of the course.

Taking part in an IST course is the opportunity to observe people coming up against a wide variety of difficulties and problems, and learning a method to deal with them. Students gain experience on how to handle a whole range of situations arising in self-transformation work.

Not Born Yesterday

If the purpose of IST courses was to be summarized in one point, it would be: train NBY people (Not Born Yesterday). People who have gained a significant amount of experience in working on themselves and with other people, and who therefore know how to deal with just about any situation in the field of self transformation. People who have seen a lot, and who therefore are capable of handling a lot.

Points that should be clear to all students

IST trainings aren't designed as therapy groups

The motivation for following the course should be self-discovery. There is certainly a dimension of therapy and healing in IST, but if your primary motive is healing, either physical or psychological, then it is preferable that you attend private sessions with a practitioner. IST trainings aren't designed as therapy groups.

Come to seek challenge rather than a support system

You will gain most out of the course if your attitude is one of seeking challenge. IST isn't about trying to find quick fixes for your problems, but gaining an in-depth vision of yourself – a vision that will lead to real transformation, not just improvements. If you are in quest of new ground and have a pioneering mind, IST could well be what you have been looking for.

The course is intense, it requires an intense motivation

An IST course is intense, and designed for people who are highly motivated. It also requires a certain solidity. IST can take you extremely deep inside yourself. You have to use your own judgment and decide whether you are ready to face yourself or not.

At times IST brings about intense emotional releases. These can transform your life and make you a different person, feeling not only tons lighter but also infinitely clearer and more stable. But in order to get better one sometimes has to go through a phase of getting worse. Again you have to use your judgment and decide whether you want this, and are ready for it.

Motivation is the main key. Experience shows that people who are highly motivated to know themselves and become NBY go through major releases in a fluid way and without crisis.

Note that taking part in an IST course requires a willingness to deal with issues, and enough persistence to see them through. Be aware that issues will be uncovered, and be ready to work on them until they are resolved. This requires not only a certain amount of courage but also 'stickability'. Running away, meaning discontinuing the process as soon as something major has been unveiled rather makes people worse. Here, an unappealing analogy can be drawn from dentistry: starting to work on a tooth and stopping in the middle (before the cavity has been filled) is worse than doing nothing at all.

Withdrawing when you feel bad – a capital mistake in IST and in spiritual work in general

IST, and spiritual work in general, is immensely exciting – until you hit a real issue, that is, a core samskara. When this happens, it is not rare for people to suddenly lose their enthusiasm. Yet the time when people feel like doing IST the least is usually the time when they need it the most – the time when the deepest shifts could take place. Withdrawing when you feel bad is a capital mistake in spiritual work.

Be open to learn something new

IST has its own modus operandi. It is expected that you will come to the course with a fresh mind, open to learning something new. If you have practiced other systems, this means leaving aside prior knowledge and, during the IST sessions, trying to operate in the IST way.

No 'learn-it-on-Tuesday, practice-on-Friday, teach-it-on-Monday'!

Before practicing IST professionally, students are required to practice the technique for at least two years. People who are after quick accreditation should be warned they have come to the wrong address.

Learning means learning with beginners

The purpose of an IST course is to give you tools with which you will be able to explore yourself, without having to rely exclusively on sessions with a therapist or practitioner. The direction is one of empowerment. Instead of being the patient of a therapist, you are the student of a class. This brings a different attitude – one of greater maturity. It also favors a spirit of discovery and pioneering.

But there is a price to pay for this. You are going to have to learn with other students who, along with you, are beginners and therefore will make mistakes at times. When being the client, you will not get the same level of expertise from your connector as you would get from a practitioner in private sessions.

Note that this doesn't necessarily mean the process will be less intense. In many cases, the energy of IST is far more powerful in courses than it is in private sessions, and students make much greater discoveries and progress.

And of course, there are always instructors in the room. If a student is in trouble and the connector doesn't know what to do, the instructors will immediately come to the rescue, and take over the session if needed.

Nevertheless, if you are not ready to work with beginners, than the course is not for you.

Confidentiality

It is impossible to do serious IST work with people you know nothing about. If you are not ready to let out anything about yourself, your IST sessions are likely to remain superficial. And vice versa, the deeper the course participants get to know you, the deeper work they will do with you, and the more you will get out of the course. This is usually not a problem in IST courses. In the opening created by the space and the process of discovery, participants feel free to let other people see who they really are. During the sharing times, people often talk about themselves in great depth, and it is essential that you listen, so as to be able to be of help to them when acting as their connector.

However, this openness brings a certain responsibility of confidentiality. All personal information stays within the limits of the course. No personal matters of the participants are to be discussed with anyone who isn't part of the class.

Anyone who wants to take part in the course must agree on this principle and make sure they stick to it.

Come on time for each class or session

To get the most out of the course, it is essential that you commit yourself to coming on time to each class or session. There are several major reasons for this:

IST is, before anything else, a space of consciousness. Conducting an IST course has to do with building this precious space, in which students will have profound realizations. It is impossible to build a space when people turn up late to the class, or when they come and go. Once a group is sealed, it has its own energy, its atmosphere of consciousness. Each time a participant misses a session, it creates a hole in the energy of the group. If there are too many holes, the space is significantly weakened, resulting in a weakening in every participant's experiences.

Punctuality is crucial. In every meeting, the energy 'opens' at the start of the class. When people arrive late, everyone can observe how they bring agitated vibrations with them, disturbing the peacefulness of the space. When more than one or two people arrive late, participants must 'hold the connection'. There is a real risk the space may fall flat, in which case the whole session is likely to be uneventful for all participants. This is why you help everyone by making the effort of arriving early for each session or class, so you can calm down, relax and contribute to building the space instead of pulling it down.

There are other reasons, even more crucial, behind the need to attend every part of the course. IST, among other things, deals with samskaras and emotions. The mind has powerful resistance mechanisms which are such that at times, you will feel like missing a meeting – in particular when you are on the edge of making significant discoveries. You will feel tired, or perhaps bored or angry with the process. Perhaps your mind will send you a headache. These are not signs that you are tired or sick, but that your mind is playing up with you. If you listen to the insidious pull, you may miss an important step in your process of transformation. This, by the way, is not specific to IST. All psychotherapists know it well – which is why some wisely get their clients to pay in advance. It is often when you are on the edge of key discoveries that you will feel the most resistance to coming. And if the mind knows that it can take you off track simply by sending you a headache, expect it to send you more and more headaches. The truth is, it is usually when you feel like coming the least that IST is likely to bring the most results for you. By not coming to every class, you negate the value of the entire process and sabotage all prior efforts of self-transformation.

The rule is: whenever you can come, you do come. If for some reason you are really incapacitated or very sick then your absence will not be detrimental to your own process. It is whenever someone could come but doesn't that the integrity of the process is breached.

Components of an IST course

A typical IST course will include the following components

• discussion on the theory of IST or other aspects of the Clairvision work – a time when students can ask questions on a variety of topics
• IST
• interactive practices of vision and connection
• sharing time, analyzing experiences and discussing how they can best be handled
• meditation
• night practice

Abstaining from drugs and alcohol

All participants of residential courses agree to stay away from recreational drugs throughout the duration of the course. The reason is that drugs and alcohol go against the clarity of the space and could create unwanted links to presences or beings that interfere negatively with people's experience. For everyone's safety, it is essential that this rule be followed without exception.

Students enrolling in weekly courses agree to abstain from drugs for the duration of the course and from alcohol for at least 24 hours before each class.

Some forms of IST require precautions

In some cases it may not be appropriate to put pressure on the spot, for example when there are health issues. For this reason it is important that all health concerns are fully disclosed when enrolling for the course, and that connectors are informed when necessary.

Support mechanisms

During the course, students are grouped in sharing groups, each facilitated by an instructor or a helper. If at any time you feel something is going wrong, either for yourself or someone else, speak to your instructor or to the MC of the course. During the discussion periods you should not hesitate to ask any question you want. During the sharing time at the end of each IST session, bring up any point or ask your instructor any question you feel appropriate. Don't let problems or malaises build up, bring them up as early as possible. Outside the class, do not hesitate to contact your instructor if needed.

Keep instructors informed

For the safety of the process, it is essential that students let their instructors know as soon as possible if a health problem occurs, or if they go through a phase of feeling depressed or exhausted.

If students notice that one of the participants seems to be 'acting strangely', or is unusually down or depressed, it is important to report it immediately to an instructor.

Something else that needs to be reported as soon as possible is pregnancy. If a female participant learns during the course that she is pregnant, she should immediately inform her instructor and/or the MC. IST with pregnant women is practiced very differently from other people.

Leaving the course

Of course participants are always free to discontinue their participation in the course. An absolute rule of the Clairvision School is to never chase participants or put pressure on them to stay.

With this in mind, please take into consideration the fact that instructors put a lot of time, effort and heart in running the course. They make themselves available to you, they give as much as they can. From a space of heart, you may judge it fair to not leave without at least giving some warning or explanation. Simple courtesy. Again this is in no way demanded from you, you can always leave – even for the wrong reasons (meaning because a resistance mechanism is making you run away).

When beginning a weekly IST course, students are never asked to commit themselves to attending for the duration of the course. Rather, they are asked to come regularly and on time for as long as they take part in the course.

It is true that some people will leave because of not wanting to face their inner demons (be it consciously or unconsciously). And yet, sometimes a greater wisdom lies behind these kinds of resistance. The Clairvision methods are not for everyone; people need to find the spiritual path that is right for them.

Who can learn IST?

The IST method of regression is intense. It has been designed for people who want to shift now – not after twenty-five years of meditation. If the motivation for transformation is lukewarm, then it is preferable to leave IST for later.

IST can be seen as two things: a process of self-transformation with a spiritual perspective, and a technique of psychotherapy. The two are not separate of course. It is even one of the specificities of IST to combine very closely the metaphysical and the psychological levels. IST brings psychological catharsis to metaphysical seekers, and adds a very needed metaphysical dimension to psychotherapy.

Yet the people who need a psychotherapy process are not necessarily the same as those who are in quest of their Self and on a self-transformation path. This is a fairly good criterion to decide whether or not an IST course is suitable for a particular individual.

People whose interest in IST is mainly to solve psychological problems or physical disorders will greatly benefit from practicing awareness of their emotions and reactions as described in the book Regression, Past Life Therapy for Here and Now Freedom. But as far as IST itself is concerned, these people would be advised to consult a qualified therapist rather than enroll in an IST course.

For those who are mentally and physically healthy and solid, and involved in a path of self-transformation, there is no reason not to enroll in an IST course to learn the techniques, both as client and connector.

Note that 'healthy' does not mean Tarzan or Jane but just normally neurotic, as most people presently are. Anyway if you were totally clear there would not be much purpose in IST.

Yet for people taking drugs, those who have had episodes that required psychiatric treatment, those suffering from a chronic illness or anyone who is psychologically or physically fragile, then it is preferable to do IST only with a qualified therapist.

Prerequisite learning material

Before taking part in an IST course, at the very minimum students must have taken part in an Awakening the Third Eye workshop

Ideally, they should also have followed a minimum of one or two Knowledge Tracks. and read the following books:

• Regression, Past-Life Therapy for Here and Now Freedom
• A Language to Map Consciousness
  (It is recommended that students download this from the Clairvision website and print a copy to keep with them for reference.)
• Awakening the Third Eye
• Entities, Parasites of the Body of Energy
• Sleeper Awaken, the first volume of Atlantean Secrets

Attending an IST course – practical recommendations

Wear loose, comfortable clothing.

Bring a blanket (and, if needed, a cushion).

Bring a notebook and pen, or something to take notes on.

Stay away from alcohol for at least 24 hours before the beginning of the course.

Avoid perfumes or odors of any kind, including aftershave or essential oils. In warm weather, it may be advisable to wash your feet before the class.

Avoid heavy meals just before the sessions. (No problems, however, with a light meal before a class.)

Arrive at each session a few minutes early to give yourself time to adjust to the space of the class.

Silence all devices and switch them to flight mode while in course sessions.

Expect surprises.

Questions about taking part in an IST course

Is is necessary to undergo private IST sessions before taking part in an IST course?

Having undergone private IST sessions is not a requirement to qualify for an IST course. However it presents a number of advantages.

Students who have undergone IST sessions have already some acquaintance with the IST space. This will not only make it easier for them to engage the IST process as connectors, it will also greatly facilitate the engagement of the IST energy for the entire group.

Can I follow an IST course if I am practicing another method of meditation or therapy?

All entry-level Clairvision courses have been designed so they could be followed by people involved in other forms of work. There is no reason why you couldn't take part in the IST course, as long as you are wanting to learn something new. This means that during the course you will not be trying to repeat things you have learned elsewhere, but will be putting into practice the principles of the Clairvision work. Come with a fresh mind, and everything will fall into place with time.

To do IST, how proficient do you need to be in the third eye?

Learning IST is one of the most powerful ways of opening the third eye. Even if you have little perception of your third eye, this perception will quickly develop.

Do you have to discuss your issues with everyone?

No one is going to force you to disclose your secrets!

However, what you will find is that the IST space is extremely deep. In this deep space a certain form of 'soul communion' takes place, and client and connector find it natural to open to each other. People who do IST together end up knowing each other through a profound osmosis, and trusting each other.

Quite quickly, in sharing groups, people find it natural to speak about themselves. It happens by itself. IST is about dropping the masks.

Participants gradually realize that by not sharing vital information about themselves, they impair their own process. By letting other participants know who you are, you allow them to help you. How could they be a good connector for you if they do not know who you are, and the key circumstances of your life? And vice versa, you get to know them and their life circumstances too. Which is why the rule of confidentiality is essential.

A great realization comes from being the connector for a number of people. You discover that people tend to all have the same problems, or anyway that similar patterns often come up. This is immensely liberating, because it makes you realize that your problems are just the same as everyone else's. Often, consciously or unconsciously, people tend to look at their own problems as something horrendous and shameful – something which could never happen to anyone else. The more people you connect for, the more you realize that this is nonsense. Behind the specifics of someone's problems there are usually patterns which repeat themselves in all human beings. More than just a philosophical attitude, this gives you a transpersonal perspective on yourself – part of becoming NBY!

After an IST, is there a completion or tying up of the process, in the line of a resolution of the issue worked on during the session?

With deep issues, expect to work on them over many IST sessions before complete resolution is achieved.

The ultimate purpose of IST is certainly to feel good, but not through some superficial pampering. The purpose is to feel good through being your Self, beyond all samskaric patterns of conditioning.

If at the end of an IST session, an issue has been brought up but not resolved, then you carry it until the next one. This means remaining aware of it in the background of yourself, so a gradual maturation takes place – a process akin to a 'cooking' of the soul. This cooking is an indispensable part of the process, especially when it comes to major issues.

Note that it doesn't necessarily make you feel bad. Even if it is not always comfortable, it is accompanied by a greater feeling of 'going somewhere'. Not just touching the surface of things, but really transforming your life.

Can we safely assume that we will not be confronted with more emotions than we can cope with?

IST is a self-regulating process. If clients were not ready to face the monsters of their own inner depths, they simply block on seeing them, either consciously or unconsciously. The mechanisms to avoid uncomfortable things inside oneself are many and varied, and are precisely what the IST techniques are designed to help overcome. In truth, a far greater danger than uncovering things is not uncovering them.

Because the client allows the IST to be guided by the connector, it follows that withdrawing from the connector will halt the process. Therefore, to come out of the IST space and back into ordinary mental consciousness, all clients have to do is open their eyes. However, this may make things feel temporarily better, but it doesn't make the emotions go away. They remain inside, continuing their influence in unseen ways. If IST makes emotions flare up inside, it is because it brings hidden things into the light.

Students commonly find that what they can cope with is far more than what they had previously thought. In fact, one of the purposes of an IST training is precisely to discover and develop the part of oneself that can cope: the NBY philosophy.

When following a weekly course, should we do additional practices during the week?

With IST, as with most things in life, the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it.

It is expected that students do some meditation at least every morning – and in the evenings too, if they feel like doing so.

After the first ten or twenty IST sessions, students have reached a level of competency in IST where they can pick up the phone and arrange to do IST with one of the other students outside the class. Students find that spending two or three hours swapping IST with a friend is a rewarding way of spending an evening.

For anyone who wants to really get somewhere with the technique, waiting for their turn to be client every two weeks in class is simply not enough. Both extra IST and daily meditation are essential for the serious seeker.

How does the mythology of Atlantean Secrets relate to an IST course?

Atlantean Secrets was written by Samuel Sagan as a teaching medium. Through story-telling the living knowledge of the tradition is imparted to the reader. The saga of Atlantean Secrets is more than a story to be read and enjoyed, it is a succession of spaces which are entered by the reader, facilitating a resonance with spiritual streams and beings. These are as relevant to modern people as they were to the Atlantean initiates. When reading about the White Eagle for example, many people feel the particular quality of presence related to this high angelic being.

Atlantean Secrets is not a tale to believed or doubted, but a legend to be imbibed and enjoyed. There is a certain state of receptivity one enters to enjoy story-telling, through which the flavors and qualities of spiritual presences can pass through unfiltered by the rational mind.

During an IST course, spiritual presences make themselves felt in the classes at times. Students who have read Atlantean Secrets often find that the contextual understanding gained by reading about some of these spiritual beings allows a greater depth of appreciation for the connections.

Do you have to be vegetarian to follow an IST course?

No! Clairvision's non-dogmatic attitude means that diet remains the responsibility of the individual. Eating too much meat may put undue stress on the digestive and cardiovascular systems, but it does not directly hinder one's spiritual progress – as a whole tradition of Tibetan spiritual masters shows. While there may be many reasons for avoiding excess meat, spiritual work is not one of them. Certainly, not eating meat has never made anyone enlightened!

Many people find they begin eating less meat when they work on their energy. Students are encouraged to tune in to the effects of different foods on their energy, and make their dietary choices according to vision, not cravings.

On a practical note, eating a heavy meal directly before an IST session is to be avoided. When the body of energy is engaged in metabolic processes it is difficult to maintain a high quality of connection.

Can you do IST if you don't believe in past lives?

Because the emphasis is on feeling, and on the relevance of IST experiences to present day life, it essentially does not matter what you believe. If you engage in the process with an open attitude, and foster a sincere aspiration and desire to know yourself, then IST will work for you. The story aspect of IST sessions is far less important than the realizations they bring about yourself. In the end, it is experience, not belief, which changes people.