Awakening Our Extraordinary Potential: An Integral Transformative Practice Origin Story

What if transformation wasn’t just something that happened during a weekend or week-long retreat, but something you could live every day? That was the question Esalen co-founder Michael Murphy and human potential pioneer George Leonard began asking in the early 1990s.

The two collaborators and lifelong friends had spent decades immersed in Esalen’s great experiment, exploring psychology, spirituality, movement, and human potential. They witnessed the extraordinary breakthroughs that unfolded over a few days, when seekers awakened to new layers of creativity, strength, intimacy, and spiritual depth. People would shed old patterns, awaken to creativity and compassion that they hadn't realized was within them. They also were observing how easy it was for that magic, those insights, to fade once folk left Esalen and returned to their everyday life. 

So Michael and George envisioned a daily discipline that could help people carry the spark of transformation away from Big Sur and into their homes, offices, and relationships. They would design a practice that engaged the whole person — body, mind, heart, and soul all together. From that spark of creative realization, Integral Transformative Practice (ITP) was born.

Part philosophy, part community, part daily ritual, ITP integrates physical exercise, meditation, affirmations, and reflection into a holistic discipline designed to support long-term, lifelong growth. Drawing from George’s Aikido practice and Michael’s philosophy of evolutionary panentheism, it combined movement, meditation, and reflection into a simple daily structure called the ITP Kata. This practice cultivates a more awake, resilient, and compassionate way of being. Michael described this process as being “the evolution of the human spirit.”

“The idea is that whatever gave rise to the birth of the universe — the Big Bang, the thing that makes flowers grow — that same creative force is within us. It wants to give rise to ever more extraordinary iterations of itself,” says Pam Kramer, president of ITP International and co-faculty for the upcoming workshop, Awakening Your Extraordinary Potential Through Integral Transformative Practice on November 14–16, 2025,

ITP opens opportunities for conscious participation in our own evolution — essentially, to live as if the divine is unfolding through our bodies, our relationships, and our daily lives.

While Esalen was where ITP practice was refined and deepened, circles of practitioners have been gathering across California to move, sit, vision, and share together. Over time, the practice has rippled out, finding life in communities across the country and the globe.

“George and Michael always said, if you’re not having fun, watch out,” says Pam. “Learning is supposed to bring joy. That joy is a sign you’re aligned with the life force itself.”

ITP can be a beautiful solo practice, and it also flourishes in community. There are small groups that continue to meet around the world, today. There are also groups that meet online to practice together. These gatherings give people the structure and support to stay committed to their practice.

“The practice leaves you both energized and relaxed,” Pam says. “You feel vital, grounded, and alive.”

For workshop co-facilitator Max Gaenslen, ITP was a turning point.  

“I was feeling far from my gifts,” he recalls. “And I began wondering: what’s the difference between people who connect with their inner genius and those who don’t?”

That question led him to ITP, where he discovered that transformation isn’t about fixing yourself, but remembering who you already are.

“It’s not about knuckling down or perfecting yourself,” Max says. “It’s about aligning with what nourishes your soul moment to moment.”

In a time when so many are seeking balance, renewal, and meaning, both Pam and Max see ITP as a toolkit for navigating the complexities of modern life. 

“Practices like this one help us stay grounded and hopeful,” Pam reflects. “They remind us that our creativity and our capacities are infinite. They are a way to step back from the rush of life, to explore what truly matters, and to discover new ways to grow and heal.”

Max adds, “It’s really about helping people reconnect to themselves and the world around them. When you step into ITP, there’s this space where curiosity and presence lead the way. We’re not just offering techniques; we’re inviting people into an experience that can shift how they see their own life, their relationships, even their sense of purpose.”

More than thirty years later, ITP remains a living practice that is adaptable, personal, and deeply grounded. For some, it’s a morning ritual that brings clarity and balance. For others, it’s a lifelong discipline that has shaped their bodies, their relationships, and their sense of purpose. 

Next month, that lineage returns to Esalen where Pam and Max will guide their workshop in which participants can experience the practice in community, explore its roots, and discover how to weave its tools into their own lives. It is both a continuation of the vision Michael and George seeded, and an invitation into the future of the practice itself — to “come as you are, ready to move, breathe, and rediscover the creative intelligence within you.”

“This isn’t about escaping the world,” Max says. “It’s about becoming fully alive in it.”