What does healing mean? There’s never just one answer. It can mean tending to the whole self, making peace with our past, rediscovering the medicine of play, recovering hidden histories, or finding nourishment in a particular place. It can look radically different from one person to the next. And sometimes, it can surprise us.
In these five Voices of Esalen conversations, host Sam Stern chats with people who approach healing from very different directions. Their stories take us from the body to ancestral healing, from laughter to psychedelics, and from the history of Esalen to the landscape that has shaped so much of what happens here.
Bill Drummond
What might it mean to approach mental health by looking at the whole person? Bill Drummond explores youth mental health, diagnosis, AI, and the role of the body in healing.
Tamala Floyd
Tamala Floyd brings together ancestral healing and the inner world of “parts” — the different voices, wounds, and inherited patterns that can shape a life from within. Her work asks us to consider family and lineage, and what it might mean to meet those inheritances with curiosity rather than judgment.
Jet Eveleth
What if play itself can be medicine? Jet Eveleth explores clowning, absurdity, laughter, and the ways play can help us break out of our habitual patterns, take ourselves a little less seriously, and discover something unexpected.
Maria Mangini
Healing also has a history. Maria Mangini takes us into the world of psychedelic elders and the largely untold stories surrounding the Shulgin Farm, where Sasha and Ann Shulgin explored the possibilities of psychedelics and helped shape a chapter of the Bay Area’s psychedelic history. Her conversation is a reminder that many of the ideas now entering the mainstream have much deeper and stranger roots.
Brita Ostrom
Brita Ostrom is not simply a longtime Esalen teacher reflecting on Big Sur. She is one of the institute’s early inhabitants (clandestinely sleeping in the canyon until discovered by Dick Price while on a run) and one of the co-creators of Esalen Massage. She draws on decades of memories — the people, experiments, characters, breakthroughs, mistakes, beauty, and sheer weirdness that made Esalen what it is.
And, if one of these conversations sparks something in you, you can take the work a step further on campus.
Tamala Floyd’s workshop, Internal Family Systems and Ancestor Wisdom: Listening When Parts Speak, takes place September 14–18, 2026.
Jet Eveleth’s September workshop is sold out, but you can join the wait list or check out her January workshop, Sacred Clown: Presence in Play, offering an exploration of play, presence, and the parts of ourselves that emerge when we loosen our grip.
Brita Ostrom also continues to lead workshops here, bringing her distinct perspective and practices to the campus. Bookmark our workshop page and check out Brita's faculty page for her latest offerings and upcoming programs.
“Remembering to be as self compassionate as I can and praying to the divine that we're all a part of.”
–Aaron
“Prayer, reading, meditation, walking.”
–Karen
“Erratically — which is an ongoing stream of practice to find peace.”
–Charles
“Try on a daily basis to be kind to myself and to realize that making mistakes is a part of the human condition. Learning from our mistakes is a journey. But it starts with compassion and caring. First for oneself.”
–Steve
“Physically: aerobic exercise, volleyball, ice hockey, cycling, sailing. Emotionally: unfortunately I have to work to ‘not care’ about people or situations which may end painfully. Along the lines of ‘attachment is the source of suffering’, so best to avoid it or limit its scope. Sad though because it could also be the source of great joy. Is it worth the risk?“
–Rainer
“It's time for my heart to be nurtured on one level yet contained on another. To go easy on me and to allow my feelings to be validated, not judged harshly. On the other hand, to let the heart rule with equanimity and not lead the mind and body around like a master.”
–Suzanne
“I spend time thinking of everything I am grateful for, and I try to develop my ability to express compassion for myself and others without reservation. I take time to do the things I need to do to keep myself healthy and happy. This includes taking experiential workshops, fostering relationships, and participating within groups which have a similar interest to become a more compassionate and fulfilled being.“
–Peter
“Self-forgiveness for my own judgments. And oh yeah, coming to Esalen.”
–David B.
“Hmm, this is a tough one! I guess I take care of my heart through fostering relationships with people I feel connected to. Spending quality time with them (whether we're on the phone, through messages/letters, on Zoom, or in-person). Being there for them, listening to them, sharing what's going on with me, my struggles and my successes... like we do in the Esalen weekly Friends of Esalen Zoom sessions!”
–Lori
“I remind myself in many ways of the fact that " Love is all there is!" LOVE is the prize and this one precious life is the stage we get to learn our lessons. I get out into nature, hike, camp, river kayak, fly fish, garden, I create, I dance (not enough!), and I remain grateful for each day, each breath, each moment. Being in the moment, awake, and remembering the gift of life and my feeling of gratitude for all of creation.”
–Steven
“My physical heart by limiting stress and eating a heart-healthy diet. My emotional heart by staying in love with the world and by knowing that all disappointment and loss will pass.“
–David Z.
Today, September 29, is World Heart Day. Strike up a conversation with your own heart and as you feel comfortable, encourage others to do the same. As part of our own transformations and self-care, we sometimes ask for others to illuminate and enliven our hearts or speak our love language.
What if we could do this for ourselves too, even if just for today… or to start a heart practice, forever?
Lead photo: Angie Smith
What does healing mean? There’s never just one answer. It can mean tending to the whole self, making peace with our past, rediscovering the medicine of play, recovering hidden histories, or finding nourishment in a particular place. It can look radically different from one person to the next. And sometimes, it can surprise us.
In these five Voices of Esalen conversations, host Sam Stern chats with people who approach healing from very different directions. Their stories take us from the body to ancestral healing, from laughter to psychedelics, and from the history of Esalen to the landscape that has shaped so much of what happens here.
What might it mean to approach mental health by looking at the whole person? Bill Drummond explores youth mental health, diagnosis, AI, and the role of the body in healing.
Tamala Floyd brings together ancestral healing and the inner world of “parts” — the different voices, wounds, and inherited patterns that can shape a life from within. Her work asks us to consider family and lineage, and what it might mean to meet those inheritances with curiosity rather than judgment.
What if play itself can be medicine? Jet Eveleth explores clowning, absurdity, laughter, and the ways play can help us break out of our habitual patterns, take ourselves a little less seriously, and discover something unexpected.
Healing also has a history. Maria Mangini takes us into the world of psychedelic elders and the largely untold stories surrounding the Shulgin Farm, where Sasha and Ann Shulgin explored the possibilities of psychedelics and helped shape a chapter of the Bay Area’s psychedelic history. Her conversation is a reminder that many of the ideas now entering the mainstream have much deeper and stranger roots.
Brita Ostrom is not simply a longtime Esalen teacher reflecting on Big Sur. She is one of the institute’s early inhabitants (clandestinely sleeping in the canyon until discovered by Dick Price while on a run) and one of the co-creators of Esalen Massage. She draws on decades of memories — the people, experiments, characters, breakthroughs, mistakes, beauty, and sheer weirdness that made Esalen what it is.
And, if one of these conversations sparks something in you, you can take the work a step further on campus.
Tamala Floyd’s workshop, Internal Family Systems and Ancestor Wisdom: Listening When Parts Speak, takes place September 14–18, 2026.
Jet Eveleth’s September workshop is sold out, but you can join the wait list or check out her January workshop, Sacred Clown: Presence in Play, offering an exploration of play, presence, and the parts of ourselves that emerge when we loosen our grip.
Brita Ostrom also continues to lead workshops here, bringing her distinct perspective and practices to the campus. Bookmark our workshop page and check out Brita's faculty page for her latest offerings and upcoming programs.
Lead photo: Angie Smith
“Remembering to be as self compassionate as I can and praying to the divine that we're all a part of.”
–Aaron
“Prayer, reading, meditation, walking.”
–Karen
“Erratically — which is an ongoing stream of practice to find peace.”
–Charles
“Try on a daily basis to be kind to myself and to realize that making mistakes is a part of the human condition. Learning from our mistakes is a journey. But it starts with compassion and caring. First for oneself.”
–Steve
“Physically: aerobic exercise, volleyball, ice hockey, cycling, sailing. Emotionally: unfortunately I have to work to ‘not care’ about people or situations which may end painfully. Along the lines of ‘attachment is the source of suffering’, so best to avoid it or limit its scope. Sad though because it could also be the source of great joy. Is it worth the risk?“
–Rainer
“It's time for my heart to be nurtured on one level yet contained on another. To go easy on me and to allow my feelings to be validated, not judged harshly. On the other hand, to let the heart rule with equanimity and not lead the mind and body around like a master.”
–Suzanne
“I spend time thinking of everything I am grateful for, and I try to develop my ability to express compassion for myself and others without reservation. I take time to do the things I need to do to keep myself healthy and happy. This includes taking experiential workshops, fostering relationships, and participating within groups which have a similar interest to become a more compassionate and fulfilled being.“
–Peter
“Self-forgiveness for my own judgments. And oh yeah, coming to Esalen.”
–David B.
“Hmm, this is a tough one! I guess I take care of my heart through fostering relationships with people I feel connected to. Spending quality time with them (whether we're on the phone, through messages/letters, on Zoom, or in-person). Being there for them, listening to them, sharing what's going on with me, my struggles and my successes... like we do in the Esalen weekly Friends of Esalen Zoom sessions!”
–Lori
“I remind myself in many ways of the fact that " Love is all there is!" LOVE is the prize and this one precious life is the stage we get to learn our lessons. I get out into nature, hike, camp, river kayak, fly fish, garden, I create, I dance (not enough!), and I remain grateful for each day, each breath, each moment. Being in the moment, awake, and remembering the gift of life and my feeling of gratitude for all of creation.”
–Steven
“My physical heart by limiting stress and eating a heart-healthy diet. My emotional heart by staying in love with the world and by knowing that all disappointment and loss will pass.“
–David Z.
Today, September 29, is World Heart Day. Strike up a conversation with your own heart and as you feel comfortable, encourage others to do the same. As part of our own transformations and self-care, we sometimes ask for others to illuminate and enliven our hearts or speak our love language.
What if we could do this for ourselves too, even if just for today… or to start a heart practice, forever?
What does healing mean? There’s never just one answer. It can mean tending to the whole self, making peace with our past, rediscovering the medicine of play, recovering hidden histories, or finding nourishment in a particular place. It can look radically different from one person to the next. And sometimes, it can surprise us.
In these five Voices of Esalen conversations, host Sam Stern chats with people who approach healing from very different directions. Their stories take us from the body to ancestral healing, from laughter to psychedelics, and from the history of Esalen to the landscape that has shaped so much of what happens here.
“Remembering to be as self compassionate as I can and praying to the divine that we're all a part of.”
–Aaron
“Prayer, reading, meditation, walking.”
–Karen
“Erratically — which is an ongoing stream of practice to find peace.”
–Charles
“Try on a daily basis to be kind to myself and to realize that making mistakes is a part of the human condition. Learning from our mistakes is a journey. But it starts with compassion and caring. First for oneself.”
–Steve
“Physically: aerobic exercise, volleyball, ice hockey, cycling, sailing. Emotionally: unfortunately I have to work to ‘not care’ about people or situations which may end painfully. Along the lines of ‘attachment is the source of suffering’, so best to avoid it or limit its scope. Sad though because it could also be the source of great joy. Is it worth the risk?“
–Rainer
“It's time for my heart to be nurtured on one level yet contained on another. To go easy on me and to allow my feelings to be validated, not judged harshly. On the other hand, to let the heart rule with equanimity and not lead the mind and body around like a master.”
–Suzanne
“I spend time thinking of everything I am grateful for, and I try to develop my ability to express compassion for myself and others without reservation. I take time to do the things I need to do to keep myself healthy and happy. This includes taking experiential workshops, fostering relationships, and participating within groups which have a similar interest to become a more compassionate and fulfilled being.“
–Peter
“Self-forgiveness for my own judgments. And oh yeah, coming to Esalen.”
–David B.
“Hmm, this is a tough one! I guess I take care of my heart through fostering relationships with people I feel connected to. Spending quality time with them (whether we're on the phone, through messages/letters, on Zoom, or in-person). Being there for them, listening to them, sharing what's going on with me, my struggles and my successes... like we do in the Esalen weekly Friends of Esalen Zoom sessions!”
–Lori
“I remind myself in many ways of the fact that " Love is all there is!" LOVE is the prize and this one precious life is the stage we get to learn our lessons. I get out into nature, hike, camp, river kayak, fly fish, garden, I create, I dance (not enough!), and I remain grateful for each day, each breath, each moment. Being in the moment, awake, and remembering the gift of life and my feeling of gratitude for all of creation.”
–Steven
“My physical heart by limiting stress and eating a heart-healthy diet. My emotional heart by staying in love with the world and by knowing that all disappointment and loss will pass.“
–David Z.
Today, September 29, is World Heart Day. Strike up a conversation with your own heart and as you feel comfortable, encourage others to do the same. As part of our own transformations and self-care, we sometimes ask for others to illuminate and enliven our hearts or speak our love language.
What if we could do this for ourselves too, even if just for today… or to start a heart practice, forever?
Esalen Institute
55000 Highway 1
Big Sur, CA 93920
US: 1-831-667-3000
info@esalen.org
