Winter-2022

Inside Esalen 60 Year s of Explor ing Human Potential B Y D I NA RU I Z I ts very presence provides life-enhancing lessons in presence for those who seek it. Like a crown jewel, it sprawls majestically with the playful Pacific Ocean and bold Big Sur mountains welcoming visitors all at once. It is luxurious and spartan, educational and kicked-back, and just a scenic jaunt down Highway 1 from Carmel.The Esalen Institute, one of the cornerstones of The Human Potential movement, is now in its 60th year, and its co-founder, Michael Murphy, remains an active member of the board of trustees, helping to steward the institute into its seventh decade. Michael Murphy was in his early thirties when he and his friend, co-conspirator and co- founder, Richard Price laid stake to what was a much different layout in 1962, but it remains consistent in its mission: Providing methods for self exploration in several disciplines. Price tragically died in a hiking accident in 1985, but Murphy kept his focus on Esalen after losing his dear friend.The now 92-year-old lifelong student and seeker says Esalen’s shifts have mostly occurred in the physical realm. “In a sense everything has changed while at the same time Esalen remains true to its founding mission—through the highs and lows of the last six decades. We are still a place to explore human potential. We are still experimenting with inquiries that mainstream churches and universities rarely do. Esalen is still a place people visit from all over the world for personal renewal or intellectual exchanges at one of our invita- tional conferences. On the other hand, most buildings on the property have been remodeled or replaced.”The original building—a simple wooden lodge—turned out to be a seed from which a wide-branched tree has blossomed into a 120-acre campus. Browsing the online catalog of options, visitors can choose from accommodation as simple as renting a sleeping bag in a common room to settling into an upscale space that resembles a cliffside home. Bathrooms have clean tile finishes.The decor is homey. But the rooms remain simple, skipping some of the amenities that are found in most Carmel area hotels. Here, it’s not about what’s inside the structures. Esalen focuses on freeing what’s inside the confines of the human body and soul while integrating the awe-inducing scenery of the property. “Our hallmark over the years at Esalen has been releasing creativity by taking down walls—between people, between parts of the self, between mind and body, heart and community, spirituality and politics,” Murphy explains.“In our online offerings, you will find new emphasis on this kind of integrated approach to personal and professional development. Another subtle, but per- vasive change that runs through our programs these days has to do with a redefinition of the self—away from the old isolated individual model and toward a new ecological self model, integrating the self with community and environment, which is much truer to our full human nature.” Former Esalen manager, Daniel Bianchetta concurs.“In the early days (‘70s) it seemed C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 2 151