Gentry Lynn

Review of Pathways Core Training, Inc.

A friend of mine went through this training years ...

A friend of mine went through this training years ago. And then another good friend of mine went through it. The latter suggested I look into it. My response was, Thanks but no thanks. I don t need to go discover what my issues are or from where they stem because I already know that. In my life, I have already tried cognitive-based therapy, self-help books, seminars, leaning into my faith, leaning away from my faith, changing jobs, mindfulness-based stress reduction classes, a masters degree in interpersonal communication, changing partners, being very regimented to more lax, hitting the weights for stress relief, medication, meditation, vacations, etc. I have gone from one extreme to the other trying to make my life, relationships, & attitude better. My life looks good on paper. But it doesn t feel very good.

He basically replied, Well how has that worked for you?

It hadn t! I was miserable to lukewarm at best. I recognized he was right. What did I have to lose to go by checking it out. I only thought I knew the root of my behaviors & thoughts & choices due to all I wrote above. NOPE!

SPIRITUAL: I went to Step Beyond. A weekend training to help people figure out what is blocking them from their spiritual higher power. I felt so very far removed from God at that point I decided to go. It was powerful & life-changing. A catalyst to jumpstarting my faith to being as strong as it is now. Pain brought me to my faith. Pain took me away from my faith. And through pain, I was brought to Pathways, which brought me back to my faith. Stronger than it ever was.

I was still skeptical about the Core Training as it involves staying at a hotel overnight unlike Step Beyond) w a roommate (same sex). I m not big on sharing hotel rooms with anyone known or not. However, I figured if I tried it & didn t like it I could always leave. Having a roommate was fine & actually quite nice as it turned out.

What did I get from my Core Training?

The first 2 weekends deal w our past junk (big or small). The last 3 deal with our present & future...how to get out of it & put into it, to achieve our best life. It s not a motivational seminar. Those don t work.

PERSONAL: A whole new perspective. Not just why things are the way they are because of or in spite of the way I was raised, or because of things that I have done, or things that have been done to me. I left after each training with new insight as to what I could do to change the parts of my life going forward I was dissatisfied with. It s more than inspiration it s the application.

PROFESSIONAL: I am a very goal-oriented & seemingly accomplished person & still had so much to get out of this training. I have set goals & written them down on paper my whole adult life yet I still learned how to push through barriers, give myself grace, recommit to goals, understand what choices have limited me, how to interact with people who are challenging to deal with, how to use the spirit of diversity to enhance my profession, etc.

And practicing those tools and those skills between trainings is paramount to getting the most out of it that you can. It s experiential based training which is why it makes it difficult to talk about the training. Because you don t want to ruin it for someone to really get the most out of the training you have to experience it. Think of it like riding a bike or going to an amusement park.You can describe the experience to someone all day long. But to get it, you have to just do it yourself. And if you told someone what to expect in every scene of a movie they were going to watch, you would ruin it for them. So with those two analogies, I hope that gives perspective as to why going into detail about the trainings would only take away from someone s experience. I will say I have learned new ways to think about myself, my perspective, how to approach people who have caused me pain or people whom I have caused pain. I have finally learned how to set boundaries instead of walls for myself, for others, and how to stop self defeating behaviors.