In-Person Laboratory Courses in Colorado Springs, CO
All workshops take place at the Institute for Anatomical Research, 1490 West Fillmore St., Suite 130, Colorado Springs, CO, 80904.
In-person laboratory dissection workshops offer an unparalleled and inspirational opportunity to experience the integral nature of the human form. Groups of 6-7 participants per donor form dissect layer-by-layer each day, a journey that is undertaken with both reverence and excitement for the great gift of learning. We create an environment of teamwork, enthusiasm, and excitement, while intending to bring what we discover to the world; faculty bring their experience to create a space that affords an opportunity to learn at many levels. This profound journey will radically transform your understanding of anatomy ~ and yourself.
2024 In-Person Lab Courses
Gil will personally lead each of these courses, supported by his esteemed and experienced faculty.
May 6-11, 2024: 6-Day Fixed
Taught by Gil full-time, with team.
The 6-Day Intensive Hands-On Human Dissection Workshop (fixed) is the tried-and-true, time-tested original program taken by thousands of courageous somanauts over the last 30 years. Through hands-on dissection, you will work for six days dropping through the textural layers of a fixed form with a group of peers. We will work carefully with skin, superficial fascia/adipose, perifascia, deep fascia, muscle tissues, viscera and bone, as well as dissect the central nervous system, which is one of the important advantages of working with the fixed forms. This is an unparalleled opportunity to study with Gil in the lab for a whole week!
Cost: $3,000. Non-refundable deposit: $1,000.
June 3-13, 2024: 6+4 Day Unfixed
Taught by Gil full-time, with team.
This 6+4 day, unfixed program is comprised of two parts. The first 6 days (June 3-8) are a soft-tissue immersion, where you will work through the textural layers of an unfixed form as we do in the regular 6-Day course, though we'll have extra time to spend on the fascia, muscle tissues and viscera since we will be preserving joints, bones and central nervous tissues. Then we have a well-earned day off on June 9.
This is followed by a 4-day extended study session (June 10-13) to skeletonize the forms and study the ligaments, movable bony articulations, and comparative skeletal morphology. This is an unparalleled opportunity to study with Gil in the lab for ten very full days!
COST: $4,500. Non-refundable deposit: $1,500.
October 21-26, 2024: 6-Day Unfixed
Taught by Gil full-time, with team.
The 6-Day Intensive Hands-On Human Dissection Workshop is the tried-and-true, time-tested original program taken by thousands of courageous somanauts over the last 30 years. This is the unfixed version of that course. Through hands-on dissection, you will work for six days dropping through the textural layers of an unfixed form with a group of peers. We will work carefully with skin, superficial fascia/adipose, perifascia, deep fascia, muscle tissues, viscera and bone. This is an unparalleled opportunity to study with Gil in the lab for a whole week!
Cost: $3,000. Non-refundable deposit: $1,000.
About The Experience
These courses are well suited for hands-on therapy practitioners, fitness professionals, yoga and pilates teachers, i.e. people making regular use of anatomical knowledge through touch and movement! I also admit carefully screened engineers, fine artists, sculptors, dancers and body-explorers who desire to enhance their knowledge and commit fully to the process. Prior dissection experience is not required.
Fixed tissues have been chemically preserved through the process of embalming, and thus afford the luxury of time when exploring the human form. When the donor forms are preserved, they hold their shape well, making some structures decidedly easier to work with (eg. brain and CNS, viscera, glands, etc.). There is also an increased safety factor when tissues are fixed, as embalming essentially sterilizes the donor form. There is a distinct chemical odor infusing embalmed tissues, but this is easily forgiven by most for the learning opportunity which they afford us. We frankly could not grasp the whole structure without the benefit of preservation!
Unfixed means that the donor form is preserved by refrigeration only. Time is more "of the essence" when we explore unfixed bodies. When the tissues are not preserved, their movement properties are available, while structural shapes can be more elusive. Additional care is required due to the increased biohazard situation. All donor forms are tested with a thorough blood screening prior to use.
Individual course tuition fees are indicated above in the 2024 schedule; a non-refundable, non-transferable deposit of $1,000 ($1,500 for 6+4 Day Course) is due upon acceptance into a course, and the balance is due 6 weeks before class. Full terms of the course are outlined in the course application, and submission of a deposit constitutes acceptance of those terms. Send no deposit until you have been notified of your acceptance and you are certain you can come.
All laboratory workshops are structured to support the participants in a community-oriented approach to hands-on learning. We start each day with a community circle to set an intention and mindset for the process. Through various short talks, conversation, and the dissection process itself, participants gain deeper anatomical knowledge as well as greater self-awareness.
Participants bear multiple responsibilities: dissection involves differentiating tissue, safety consciousness, and care of the donor forms, workspace, and each other. We create an environment of teamwork, enthusiasm, and excitement, while intending to bring what we discover to the world.
Click here for detailed information on CEs credit available.
