In-Person Laboratory Courses in Colorado Springs, CO
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.
2023 COURSES
Gil will personally lead each of these courses, supported by his esteemed and experienced faculty (Jim Pulciani, Sallie Thurman, Madhav Gramke, and Carla Oliva). See each course for details.
July 17-22, 2023: 6-Day Fixed
Taught by Gil full-time, with team.
The 6-Day Intensive Hands-On Human Dissection Workshop (fixed) is the tried-andtrue, time-tested original program taken by thousands of courageous somanauts over the last 25 years. Through hands-on dissection, you will work for six days through the textural layers of a fixed form with a group of peers. Cost: $2,500, Non-Refundable Deposit: $1,000.
The fixed class is an excellent format for participants who are especially interested in the brain, viscera, glands, or are newer to dissection.
August 21-31, 2023: 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 (Cost: $2,500, Non-Refundable Deposit: $1,500) are a soft-tissue immersion, where you will work through the textural layers of an unfixed form. Extra time will be spent on the fascia, muscle tissues, and viscera.
This is followed by a 4-day extended study session (Cost: $1,300) to skeletonize the forms and study the ligaments, movable bony articulations, and comparative skeletal morphology. This session is only available to those who participate in the 6-Day session immediately prior.
Preference given to those seeking to enroll in both sessions.
*Gil will be facilitating these sessions, with assistance from faculty. Meet your Faculty.
Sept 17-27, 2023: 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 (Cost: $2,500, Non-Refundable Deposit: $1,500) are a soft-tissue immersion, where you will work through the textural layers of an unfixed form. Extra time will be spent on the fascia, muscle tissues, and viscera.
This is followed by a 4-day extended study session (Cost: $1,300) to skeletonize the forms and study the ligaments, movable bony articulations, and comparative skeletal morphology. This session is only available to those who participate in the 6-Day session immediately prior.
Preference given to those seeking to enroll in both sessions.
*Gil will be facilitating these sessions, with assistance from faculty. Meet your Faculty.
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 2023 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 is acceptance of those terms. Send no deposit until you have been notified of your acceptance and you are certain you can come. Since course production costs are VERY high, no refunds are made for cancellations within one month of the start date of the course.
All laboratory workshops are structured to support the participants in a community-oriented approach to hands-on learning. We start each day with a sharing 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.
