What is to give light must endure burning – Viktor Frankl
Hello and welcome! I’m Tam Martin Fowles. my roles include mother, grandmother, wife, writer, activist, artist, survivor, transpersonal counsellor, international group facilitator/speaker/lecturer, founder and CEO of Hope in the Heart CIC and designer of the AccepTTranscend Model for Transformation
A difficult childhood and adolescence catalysed serious mental health issues in my earlier adulthood, accompanied by extraordinary altered-state awareness, collectively awarded various diagnostic labels, included psychosis. I did not expect to survive, much less eventually thrive; but insights gained through ordeal and recovery, plus the company and guidance of wise allies, transformed my life and have inspired my work for over thirty years.
I Recognised early on that certain people transcend even extreme adversity in ways that positively tranform their lives and world. When my own most extreme crisis called, this became my experience and goal. Much later, I spoke at length with individuals across the diverse global community of survivors, exploring common criteria in their journeys, and condensing these into an accessible practical model to guide others towards transformation – AccepTTranscend.
I have worked with people from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures, on several continents. From service-users with mental health and social challenges to survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, former freedom-fighters in South Africa, and refugees and genocide survivors displaced from their many home countries, I have witnessed a remarkable capacity of spirit common to human beings everywhere, but not always immediately accessible. In some it emerges and grows alongside or following adversity. For others, it needs to be guided, nurtured and encouraged.
Years after developing AccepTTranscend I learned about the theory of Post-traumatic growth which, according to Psychology Today …posits that adversity can unintentionally yield changes in understanding oneself, others, and the world”. AccepTTranscend is closely aligned with this theory, and offers participants a way to intentionally yield such changes, at their own pace, in a safe, creative environment with compassionate others.
I have had the joy and honour to successfully guide groups and communities through this process since 2012. It has proved effective and sustainable at many levels for diverse participants in a variety of contexts and countries.
Here are some comments from course and workshop participants
The AccepTTranscend logo depicts a torii gate, most commonly found at the entrance to a Japanese Shinto shrine to mark the transition from the mundane to the sacred.
The adoption of the torii gate as a logo is intended to honour the survivors of the atomic bombings in Japan, and the strength, resilience and wisdom of survivors everywhere.
