About

What is to give light must endure burning – Viktor Frankl

Hello and welcome! I’m Tam Martin Fowles. I am a, Grandmother, mother, wife, writer, activist, artist, psychiatric 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, for which I received 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 the remarkable capacity of the human spirit to overcome adversity and live more richly and proactively as a result. For some, this happens organically. Others need some guidance and encouragement. And we can all benefit from consciously experiencing the adventure together.

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 privilege 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.
(More about how A-bomb survivors have inspired me, and AccepTTranscend, in this blog.)