The 5 Knots - and how to untie them (Spring 2026)

Many therapists and coaches have a deep personal connection to spiritual practice. Yet, when it comes to client work, many are concerned that drawing explicitly on spirituality might mean that some clients will perceive them as unprofessional, that they will be imposing beliefs and worldviews on their clients, or that they would need to explain complex abstract concepts to clients before they can engage in this kind of work.

This course offers a way of integrating spirituality into therapy without compromising professionalism, ethics, or accessibility. We begin from the simple assumption that much human suffering arises from a loss of awareness of the present moment beyond interpretation - what we call Being for short. From this perspective, therapy can be understood as various approaches to unhooking awareness from emotional and mental patterns that draw it away from Being. Furthermore, this perspective enables us to use familiar therapeutic tools, your clients are comfortable with, to help clients discover - on their own terms - states of presence and insights into the nature of reality that are often described in spiritual traditions, and benefit from the therapeutic effects of these states and insights. 

In this course, you will learn:

• Use descriptive language to bring awareness to Being
• Identify the five qualitatively different types of patterns that block awareness of Being (the 5 knots)
• Facilitate five processes specifically designed to untie each of the five different patterns that block the perception of Being (untying the 5 knots)
• Reinforce fundamental shifts of understanding that will prevent the knots from reforming
• Provide a grounded and scientifically informed framework for understanding common spiritual insights, such as the abundance of existence, the idea that what you seek is already within, the illusion of evil, the individual as creator of their own world, and the inherent wholeness of the individual.

The course is for therapists, coaches and others who work professionally with people (or would like to). The course is also for seekers who wish to take the facilitation of their own process to the next level.  

The course will include chatroom support, where you will be able to get your questions answered as they arise between modules.

If you are unsure whether this course is for you, send me an email (info@sensingmind.com), and I'll be happy to have a chat with you. 

• Dates - the next cohort will start early 2026:
  
  • Module 1: Feb 6-8, 2026
    
  • Module 2: Mar 6-8, 2026
    
  • Module 3: Apr 17-19, 2026
    
  • Module 4: May 8-10, 2026
  • Module 5: Jun 19-21, 2026
• Time:
  • Friday 19-21.30 CET / 6-8.30 pm UK time
  • Saturday 10-18 CET / 9 am - 5 pm UK time
  • Sunday 10-18 CET / 9 am - 5 pm UK time

Module 1: Life is abundance - the knot of positive reification

You will be introduced to the model of the 5 knots. We will examine in detail the first knot of positive reification, where we project being onto external phenomena. This knot underlies states, such as idealisation, infatuation, and fear of loss. We will also look at the process of Sensing Abundance, which dissolves the first knot. 

Module 2: What you seek is already present within you - the knot of conditionality

In this module, we will examine the second knot, the knot of conditionality, where we fortify the separation created by the first knot with ideas about conditions for overcoming the (fictional) separation. This knot is what generates phenomena such as compulsive behaviour, depression, hopelessness and despondency. We will also look at the process of Sensing Scope, which dissolves the second knot.

Module 3: Evil does not exist - the knot of negative reification

In this module, we will examine the third knot, the knot of Negative Reification, where our accumulating frustration leads us to develop negative perceptions of being. It is this knot that generates feelings of walking on eggshells, inhabiting a fundamentally unsafe world, and feeling insecure and threatened. This knot is responsible for the shrinking of our world as we avoid more and more situations, emotions, thoughts, etc. We will also explore the process of Sensing Taboos, which dissolves the third knot. 

Module 4: You are the creator of your world - the knot of alienation

In this module, we will examine the fourth knot, the knot of Alienation, where we turn away from being and set ourselves up for reinforcement of the first knot of positive reification, thus completing the negative circle that is responsible for the degradation of consciousness to a state where we are asleep and unaware that we are asleep. This knot is the force behind self-destructive urges, the persistence of negative thoughts and emotions and the absence of positive thoughts and emotions. We will also look at the process of Sensing Agency, which dissolves the fourth knot. 

Module 5: You are already whole - the knot of fragmentation

In this module, we will examine the fifth knot, the knot of fragmentation, where the other knots have created dynamics in our personality structure that are pursuing mutually exclusive objectives. This knot creates feelings of being split or torn, being caught between a rock and a hard place, ambivalence, indecision and paralysis in life. We will also look at the process of Sensing Systems, which dissolves the fifth knot.