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Online EIs

Important: Online Enlightenment Intensives have the same format and use the same contemplation technique as in-person Enlightenment Intensives. Yet, there are a couple of things, they cannot provide compared to in-person Intensives as created by Charles and Ava Berner. This page covers some aspects, that might help you to decide, wich format is the more suitable one for you as a participant.

Nevertheless, the most important thing is: talk to the master, who offers an Intensive. She/ he is the one who is responsible and will answer the questions you might have.

Acknowledgment: enlightenment-intensive.net wants to thank wortgewalt.com and enlightenment-intensives.org.uk for proof reading the text.

Online Enlightenment Intensives

Online Enlightenment Intensives have the same format and use the same contemplation technique as In-person Enlightenment Intensives. Yet there are a couple of things they cannot provide compared to In-person Intensives. With this article we want to give you as a participant the chance to understand some of the differences to then make an informed decision about participating in an in-person or an online Enlightenment Intensive.

Of course, the following information is not based on our personal opinion. We have asked experienced Masters to share their experience with us. Some of them have given Online Intensives or participated in them, some haven’t. This is an attempt to sum up the feedback we received.

First of all, there is one thing that almost everyone seems to agree on: Online Enlightenment Intensives are not the same as In-person Intensives. Yet, there seems to be another agreement among most of the Masters who have given or experienced Online Intensives and who have shared their experience with us, which is: Participants seem to go through the same processes as in In-person Intensives (sometimes perhaps not as deep or as intense, but it seems to be the same process) and some of the participants do have direct experiences (which – if you are new to this work – is the purpose of an Enlightenment Intensive).

Yet, to make a decision it might be helpful to know a couple of things about the Enlightenment Intensive, as created by Charles and Ava Berner.

The following information will be structured by focusing on 5 key elements:

What are the key elements of an In-person Enlightenment Intensive that cannot be offered and assured in the same way in an Online Intensive?
What do you need to know if you want to participate in an Online Intensive?
What are the advantages of an Online Intensive?
What advice do Masters have for you if you are planning to participate in an Online Intensive?
What else do the Masters have to say about In-person and Online Intensives?

Before we start, here is a basic and yet important thing: Whenever you participate in an Enlightenment Intensive – be it in-person or online – the person who is giving the Intensive, called the Master, is the one you should talk to and ask any question you might have. Only then will it truly be your own decision to participate in that particular retreat or not.

So, let’s get started:

1) What are the key elements of an In-person Enlightenment Intensive that cannot be offered and assured in the same way in an Online Intensive

The Enlightenment Intensive, as created by Charles and Ava Berner, is an in-person retreat. While the technique, format and rules are the same in an Online Intensive as in an In-person Intensive, there is an incomplete list of aspects that cannot be offered online in the same way as they are in a retreat where the staff and participants are in the same room. Which – as mentioned before – doesn’t necessarily mean that the online version doesn’t work.

The staff (Master and Monitors) will take care of:

Monitoring all the participants closely and supporting all participants in learning the contemplation technique:
When participants and staff are in the same physical space, there are various ways for the staff to get information about all the participants and their situation at the same time. So, whenever a Master or Monitor sees, hears or senses that someone needs support, contact or encouragement, they can respond immediately. This might concern participants needing support with mastering the technique or hitting a crisis, as well as being irritated or distracted by something or someone. The staff will make sure that the (often unintentional) behavior of a participant doesn’t compromise the safe space. In an Online Intensive, all this information can only be gathered by the staff when they are in the same virtual space as a participant, and even then, they mainly rely on visual cues.
Maintaining contact with all participants and supporting them during crises and difficult times in the process, as well as whenever they need support.
A key aspect in an Enlightenment Intensive is for Master and Monitors to be in constant contact with participants and support them, even before they realize they are having difficulties, facing a crisis or need support in any other way. In an Online Intensive, this is possible, too, but to a much lesser extent, as being in direct contact usually means being in a virtual room with two participants and not being able to “monitor“ others at the same time.
Making sure participants can focus on the process of contemplation one hundred percent by creating a disturbance free environment and taking care of all “everyday needs”.
In an In-person Intensive, your only task as a participant is to focus on your contemplation. Everything else is taken care of. Even the temptations and distractions of everyday life. No clocks, no cell phones, no extra food, no internet, no chit chat, … In an Online Intensive you are in your everyday environment where all these distractions (coffee, cigarettes, alcohol, sugar, internet devices, clocks, …) are at hand always. And there is no one to support you in avoiding them.
Holding the space and creating a supportive atmosphere in the room.
This is an integral part of the job of the Master and Monitors. One powerful way to do this is by their physical and embodied presence. This is part of their training. In a shared physical environment, there are many more ways to create and keep a supportive atmosphere than online.

As a participant you agree to the following:

Keeping eye contact as long as you are a listening partner in the Dyad and the other one is contemplating and communicating.
Again, one of the crucial aspects of the EI contemplation technique is that you spend half of the time listening to your partner without judging or doing anything with what is being communicated. You will see how important and powerful this kind of attention is. To do this, you will keep uninterrupted eye contact and be in a clear, non-judgmental presence as good as you can, while you are the listening partner. Sitting across someone in the same physical space seems to make this much easier for many of us than doing it in front of a computer in an online setting for up to 18 hours a day – looking at a screen is much more tiring than looking at a person across from you, as well as being present.
Being part of, holding and experiencing an embodied group field that supports all participants in their individual effort.
By taking your enquiry seriously, doing the contemplation and listening as best you can, and following the rules, you contribute to a very supportive group field. And likewise, not giving it your full intention will somewhat weaken this field. In both the Online Intensive and the In-person Intensive, the staff will support you as well as they can in making this effort. Yet, in an Online Intensive, as soon as you are not in front of the screen (for example, while preparing your meal, eating, being on a walking contemplation, sleeping, …) it’s completely up to you to hold up this effort. And there is no one “around” to support you in it.

2) What is important to know before participating in an Online Intensive?

In an Online Intensive, the Master and Monitors simply cannot take care of – or be responsible for – many aspects they manage in an In-person Intensive. So, as a participant, you have to make sure these things happen yourself.

If you participate in an Online Intensive, you need to be able to:

Recognize when you need support of the Master or a Monitor in doing the technique and get their attention.
Realize when your partner is doing something in the Dyad that compromises their or your process or safe space, and call a Master or Monitor to support you and your partner.
Recognize when you are experiencing a crisis, or about to, and get the attention of the Master or a Monitor to support you.
Sit in front of a computer screen for three days, maintaining focus on your process, contemplating, and listening for up to 18 hours a day.
Ensure you are in a safe physical environment where others won’t interfere.
Avoid talking to anyone between Dyads, whether in your physical space or online.
Have healthy food available and avoid using eating as a distraction from your process.
Handle outside disturbances (mail deliveries, unannounced guests, …) quickly while staying in your contemplation process.
Create an environment where you can fully follow the rules and genuinely intend to do so (including no phone, no in-person or online communication or information, no coffee, no alcohol, no clock, etc.).
Notice even the slightest signals from your body, mind, or emotions, that indicate that you need support and reach out to a staff member.

All of this and other aspects are closely monitored and provided by the staff in an In-person Intensive, but are mainly your responsibility in an Online Intensive.

3) What are the advantages of an Online Intensive?

We also asked the experienced masters what advantages they believe Online Intensives offer. Here is a summary of their answers:

Lower costs and no travel expenses for participants. This allows even those who cannot afford to attend an In-person Intensive to benefit from an Enlightenment Intensive. And online participation is definitely better than no participation at all.
An absolutely fundamental component of the Enlightenment Intensive is the Dyad. Dyads seem to work online just as well as they do in person.
People have direct experiences in Online Intensives.
They can provide a continuous practice opportunity for people who already have a solid foundation in in-person Enlightenment Intensives.
When working online, you are in a virtual space with only one partner during a Dyad. So, you are not hearing the other participants in the same room, which could make the contemplation more focused.
Going through a process of “opening up”, as usually happens in an Intensive, or having a direct experience of the truth while actually being at home, could make these experiences much more valuable and “real” than experiencing all of this in a retreat room and then returning to one’s usual everyday environment. This way, integrating the experiences from an Intensive into daily life can itself be part of the process of the Intensive.

4) What advice do Masters have for you, if you are planning to participate in an Online Intensive?

Experienced Masters have various tips for you if you are planning to participate in an Online Intensive. Especially – but not only – if it is your first Intensive and you have never participated in an In-person Intensive before.

Participate in an In-person Intensive first to get an idea of what the Intensive is meant to be and to have the best possible support environment to learn the technique and get started with the work.
Participate in both, an In-person and an Online Intensive, to get an idea which one suits you better.
Get a Master or a Monitor in a one-to-one setting to teach you the technique before you attend an Online Intensive.
Try online Dyad days and other short formats first, to see what it feels like to contemplate in front of a computer all day, before you decide to do it for three days or longer.
If you cannot set aside – literally – everything else in your life for three days in your home environment, then rather participate in an In-person Intensive, as you will not only weaken your own contemplation process but also the group field and hence other participants’ processes.
Tell someone you trust and who has an understanding of contemplative processes what you are doing and ask if you can contact and meet them should you need in-person one-to-one support in a crisis.
Ask the Master of the Online Intensive what he/she thinks about prerequisites for participating in an Online Intensive and what he/she suggests for you.
Ask the Master how many beginners and how many experienced participants will be in the Online Intensive. The more experienced participants attend, the more focused the online group field usually is.

5) What else do the Masters say about In-person and Online Intensives?

For most of us it’s impossible to actively participate in a process and monitor ourselves in that process at the same time. That’s the reason why In-person Intensives are safer and more effective, as participants can fully focus on their process while everything else is taken care of by the Master and the Monitors. In your home environment you, as a participant, have to take on various roles, which might not only weaken your process but can also lead to confusion and a false impression of what the Intensive is.
Emotional and psychological issues are likely to occur during an EI. While in an In-person Intensive the Master is present, will recognize them as they occur, and is trained to deal with them, in an Online Intensive these issues might be overlooked when they occur, and the participant might be left to deal with them alone.
The Enlightenment Intensive is a precise method, and its power lies in this precision. In an Online Intensive some elements cannot be provided, which compromises the precision.
Online Enlightenment Intensives are a derivate of the original and are still in the development stage. They have potential.
In an Online Intensive, participants are constantly exposed to EMFs (Wi-Fi is always on). In an In-person Intensive, all relevant devices are switched off. For sensitive individuals this can make a difference.
Perhaps if it takes place online, it shouldn’t be called Enlightenment Intensive, as so many fundamental things that make the Enlightenment Intensive so special are simply missing. Why not call it something else?

Taken together, the feedback from the Masters shows that both formats can offer valuable opportunities for contemplation and for having a direct experience, yet they are not the same. Each comes with its own strengths, limitations and requirements. What matters most is to understand these differences clearly and to choose the format that best supports your current situation, experience level and intention.

We from enlightenment-intensive.net would like to thank all the Masters who responded to our request and shared their experiences and opinions with us. We hope to have given you an insight into the differences between In-person and Online Intensives and thus help you decide which format best suits you.