They have experienced the SAT – these are their testimonials
Why they chose the SAT Programme
Experiences are as varied as the people who have them. On this page, you will find a selection of feedback and personal stories from participants in the SAT Programme.
What the SAT has changed in their lives
They speak about the richness of the programme, emphasising the deep understanding and insights gained — less at the level of the intellect than of the heart and the body. They shed light on a profoundly human journey, rich in meaning, fostering autonomy, the healing of sometimes unconscious wounds, and more authentic relationships, with the Enneagram at the centre of the SAT Programme.
Programme SAT
Testimonials from our participants
A few powerful words from our participants
Roberta
Retired, 68 years old
Meeting Claudio
I have spent my entire life searching for my life path, a spiritual path. I began practicing Buddhism at the age of 35, following an existential crisis. I have always been seeking, and eventually I was drawn to the SAT. When I met Claudio Naranjo and listened to his lecture on life and death, I was astonished by his depth, his life philosophy, the answers he brought regarding human suffering and how it is possible to find one’s way in life by way of suffering, which is also an opportunity to go a little deeper into oneself; it is up to us to make the most of it. As soon as I met Claudio, I felt that he and his teachings were right for me. For my Buddhist practice alone was not enough, I needed professionals of the human soul to help me understand my automatic negative tendencies.
John
Manager & author, 59 years old
For the first time in a long while, I am happy to be myself
John came to the SAT programme with a strong spiritual background — and little grounding. Today, he lives with greater clarity, vitality, and self-connection. He can sense his own needs, set boundaries, and stay present in difficult conversations. Patterns that once led to exhaustion and depression have become visible — and changeable. SAT did not offer him theory alone, but deep embodied experience: bodywork, constellation work, trauma-sensitive processes, and a safe, supportive learning environment. As John puts it: “I am not only my head, not only my heart, not only my belly. All of that is there — and I am more than that.
Rosalie
Self-employed dancer and choreographer, 39 years old
The power of the Enneagram
“You come out differently to the person you were when you went in!”
Rosalie, 39, is a self-employed dancer and choreographer. She recently told us about her experience on the SAT path and what has changed in her life.
“Today I would say, EVERYTHING changed. I sought self-awareness, loved group experiences, and was interested in new theories and psychotherapeutic processes. But in the SAT, I found a deep understanding of my mechanisms and Ego structures. Through the deep inner changes, I was also able to make numerous outer changes. Whether professionally or privately, I now experience much more contentment in my life. I am convinced of the SAT approach and methods and have not found this depth and holism in other seminars. For me personally, the work with the Enneagram and the body work were most important. They allowed me to recognise and illuminate what I call my “defence-survival construct” These insights were so far-reaching for me that I gained a whole new sense of Self. The path was not, and is not, always easy but it is worth it! The SAT is a profound path of development where you come out different to the person you were when you went in. What I took way from the SAT is: peace, contentment, self-efficacy, happiness and acceptance!”
Markus
Dance therapist and artist, 40 years old
Reclaiming my inner strength
“Feeling this freedom of choice and realising that I have creative power was the most significant thing for me.”
Markus is an artist, dance therapist, and father. He has published a photo book about his experience as a single father. “The Road Between” is a family portrait without a family, depicting distance and relationships.
“Yes, there have been significant changes in my life! In my relationships, in my work, with my son and my parents… For a long time, I was not aware of many things, such as the conflicts with my parents. The SAT work helped me become aware of the way I interact with others and how I shape my relationships with myself and with others. What mattered most to me was realising that I have a choice in the kind of relationships I wish to have. Feeling this freedom of choice and becoming aware of my creative power was the most significant thing for me. My inner conflicts are not as intense as they were. I am now better able to self-regulate and to find a healthier balance between euphoria and sobriety. If I become too euphoric and ‘take off’ too much, I now have ways of recognising this ‘surge’ and recentring myself.”
Gisela
Former educator, 71 years old
Rediscovering your center and your freedom
Gisela, a former teacher, married, mother of 4 children and grandmother of 4 grandchildren, talks about her SAT experience in an interview.
What has changed for you, your life, your family, your work as a result of the SAT work?
A few things. I think I’ve become more patient, more thoughtful, more generous, more reserved in my judgments. Yes, I think I’ve also become more honest with myself. Less rigid, with more freedom to choose how I want to behave. I have come more into my centre. That seems to me to be the apt phrase. It may sound a bit trite, but that’s really how I feel. Why did you continue to be interested in the SAT work? Mainly because a behaviour that has been there for a long time, of course, always needs refreshment and support to be changed. To stay on a good path, I actually needed help and support all the time. I noticed, when I wasn’t participating in a SAT for a longer period of time, that I fell back into old behaviour patterns, because in everyday life I also increasingly forget what I have learned.
For what kind of problems, issues, and personal enquiry would you recommend the SAT work?
If someone
- says: “I do the same stupid things again and again,
- says: “Life / others are always hard on me “,
- doesn’t know how to move forward,
- has relationship problems,
- is afraid of the future,
- is desperate,
- is looking for a positive direction in life.
And it is especially recommended when someone is convinced that they have no problems at all.
Luc
Capability Director, 53 years old
Going deep together
An interview with Luc summarising his experiences and his reflections on the SAT cycle:
How did you come to take part in the SAT Programme?
I had already taken part in the Hoffman Process with Katrin Reuter and Cherif Chalakani, who organise the SAT Programme in France and Germany, and I was surprised by the learning and the level of awareness I gained. I therefore decided to take part in the SAT Programme
Has taking part in the SAT Programme changed the way you see yourself and your relationships with others?
Yes, enormously. The aim of the SAT programme is to discover how you have been shaped and how this still affects your life today. Understanding this and analysing the impact it has on your relationships — experiencing emotionally, physically and mentally what this triggers in you, and how it can be transformed — is deeply liberating.
What impressed you most during the course?
Were there any key moments or particularly important discoveries? The process of discovery itself, which comes into contact with my mental, physical and emotional self. There were so many moving moments. One of the most recent was rediscovering how to play in nature and explore it, to dance, and to dare to be who I am.
What does the Enneagram mean to you?
It is a way of exploring who I am, of getting to know others better, and of freeing myself.
What was the group experience like?
The group is an integral part of the SAT experience, as it is both a source of support and of challenge. Over the course of the different SAT modules, strong bonds are formed between participants who come from all over the world. We do not remain on the surface of things; together, we explore the most hidden parts of ourselves.
What did you like about ZIST as a place and setting?
It is one of the most beautiful places I have been to for doing personal development work; the surrounding nature is magnificent, the facilities are beautiful, and the food is very good.
André
Coach & Trainer, 62 years old
There is a process, where love and compassion are woven together day after day in order to discover oneself, to get to one’s deepest essence.
In SAT, I have identified the outlines of this character, whose clothes I wear, sewn with the hands of my past. And it was with gentle skill in an atmosphere of freedom that I was able, with the help of both cognitive and psychological and body approaches, to explore my shadows while dramatizing certain aspects of this character to bring out the light. The therapists “undress” you in order to help you sew, with the hands of your heart – clothes that are truly your own. It feels so good to be authentic! Personal development remains an ethical priority for me as a training consultant. I have witnessed human suffering in many circumstances. Here, the welcome and support are such that you can truly be yourself, funny, pathetic and profound, all while learning at your own pace. The impressions left by this journey are and will remain unique. It is always tricky to recommend a course, but if there is one worth experiencing, it is this one! Thank you to the team and the participants! One month later: It’s already been a month! Yet… it seems to me that the SAT is still ongoing because every day… I realise a little more what it brings me, what it makes me rediscover or discover in MYSELF!
