History of Inner Journey Seminars, Inc
In the early nineties, Michael created with his friend Franz Friedrich a program called 'The Quest' which became the forerunner of the Inner Journey. The first Inner
Journey Seminar was developed by Michael Schiesser in the summer of
1998, based on his personal studies in the fields of psychology,
anthropology, philosophy and with spiritual teachers of the major
spiritual streams of East and West. Major influences on the design of
the Inner Journey came from Jungian based psychology, the Five
Element Theory of ancient Chinese philosophy, the Human Potential
Movement and Transpersonal Psychology. More details can be gained by
reading Michael’s biography.
The first Inner Journey was organized by Michael Sigman, who became a member to the orignial team, in the fall of 1998 for a group of gay men in the Bay Area. In 1999/2000 Michael met his present partners in teaching the Inner Journey, Neelama Eyres, Howard Ross, Gunnar Nilsson, Penelope Bell, Gerry Guiliani and Jack LaFleur . All of the above mentioned and many more, generously and profoundly contributed to the program and the establishment of 4 communities, San Francisco, Washington DC, Chicago and Ottawa, Canada, where the Inner Journey workshop is now held.
Inner Journey Seminars, Inc is owned by Michael Schiesser. SanFrancisco, Chicago, and Ottowa have been developed under the umbrella of IJS.
Washington, DC has become a separate 501-C3 non-profit organization, maintaining the integrity of The Inner Journey workshop, but offering additional programs designed and led by Howard Ross
The 'Men's Inner Journey' is taught by Michael Sigman as part of The Gateway for Integrated Consciousness, a Nonprofit Organization.