Our History

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Spent the winter in Moscow furthering the early work of the Esalen Soviet-American Exchange Program. Through Soviet colleagues, Dulce and Michael Murphy were able to legally rent an apartment at a time in Soviet-American history when that was almost impossible. They were among a handful of Americans aside from diplomats and media correspondents to live there at that time.

Met Norman Mailer and introduced him to the Soviet Writers’ Union, a friendship that led to a long involvement with Soviet and American writers and eventually to Russia joining the International Pen Club.

Met with Werner Erhard, founder of Erhard Seminar Training while the Murphy’s were living in Moscow. This was his first visit to the USSR. Werner gave lectures and met with many of our colleagues in Moscow during his first visit to the USSR. His primary translator was Vladimir Pozner, well-known Soviet and Russian radio and television personality.

Furthered the work of the Health Promotion Project through meetings of high-level Ministry of Health officials including Yevgeny Chazov, who is a member of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. He was charged with promoting research on the probable medical, psychological and biospheric effects of nuclear war. The group was awarded the Nobel Peace prize on December 1985. On the occasion of the award, Chazov gave the acceptance speech in Oslo. Meetings such as this led to continuing seminars, conferences and personal connections among medical specialists from the United States and the USSR/Russia. These gatherings continue to this day.

Hosted Linda Tellington-Jones, a Feldenkrais practioner and founder of Tellington-Jones Equine Awareness Movements (T.E.A.M. Club) and an expert on animal healing. She was invited, under the Esalen Soviet-American Exchange Program to work with the veterinarians and horses at the well-known Arabian horse auction in Pyatigorsk, Russia. This meeting led to further work with animals and veterinarians at zoos, race-tracks and farms throughout the Soviet Union.