Our instructor: Shawn Venne.
For the last 30 years, it has been my life’s quest to explore the nature of happiness and to assist others in experiencing a life of peace and fulfillment. I am being truthful in saying that my experience has been one of contentment.
My approach to serving others is based on my own journey in healing and self-exploration. It is through personal experience that I have learned what I hope to share with you, as a means to find wholeness in your life. I feel confident that I have traversed an adequate amount of the territory of self-healing and peace, and am familiar with it enough to guide you through it. I may not have walked an identical path in my life as you have walked in yours, but I have walked a similar path and will walk alongside and support you in your journey.
Between the inherent completeness of each moment and our experiencing and embracing that completeness is our mind and our limiting beliefs of who we are.
Professional qualifications
I am a Registered Social Worker with the BC College of Social Work and am registered to work with clients in the province of British Columbia and the Yukon Territory. I have a Bachelor Degree in Social Work and am currently in the process of earning my Masters Degree. My Master's Thesis is titled “Who is Being Mindful: Re-framing the Sense of Self in the Therapeutic Process” and explores who, or what, we believe our “self” to be and how this understanding can be incorporated into therapy to provide the most benefit.
I am trained in Mindfulness-integrated Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (MiCBT) and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). I have a Certificate in Substance Use Disorders from the Justice Institute of British Columbia. I also have a diploma in Hypnotherapy Counselling.
Testimonials from people I’ve had the honour to work with…
“A guiding star is not always found in the sky, however it is found in the dark. If one is willing to brush clouds away, a star will appear. That was Shawn for me. He offered me a way, a path, while subtly alluding that it must be my path. Slowly I began to shed the heavy burdened illusions of my sense of self; a self that I have come to witness along with all the stories it creates in a need for stability. In and out of itself, through meditation and communication, I now have an inner calmness and a growing awareness. I can flow with life, truly roll with the punches, and no longer suppress nor run away from the obstacles created by emotion. I have come to understand the nature of impermanence and the Beauty that rises from it. I feel I am becoming presence and from it comes a compassion and love I have never felt.”
“A gentle and humorous guide, Shawn is a pleasure to work with. His curious questioning, eclectic techniques, and generosity of spirit helped shift my experience of lifelong mental health and spiritual struggles to one of gratitude and tolerance. He has an uncanny ability to ask the best question in the moment. My capacity as a present and pleasant human has expanded immensely. My life is richer for it. I have witnessed Shawn's ability help others face their challenges. I encourage you to embark on your journey with Shawn as your guide. Life is full of surprises and Shawn can help you get centered no matter the conditions.”