What Is The Universal Family?

The Universal Family is a metaphorical map of inner experience — a bridge between psychology, neuroscience, and timeless non-dual awareness. It offers an intuitive and compassionate way to orient ourselves in any moment, supporting inner peace, coherence, and safety.

This model isn’t a rigid structure but a flexible lens — one that dissolves when no longer needed, yet returns as a helpful guide when confusion arises.

What if your mind were an adolescent, your body a child, and you the wise, loving parent they both long for?

In The Universal Family, you'll learn to navigate daily life and relationships from a deeply grounded place: your own observing awareness. This unique workshop introduces a compassionate and practical model of self-understanding, where:

• 🧠 The Mind is the Adolescent — intelligent, opinionated, often anxious, caught up in thought, comparison, and imagined futures or past regrets.

• 🫀 The Body is the Child — honest, sensitive, and direct, expressing its truth through sensation and emotion, often overwhelmed by the drama of the adolescent mind.

• 🌞 You are the Loving Parent — ever-present awareness, calm and spacious, the true source of stability and wisdom. You do not react; you witness, include, and guide with clarity and compassion.

The Three Modes of Being

Using the Universal Family metaphor, we can begin to observe how our inner system moves through three fundamental modes of being. These are not static “states” but fluid orientations — each with specific physiological, psychological, and existential markers.

Child Mode

When fear or overwhelm dominates, we are pulled into the Child Mode — fused with the body’s sensations and the nervous system’s survival responses.

• Characterised by: hyperarousal, shutdown, emotional flooding, or fragility

• Neuroscientific lens: dominated by limbic and brainstem activity (fight/flight/freeze)

• Non-dual view: identity contracts into raw sensation; the body is mistaken for the whole self

We are no longer with our sensations — we are inside them.

Adolescent Mode

Here, we are identified with the narrative mind — the internal voice that comments, compares, judges, and imagines. In Adolescent Mode, we believe we are a separate, individual self trying to secure happiness and avoid pain through control, achievement, or approval.

• Characterised by: self-conscious emotional thought loops, limiting beliefs, inner conflict

• Neuroscientific lens: heightened activity in the Default Mode Network (DMN), which constructs personal identity

• Non-dual view: the mind overlays labels and meaning onto experience, obscuring presence

The adolescent believes it must fix, prove, or complete itself — often by grasping at objects, people, or roles outside of itself.

Adult Mode

In this mode, we rest as the Awake, Loving Parent — the witnessing presence in which both body and mind are allowed to express and unfold. This Adult Mode is not an improved ego state — it is the recognition of being itself.

• Characterised by: inner spaciousness, compassion, clarity, non-reactivity

• Neuroscientific lens: associated with integrated brain states (e.g. increased prefrontal and vagal tone), open awareness

• Non-dual view: abiding as the ever-present field of knowing — not a part of experience, but its context

From this ground, the child and adolescent aspects are not repressed or “fixed”, but lovingly met — seen, heard, and held within a stable field of being.

Why This Matters

The Universal Family isn’t just a metaphor — it’s a practical, compassionate framework for navigating the complexity of human experience with clarity, self-trust, and integration. It brings together the insights of neuroscience, depth psychology, and non-dual understanding into a single, intuitive inner map.

By learning to recognise and relate to the Three Modes of Being — Child, Adolescent, and Adult — we stop unconsciously reacting from survival strategies and begin responding from spacious awareness.

Why it changes everything:

• When caught in Child Mode, we become fused with emotion or overwhelm. This model teaches us to meet the body’s signals with radical compassion, listening instead of suppressing, without being swept away by fear.

• In Adolescent Mode, we live through limiting thoughts, inner rules, and self-judgement. Through the lens of the Universal Family, we learn to challenge these beliefs gently, without getting entangled — seeing that these thoughts are not who we are, but patterns playing out.

• In Adult Mode, we rest as aware presence — the stable, loving space in which mind and body unfold. From here, we can witness and include all parts of ourselves without being defined by them. This is the return to wholeness.

Through this framework, you’ll discover how to:

• Stop outsourcing your emotional care to others, and start honouring the inner children of your mind and body.

• Understand, listen to, and act on their needs with presence and intuitive wisdom.

• Discern and embrace the neurodiverse nature of these parts — each with unique rhythms, sensitivities, and modes of expression.

• Challenge the limiting beliefs of the adolescent mind without becoming entangled in its fear or doubt.

• Listen to your body’s signals with deep compassion, meeting its real needs with care rather than compromise.

• Cultivate relationships based on mutual respect, starting by respecting your own emotional truth.

• Stay calm and grounded even in emotional storms, by connecting to the inner trust that life itself supports your joy.

The Universal Family reminds us:
Your wholeness isn’t something to create — it’s something to remember.
You are already the safe, loving ground where your inner family can return, rest, and grow.

Why the "Universal Family" Metaphor Works

The Universal Family metaphor is profoundly effective because it translates the subtle truths of non-duality and the nuanced insights of neuroscience into a direct, emotionally resonant human experience — that of family.

It invites immediate understanding by reflecting the dynamic interplay between mind, body, and awareness in a way that is both intellectually clear and emotionally intuitive.

Here’s why this metaphor is so powerful and universally applicable:

1. 🌞 Reveals Beingness as the Loving Ground of All Experience

2. 🧠 Highlights the Mind as a Valuable but Developing Intelligence

3. 🌱 Frames the Body and World as Innocent Expressions of Being

4. ❤️ Illuminates the Inherent Love of Beingness

5. 🌪️ Clarifies the Roots of Psychological Separation — and Points to Healing

6. 🌍 Affirms the Value and Purpose of Human Life

7. 🧘‍♂️ Deepens the Direct Path of Non-Dual Realisation

8. 🧬 Reflects Core Insights from Neuroscience and Psychology

9. 🌟 It’s Simple, Relatable, and Ready to Use

The Universal Family model doesn't teach you who you are — it helps you remember what you’ve always known:
That you are the steady, loving presence in which all of life unfolds,
And your mind and body are not obstacles, but your children — waiting to be met, heard, and loved.

Who Is This For?

The Universal Family framework speaks to a broad range of individuals across personal, spiritual, and professional domains. It is especially resonant for those seeking clarity, integration, and self-awareness through a compassionate, non-pathologising lens.

Whether you're navigating inner growth or supporting others, this model offers a practical and profound map for awakening and healing.

🧘‍♀️ Spiritual Seekers & Meditators

• Non-duality, mindfulness, and awareness practitioners

• Caught in loops of anxiety, despite spiritual insight

• Seeking to embrace mind and body in the awakening process

💬 Therapists, Coaches, Counsellors & Healers

• Supporting others in healing or integration

• Wanting trauma-informed, spiritually-attuned models

• Seeking to include somatic, cognitive, and awareness-based approaches

🌈 Neurodivergent Individuals

• Experiencing life through sensitive, non-linear perception

• Desiring frameworks that honour their rhythm and intelligence

• Seeking compassionate self-understanding

💡 Sensitive and Introspective Minds

• Deep thinkers, emotionally rich processors

• Overstimulated or caught between intuition and anxiety

• Longing for grounded self-connection

🧠 Overthinkers, Inner Critics, & Perfectionists

• Stuck in mind loops, self-doubt, or hyper-achievement

• Wanting a break from inner pressure

• Ready to reframe inner voices with love and guidance

💓 Those on a Healing or Trauma-Informed Journey

• Carrying emotional or relational wounds

• Aware of triggers but unsure how to meet them

• Longing to become their own inner parent

👩‍👧 Parents & Caregivers (of Children or Inner Children)

• Wanting to model healthy attunement

• Understanding emotional reactivity through the lens of inner parenting

• Offering love inward as well as outward

🧍‍♂️ Anyone Longing for a Gentler, More Integrated Inner Life

• Tired of managing, fixing, or controlling

• Curious about healing that makes space for everything

• Ready for peace, presence, and wholeness — now

The Universal Family Workshop

A 1-Day Experiential Journey into Wholeness, Inner Safety, and Self-Compassion

The Universal Family Workshop is a transformative, one-day immersion into a deeply intuitive and science-aligned model of self-understanding. Drawing on the metaphor of the Universal Family, the workshop offers a powerful and compassionate way to explore the three inner modes of being: the sensitive body (Child), the restless mind (Adolescent), and your ever-present, loving awareness (Adult/Parent).

Rather than teaching abstract theory or imposing fixed practices, this workshop gently guides you to directly experience your own wholeness — not as a future goal, but as a living reality already present within you.

What You'll Explore

• How to recognise and rest as the stable, safe awareness that lovingly includes both mind and body.

• How to meet the body's emotional needs and survival responses with radical compassion.

• How to recognise and gently challenge the limiting beliefs and reactivity of the adolescent mind.

• How to live from the joyful, life-affirming qualities of your being — while respecting the real needs of your mind and body.

You’ll learn to stop outsourcing emotional safety and start parenting your inner world with clarity and care — embodying a deep inner coherence that can transform how you relate, respond, and live.

By the End of This Workshop, You Will…

✅ Recognise the Three Modes of Being — and understand how your inner system moves between Child, Adolescent, and Adult modes throughout daily life.

✅ Feel at home in your body — able to meet sensations and emotions with attuned, non-judging awareness rather than fear, suppression, or reactivity.

✅ Recognise your thoughts without being ruled by them — understanding how the adolescent mind forms beliefs and how to lovingly disidentify from its anxious narratives.

✅ Experience your true nature as a stable, loving awareness — not as an idea or belief, but as a lived reality that offers calm in any situation.

✅ Become the safe inner parent you always needed — able to hold the needs, fears, and hopes of your inner child and adolescent with patience and wisdom.

✅ Develop tools for real-time integration — practices you can apply in the moment to shift from reaction to presence, from confusion to clarity.

✅ Deepen your capacity for self-love and inner coherence — discovering that all parts of you can coexist in harmony when met with awareness.

✅ Leave with a clear map and felt sense of wholeness — not a future goal, but the foundation that’s always been here, waiting to be remembered.

Workshop Structure

The day is divided into four 90-minute experiential sessions. Each session weaves together reflection, somatic awareness, guided inquiry, and dialogue — providing a space where your real experiences are welcomed and explored.

Session 1: Understanding the Child Body

• Explore how emotions, needs, and sensations arise in the body.

• Learn to recognise the physiological signs of Child Mode: overwhelm, hyperarousal, shutdown.

• Practice attuning to your inner child with presence and empathy.

Session 2: Understanding the Adolescent Mind

• Identify limiting beliefs and mental loops shaped by fear and identity.

• Understand the mind as a developing intelligence, not a problem to fix.

• Practice separating from reactive thoughts while honouring their roots.

Session 3: Recognising Your True Nature as Loving Awareness

• Discover the stable ground of your being: calm, clear, aware, and unchanging.

• Rest in the natural safety of presence — your inner “parental” field.

• Explore non-dual inquiry to reveal the qualities of awareness: openness, stillness, love, and clarity.

Session 4: Living in Oneness as the Universal Family

• Integrate the three aspects of your being into one harmonious whole.

• Practice meeting inner experiences from your true nature — not reactivity.

• Explore how this integration naturally flows into daily life, relationship, and purpose.

Why This Workshop Matters

Most of us were taught to mistrust our emotions, fear our thoughts, and look outside ourselves for safety. The Universal Family model offers a new map — one that reveals you are not broken, but beautifully complex.

By bringing together modern neuroscience, trauma-aware psychology, and non-dual insight, this workshop empowers you to:

• Understand the real roots of your emotional reactivity

• Stop identifying with the voice in your head

• Heal the split between body, mind, and awareness

• Live from grounded wholeness — no matter what arises

This is not about fixing yourself.
It’s about remembering what you are — and offering that remembrance to every part of you.

The Universal Family Workshop Timetable

1:00 PM – 1:15 PM
🌼 Welcome & Opening Circle

• Introduction to the Universal Family metaphor

• Overview of the Three Modes of Being

• Setting shared intentions

1:15 PM – 2:45 PM
🧒 Session 1: Understanding the Child (Body) Mode

• Exploring body-based intelligence and emotional honesty

• Recognising signs of fear, overwhelm, and hyperarousal

• Somatic listening, grounding, and compassionate witnessing

• Movement, breath, and emotional needs reflection

2:45 PM – 3:00 PM
☕ Break
Tea, rest, journaling or light movement

3:00 PM – 4:30 PM
🧠 Session 2: Understanding the Adolescent (Mind) Mode

• Identifying limiting beliefs and self-concepts

• Differentiating between awareness and mental activity

• Inquiry into inner narratives, perfectionism, and fear

• Group dialogue and thought-auditing tools

4:30 PM – 4:45 PM
🍵 Break
Time to rest, reflect, or connect

4:45 PM – 6:15 PM
🌞 Session 3: Realising the Loving Parent (Awareness)

• Guided inquiry into the nature of awareness

• Recognising the Adult Mode as ever-present Being

• Holding inner children with stability and compassion

• Practising presence in real-time inner dynamics

6:15 PM – 6:30 PM
🌿 Break
Short outdoor pause, mindful breathing, or quiet space

6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
💠 Session 4: Integration – Living as the Universal Family

• Bringing mind, body, and awareness into coherence

• Real-life applications of the model

• Journaling, insight sharing, and Q&A

• Closing reflection and supportive next steps

Workshop Pricing – Accessible, Fair, and Supportive

At Naturally Being, I deeply believe that wellness, clarity, and inner integration are fundamental human needs — and should be accessible to everyone, regardless of financial means.

To support this, my 1-day workshops are offered on a tiered pricing system. This flexible model allows you to choose the amount that most honestly reflects your financial capacity, while receiving the exact same workshop experience at every tier.

Choose the Rate That Feels Right for You:

• €100 – Standard rate

• €75 – Enter discount code NB025 at checkout for 25% off

• €50 – Enter discount code NB050 at checkout for 50% off

✨ When booking your place, simply select the full price (€100), and then apply the appropriate discount code during the checkout process to adjust the price.

This pricing approach allows Naturally Being to function with generosity and balance — supporting inclusion without compromising integrity.

Next Steps

Come as you are. Ready to experience deep integration and inner clarity? Join us for the next Universal Family Workshop — reserve your place now and begin the journey toward embodied wholeness.

Please note this work is of a educational, spiritual and philosophical nature and not a form of therapy or psychological treatment and not a substitute for psychological or medical treatment. If you are in any doubt please see a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist in your region.