Curriculum

The curriculum for this course will be varied, and will employ a variety of media. You will receive materials from several of my live Teacher Training Programs, some in audio, some in video, and some in text format. You will also have the opportunity to dialogue with me directly via an email discussion group created specifically for your course.

In this way, I feel confident that I can offer you a complete, well rounded, and satisfying learning experience. At the same time, I’ll be eager to hear your feedback as we proceed, so that I can respond to any constructive comments or criticisms you may have and modify the program to suit your specific learning needs.

Practical curriculum includes:

• Sleep Yoga™ techniques for group entrainment
• Guided Natural Breathing™ techniques to restore the natural rhythm of the breath
• DayTamers™ to reduce hyperarousal during waking hours
• NightTamers™ to quell late-night anxiety, worry, or fear
• Sleep-inducing Mini-Moves™ for falling asleep at bedtime or recovering from awakenings during the night
• Organic Movement for self-healing and self-awareness
• Here is a complete practical curriculum for the course.

For each Sounder Sleep technique presented, you will receive the following materials:

• An audio or video recording of the technique for your personal study and review.
• A text outline of the principle movements, useful for review or as a guide to teaching.
• My written commentary on the technique.
• Photographic documentation as needed.

Theoretical curriculum includes:

• Insomnia: causes and effects
• The neurophysiology of consciousness in waking and sleep
• Classical sleep stages and REM sleep
• Stable and unstable sleep
• Heirloom sleep (Sleep in pre-industrial societies)
• Sleep-dependent learning and memory consolidation
• Functional integration and sleep
• Natural Breathing: Theory and Practice
• The Neurophysiology of Inhibition

Additional curriculum includes:

• How to teach classes, workshops, and private lessons
• Curriculum selection, formatting, and presentation
• How to start a "sleep school"
• Suggestions for promotion and advertising
• Much more!

As you may have surmised from the above list, you are going to be given access to a large amount of learning material. Do not worry, I won't let you get lost in there! I am going to guide you through the material in a series of structured learning modules. You will have plenty of time to review each module at your own pace, and to digest and reflect on the material.

After studying each module, you will be asked to reply to a series of multiple-choice questions. The questions are designed to help you reflect on what you have learned, and also to confirm that you have assimilated the required material. That way, I’ll be able to track the learning process and ensure that we’re all moving forward together.

Once we've completed a module and had our discussions online, we'll move on to the next piece. I'll be with you every step of the way. And in the end, you’ll have a nice library of material for future study and reflection.

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Your Participation

Since this is a professional training program leading to Authorization as a Teacher of the Sounder Sleep System, there are certain minimum requirements for your participation. Your participation and demonstrated comprehension of the material is important! So what exactly will be expected of you? The following should give you a general idea.

1) You will need to allow approximately 30-60 minutes per week to listen to or watch the educational materials assigned to you. We will be studying one Mini-Move per week, give or take. We may take occasional short breaks as my travel schedule demands.

2) You should allow another 30 minutes each week for reading assignments given as part of the course. These will include articles from the press, research materials, and lecture materials prepared by me. Most of these materials are available on-line on the Professional Study Materials page. You are welcome to explore that page now. Don't worry, you won't be required to read all of what's there, just a small portion that I select, and much of that will be popular, rather than technical, in nature. It's all fascinating material—you will enjoy it!

3) You will require 15-20 minutes per week to read the messages from our on-line study group, and additional time to respond if you choose to do so. Note: Weekly assignments are made via this study group, usually on Fridays. You will need to check your email at least twice a week in order to maintain regular participation in the study group.

What if I am away from my computer and can't keep up? What if I'm on vacation? Don't worry! You can always catch up, at your own pace, when you return, or even when you're on the road. All the discussions will still be available on-line at our group's home page. So you can easily catch up on what you missed, at any time. If for any reason you lose the thread, simply email and I'll help you get re-oriented.

This course is not designed to dominate your life. I expect it to unfold at a nice, relaxed pace. If you're busy, or going away for an extended period, we can work that in as long as you stay in touch with me. We will not leave you behind.

Basic computer skills required for this course:

• Check, read, and respond to email.
• Download text or audio files and save them to a folder in your computer.
• Play MP3 audio files on your computer or an MP3-equipped CD player.
• Watch video on your computer.

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How to Enroll

Please use the purple button below to register on-line for the course.

Once you've paid on-line, you will receive an email confirmation of your purchase. If you have any questions about your registration or payment, feel free to email me.

Please note: When you pay by credit card, you'll be prompted to enter your credit card's billing address in the on-line form. If your shipping address is different from that address, please be sure you also enter that shipping address in the additional space provided. Important: Unless you instruct us otherwise, we will send your educational materials to the shipping address you provide on your on-line registration form.

Course Schedule

The start date for the Course Completion Sominar will be on or about July 1, 2008. Course completion date is on or about December 31, 2008.

You will receive your course materials in two shipments, on or about July 1, 2008, and on or about October 1, 2008. Additional materials will be distributed on-line.

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Tuition and Payment Schedule

Tuition:Full tuition for this course is $660 US. (This amount includes a materials fee of $60 US to cover the cost of manufacturing, packing, and shipping your learning materials to you. The total cost to you is $660.)

Full Payment: Payment in full is due no later than June 15, 2008. Please enroll in a timely manner so we can plan the distribution of your educational materials.

Early Payment Discount: An early-bird discount of $60 is available to those who pay full tuition no later than Friday, May 23, 2008. The discounted, early-bird tuition is $600. You will automatically receive this discount price when you pay on-line no later than May 23, 2008.

Note: Your tuition payment includes a $100 non-refundable deposit. In the event you need to withdraw from the course, a refund, minus the $100 deposit, will be given no later than June 15. No refunds will be made after June 15, or once your educational materials have been shipped, whichever comes first.

Mode of Payment: Please pay with a credit card via this web site if possible. If you can't do that, please email me to arrange payment by other means (bank check, money order, PayPal). Please do not send a alternate forms of payment without informing me first.

Post-Graduate Review

Authorized Teachers of the Sounder Sleep System who wish to review the course curriculum and learn the latest techniques and teaching methods are invited to participate in this program at a reduced tuition of $300. You will receive all the same learning materials, and participate in our on-line study group. Please visit our "Upcoming Programs" page and use the item "Home Study II" to enroll at the reduced rate.

In Conclusion

This program is for you. If you have and questions, comments, or concerns about the program or about your participation in it, I am eager to hear them. If you have special learning needs, or require any special assistance to enable your participation in the course, please ask. You can always email me at michael@soundersleep.com.

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