Open Heart Open Eyes | Coaching & Celebrations

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Tools for the Life Adventure™

Memories of a Lifetime™

“Our wedding ceremony was magical – thanks to you!”

“Cris gave us many new perspectives, tools and metaphors that are relevant to improving all our meaningful relationships. I wish we had taken these sessions earlier in our relationship.”

“Our ceremony was very beautiful, heartfelt and magical. We can’t say enough about Cris.”

“You’re amazing!”

(MORE TESTIMONIALS)

Tools for the Life Adventure™

According to the American Psychological Association, 40-50% of marriages end in divorce. But, there’s a way to significantly improve our chances of success in relationship. Research[1] says engaged couples who participate in the PREPARE premarital education program, “exhibited positive gains in knowledge, felt more confident in their relationship, engaged in more positive conflict management behaviors, and felt more satisfied in their relationship.”

Using the respected PREPARE/ENRICH curriculum, as well as my own Couple Flexibility and Empowerment Model, I proactively open a fairly large door for couples. I want to give you specific tools for communication and conflict resolution, as well as a conceptual framework and shared vocabulary for personal change work that should serve all the days of your lives together. In a strength-based supportive environment, couples are encouraged to self-select their own subject areas of interest. A supplied workbook and coach suggestions offer opportunities for between-session explorations. Coaching integrates affect and archetypal psychology, recovery principles, mytho-poetic work and culture studies, among other sources.

Coaching happens in five 90-minute sessions above a bakery in a conference room in my SW Minneapolis professional building, or via skype. Cost is very small compared to what most couples devote to their wedding celebrations, and coaching could do much for relationship viability and enjoyment. At sequence end, I supply a certificate of completion that saves couples up to $75 on the cost of a marriage license in Minnesota.

I feel honored to have the trust of couples with whom I work, and of therapists who refer couples to me. I joyfully work with same-sex couples.

No charge for an introductory meeting at my local SW Minneapolis coffee shop or via skype.

[1] The Impact of PREPARE on Engaged Couples: Variations by Delivery Format; Futris, Barton, Aholou, Seponski; (2011) Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy, 10, 69-86

Creating Memories of a Lifetime™

A marriage or re-commitment ceremony is a family and community ritual that is for and about the couple who is in love. Also, it is about how all members of their families can be supported and encouraged at this time of major life transition. I encourage couples to find their own joy and emotional growth through this process, and empower them to support the joy and emotional growth of their families and community members. I do this through a coaching model that advocates for a safe space where creativity and emotional risk taking can happen.

I prefer working with coupled individuals who also enroll in the pre-marital coaching sequence because I believe in the importance of coaching for relationship success. Also, there are things developed in the coaching that can be applied during the wedding ceremony days. If you cannot or prefer not to do the coaching, and still want to involve me as a celebrant, please contact me and I will consider your situation.

No charge for an introductory meeting at my local SW Minneapolis coffee shop or via skype.

Relationship, Creativity, Personal Growth

I coach individuals and couples to make creativity and personal growth breakthroughs. Periodically, I offer group classes and workshops for couples and non-coupled individuals for relationship enrichment and revitalization, creativity and personal growth. Please forward your email address for announcements about upcoming opportunities.

“You gave us many new perspectives, tools and metaphors that are relevant to improving all our meaningful relationships. I wish we had taken these sessions earlier in our relationship.”

“We’ve learned so much about our relationship, thanks to you!”

“We like the way you tailor your approach to the needs, wants and strengths of the couple.”

“I have been able to recognize situations between me and my partner and apply some of the conflict resolution tools [you taught us] – very insightful.”

“I enjoyed the psychological theories and anecdotes.”

“I like being able to discuss issues and feelings with my sweetheart in an open format.”

“You gave us many useful concepts and metaphors that we are using on a go-forward basis.”

“I like the judgment-free environment. [You gave us] a solid foundation of tools to understand and grow with [each other] and with myself.”

“Our experience was much different than what I expected–and for the better! It wasn’t generic textbook discussions, but [it was] exploring ourselves and [doing] inner work so we can be better partners. This…was amazing and very helpful. I appreciate everything you brought to the table and know that it will be helpful in our marriage together ”

“I have truly learned so much. I liked the opportunity to practice the tools between classes and then discussing [them] at the beginning of the next class. I loved every second of it – thank you!”

“I enjoyed the stories and quotes, and how they are applied to real life situations. Yes, I recommend this! I feel enlightened, excited and encouraged to continue my personal growth, and [take] our relationship to new levels.”

“[Cris has] wisdom from which he draws truths about relationships that pierce the heart.”

“We’ve had a number of great discussions around each of the areas we’ve studied, leading to a deeper connection [between us]. We were able to recognize and deal with issues we hadn’t [been able to deal with] before. I absolutely recommend this.”

“Our wedding ceremony was magical – thanks to you!”

“Our ceremony was very beautiful, heartfelt and magical. We can’t say enough about Cris. He has a big heart and listens deeply. He understands the spiritual significance of two people getting married. He provided excellent guidance during the process of developing our ceremony. Having worked with many other couples, he had a wealth of experience which served as a foundation for what he offered us.”

“You have a special talent. We appreciate your ability to create poignant and meaningful moments when we were all gathered together. We didn’t expect the level of support and help you gave us, and we are so grateful. Your words during the ceremony, and the way you captured the meaning of the day, were so touching and appropriate. You were so respectful of our spiritual and religious backgrounds and those of our families and you really helped make everyone feel at ease.”

“[What Cris calls the] ‘wedding secrets’ helped us better understand the incredible power the couple holds surrounding the wedding ceremony and celebration. We experienced a glorious, joyful wedding ceremony, and Cris was a big part of that magic.”

“Cris officiated at both my daughter’s and son’s weddings and I can’t say enough about his spirituality and command of ceremony. Tailored to our kid’s individual needs, his planning and execution was spot on and made for wonderful and memorable wedding days.”

“Cris is kind, gentle, articulate, very funny and full of experience and wisdom. He is creative, thoughtful, prompt, charming and trustworthy. Our ceremony was EXTRAORDINARY because of Cris. He let us choose our own general outline for the ceremony, but added some “secrets” just for us that were truly full of heart and so touching and amazing. We have received endless compliments about Cris following the ceremony. Truly, Cris is someone we’ve grown to love and will always feel blessed to know him.”

“Cris did a fantastic job officiating our wedding. His personality and demeanor make him a natural as an officiant. We clicked right away. He understood what our relationship meant to us and what we wanted to convey in our ceremony. The end result was a very personal, heartwarming and spiritual service that made our day just that much more special. An added plus; he and his friend Ruth played their fiddles and led us to the ceremony with a Swedish Bridal March. It was great!!”

“You’re amazing!”

“We were married on August 10th, 2012 by Mr. Cristopher Anderson ~ our wedding officiant and our friend . Cris listened, educated and guided us throughout the process of developing an encompassing, passionate, spiritual service based upon our beliefs that was meaningful not only to us but those in attendance. Not only was he flexible, but he also encouraged us to incorporate “secrets” that made the ceremony even more personal, meaningful and heartfelt. Our ceremony was so beautifully delivered with Cris’ captivating charm, wit, and passion. Everyone was so moved by how special and remarkable our ceremony was as tears were shed and giggles giggled. Cris exceeded our expectations plus more. To this day, we continue to receive many compliments about how beautiful the ceremony was and how passionate and professional it was presented by Cris. THANK YOU so much Cris for making our wedding day the best day of our lives!!!!”

“Where do we begin? Cris is, by far, the most talented, genuine and professional officiant we could have ever imagined performing our wedding. From our first meeting with him at a little coffee shop in Minneapolis to the day of our wedding we had nothing but the greatest of confidence in Cris’ talents. Our ceremony was simply perfect – it was personalized, warm, loving and humorous – exactly how we wanted it to be. We still receive compliments regarding the ceremony itself, three months later! We have been told by one person it was the most genuine wedding they had ever attended, another asked for Cris’ contact information to officiate their wedding, and yet another told us they wished they would have known of him to do theirs years ago! We could never have imagined such a perfect fit for our wedding day, and are still so grateful to Cris for making it possible. Anyone who chooses him for their officiant will be forever thankful, as Cris will make your day amazing and unique!”

“We got married on 08/03/2011 in the backyard of our home with our family and friends present. Cris Anderson was our officiant and we can’t seem to find words to express how perfect he was in performing the ceremony exactly the way we both wanted, how he emphasized how special we were to each other and how really joyful everything he said was. We feel really blessed we had such an experienced, cheerful and loving officiant to marry us. We’ll never forget the ceremony and how we were both holding back tears of happiness throughout the whole thing. Thank you Cris, we are very happy we chose you and I know the next lucky couples who choose you will be extremely happy and will have an amazing experience like we did.”

“We are so happy that we found Cris and that he officiated our January 6th wedding. We really knew nothing about planning a wedding ceremony, Cris walked us through the many options he has seen and gave us the space to make it our own. We could really tell he cared about us as a couple and wanted to make our day the best it could be. We had so many compliments about how personal our ceremony was and how warm and personable Cris was. If we remember anything from our wedding day, it would be how special, romantic, funny, and family oriented our ceremony was. Thank you! Everyone could tell how passionate you are about what you do.”

“Cris Anderson was the officiant at our wedding a couple weeks ago and we couldn’t have asked for a greater person! While putting our ceremony together, Cris was very flexible and incredibly helpful. His warm personality made him very easy to work with and his suggestions made our ceremony more meaningful. Plus he plays the fiddle! Needless to say, the ceremony went swimmingly – it was intimate and a lot of fun. Thanks, Cris!”

“We are so grateful that we found Cris to officiate our wedding! Being relatively new to the area and not having a close tie to a pastor we were nervous about choosing the right person for our wedding. We met with Cris in an informal, no-pressure setting to see if there was the right connection. You could tell he was so passionate about the wedding experience for couples and instantly created a connection with us. Our wedding day was flawless, and the best part was the personal stories/touches that Cris added to the ceremony (some unexpected!). We had many guests say that that made it so personal and more meaningful compared to other weddings they had been to, quite the compliment! Thank you so much Cris – you really helped to make our wedding the most memorable day of our lives!”

“We first met Cris over skype about a year before our wedding – our ceremony was to be in Minneapolis, but we live in another state – and by the end of our first conversation, it felt like we had known Cris for a long time. In addition to his thoughtful insights on wedding ceremonies throughout history, Cris helped us craft a ceremony that was perfect for us, and our families. With the addition of his personal touches and his story about our relationship, the ceremony ended up being incredibly moving. Most notably, Cris weaved a story about our relationship that was so touching and spot on, that, let’s just say, several of the groomsmen could not hold back their tears. Thank you, Cris!

Affection Enhancement Project™

I hope you find enjoyment and inspiration in these true stories about possibilities of relationship.

Stendhal Syndrome

by Tom Mason | May 19, 2015

Stendhal Syndrome. From Wikipedia: “Stendhal syndrome, Stendhal's syndrome, hyperkulturemia, or Florence syndrome is a psychosomatic disorder that causes rapid heartbeat, dizziness, fainting, confusion and even hallucinations when an individual is exposed to an...

Love Blossoms, Inspires and Prevails

Couples can start or renew their lives together with joy, heart, enthusiasm and optimism, and with the good and ample blessings of families and friends.

Through a premarital or relationship enrichment coaching sequence, I support couples to increase their capacity to enjoy each other and contribute to life together. I want you to have the tools you need to keep your relationship vivid and satisfying. I encourage couples to approach the coaching sequence as a grand revelatory adventure of the soul, and their wedding as a major family and community ritual that can be a soul deepening and beauty creating experience of relationship building and enrichment.

It is an honor and joy to be present with two people who love each other; and to help design and participate in a wedding celebration, based on their wishes that can be a deeply meaningful peak life experience.

I want you to have a wedding or commitment ceremony that happens with ease, grace, tenderness of heart, enthusiasm and joy, and that you remember with fondness for the rest of your lives. I’ve worked with individuals, couples and groups of diverse ages and backgrounds. I admit I’m a softie. I’m deeply in love with my wife, and two lovely and fierce adult daughters. I joyfully work with same-sex couples. Also, I serve at other life transitions, including bereavement/memorial services.

Most of my work is in the regional Twin Cities area of Minnesota. Also, I provide coaching via skype and have traveled to Wyoming and California as a celebrant. I do not make prescriptions. I offer tools and act from my values, volunteering my experience and knowledge in a respectful “take what you like and leave the rest” attitude. I’m involving myself in this work because of my enthusiasm, and the urging of family and friends.

BACKGROUND

I’ve been involved in coaching and celebrant work since 2011. I’ve pursued lifetime interests in creativity, sociology, psychology, spirituality and emotional health. I’m licensed as a wedding celebrant/officiant in Minnesota, certified as a PREPARE/ENRICH facilitator, and registered as a Universal Life Minister. My sources include Terrance Real, Esther Perel, Miguel Rivera, John Lee, Robert Moore, Robert Johnson, Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Michael Meade, Martin Shaw, Joseph Campbell, Martîn Prechtel and Malidoma Somé. Another source is my own 20-year research involvement in a community based all-process interactive participatory theater for enjoyment, emotional healing, gender reconciliation and community building, Big Woods Theater of Involvement.

I serve as a teaching artist (music/theater/poetry) in the pioneering, national award winning, research-based, intergenerational interactive participatory performing arts program for elders, the Kairos Alive! Dancing Heart™, featured in the PBS documentary, Arts and the Mind. My essays and poetry have been published regionally. I’m a performing folk musician, professional writer and national award-winning documentary filmmaker. I’ve taught at Minneapolis College of Art and Design.