Acknowledgements

I feel extremely grateful to these master teachers, authors and colleagues who I've been fortunate enough to encounter through one medium or another, many of whom I've had the privilege of learning from in person, and who’ve directly influenced this approach:
Mary Ainsworth, Tara Brach, John Bowlby, Ann Wiser Cornell, Alan Dolber, Bruce Ecker, Milton Erickson, Diana Fosha, Eugene Gendlin, Mary Hendricks Gendlin, Diane Poole Heller, Sue Johnson, Joan Klagsbrun, Heinz Kohut, Deborah Korn, Jack Kornfield, Peter Levine, Frank Menusan, Belleruth Naparstek, Nancy J. Napier, Stephen Porges, David Stendl-Rast, Francine Shapiro, Sandra Shapiro, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, Myra Weiss, David Young and Jon Kabat-Zinn. Those of you who are still alive, will undoubtedly recognize your imprint upon this work.

Thank you so much to everyone I've encountered who has actively worked with this material and given their invaluable feedback, enabling me to refine it to the point of being most effective for the greatest number of people. This includes colleagues, workshop participants, psychotherapy and coaching clients with whom I've had the privilege of working throughout the years.

Many many thanks to the original Restoring Connection experiential study group of helping professionals, who co-created the context out of which this approach first emerged. Without them there would be no Restoring Connection, which continues to evolve.

And a special thank you to the following people who have given me invaluable feedback, encouragement and support in varying ways and on so many different levels, some for many years: Ken Benau, Eleanor Buscher, Martine Byer, Cynthia Callsen, Diane Caron-Bourbonnais, Martha Carroll, Jude Cobb, Peggy Cosimano, Judi Davis, Alan Dolber, Colleen Drache, Deirdre Fay, Mary Holscher, Robin Kappy, Fredlee Kaplan, Christel Kraft, Kathy McGuire, Ghyontonda Moto, Nancy J. Napier, Bruce Nayowith, John Reynolds, Jo-Ann Salata, Susan Schulherr, Susan Stoller, Carolyn Tricomi and Libby Walker.

In a category all their own are my husband Rick Savage and our son Ted. Rick deeply resonates with this approach, graciously lending his talents of felt-sensing, editing, musicianship, videography, producing and tech support since the very beginning. From Ted, a truly awe-inspiring teenager who happens to have ADHD, I've experientially learned much about nervous system regulation and dysregulation, his as well as my own, and so so much more. In many respects he has been and continues to be my greatest teacher. And with both Rick and Ted I've been blessed with experiencing the sweet nectar of love and secure connection, with lots of misattunement, rupture and repair in between.

If I've failed to mention anyone, I apologize. At this point in my life I’ve tremendously benefited from so many sources of knowledge and wisdom, it’s not surprising if I might have inadvertently overlooked someone.

To all who have knowingly and unknowingly enriched and contributed to my life and work, and now through a ripple effect others, a deep bow of humble respect and gratitude.

From the heart,
Elizabeth