FAQs
In an effort to serve you better, we would like to share the following information with you to address commonly asked questions. Please select the topic of your interest from the list below:
• Senté and Other Energy Systems
If you did not find the information you are looking for, please contact us at: sente@sentecenter.com.
About Senté
Q: What is the Senté Center?
A: The Senté Center is an innovative private practice and training facility established by Paul and Patty Richards in 1992 in the USA and New Zealand. The Center offers an understanding of the role of non-ordinary energy and attention, and their power to promote profound personal growth and change. It is possible to understand and consciously use your energy senses in a grounded, life-enhancing way with training.
Q: Who are Paul and Patty Richards?
A: Paul and Patty Richards enjoyed successful careers in aerospace and medicine prior to forming the Senté Center in 1992. Their work is one of the most powerful, practical approaches to applying rigorous principles of energy to problem solving and creative expression in daily life. They are the authors of Wild Attraction, which offers a radically new paradigm for creative extraordinary relationship. Senté promotes the use of simple exercises and practices to help people understand the human energy field, to perceive the surrounding energetic environment, and to apply this insight in powerful, proactive ways.
Q: I keep hearing from friends how great their experience has been at the Senté Center. What exactly do you do there and how would I benefit?
A: At the Center, we look at human beings and their lives from the vantage point of the underlying forces that shape them, including energy, attention, and Intent. Our goal is to contribute to the creation of high functioning individuals who perceive and move from their body center, rather than the face and head, are capable of creating and sustaining deep intimacy, and have the mastery of attention required for expanded consciousness.
Although humans communicate primarily in energy, nonordinary energy is the least understood aspect of life in western culture. At the Senté Center we offer clients a useful framework from which to understand the human energy system. Then, using simple creative exercises, we teach people to perceive energy directly so they can recognize and opt out of entanglements, dysfunctional behaviors and attention traps, and instead, explore the resultant new potentials. We find our approach offers people valuable experiences that release obstacles to constructive action, both personally and professionally. Specifically, we offer observing sessions, individual or group coachings, a remarkable and advanced form of energy work, seminars, and audio courses and internet T.V. lectures for home study.
Q: Where did the term Senté come from and what does it mean?
A: The term was coined by Paul Richards in 1994 to describe Senté body work. It is very loosely derived from Japanese and is meant to convey; “the hand that becomes one with what it touches.” It was discovered only later that the word Senté describes “the wisest or most advantageous possible move” in the intricate Asian game of Go. Lastly, of course, it is a reference to the English language word: sentience.
Q: I am interested in Senté, but I am sometimes put off by ungrounded, confusing approaches to energy. What can you say to someone like me who is considering trying out your training courses?
A: Senté is intended to represent a thoughtful, palatable approach to extraordinary experience and perception, one designed for people who may not relate to other available systems that may be more relaxed about reality testing of phenomena and include higher doses of dramatic “story.” Our suggestion would be to take a close look at the Senté introductory sample video lectures on this website, or read our book, Wild Attraction. You can also book an individual session with either Paul or Patty and see if you are one of those who click with Senté precisely because they need an energy-oriented language that works for technically educated men and women.
Q: What does mastery of attention mean?
A: Mastery of attention involves conscious participation in the largely subconscious process by which we frame and focus our attention moment to moment. The way in which we pay attention to one another has an enormous, (and poorly understood) role in either fostering intimacy or reducing it. The nuanced use of curious, responsive attention can be a powerful aphrodesiac and can provide a huge boost for personal and professional relationships.
For most people, the majority of their attention is caught in habitual patterns that reduce their capacity to function at their best or experience extraordinary states of being. We have found that it is possible to retrieve attention from these traps, to see disempowering energetic mechanisms, and to make choices for directing your attention that enhance you as a person. Senté studies the many forms of attention, the process of becoming aware of attention itself, and ultimately the process of making truly genuine choices about our attention, and all things, as a personal, spiritual art.
Q: How many people have received in-depth training in Senté and Applied Energetics?
A: The present best estimate is that approximately 2500 people have now received some form of in-depth or advanced Senté training, and ten times that many have had some form of exposure to the body of work. Since the late 1980's, Paul has performed nearly nineteen thousand individual sessions so far in his career.
Q: What scientific, technical or academic work backs up Paul and Patty’s practices, and what sort of data supports the success of this system in comparison to other approaches?
A: The Senté Center maintains a vast archive documenting many thousands of physical concrete “hits” (deliberate observations made by means of energy perception of physical objects or events), in the form of predictions, observations of hidden or distant conditions that were later validated and recorded, and recordings of perceived phenomena that were viewed and described accurately and simultaneously by multiple credible observers. The archived is maintained specifically to allow statistical study of the phenomena and its possible practical applications. Paul's capabilities were honed in a research study group at the Neuropsychology Department at U.C.L.A. He has participated in independent experiments under controlled conditions conducted by physicists, social scientists and statisticians. and has demonstrated his capacities to such world-renowned scholars as Rupert Sheldrake.
Q: Why did the Senté Center close its school in 2002?
A: The original Sente school was a labor of love, with seven intensive levels of instruction, a large library of textbooks, and a very dynamic instructional program. After eleven years, Paul and Patty decided to end the formal program and devote some personal time to recharging and reflecting on the deep changes that the school experience had offered to them and to others. Virtually almost the entire student body continues to study the nonordinary with Paul and Patty via their private practices and the quarterly talks, occasional workshops, their weekly SenteTV programs, and available products. The circle of friends that has formed around the Senté Center has turned out to be one of the great blessings that came out of the Senté School, and it continues to provide fun and support for Senté scholars.
Q: What spiritual traditions have influenced Paul and Patty?
A: Senté is independent of any overt spiritual agenda and is purely a secular path, respectful of all faiths. Paul and Patty frame the human experiences of energy, intent, and other anomolous phenomena to be something different from realms normally thought of as spirit, spiritual, or religious. That said, Senté was founded on the insights of three of Paul’s mentors who had themselves been protégés of three great historical figures. The first of Paul’s three most influential spiritual mentors was a member of the household of Sai Baba in India. (Paul's training included a celebration of the insights of Christian visionary Joel Goldsmith.) The second was a student and follower of Ramana Maharashi up until the time of that great visionary’s death. The third of Paul’s teachers was mentored by a close follower of J. Krishnamurti. Paul and Patty were both raised Catholic, and admire the insights and practices of Buddhism, and in particular the Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hahn.
New Client Information
Q: I have wandered onto your site and never heard of you before, but your product titles and descriptions interest me. What is the best way for me to check you out?
A: The best way to get to know us is to watch the sample video classes on this website, or purchase and download the Through the Eyes of a Seer Audio Course. You can also purchase and read the relationship book, Wild Attraction. They will give you a glimpse into our worldview and technical approach.
For a more personal introduction to Sente, many people begin with an individual "reading" apppointment. We receive a great volume of feedback about these sessions, in which people report them as very enjoyable, life-changing, and fascinating.
Q: I have been referred to this website by a friend who has had a private session with one of your practitioners. What types of sessions are available? What is the cost? Are they available by phone?
A: Paul and Patty Richards offer client sessions through the Senté Center by phone or internet video. Three types of sessions are available.
• Individual Sessions are private consultations that involve Energetic viewing and reporting on issues of interest to the client.
• Coaching sessions are about applying Sente's maps of energy, attention, and intent to excellence in meeting difficult or profound life goals, overcoming major personal and professional obstacles, effective planning, expanded perception, developing extraordinary relationships, and relaxing under pressure.
• Senté Energy Work sessions provide adjustments of elements relating to the Energy System of the client and yield remarkable positive changes and growth. Please note: Energy Work is only available to clients who have had a reading and some basic training.
• Most sessions are conducted on the phone or video/Skype. Prices start at approximately $120/session. (Price per session with Paul is $220.)
Q: I have a friend who trained at the Senté Center for several years. How can I join those classes? What are the classes about?
A: Great training is available today in the form of four different monthly online video (subscription) classes, and bi-annual weekend seminars. Most new members start by enrolling in Patty's introductory course, The Energetics of Life and Love.
Please explore the website and web store for class information, postings of seminar dates, and available training products, or contact the Center at sente@sentecenter.com for more information.
Q: Does a person need to have prior experience with energy, or believe in any particular spiritual orientation, to benefit from Sente material?
A: No, our material starts from the beginning and offers a complete orientation. Senté is about energy, a natural phenomenon rather than a supernatural or religious one, and is open and available to people of all beliefs. Many people who are naturally quite skeptical, or who have few experiences of their own with energy, have benefited greatly from the common-sense practices and principles in our trainings.
Q: Just how effective is this material at changing real patterns?
A: The Senté material has been an astounding tool for change for hundreds of people. Every week we receive calls and letters from clients whose lives and relationships are vastly improved by the choices they are now making. But like most things of any value, the study of energy requires attention and personal motivation. Our material assumes intelligence, basic emotional/psychological health, the capacity to make effective effort, and the desire for real change.
Q: How do people receive individual coaching relating to the material in the "Through the Eyes of a Seer" audio course?
A: Patty's monthly internet video class, The Energetics of Life and Love, is the recommended starting point for those wishing to explore further. Individual sessions with either Paul or Patty are a wonderful way to gain a deeper understanding of the concepts and get some individual help with your skills. Lastly, Paul's Through the Eyes of a Seer monthly internet classes provide advanced exploration of the topics in the course.
Q: What does the term "seer" mean? Does this refer to a psychic or clairvoyant?
A: The term seer, when used by the Senté Center, describes any person who has developed the capacity to perceive and act in the physical (ordinary) and energetic (non-ordinary) areas of life simultaneously, with rigor, intelligence, and intent. The term could be applied to anyone who consciously pursues this goal and who responds to life situations through engagement of two independent aspects; the energy field and the physical body. The term shows up in Sente most prominently in the flagship gateway product, the audio course "Through the Eyes of a Seer." Unfortunately, the use of almost any term attempting to describe non-ordinary field engagements can convey unwanted associations, and this one is no exception- so its role in Sente is specialized, light and minor. Psychic and clairvoyant are generic terms applied to individuals with a variety of perceptual capabilities outside of the usual range of the physical senses, including perceiving information at a distance, telepathy, or psychometry (reading objects). The Sente specialized meaning of the term "seer" embodies a worldview and technology that encompasses vastly more territory than the meaning implied by the words psychic or clairvoyant, and carries the implication that it is possible to be both science/technology oriented and to productively explore nonordinary phenomena.
Q: Can I send Paul and Patty a message with my comments on their material or ask a question?
A: Yes. E-mail your comments to: sente@sentecenter.com.
Senté Appointments
Q: What kinds of topics do you cover in a private coaching session or introductory class?
A: Coaching sessions with Paul or Patty are dynamic interactive opportunities to relearn old skills and aquire new views and approaches to living a great, extraordinary life. They usually involve examination of Senté concepts and also direct training in specific skills. The needs and recent experience of the client determine the subjects covered. Coaching sessions generally prepare people to:
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Gracefully opt out of entangling habits that erode relationships and action.
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Learn to differentiate energy from psychology or spirituality.
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“See” energy directly and learn to understand and appreciate your own perception.
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Solve longstanding energy-related personal problems that have resulted in being stuck in patterns of poor choices.
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Develop new and life-changing relationship models and skills that result in vast increases in intimacy and fulfillment.
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Perceive and move from the body center, yielding more grace, expressive authenticity, and power. Video sessions allow for martial arts, dance, and other movement students to get direct training in applying Sente movement principles to their exisitng expertise.
Q: What are observation sessions with Paul or Patty like? What do they do during a session?
A: Sessions are gentle, respectful, fascinating, and very down to earth. Paul or Patty will listen to your voice. They will ask you to tell them nothing about yourself, why you are there, or what your questions may be. After a few minutes of observation they will offer you a description of what they have seen concerning yourself and your life. This section of the session lasts about half an hour. During the second half hour you are invited to ask questions and are free to reveal information about yourself as you choose.
Sessions via the phone are just as effective as readings in person. Paul and Patty do not diagnose medical conditions, but may offer observations that turn out to relate to physical conditions of health or ill health. Sessions are not substitutes for medical care and we at the Center suggest that you explore any health issues that come up in a session with a health professional. Interestingly, Energetic views can relate incredibly well to physical events, but, like all human undertakings, they are subject to apparent error and do not confer omniscience onto a practitioner.
A Sente practitioner's commitment is to be as honest as possible about what he or she is actually experiencing as an observer, and to report this experience as much as possible in the best interests of the recipient. The issue of requests for forecasts of future events is particularly interesting.
As practiced in Sente, futures are probabilistic, and practicioners attempt only to estimate likely futures in an inherently uncertain world, rather than offer absolute futures with representations of godlike predictive power. Sessions are portraits more than problem solving exercises; they often bring about new insights and personal change. Ultimately, they are performed to invite serious positive change, in contrast to the common concept of a practitioner as someone helping a person gain mastery over their fate. We believe life is an extraordinary and beautiful mystery. We enjoy offering our view into the nature of it with you, but ultimately each person must navigate their own course.
Q: I am a counselor/health care professional. Can I refer my clients to Paul or other practitioners?
A: Many doctors and counselors have referred clients to Paul and have occasionally conducted joint sessions with him. We encourage referrals from professionals, but we may not be able to accommodate them immediately because of schedule constraints.
Q: What do I need to know prior to having a private reading session with Patty or Paul?
A: We consider your reviewing the information on this website to be your only required preparation for a session. After reading this material, if you are interested in proceeding with a session, contact our appointments administrator by emailing us at sente@sentecenter.com or phoning us at (541) 482-7182.
The Senté View of Energy
Q. I have what I think are energetic experiences that I don’t understand. What would you suggest I do to bring them under control and make them a positive aspect of my life?
A: Senté offers a great deal to people who are experiencing possible energy perception or physical effects but lack the grounding and support of a mental structure and set of reliable techniques to help them understand and cope with the effects of spontaneous non-ordinary sensation. We suggest that you book an individual session and/or join Patty's class, The Energetics of Life and Love, in order to evaluate whether the Senté approach is right for you.
Q: What is the relationship between energy as you see it and spirituality?
A: Paul and Patty tend to see all serious paths as spiritual paths, leading ultimately to some great insight and connectedness, if you follow that path with Intent. Senté in that sense is a spiritual path. However, the position of Senté is that energy and even intent are not fundamentally more spiritual than are our physical and psychological worlds. Energy is thus not a stepping-stone to God, but is just another extraordinary part of created reality. Seeing and understanding the role of energy in your life often contributes depth and clarity to your personal development and helps clear away entanglements that may hide or prevent spiritual discernment. Unfortunately, history is full of examples of people deifying phenomena that are merely energetic in nature. We invest considerable time and thought pointing out that the study of energy is a good supporting path for serious spiritual inquiry and suggesting that Senté is not a stand-alone, all-encompassing pursuit. In our view, each person studying Senté should also be engaged in a sound, healthy spiritual path of his or her own choosing, a mind/body practice that is rigorous and supports physical health, a creative artistic practice, and should have access to psychological inquiry, such as counseling, on a regular basis.
Q: What do you mean when you use the term intent?
A: A good starting point for understanding intent is to think of it as similar to “the Force” in the film Star Wars. Intent is the power of human awareness to engage, change, and move energy. It suffuses everything. We can influence it, but we have to surrender to it. At Senté we think of intent as pure love, and also as pure change. In introductory discussions of intent, we often describe what it isn’t. Intent seems to be neither intention, nor will, nor visualization, nor desire, wanting, struggling, or controlling.
Q: What are the energy senses that you are talking about?
A: We recognize five distinct energetic senses: linear connection, awareness mote, radiance, resonance, and empathy. This is just Sente jargon- a person would have to delve into our material to understand our meaning in using these terms. The energy senses can be mapped, which we feel is one of the most important functions that Senté training offers. Mapping the energy senses offers freedom from the wild projections of the subconscious that interfere with the nonordinary perceiving process. However, many years of study are required to isolate the actions of the various energy senses and validate their use through reality testing.
Q: I find I frequently take on other people’s problems, or even physical symptoms, at work or in my personal life. Is it possible to remain sensitive to others and not be negatively impacted by them?
A: This is a common complaint voiced by newcomers here at the Center. Yes, a major benefit of Senté training is that it promotes comfort and healthy individuation in social settings without requiring individuals to shut down their extraordinary senses.
Senté and Other Energy Systems
Q: Does Senté Applied Energetics teach about auras and chakras?
A: Not specifically. Aura and chakra are terms by which other paths refer to energy centers associated with the physical body. These energy centers have been well described in other energy-related bodies of work. Senté concerns itself primarily with the more sophisticated structure we call the energy field, which can function together or apart from the physical body and which greatly influences all aspects of daily life. You will probably find the Senté material fresh but broadly compatible with other energy-based systems.
Q: How does Senté energetics relate to shamanism or energy healing?
A: Senté training has evoked the concept of a technical person/shaman. It is easy to imagine the stereotype of the traditional shaman, who is able to form and sustain a valuable relationship with unseen, powerful forces in nature. Senté holds that this same sort of relationship can be approached by a modern, educated human being who has grown up steeped in physics and material science. Senté studies the energetics and intent of healing and wellness, but Senté is one of the few sciences of energy that does not regard itself primarily as a healing art or a spiritual practice. The study of energy is an end in itself.
Q: I am a chiropractor and use energy techniques in my practice. Can Senté help me improve my skills?
A: Yes, many chiropractors have used Senté training to enhance their professional effectiveness, and have found the two a fascinating and synergistic combination.
Q: How can Senté help me in my business activities?
A: Senté offers many modalities for assessment of synergy in teams and projects, analysis of roles, compatibilities, communication and enhancement of the clarity and focus required for success. An entire subsection of the Senté body of work is devoted to the energy and intent of planning. The guidebook for this subspecialty is titled The Seven Levels of Choice, but unfortunately it is not yet available to the general public. This could change, so if you are interested you are welcome to check with us.
Q: Will studying at the Senté Center help me understand the new Quantum Physics principles, such as those described in the movie What the Bleep Do We Know?
A: Yes. The two are compatible from our point of view. We recommend What the Bleep and imagine that it was created for many of the people who would enjoy our work. Senté offers practical, direct pathways to achieve things that are revealed as possible in the film.
Q: I feel like I’m very intuitive. I frequently see things before they happen. Does Senté technology discuss precognition?
A: Senté is a great source of material with which to develop an understanding of what is often called precognition. This is a complex, difficult subject that can nevertheless be approached realistically and in ways that allow people to retain a healthy, positive mental outlook as they explore the possibilities of expanded human consciousness.
Q: I have flying dreams where I’m flying or hovering over my bed, and also lucid dreams. Do you do dream work?
A: Dreaming is one of the twelve practices of Senté, but it is not a practice that we emphasize in training or in our products because of the intimacy involved in sharing dreams. We do offer advice and support relating to dreaming, because energy experiences during physical sleep play a huge role in the development of perception. We distinguish between dreaming, and sleep energetics, which often happens when the body is in a sleep state.
Q: Is meditation a part of Senté?
A: Yes, although we leave serious meditation training to the other wonderful paths for whom it is the primary focus. Many Senté students practice yoga, martial arts, and various forms of serious meditation.
Q: How is Senté energetics different from the huge variety of other materials that talk about energy and intent?
A: Senté’s uniqueness is that it is designed for rigorous-minded professionals who might otherwise not be drawn to the study of energy and intent and their effects on daily life. It is the only energy system we are aware of that does not regard itself primarily as a healing path or a spiritual path.
Q: How similar is Senté to Carlos Castaneda’s work?
A: Many of the techniques and experiences described in Castaneda’s works have direct analogs in Senté. However, Senté is a path that avoids the use of fear and pressure in training. Our model of energetics is non-predatory and non-conflict-based, in comparison with Castaneda’s more highly charged description of action and colorful characters and serious problems. Senté seeks to avoid drama in the interpretation of nonordinary perception.
Q: How does the study of energy relate to spiritual transformation?
A: Senté, like all serious human paths, may lead some individuals to states that can be described as advanced spiritual consciousness. All paths, in the view of Senté, lead ultimately to a single center.
Q: I have studied in Barbara Brennan’s school for years. Is Senté compatible with her approach and material?
A: Many graduates of Brennan’s school have done very well in Senté. They report that while the two are different, they are harmonious and complementary approaches to the study of energy.
Wild Attraction
Q: I am frustrated in my relationship and nothing I do seems to improve our intimacy or reconnects us. I know that much more is more possible. Can the study of energy help me have the depth and enjoyment I want?
A: Energy training is an ideal place to go to improve relationship since energy is the primary place where communication occurs between people. Through our energy field we continually signal one another, act out, make hidden agreements and exchange vital information that can either support or destroy your relationship. Understanding your own energy system powerfully expands your choices, allows deep, satisfying communication and important self-knowledge to occur, and enables you to see and opt out of repetitive entanglements.
Q: Does the Wild Attraction material include Tantric training?
A: The Wild Attraction material is not a Tantric course. Wild Attraction offers valuable information and unique training that allows healthy dynamics to be in place when choosing a partner. It also offers important energy techniques for sustaining the high level of intimacy necessary for a successful relationship.
Q: Are Wild Attraction techniques useful for gays, lesbians, and bisexuals?
A: Yes. Same-sex couples, like heterosexual couples, often do not understand how to successfully use energy to attract and sustain healthy relationships. The principles are the same regardless of your gender preference.
Q: I am curious whether Wild Attraction is designed more for singles or for people in established relationships?
A: Wild Attraction is a wonderful tool for any person wanting to understand and profoundly optimize their own femininity or masculinity. For that reason, people who are not even wanting a relationship will find that they benefit from the personal insight the Wild Attraction material offers. Individuals who are looking for a new relationship or who are already coupled will find that the same Wild Attraction techniques that a single person would use to attract a mate are a necessity in established relationships.
Q: What inspired Paul and Patty to create Wild Attraction?
A: Paul and Patty enjoy a genuinely remarkable relationship—playful, affectionate, deep, and very alive. People around them are often fascinated, and frequently after teaching a course together, they would hear, “I especially loved watching the way you are with each other.” They were often called upon to explain the secret to the vibrancy in their relationship, and they began to share with others that they are always communicating with both their physical and energy bodies. The addition of the energy senses allows them heightened levels of honesty and extraordinary communication. In the context of the Senté School it was natural for them to share the hidden energetic aspects of extraordinary relationship. They would like to see all people experience a fantastic relationship.
Q: Is there any similarity between Wild Attraction and current popular books on relationships?
A: There are many great books currently available on relationship. The majority of them share wonderful expertise in the field of psychology but do not explain or address the Energetics that, in our opinion, can either enhance or diminish intimacy. We see Energetic training as a missing piece in the prevailing contemporary popular and professional science and art literature relating to relationship. Our work is a fine complement to current best sellers on personal psychology.
Senté New Zealand
Q: What is the history of the relationship between New Zealand and Paul and Patty’s body of work?
A: In the 1980s, after Paul’s initial decade of instruction in Seeing, he set off with his family on an exploratory trip that lasted several years, with New Zealand as one of the key destinations. While traveling, he met a new set of mentors on the North Island, whose influence on him was profound and life-altering. New Zealand, with its remarkable environmental energy, became home for him, and although family circumstances required his return to the United States after a period of residency, Paul has always regarded New Zealand as the center of his personal path and the source of his enthusiasm and most treasured transformations. Today, Paul and Patty divide their time between the USA and New Zealand.
