Interview with Dirk Oellibrandt
(founder of the 4 Dimensional Life School)

Dimensional Bodywork and its Unique Possibilities

Very few can grasp a small fraction of the true intelligence that is stored in the dark internal space of the body. Its so silly to think about what is needed to heal or awaken, when we have this great source directly at our service. A true body worker does not relay on technique or knowledge, but first of all his body expresses the vitality of that space in the unique gesture of that moment. By staying in as-one-in-the-moment with the natural evolution of changing priorities, the therapist can lead the client in his experience of boundless space and freedom, showing them the nature of life and the being that he or she is.

Tell us a bit about your background

My passion during my childhood, was divided between 2 things: Oriental martial arts and being in nature. I did both from my puberty on and although what I experience now while doing chi kung or being in nature has little to do with my frustrated teenage experiences, it is still grounded on the good old love for life and a great drive to discover the truth of life.

In my early twenties I got more into shiatsu and oriental philosophy and about 15 years ago I discovered Taoism which till this day reflects (the closest) the principles of 4 dimensional life and 4 dimensional bodywork. I ran a shiatsu school and healing center for 10 years and treated 1000's of clients in my practice. Although my results where very good and excellent therapist where produced through the school, I kept this repetitive feeling of being unsatisfied with my work and the quality of my life. I was looking restlessly around and found some Teachers that have been inspiration during that period such as Saul Goodman, Mantak Chia, Barry Long and Daskalos. About 5 years ago I started the 4 dimensional life school. My life and that of many people around me has surely became much more true and coherent. The school has greatly expanded since that time. We teach parts or the whole program in 7 different countries at this moment.

What made the biggest difference for you in your process of awakening?

The development within the school was ignited by following my own inner experiences. Freeing myself of believes, concepts and emotional interpretations. Spiritual concepts and sexual guilt where the 2 most difficult to let go of. Although they are not any different than simple nagging believes, they look and feel more like unchangeable patterns and are so deeply rooted in our psyche that they tend to be denied. They have become so integrated in the practitioners level of achievement that their vitality level and shallow level of integration in their lives demonstrates this. To many times I have seen that spiritual teachers have certainly realized their inner nature, but what is lacking is the ability an even interest to bring this into existence: Their practical life.

4 dimensional life is NOT an alternative way of living. It is seeing the truth of life and of living that truth as the master: LIFE itself shows us at any moment. 4 dimensional bodywork is applying these same principles in a therapeutic form. Keeping these double-lives intact is a killer for many seemingly dedicated practitioners. They follow an image of somebody who lived a thousand years ago on the other side of the planet. Nonsense! Might have been a real master, who knows? The fact is: Dead, buried and nothing to do with your life here and now, only the truth that this master possibly had realized something that can be found deep within. But it becomes religious, projective talk as soon as we put it out of the body and start to interpret it, instead of living it. We teach students to live life as it presents itself to them, now and where their body is (here).

Many spiritual teachers and even scientist talk about the 7 dimensions. do you exclude some, or do you use another view?

Of course, we know about these 7 dimensions. Practically, I have noticed that very few can really connect to this system. They understand it with their thinking mind, but it's not their own experience. So in the end, the chance that it will really work is very small. The 4 dimensions we use is what everybody knows. We all have an experience of the physical body, we all have emotions, we all have mental principles and concepts and we all have a curtained relationship with the source of all there is.

In there you will find the 7 dimensions, but they have to present themselves in the experience of the student at the right moment (not as a mental concept).

Tell us a bit more about the different aspects of your school?

Everything within our school and trainings is 4 dimensional life. Once this deep natural state has reveals itself, the rest unfolds with ease and quite naturally.. You can find a lot of therapists and healers in the school, but also people from many other disciplines that apply the 4 dimensional life principles in their work: Sports, management, agriculture, relationship counseling, education and so on. The training is extremely valuable for anybody who is sincerely looking for the truth of life and finding his/ her right place and direction while being in this body.

1. The foundation of the whole training is a 4 DAY BASIC COURSE (open for everybody) where we deal with the most essential aspects of life. What is life, health, being human, my origin, nature and so on? We let the students fill in the answers from their experience from that moment. A core aspect is to reconnect the students with their deepest soul value. We accept that everybody comes in the school with their specific package of information (and past). We will keep them with how their experience is at that moment. This is a challenge for many, because without all they have done, all they know and all their emotions, there is not a lot left to speak of. We teach them the 4 dimensional bodywork basic treatment: A simple short and very strong bodywork-form that opens all the main energy- centers and channels. Also some simple exercises and meditations are showed to them. All together: An intense often life changing experience. We use these 4 days to see if the student wants to explore this path further or not.
2. These same life- themes are deepened during the FIRST YEAR TRAINING (an extra 20 days). Now more specifically centered around the 3 fundamental life riddles: Life and death/ man and woman/ past and future. All suffering is based on the inability to look the seemingly strong separation between the 2 poles of each riddle. Seemingly, because they just represent the non-dualistic nature of our being: Love/here/now. If we solve or even partly solve the riddles, life shows us its true treasure. The first year focuses on the physical body. Conscious movement and opening the body is an important aspect here. This is activated by chi kung/ yoga and meditation, but also by receiving and applying specific treatments on the meridians, organs and energy centers. Even more essential, is the awakening of the inner body. The quality of the deep dark space within.
3. To become a 4 DIMENSIONAL BODYWORKER, or 4 DIMENSIONAL LIFE COUSELLOR the student needs to do 2 more years (so, total 3 years). The second year, with its focus on emotional awareness and the 3rd year focuses on mental clarity and awakening the true mind.
4. PROFESSIONAL HEALERS AND BODYWORKERS, who had a minimum of 400 hours of previous training can start in the 3rd year and join the other 4 dimensional body workers to the 4th and 5th year. These years deal with the soul purpose and spiritual healing. At the end of these 3 years they can certify as an advanced 4 dimensional body worker, or 4 dimensional life counselor.

Besides the training we also teach various courses in Taoism and offer leadership trainings.

Many of the Curricula you talk about sounds very familiar to other bodywork/healing schools. What are the main differences according to you?

1. A strange thing in the bodywork-world is that almost all teachers only know the forms and interpretations of the body and know nothing of the quality of the inner space where the form arises from. Bodywork is by nature a feminine art. It is the receptive principle. All the meridians, chakras, bones body shapes, even DNA are arising from a dark internal essence, that is a direct expression of the female principle. To demonstrate this: Can you still sense the bone or organ without remembering the forms and place? It is essential for every body worker to discover this state, first inside what they know as their own body and then in the bodies of their clients. Many body workers are rather mind workers touching forms in the body.
2. The therapist needs to know the different aspects of his being through his own experience. He needs to feel clearly the difference between, the body, the ego, the personality, the soul, the spirit. They all form a holly vertical axis. All of these aspects are essential and need to be self-consciously experienced in order to make life truthful.
3. The therapists needs to be still, but vital in the body. No need to dream away into another state or dimension (out of the body). All you need in the treatment is right there.
4. The deep body intelligence of the client determines exactly what happens in the treatment. The therapist needs to learn to hear the resonance of this language in his own internal body-space. Since he does not have the same limiting elementals (thought forms) than the client, he can use his soul-body presence to initiate the client in this freer expressed life-wave. Also the depth/layer/timing and sequence comes from this same intelligence.

Certainly this last one sounds almost impossible to do, since there are billions of aspects and possiblitities in the treatment.

This is because you come from the male, external world of forms and projections.

It would take you many lives indeed to learn sufficiently about the meridians, chakras, aura, genes, hormones cells and so much more. But when one is deep enough in the internal space all these aspects will show themselves in more abstract ways and are much more real than the forms after we use to name or label.

We only need to know one thing at the time. We can only be in one place in one way in one simple moment at a time. It does not sound awfully difficult does it? We are so used to being a complicated act and it's not necessary.

Many students and therapist assume that I do all kind of magic, shamanic, 7th dimension stuff during the treatment. But truth is that I mainly listen and follow. During the treatment, while they are working so hard that they cannot hear the language, I see the marvelous shifts in the body. The therapist should be ¾ of the time just listening, no external input, but all the time present, still and vital. No dreaming, or visualizing, or adding anything to what is already presently there.

The modern therapist is often more complicated than the client, so he has a hard time to get through all his superficial knowledge and unimportant problems.

Hundreds of therapist told me how their range of possibilities had widely expanded, their depth and simplicity of the treatment had greatly increased, during the training.

In our work we specialize in reawakening vitality. And so it is. When the original vertical alignment between the different aspects of the being is restored and the soul-core-virtue reunites with the deep internal body, so much vitality and freedom suddenly appears that many get scared.

Most of us are like a fish crossing the Atlantic Ocean in search for water. All we really desire is so close, we need to be still and present enough to experience it.

Where Can People Study in the United States?

We are offering courses in different places. The main school is being held at Jeronimo Retreat Center

For more info long on to the website:www.taohealing.com (201)358-0620

Also: Basic Course

July 20-25 Catskills, NY HealingTaoRetreats.com (888)999-0555

Spring Tour

ATLANTA,GA

Organizer Zora: zoraugo@earthlink.net
May 16 Evening lecture and demo for healers and body workers on "4dimensional body work "
May 17 Day workshop on the same theme. (For advanced practitioners only. Min 400 hours of previous study).

ASHEVILLE,NC

Organizer Teresa Gibbs: teresa@artsofliving.com
May 18 Evening lecture and demo for healers and body workers on '4dimensional body work "
May 19 Day workshop on the same theme. (for advanced practitioners only. Min 400 hours of previous study).

NEW YORK CITY , NY

Organizer Greg Sherman greg@americanvideo.com
May 20 Evening lecture and demo for healers and body workers on "4dimensional body work "
May 21 Day workshop on the same theme. (for advanced practitioners only. Min 400 hours of previous study).

More info at 4DimensionalLife.com

Dirk has currently written 2 books, several CD's and videos:
Most advised is "4 dimensional life". See our site.