Five to Thrive and the LIFE Model

The LIFE Model was developed originally in response to the observation that many people in recovery from traumas, addictions, cults and sexual abuse became bogged down in recovery. The recovery process took over their attention, focus, finances, time, and energy and became their life. At the same time it was obvious that they, their marriages and families were not usually thriving.  The desire to see people thriving again (or for the first time) gave impetus to the development of the LIFE Model. Careful observation of the differences between those who were glad to be alive and those who were only getting by eventually identified five major factors needed to thrive.

1. All people need a place to belong. Even our mental reality starts from a relational perspective. We need to be with our people to thrive.
2. The interactions with our people need to give us life rather than injure or kill us. We also need to be life-giving in our treatment of others. We need to receive and give life.
3. The most resilient people are not those who never have anything go wrong in their lives but rather those who can bounce back when things go wrong. Those who are able to maintain their relationships and regulate their emotions (stay synchronized) when things are going wrong recover quickly.
4. Each day and stage of growth should find us becoming more complex and interesting than we have been. Trauma blocks maturity and recovery must restore maturity if we are to thrive.
5. Although we must belong like everyone else, and receive and give life like everyone else, and recover from things that go wrong like everyone else and mature like everyone else, we must become individuals like no one else. Through our hearts we come to know ourselves as God sees us and to know God as well.

Thriving is the applied LIFE Model to life. While you will find more about it in the many books, videos, training materials and resources on this site, the most direct way to retrain your brain to thrive is found in the exercises developed for the THRIVE - Changing My Generation conference training and the Thriving - Recover Your Life recovery program.

The THRIVE - Changing My Generation training experience is a combination of an intensive week of training each year along with practice exercises in between conferences over a four year period of time.

The Thriving - Recover Your Life program for recovery is an ongoing training using the best in Biblical principles, relational discipleship, current brain science and experienced leadership. Thriving  uses the LIFE Model to develop healthy maturity, restore joyful bonds and help people learn the 19 essential skills needed to have healthy relationships with God and others. Click here for more information on Thriving - Recover Your Life.

THRIVE - Changing My Generation conferences are not a substitute method for trauma recovery but rather a way for people who help others or who want to grow themselves can build mature and joyful identities. This training is particularly suited for two people with a bond between them whereas Thriving - Recover Your Life is designed for anyone in recovery.

The THRIVE - Changing My Generation training program takes the LIFE Model beyond a useful concept into the realm of personal experience. The goal of this training is the restoration of synchronization to our minds bodies and spirits. Since the brain’s control center must be trained through nonverbal experiences with people who have the necessary skills, this conference provides specifically designed experiences to identify and train your missing skills.

THRIVE develops a set of 19 specific skills. Take time to look over these skills as they are not likely to be anything your would expect or have seen before. Each of the THRIVE tracks develops a carefully selected sequence of skills. By the time participants reach Track III they are learning how to pass these 19 skills on to others. Because these skills develop in bonded relationships, THRIVE training was developed for bonded pairs in natural and spiritual families.

THRIVE provides an enriched environment for the development of maturity, community and spiritual awareness. At this time, all training requires a commitment to participation in Christian spiritual community life during the week. We hope that in time we will be able to open this training for community participation for those who are not offended by our beliefs.

THRIVE - Changing My Generation training is run by Chris and Jen Coursey and you can find resources and schedules at www.thrivetoday.org as well as here.  You can learn more about the conference from the video clips and links below. Click here to register for THRIVE.

See Skills Taught at Thrive and watch this 10 minute video to learn more about the whole experience and training waiting for you at the next THRIVE - Changing My Generation. A 21 minute video with twice as much information (including interviews with people who attended the training) is available at www.thrivetoday.org.

Listen to a very special interview with David Takle on "seeing what God sees" (THRIVE skill 13) by clicking on the "Hearing God" link above and be introduced to what we do at THRIVE.

More information on THRIVE- Changing My Generation conferences is available from Chris and Jen Coursey.