How can we trust God if we distrust our own deep instincts? Where do we think our instincts come from?
The Pathwork Guide introduces a central force shaping human life: a powerful inner pull toward connection, pleasure and unity.
At its core, this pull is the creative life force itself. It moves us out of isolation and toward genuine contact with others. Life, pleasure and union are not separate aims—they are one and the same movement toward wholeness.
Yet we resist this pull. At a deep, often unconscious level, we fear that surrendering to love and pleasure will lead to annihilation. To protect ourselves, we divide body from spirit and begin to distrust our own instincts. This creates an inner conflict: one part of us longs for connection, while another pulls away in fear.
This resistance distorts the life force. Pleasure becomes entangled with pain, leading to cycles of hurt, fear, guilt and withdrawal. The more we oppose this natural movement, the more suffering we create.
Healing begins by recognizing that our instincts are not enemies, but expressions of a divine current. When we learn to trust this inner flow, we restore harmony between body and soul.
True union does not erase us—it expands us into more of who we really are.
Jill Loree is the founder of Phoenesse and a longtime student of the Pathwork teachings. She has studied the Pathwork Guide’s material since 1997 and completed four years of training to become a certified Pathwork Helper.
When she first encountered the Pathwork teachings, she described the experience as “walking through the doorway of an AA fourth step and finding the whole library.”
Through Phoenesse, Jill writes and teaches about personal transformation using the spiritual psychology found in the Pathwork lectures.
Her books present these teachings in clear, accessible language to help readers apply them in everyday life. Her work focuses on helping people move from the struggles of duality toward the peace of inner unity.
Raised in northern Wisconsin, Jill began her professional career in technical sales and marketing before discovering that her true calling lay in spiritual teaching and writing.
She lives in New York with her husband, Scott Wisler, who now works with her in sharing these teachings around the world.
