Meetings
Attend our meetings and share your Near-Death Experiences and other Spiritually Transformative Experiences.
About
Find out more about Toronto Awakenings Sharing Group and its in-person and online meetings.
Founders
Meet Toronto Awakenings Sharing Group’s co-founders, Dr. Yvonne Kason, Monica Maurin, and Dr. Shira Taylor.
Toronto Awakenings Sharing Group in the News!
“Not some hallucination: Near-death experiencers share their stories at Toronto organization”
By Ryan Rocca, Global News
February 16, 2023
Toronto resident Yvonne Kason has had multiple near-death experiences in her life — experiences so powerful that they dramatically changed her view of reality.
Kason, a retired family physician who was also on the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine for many years, has since started two organizations — one of which is based in Toronto — where people can listen, discuss, and gain insight into similar experiences.
Near-death experiences, referred to as NDEs, are often so powerful, extraordinary, and difficult to put into words that those who experience them commonly don’t know where to turn, Kason says.
The internet is full of NDE accounts and while each one is often unique, there are similarities.
Join Our Meetings
You are most welcome to join us. We will be exploring Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) and other Spiritually Transformative Experiences (STEs).
We are the Toronto Awakenings Sharing Group. Our in-person and Zoom video-conference meetings feature a STE related speaker and a question and answer period. We also offer “Experiencers” Sharing Circles, hosted by Spiritual Awakenings International starting October 2021, which are small sharing groups in which you are invited to share your STE experiences and listen to others. This is not a therapy group but rather a meeting of those who are curious to learn and share their experiences. Sharing is not required, but attentive and respectful listening is. Our meetings are held roughly 5 times a year. Please sign up for email notification of upcoming meetings.
Upcoming Events
Dr. Yvonne Kason
Purifying the Heart: 5 Key Stages of Spiritual Awakening
Saturday, September 28, 2024 – 1:00PM
Dr. Kason will share a beautiful model for the 5 universal spiritual life-stages, “Purifying the Heart,” based on the stages first described by Swami Sri Yukteswar, Guru of Paramahansa Yogananda, in his book, The Holy Science. Dr. Kason has found this model to be extremely helpful in understanding the changes in spiritual and psychological focus that she and the STE Experiencers she counseled go through over the course of their lives, often propelled forward by Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) and other peak Spiritually Transformative Experiences (STEs). These stages are: the Dark Heart, the Propelled Heart, the Steady Heart, the Devoted Heart, and the Clean Heart.
Using her own life as a case example, she will describe how her 3 adult NDEs and a “calling” mystical experience propelled her onto the next spiritual life-stage. Dr. Kason concludes that the long-term goal of every spiritual seeker, no matter what spiritual path they follow, is to purify the heart and reach the final “clean-heart” stage, experiencing ongoing communion, and exuding spiritual wisdom. She describes this model in her newest book, Soul Lessons from the Light.
Dr. Yvonne Kason MD, MEd, CCFP, FCFP, is the President and Co-Founder of Spiritual Awakenings International and the Group-Leader and Co-Founder of Toronto Awakenings Sharing Group. Dr. Kason is the person who in 1994 first coined the phrase “Spiritually Transformative Experiences” or “STEs”.
Dr. Kason has had 5 Near-Death Experiences (NDEs), 2 in her childhood and 3 in her adult life, as well as multiple Spiritually Transformative Experiences (STEs) of many kinds. Dr. Kason is a retired family physician and transpersonal MD-psychotherapist, previously on faculty at the University of Toronto, and an internationally renowned medical expert on NDEs, Kundalini Awakening, and other STEs.
In 1990, Dr. Kason was the first Canadian medical doctor to specialize her medical practice in the research and counseling of patients with diverse types of STEs. She has over 40 years’ experience counseling STE Experiencers. Dr. Kason has six published books, her most recent, Soul Lessons from the Light: How Spiritually Transformative Experiences Changed My Life (December 2022), and Touched by the Light: Exploring Spiritually Transformative Experiences (2019).
Dr. Brian Sackett
A Shared Death Experience – What it Says About the Afterlife and Who We Are Now
Saturday, November 23, 2024 – 1:00PM
In 2012, Brian held Kristi, his wife of 25 years, in his arms as she passed away from thyroid cancer. It was deeply touching, sad, and paradoxically joyful. He knew he was holding Kris, but she was a much larger, more multi-dimensional being whom his mind could not fully comprehend. Brian will describe these experiences as well as some after death communications with Kris’s spirit that paint a picture of what life after death is like. This expanded Brian’s understanding of who and what each of us are, which hopefully will help the audience participants fill out their own understanding of self and life.
Dr. Brian Sackett, Ph.D. is a semi-retired clinical psychologist previously in private practice in San Jose, CA and is currently a Toronto, Ontario resident. As a psychologist, he specialized in working with clients dealing with trauma and abuse, spiritual emergence, anxiety and couples’ communication issues.
Prior to becoming a therapist, Brian worked for years in high tech in a variety of sales, marketing and engineering positions, mostly in the semiconductor industry. His undergraduate degree is a Bachelor of Science in mathematics, from Stanford University, and he has a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology and a Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology.
He currently facilitates an online meditation/self inquiry group and does spiritual guidance and coaching.
Spiritual Awakenings International
Experiencers Sharing Circles
First Saturday of Every Month: at 1 PM EST or 6 PM EST
Join us the first Saturday of each month at the “Spiritual Awakenings International Experiencers Sharing Circle” in which anyone who has had a Spiritually Transformative Experience can come together with a group of other “Experiencers” to share and to listen. SAI Sharing Circles will be offered the first Saturday of each month. These meetings are confidential, and not recorded.
Spiritually Transformative Experiences* include, but are not limited to the following:
- Near-Death Experiences
- Other death-related experiences such as: deathbed visions, deathwatch experiences/shared-death experiences and After-Death Communications
- Mystical experiences
- Diverse psychic or intuitive experiences, including clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience, out-of-body experiences, past-life recall, mediumship, channeling, and more…
- Spiritual energy and/or Kundalini Awakenings
- Inspired creativity
- Spiritual Emergencies
Many people who have had Spiritually Transformative Experiences seek a safe place to share their story. If you think that perhaps you have had such an experience or you are interested in learning more, you are welcome to join the Experiencers Circle to share and learn.
*Note: “Spiritually Transformative Experiences” was first coined by Dr. Yvonne Kason in 1994.
Live online via Zoom. Register at www.spiritualawakeningsinternational.org
About Our Group
Toronto Awakenings Sharing Group was started in 2019. We call it an “Awakenings Sharing Group,” providing discussion time for those who are interested in Near-Death Experiences and other Spiritually Transformative Experiences. All are welcome to the meetings, whether they have had any of these experiences or not. (Minors must be accompanied by their legal guardians.)
We are not organized by or affiliated with any religion or religious organization. Near-Death Experiences and other Spiritually Transformative Experiences come to those of all different faiths and no faith at all. They also come to those of different cultures, race, gender, sexual orientation, age, and ability, and we hold openness for each unique experience and experiencer. We are a non-aligned group and do not endorse any one doctrine, philosophy, religion, religious interpretation or political position. We welcome participants with diverse views and perspectives and ask all participants to respectfully engage as listeners to others’ experiences, without offering judgment, challenge, comment or advice. The views and opinions expressed by any individual or speaker attending our meetings do not reflect any official position of the Toronto Awakenings Sharing Group. To read more on our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy, click here.
Toronto Awakenings Sharing Group was created to offer interested individuals a safe, supportive place in which to share, network, and learn more about diverse Spiritually Transformative Experiences (STEs) and their often powerful after-effects on body, mind and spirit.
The term “Spiritually Transformative Experiences” was first coined by Dr. Yvonne Kason MD, in 1994. STEs include: Near-Death Experiences (NDEs); Mystical Experiences; Spiritual Energy or Kundalini Awakenings; diverse Psychic Experiences; Inspired Creativity; and other death-related STEs such as Deathbed visions, Death-Watch/Shared-Death Experiences, and After-Death Communications. Research studies have show that up to 15 percent of the population have had an NDE or other types of STEs. Many people find these occurrences very impactful and even life transforming. Sadly, experiencers often find they are misunderstood by their family or friends, and feel they have no one with whom to share their understanding. Our group meetings aim to provide just such an opportunity, to share privately and respectfully, with support and understanding of the diversity of each person’s STEs.
We believe that Near-Death Experiences and other Spiritually Transformative Experiences hold a wealth of information for all of us, especially given that no two experiences are identical. Our meetings are facilitated by Toronto Awakenings Sharing Group’s three volunteer co-founders, who have worked with and have also experienced their own Spiritually Transformative Experiences.
Toronto Awakenings Sharing Group is affiliated with Spiritual Awakenings International. www.spiritualawakeningsinternational.org
Meet Our Co-Founders
Dr. Yvonne Kason, Monica Maurin and Dr. Shira Taylor founded the Toronto Awakenings Sharing Group in 2019. All three co-founders have had many Spiritually Transformative Experiences (STEs) and two have had Near-Death Experiences (NDEs). They felt there was a need for a community such as this in Toronto and began to offer bi-monthly meetings to all who feel sincerely interested.
Toronto Awakenings Sharing Group is not a therapy group and no counselling can or will be offered. Rather, it is a forum in which to share personal NDE and STE stories in a supportive environment, and to learn more about all types of STEs from our meetings’ featured speakers. Experiencers, their friends, families, physicians and counsellors, as well as all persons sincerely interested in learning more about the wide range of Spiritually Transformative Experiences are welcome to attend.
We believe that Spiritually Transformative Experiences are part of the spectrum of healthy human experiences.
Currently, Toronto Awakenings Sharing Group is led by Dr. Yvonne Kason and other volunteers. Please direct all inquires to: info@torontoawakenings.org
Yvonne Kason MD, MEd, CCFP, FCFP
Dr. Yvonne Kason MD is a retired Family Physician and Transpersonal MD-Psychotherapist previously on Faculty at the University of Toronto. She has had 5 Near-Death Experiences and multiple Spiritually Transformative Experiences. She first coined the phrase “Spiritually Transformative Experiences” (STEs) in 1994. She has 40 years experience researching and counselling persons with NDEs and other STEs.
Dr. Kason is President of Spiritual Awakenings International, www.spiritualawakeningsinternational.org, Past-President of IANDS, cofounder of the Spirituality in Health-Care Network and the Kundalini Research Network, and author of 6 books, her most recent “Soul Lessons from the Light: How Spiritually Transformative Experiences Changed my Life” (December 2022), and “Touched by the Light: Exploring Spiritually Transformative Experiences.” (2019). Learn more at Dr. Kason’s website: www.dryvonnekason.com.