Feeding Your Demons® Facilitator Certification | Tara Mandala
Feeding Your Demons Dragon - Program Header
Feeding Your Demons Dragon - Program Header
Feeding Your Demons Dragon - Program Header

Begins March 2027

Feeding Your Demons® Facilitator Certification

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Feeding Your Demons® Facilitator Certification2026-10-23T09:55:30-06:00

2027 Registrations Are Open

2027 Registrations Are Open

Overview | Your Certification Pathway | FAQs
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Online Certification

Transform Your Experience into Meaningful Work

The Feeding Your Demons® Full Certification Program is for people who want to understand themselves more deeply and make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. No previous FYD or meditation experience is needed to begin.

About the Certification Program

FYD Certification develops from the inside out. You first experience the method personally, deepen your understanding through sustained practice, and then develop the skills to guide someone else through the process with care and confidence.

Overview

The complete pathway combines Levels I and II with guided study, personal exploration, partner practice, live webcasts, and facilitator training. It culminates in the Certification Level, a five-week online course offering specialized instruction in facilitation, ethics, professional boundaries, and responding skillfully to challenges that may arise.

What Certification Offers

Certification can become a stand-alone offering or complement existing work in therapy, coaching, education, health care, spiritual care, and other service-oriented fields.

Capstone Retreat

The Certification Level concludes with a four-day online Capstone Retreat.

Who Can Enroll

No clinical or mental health credentials are required, and continuing education credits are available.

Your Pathway

Certification with Integrity

The Feeding Your Demons Institute at Tara Mandala stewards the FYD curriculum and establishes the standards for professional certification. Participants complete extensive personal and partner practice, facilitator training, ethical study, and a formal assessment before certification is awarded.

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Successful participants become Certified Feeding Your Demons® Facilitators, qualified to offer the process to individuals and couples within the scope of their training.

Graduates also join the Institute’s global Certified Facilitator Network, with opportunities for continued connection, learning, and professional development.

Who Is This Program For?
This program may be worth exploring if you want to:

  • Approach emotional patterns and obstacles with greater awareness and compassion
  • Learn an embodied, experiential method for working with inner conflict
  • Guide individuals and couples through the FYD process
  • Integrate FYD into work in therapy, coaching, education, health care, spiritual care, or another service-oriented field
  • Establish a stand-alone practice as a Certified Feeding Your Demons® Facilitator
  • Connect with a global network of FYD practitioners and facilitators
The program begins with your own experience of FYD and gradually develops the understanding, practice, and skills needed to facilitate the process for others.

Personal Practice and Understanding
You will learn to:

  • Practice the complete five-step FYD process
  • Recognize and map interconnected emotional patterns
  • Work with personal, family, and ancestral demons
  • Develop and deepen the ally process
  • Use embodiment, visualization, drawing, and clay to support insight and transformation

Facilitating FYD for Others
You will learn to:

  • Guide individuals and couples through the FYD process with clarity and confidence
  • Respond skillfully to challenges that may arise during facilitation
  • Deepen another person’s experience without directing or interpreting it for them
  • Understand the ethical responsibilities, professional boundaries, and scope of an FYD Facilitator
  • Explore applications related to relationships, dreams, illness, pain, grief, trauma, and the dying process
  • Recognize when a person’s needs fall outside your training or professional scope and additional support is appropriate
The program progresses through Levels I and II, the Certification Level, and the Capstone Retreat. Continuing education credits are available for eligible participants.

Level I: Foundation
March | Eight weeks | Approximately 5 hours per week

Learn the five-step FYD process, create your own demon map, and begin practicing independently and with a partner. You will also explore the process through meditation, drawing, and clay.

Level I includes video teachings, assignments, personal and partner practice, and four live webcasts. Personal meditation practice is additional.

Level II: Deepening
September | Eight weeks | Approximately 5.5 hours per week

Deepen your personal and partner practice through family and ancestral demons, family allies, the Extended Ally process, the Body Map, and the Hydra Map.

Level II includes video teachings, assignments, approximately three hours of FYD practice each week, and four live webcasts. An additional five hours of meditation practice per week is recommended. Level I and its practice requirements must be completed before Level II begins.

Certification Level and Capstone Retreat
January | Five-week online course and four-day online retreat

After completing Levels I and II, apply for the Certification Level and Capstone Retreat. The five-week course requires approximately four hours per week and focuses on facilitation, ethics, best practices, specialized applications of FYD, and responding skillfully to challenges that may arise when guiding others through the process.

The program concludes with a four-day online Capstone Retreat. Certification is awarded after all requirements are fulfilled and the Capstone assessment is successfully completed. Level II practice requirements and a successful interview with lead faculty must be completed before the Certification Level begins.

Live webcasts are generally one hour. Attendance is required unless alternative arrangements have been approved in advance. The entire Certification pathway is eligible for continuing education credit.

Deepen your experience of FYD by adding Buddhist teachings and guided practices from the wisdom tradition that informs the method.

The optional Buddhist studies component adds:

  • Approximately two hours of study and practice to Level I
  • Two weeks of teachings and practice to Level II
  • Downloadable Buddhist practice texts
  • Preparation for advanced study within the FYD community

Completion of the Buddhist Track Certification and the Group Facilitator Training is a prerequisite for the Workshop Leader Training.

Full Certification: $2,995 ($500 savings)
With optional Buddhist studies: $2,995 ($650 savings)

Your tuition includes:

  • More than 30 hours of teachings across the complete certification pathway
  • 11 live webcasts with access to the recordings
  • Live small-group discussions during the Certification Capstone
  • The four-day online Capstone Retreat
  • Downloadable FYD forms and practice materials
  • 18 months of access to the program
  • Membership in the global Certified Facilitator Network following graduation, with the first year’s membership fee included.
Your Certification Pathway

Includes 18 months of access to the teachings, live webcasts and recordings, small-group discussions, the online Capstone Retreat, and downloadable forms and practice materials.

Full Certification: $2,995 ($500 savings)
With optional Buddhist studies: $2,995 ($650 savings)

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to be a therapist or mental health professional?2026-10-20T09:33:04-06:00

No. The program welcomes applicants from many professional and personal backgrounds. Certified FYD Facilitators without clinical licensure may facilitate FYD sessions with individuals and couples within the scope of their training. Certification does not confer a mental health license or authorize someone to provide psychotherapy.

Do I need to apply before enrolling in Full Certification?2026-10-20T09:33:54-06:00

Yes. Enrollment in the Full Certification pathway begins with an application. After completing Levels I and II and fulfilling the practice requirements, participants apply to continue to the Certification Capstone.

Does completing the program guarantee certification?2026-10-20T09:42:08-06:00

No. Certification is awarded after all course and practice requirements are fulfilled and the Capstone assessment is successfully completed.

What may a Certified FYD Facilitator offer?2026-10-20T09:42:47-06:00

Certified Facilitators may guide individuals and couples through the Feeding Your Demons® process. Facilitators must follow the methods, protocols, forms, ethical standards, and scope established during training.

May Certified Facilitators work with groups?2026-10-20T09:44:11-06:00

Standard FYD Certification covers work with individuals and couples. Facilitating groups requires successful completion of the separate Group Facilitator Training.

May Certified Facilitators teach FYD workshops or public programs?2026-10-20T09:45:25-06:00

Standard Certification and Group Facilitator Training do not authorize someone to teach FYD workshops. Public talks and two-day workshops require the advanced Workshop Leader Training, which is offered by invitation only for facilitators who have completed the full Buddhist certification pathway. Please note that completion of the Buddhist Track Certification and the Group Facilitator Training is a prerequisite for the Workshop Leader Training.

Are there limitations for working with serious mental health concerns?2026-10-20T09:46:29-06:00

Yes. Facilitators may not work with severe trauma, abuse, addiction, self-harm, or suicidal thoughts or behavior unless they hold the appropriate professional license and training.

What is required to maintain certification?2026-10-20T09:48:31-06:00

Certified Facilitators maintain an annual membership, licensing, and administrative fee of $50. The first year is included in program tuition, and the first payment is due one year after certification.

Facilitators may also be asked to participate in an evaluation interview once every three years and must attend at least one Facilitator webcast seminar during each three-year period.

What benefits do Certified Facilitators receive?2026-10-20T09:50:43-06:00

Certification benefits include:

  • Connection with the global Certified Facilitator Network 
  • Annual facilitator-only webcast 
  • Updates on FYD research and best practices
  • Opportunities for questions and continuing development
  • An optional listing in Tara Mandala’s online FYD Facilitator Directory
Can I pause my certification?2026-10-20T09:51:08-06:00

Yes. Certified Facilitators may request a pause by contacting the FYD Program Manager at fyd@taramandala.org. Additional training or evaluation may be required when a certification has been paused for more than five years.

Do I need professional insurance?2026-10-20T09:52:56-06:00

Facilitators are responsible for determining the insurance appropriate for their work, including professional liability coverage that specifically covers FYD services.

What professional and ethical responsibilities apply?2026-10-20T09:53:41-06:00

Certified Facilitators agree to:

  • Practice within the scope of their training and professional credentials
  • Represent their certification accurately
  • Protect client confidentiality and follow applicable privacy laws
  • Use the official FYD process, materials, and terminology
  • Uphold high standards of ethics, integrity, and professional conduct
  • Sign and follow the Certified Facilitator Terms of Use

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