Our Story

We’ve spent more than 50 years exploring happiness, beliefs, and the nature of the human mind. What began as a deeply personal journey has grown into a lifetime of teaching and supporting families and individuals from around the world.

You can explore the chapters of our story below.

The Chapters Of Our Story

Long Story Short:
An Overview

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Embracing Autism:
The Story Of Son-Rise

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Before The Breakthrough:
Searching For Happiness

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The Son-Rise Program:
The Next Generation

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A New Way Of Thinking:
The Option Process Story

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Love Beyond Borders:
Adoption & Chosen Family

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Reaching Others:
Teaching & Founding

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5 Days To Live:
Bears’ Health Journey

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Photo Album:
Our Life In Pictures

Look

  • "If there were a Nobel Prize for love, I’d want Bears and Samahria to be the first to receive one."

    Dr. Wayne Dyer

  • "By personal example and through his writing and counseling, [Bears] gives a compelling vision for the building of inner and outer peace."

    President Jimmy Carter

  • “An amazing adventure towards self-empowerment. I salute the work of this healer whose inspiring message of hope and optimism dares us to achieve the seemingly impossible.”

    Paul Winter, Composer/Musician, Environmentalist and Director of The Paul Winter Consort

  • "Bears champions making the choice to believe in ourselves, to be hopeful and seize the power of loving ourselves and others.”

    Lou Holtz, Head Football Coach, University of Notre Dame

  • “Their work is wise and liberating.”

    Harold S. Kushner, Author, When Bad Things Happen to Good People

  • “Bears & Samahria's dedication is extraordinary.”

    Joanne Woodward, Actor/Director

  • “Bears' work affirms the unlimited potential of the human spirit and offers hope to those who have been challenged by adversity.”

    Coretta Scott King, Founder,
    The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change

  • I have long admired the work of Bears. He reveals the options and choices we can all make to find the road to happiness. Simple and effective for all.

    Bernie Siegel, M.D. Author, Love, Medicine, and Miracles

  • "I love The Dialogue process! I’ve come to understand myself and why I do the things I do. My very first Dialogue saved my marriage! Today, I’m so much happier and more relaxed. Every part of my personal and professional life has been improved through The Dialogue.

    Ronda F. — Movie Theater Owner, PA

  • “I have been a psychiatrist for thirty years. Never before has any process taught me so much about how to be with others. Bears' work in The Option Process® is clear, precise and packs a punch. At the center of this process are the principles of being present, being loving, accepting others and being non-directive. To have been given these tools and principles is a great gift indeed. I am grateful.”

    Ted McCarthy, M.D., Chief of Psychiatry, Mercy Hospital, Maine

  • I feel so blessed to have found the Option Process Dialogue. To achieve such miraculous and lifelong changes from such a subtle and gentle process, has been a wonderful revelation to me. The love and acceptance l felt taught me that there is an easy and wondrous way to grow comfortably, I now feel such a profound sense of peace, safety and security within myself thanks to The Dialogue.

    Guy B. — Company Director, Kenya

  • Thank you, thank you! My whole life has been changed tremendously because of your work and The Dialogues!

    Isis Maria C. — Human Services, New York

  • The Dialogue session was the most wonderful and meaningful experience of my life. I feel different, happy, as though a tremendous weight has been lifted from my shoulders. What a pleasure!

    Eric S. — Executive, New Jersey

  • “Bears and Samahria's work is love in action.”

    John S. Weltner, Child Psychiatrist, Co-President, Society for Family Therapy and Research

  • I came feeling I was a failure, and that I hadn’t succeeded in so many areas in my life. I would literally shake at the thought of speaking in public and used to talk myself out of jobs before I’d even gone for the interview. Oh, how I have blossomed! I have never in my whole life felt so sure of myself and I believe I can be anything I want to be. Now know I am a fantastic mother/daughter and using The Dialogue I’ve come to really love myself and who I’ve become.

    Vicki M. — Registered Nurse, Scotland

  • “Love that comprehends and respects an inner sanctum of being without violating its uniqueness has always produced miracles – human miracles. Bears & Samahria's work reminds us once again of our under-used power to celebrate and ennoble life.”

    Norman Cousins, Author, Anatomy Of An Illness

  • I have been doing Dialogues regularly for a year now, and today I can say that I am confident and depression free! It did not matter how much of a mess I was, how morbid I felt, or how dark my thoughts were, Bears & Samahria listened to me, and I felt accepted and understood. I am incredibly grateful.

    Charlotte S. — Singer, Switzerland

  • For the first time, I now feel in control of my emotions. With asking me gentle questions, I was able to unravel my feelings concerning the past and move forward with a new freedom I’d never before experienced!

    Joe B. — Dyslexia Consultant, United Kingdom

  • It never ceases to amaze me how much I discover about how I operate in my life. Each time I come closer and closer to being who I really want to be in my life by truly getting to know myself on a cellular level. By giving myself the gift of these unique Dialogues, I now know how to address the discomforts in my life, no matter what the stimulus.

    Denise D. —Lawyer, Ireland

  • “God’s grace abounds in the Kaufmans’ work with families and children!”

    The Reverend Elizabeth S. Gombach, M. Div. Minister, United Methodist Church

  • “Bears is a great student of human beings. He is like an artist and scientist interweaving stimulus and response into a beautiful dance of uncovering beliefs. My interactions with Bears were especially helpful for the goal I came with – to love more in my relationships. I feel very satisfied, challenged, and inspired!”

    Brian McSweeney, Teacher, California