Another View

It is interesting how two individuals--Barry Zwick (“Mind Bend,” Weekend Escape, Jan. 1) and myself--whose ages and cultural backgrounds are about the same, can experience the same place in different ways. People from all over the world come to Esalen to discover how to better connect with others and to meet the challenge that life affords by applying the gained insights in a practical way.

My wife and I have been to Esalen many times, and decided to take a workshop on massage for couples over the New Year’s weekend. We were fortunate to have two professional instructors and a work group whose nine couples were intelligent and supportive. We got guidance on how to perform hourlong massages on each other and how to achieve relaxation with a 20-minute home treatment after a long day at work. We spent many hours with each other in a group, usually nude, with none of the sexual frivolity alluded to in the article. I’m afraid that what Mr. Zwick wrote about was not Esalen; it was more a projection of his mind than a true Mind Bend.

SAMUEL J. HASSON

Glendale