If you’re curious whether this Year of Presence is for you, start by doing one full Presence Shift right now.
The 13-minute Presence Shift above is both:
Your first full Weekly Presence Shift, and
A foundation ritual you can return to anytime this year
All you have to do is press play and follow the 5 Inner Steps:
Answer → Intend → Focus → Flow → Begin
…then actually begin the next step of your day from presence when it ends.
If you finish and notice yourself thinking,
“Something real just shifted for me — I want more of this,”
then this Masterclass is probably for you.
The Presence Shift Masterclass is a year-long, science-based training to live with more presence using 5 Inner Steps that become second nature. You can begin your Year of Presence anytime.
“I’ve been shifting into presence with Dr. Sullivan and on my own for over ten years. Each of those years has been the best year of my life — including 2025 when I beat back cancer. Consistently shifting into presence in my relationships, at work, at play, for my health, is why my life keeps getting better. Presence shifting works. It is THE secret weapon.”
— Brian Brunsing, Bend, Oregon
Here’s how to use this post
1. Do Presence Shift 1 – Foundation (the video above)
Treat the video at the top of this post as your first real rep.
Before you press play, quietly notice:
On a scale from 1–10, how peaceful and present do I feel right now?
Then just follow along as we move through:
Answer → Intend → Focus → Flow → Begin
When it ends, actually begin the next step of your day — even if that just means taking a tiny 10-second action — from your more present state.
If you notice any real shift — even 5–10% more present, calm, or connected — that’s the nervous-system training beginning to take hold.
2. Watch the 10-minute Introduction (optional, but recommended)
After you’ve experienced Presence Shift 1 (above) at least once, watch this 10-minute introduction to understand the bigger arc of your Year of Presence.
In about 10 minutes, you’ll:
Hear why I created The Presence Shift Masterclass
See how the 5 Inner Steps work across many real-life patterns
Understand how we’ll treat the next 12 months as your Year of Presence
You can come back to this introduction anytime you want to reconnect with the “why” behind the practice.
3. Move through The Three Introductory Presence Shifts
In January, you’ll get three orientation experiences that help you understand presence shifting from different angles:
The See One Presence Shift
A long-form “see it and feel it” experience: part story, part guided practice. You’ll see how a full Presence Shift works from the inside.The Do One Presence Shift
You’ll be guided to identify and shift one of your own most repetitive emotional patterns, using the 5 Inner Steps.The Live One Presence Shift
You’ll practice using a Presence Shift inside the flow of your real day — including how to carry presence into the next hour of your life.
Free subscribers get the full See One Presence Shift and free teaser portions of Do One and Live One. Paid subscribers get all three in full and can revisit them whenever needed.
4. Follow the Weekly Presence Shifts (10 / 5 / 2 minutes)
Most weeks, paid subscribers receive a new Weekly Presence Shift built around a real pattern, such as:
Morning dread
Night-time anxiety
Big event preparation
Social anxiety / showing up
Family time
Conflict spirals
Numbness / flatness
Grief waves
Midday overwhelm
Evening decompression
Renewing motivation
Each Weekly Presence Shift is structured as:
A 10-minute Presence Shift (the full guided ritual, typically with video)
A 5-minute core ritual (shorter version for busier days)
A 2-minute reset (a quick, repeatable Presence Shift you can do almost anywhere)
Most posts include a free teaser/tester so even free subscribers can sample the week’s Presence Shift.
5. Free vs Paid at a glance
As a free subscriber, you’ll get:
The 10-minute introduction to The Presence Shift Masterclass
Presence Shift 1 – Foundation (the full 13-minute ritual above)
The full See One Presence Shift
Free teaser portions of Do One and Live One
Occasional written reflections, notes, and updates
Free “taster” practices at the top of some paid posts
As a paid subscriber, you’ll get everything above, plus:
Full access to all Three Introductory Presence Shifts – See One, Do One, Live One
Weekly Presence Shifts most weeks in 10 / 5 / 2-minute formats
Full access to the archive of Weekly Presence Shifts here on Substack, plus a bonus library of 150+ classic text-and-audio Shifts from my earlier archive
Access to the evolving Presence Shift Companion experience when it launches
Ongoing experiments, prompts, and any live presence labs I offer
A way to directly support the long-term growth of this work
You can stay free and curious, dip in and out as needed, or go all-in and treat this as your structured Year of Presence.
6. How to use this space
You can think of this Masterclass in a few different ways:
As a reset button.
Come back to Presence Shift 1 – Foundation (the video above) anytime you need a full reset.As a year-long training ground.
Complete the Three Introductory Presence Shifts and the Weekly Presence Shifts as they roll out, building repetition until the 5 Inner Steps feel like second nature. You can begin anytime. I suggest completing Presence Shift 1 and the Three Introductory Presence Shifts first, so you feel at home with the ritual before you settle into the weekly rhythm.As a presence library.
When a specific pattern hits — grief, conflict, dread, numbness — search the archive for a shift that matches and use it on demand. Paid subscribers also receive a bonus library of 150+ classic text-and-audio Shifts from my earlier archive for extra support.
If you’d like to make the next 12 months a guided, science-based Year of Presence, you can upgrade to a paid subscription anytime.
If you’re still with me and want to keep going, you can start your Year of Presence now by setting a clear intention to live with more presence for the next year.
Silently say, “I fully intend to live with more presence for the next year.”
—
—
Good.
Say it one more time.
This time, feel it in your body as you say the words silently:
“I fully intend to live with more presence for the next year.”
—
—
Nice.
Now, feel for why living with more presence is important to you.
—
Is it because you want to feel at peace more consistently in your life?
—
Is it because you want to feel proud when you look back on your life a year from now?
—
Is it because you want to feel deeply connected to the miracle of life we all share?
—
Is it because you feel most authentic when you feel fully present?
—
Is it because of all those things?
—
It is for me.
—
Let’s live our Year of Presence together.
—
Stay present,
Sean
Important note: This work is designed as presence and nervous-system training. It is not a substitute for medical or mental health care. If you have a history of significant trauma or if strong emotions keep coming up, I strongly recommend working with a well-trained therapist you trust alongside this practice.
Curious why this works? I’ve written a short explainer on the science of attention, nervous-system training, and presence. I’ll send it with your first welcome email after you subscribe, or you can read it here.
Sean Sullivan, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist and creator of The Presence Shift®, a science-based, 5-step ritual for presence shifting in real life moments.
Emotional Safety Notice & Warning
The statements on The Presence Shift® have not been reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration. This project is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The Presence Shift® is not intended as medical advice or as a replacement for professional health or mental health services.
Some content may be emotionally provocative, including references to abuse, trauma, grief, and other difficult experiences. If you are not feeling comfortable, please stop until you feel safe again. You can explore getting emotional support anytime at wannatalkaboutit.com — or by calling 988 in the United States or your local crisis line.
Do you know someone who could benefit from feeling more present?
You can forward this page or share this subscribe link so they can begin their own Year of Presence.
If you or someone you know can’t afford a paid subscription and wants to complete a Year of Presence, you can reply to any subscriber email with a short note requesting a free upgrade. A few times each year, I review those requests and quietly convert a batch of free subscriptions to paid access so more people can complete a Year of Presence regardless of finances.
