A Conscious Completion

A Joint Message from ISTA and Dez Nichols

With open hearts and eyes turned to the horizon, we officially mark the close of a profound chapter. Dez Nichols and ISTA have come to a mutual decision to part ways. We invite our community to witness this moment as a rite of passage—for Dez, for ISTA, and for the larger movement we’ve all helped shape. Let us honor what has been and bless what’s to come.

We acknowledge that questions have arisen over the years regarding Dez’s role and involvement with ISTA. This message seeks to offer clarity.

Foundations Rooted in Devotion

Born from a vision seeded in 2007, ISTA—the International School of Temple Arts—was founded by Dez as an offering of sacred sexuality, conscious relating, and embodied awakening. ISTA grew from the early days of the Sedona Temple, the Consciousness & Sacred Sexuality Conferences and Festivals, and “Baba Dez World Tour” into a global movement.

For 8 years, Dez poured his focus and essence into the heart and soul of ISTA. In 2014, leadership was transitioned to a triad model, and he served within that team for 18 months. In 2016, Dez stepped back from leadership entirely and took a sabbatical to rest and recalibrate after years of intensive global work. By that time, ISTA had held trainings in 20 countries across six continents.

Evolution and Divergence

During Dez’s sabbatical, ISTA underwent its own transformation. Curriculums expanded, leadership models shifted, and new philosophical and structural frameworks emerged. Teachings expanded from a primary emphasis on love and embodiment to include soul initiation. Dez returned to teaching in 2017. Questions surfaced about his alignment with the new form of ISTA. In January 2019, following social media criticisms, a peer review was conducted by the governance at the time, where faculty raised several concerns about Dez. Dez was asked to temporarily step back from teaching, which he honored.

In 2021, Dez explored returning to teaching. Leadership felt the timing wasn’t right. Holding a point of love for the community, Dez stayed connected without a formal role or responsibility, offering his support for the ongoing evolution of ISTA’s core values, ethics, and accountability systems.

As ISTA continued to evolve graduate trainings like Level 2 INITIATION and Level 3 SEED, it became evident that core methodologies and priorities had changed significantly. Over time, both parties recognized these differences could not be reconciled. With clarity and care, we acknowledge the divergence—in both its pain and its sacredness.

Clarifying the Past

Dez’s vision to create an open-source system evolved through the collective support and contributions of the community into peer-to-peer leadership. While this created a unique space for a diversity of teachings and perspectives as ISTA grew, it also led to complexities and differences that were challenging to navigate.

We acknowledge that interpersonal conflicts within leadership created an internal rift, which we hope this message will help resolve. We recognize that ISTA’s lack of public communication on these internal dynamics allowed speculation and rumors to spread. ISTA sincerely apologizes for the harm this caused Dez, his reputation, and the community. Regrettably, these conflicts also spilled into the public sphere. We appreciate that, despite these challenges, Dez sought to meet this period with a sincere dedication to the well-being of the wider community.

Addressing Concerns and Lessons Learned

ISTA’s Feedback Portal History

ISTA’s original website, launched in 2007, included a “Feedback” option that linked users to an email portal. From 2017, all participants have been encouraged to fill in event-specific, detailed post-event forms covering their experience, the curriculum, facilitator evaluations, venue, and coordination. During the 2019 website transition, amid broader layout and design changes, the feedback link was not carried over, though a general “Contact Us” function remained. Dez strongly disagreed with this decision.

In 2022, an additional feedback portal was launched from the main website, designed to support accountability, integrity, and repair. This update supports participation from the wider community, offers varying levels of anonymity, and includes the option to request third-party mediation.

Concerns Raised

Through ISTA channels and via third-parties, including 3SC and Safe Mediation, Dez received feedback and complaints primarily concerning actions that could be considered a misuse of power. Some of those complaints involved interactions of a sexual nature. Specifically, concerns were raised about Dez pursuing women in ways that did not show sufficient attunement to nuanced cues of discomfort, leading to instances where boundaries may not have been fully grasped and therefore honored. While the feedback revealed important areas where greater sensitivity and awareness were needed on Dez’s part, it did not reflect the severity nor the volume implied by the more extreme narratives that had circulated in the sacred sexuality community. For full details on the nature of complaints received, please see Dez’s public accountability statement.

Dez feels deep sorrow for any hurt caused, for the ways in which his conduct may have undermined trust, and to the ISTA Community for any additional stress of navigating these complex situations. He advocates that true leadership includes not only vision and inspiration, but also humility, accountability, and the ongoing refinement of ethical practice.

Developing Accountability Systems

In the early stages of receiving critical feedback, ISTA acknowledges we were still developing the structures necessary to fully support those with challenging experiences in the way we had wished. We also recognize that, at times, we failed to hold Dez with the level of care and empathy he deserved. For any pain this caused to both participants and Dez, ISTA sincerely apologizes. We are grateful to have since developed a more robust accountability process, including an independent third-party portal through Safe Mediation to support transparency and integrity.

After a year of inhouse discussions, ISTA decided not to move forward with the planned internal accountability process for Dez. We recognise this delay in the process and respect the proactive steps Dez has taken in his own professional development, including engaging in trauma-informed training, therapy and coaching since 2022 and a personally funded, public accountability process since 2024.

Clarification of Dez’s Recent Role

Since July 2019, Dez Nichols has held no position of power within ISTA and no formal role in our decision-making, trainings, curriculum development, or facilitation teams. As of Oct 2024, we have been in the final process of parting ways which completes with this joint statement. Dez was removed from ISTA Core communications in December 2024. As of May 2025, Dez is officially no longer a member of ISTA Core.

Honoring the Legacy

ISTA offers heartfelt gratitude to Dez for his visionary creation. He received the impulse and inspiration to birth ISTA. His foundational teachings—especially around the emotional body, presence, and the power of embodied love—are a key part of ISTA’s roots and the Level 1 SSSEx training.

Dez’s commitment to building community and bringing these teachings to a global audience helped catalyze ISTA’s early growth. We recognize the countless hours, miles, and moments he invested and anyone involved at the time could see how much he poured his heart and soul into the field.

Dez wove a web of collaborative trailblazers united by a shared commitment to personal liberation, spiritual awakening, embodied love and transformation. The number of lives touched, the numerous countries seeded, the community expanded—these are testaments to the devotion, courage, and creative force Dez brought so beautifully.

Final Blessings

ISTA blesses Dez Nichols on his future endeavours, honouring him as a being dedicated to love, embodiment and integrity in the world.

Dez offers his blessing to ISTA as it continues to evolve—may its steps be guided by love, its culture rooted in care & relational integrity, and its legacy shaped by courageous empathy and accountability that heals and unites on the path of total integration.

ISTA continues to offer transformational trainings that supports participants in reclaiming their power, deepening intimacy, and awakening to embodied sovereignty. To date, ISTA trainings have been offered in over 50 countries. These offerings are held by an evolving collaborative, diverse network of teachers devoted to the Temple Arts.

May the love that birthed this work continue to ripple through us all.

May ISTA and Dez, now walking separate paths, remain aligned in the deeper vision: the liberation of love, the integration of shadow, and the restoration of sacred sexuality as a pillar of human awakening.

To our wider community: thank you for walking with us. Thank you for your trust as we continue to grow.

This is a sacred completion. And it is also a new beginning.

With open hearts,

ISTA and Dez Nichols