A New November
A New Experience is a Key for Lasting Change
The last weekend of October was, for me, a total reset. I dove into three full days of continued training in Relational Somatic Psychotherapy with brand new teachers from the Ryzio Institute and alongside my colleagues, in the sacred circle, we all have come to know and trust. We began with a ceremony honouring our teacher, the late Dr. Michale Sieck founder of The Three Fold Way. Although it was, at times, heartbreaking and exhausting to engage in 24 hours of therapy, I wouldn't change a thing about it and will continue on my path to evolve and grow through these experiences -both personally and professionally. I have a clearer understanding of myself and others and this only helps to grow my window of presence, capacity, and the ability to experience more love.
Change is inevitable. How we move through it, involves practice.
It is natural to feel nagging impulses to change things about the world, others, ourselves, and how we view the world. To notice a desire to change takes the practice ofawareness.To admit and share this desire, is to begin anaction-based process toward change.
What are the key principals to long-lasting change?
Lucky for me, my teachers at Ryzio enlightened us with
thethree key principalsnecessary for changing our mental programming, all gathered from those steeped in the latest research in neuroscience, epigenetics, polyvagal theory, attachment theory, and trauma. Here is how I interpret them:
THE FELT SENSE OF SAFETY
THE FELT SENSE OF A NEW EXPERIENCE
THE FELT SENSE OF BEING WITNESSED BY A CARING OTHER
I have been observing my own felt sense of safety and if, how, and when it waivers from moment to moment. I encourage you to start there. In any given moment, check in and ask yourself the following:
"Do I feel safe?"
"How can I feel a greater sense of safety at this moment?"
There are many ways to cultivate a greater sense of safety and to become involved in the process of helping others to feel the same. As with everything, it is a practice and a process. A new experience can only be had when our guards and defenses are down, therefore it is imperative to start with safety.
Breaking Surface
Let no one keep you from your journey,
no rabbi or priest, no mother
who wants you to dig for treasures
she misplaced, no father
who won't let one life be enough,
no lover who measures their worth
by what you might give up,
no voice that tells you in the night
it can't be done.
Let nothing dissuade you
from seeing what you see
or feeling the winds that make you
want to dance alone
or go where no one
has yet to go.
You are the only explorer.
Your heart, the unreadable compass.
Your soul, the shore of a promise
too great to be ignored.
by Mark Nepo