Embodied Shadows
The process is the purpose.
This is an experiential series, a playshop to deepen intimacy and agency with fears, desires and unseens. We will explore these parts through the playground of writing, family constellations, body-centered practices and bearing witness(doing this together). There will be a strong focus on fear inventories and deep appreciation inventories as tools for continued self-seeing and processing.
Intentions of the course:
◦Learn Fear and Deep Appreciation Inventories
◦Expansion of the Human experience. Expanding capacity + awareness to be with more life, however beautiful or ugly via tools + practice and play.
◦Agency and intimacy in being with your own fears and desires. Practicing greater discernment of our fear responsiveness and assess where we respond, initiate and relate from.
◦Discernment of owns truth/voice/inner guidance
◦Beginning to see what we, our lineages, our societies have hid or pushed away and what impact that has on us as individuals and as a society.
◦Joy and playfulness with our shame, embarrassment and taboos.
◦Discerning when its time to look at shadow, look at light, take action.
TUCSON Series dates
Learn and Practice: Tuesdays 7-9pm: Aug 4, 11, 18, 25.
Optional Virtual Witness and Process (will be held in the style of Councils or circles with an option of each person to share one at a time) Fridays 5-6:15pm: Aug 7, Aug 21, and Aug 28.
The series has two components:
1. Play + Practice (Four 2-hour Classes)
2. Processing/Witness (Three 1.25-hour Council Circles)
Why do this in a group
Seeing the shady, embarrassing, desireful, hidden, yucky parts of ourselves, while witnessing other people’s is a gift of fostering genuine community and being able to show up in community. These parts of us aren’t just hidden from ourselves, we try to hide them from those who love us as well. There are also ways we project our parts onto other people. BY coming together as a group playing with these practices, our shame and embarrassment doesn’t have to be so isolated or isolating. And our humanity doesn’t have to be so compartmentalized. Practicing + Playing in our messiness together is a gift our society does not hold much space for… or even welcome. It’s also a delicious way to get to know your needs better, to voice them out-loud, to be seen and witnessed and cared for outside of your most intimate or therapeutic relationships. And to be clear, you absolutely get to choose what you work on, and share. This is not an enforced out-ing of your darkest self, you kinky bitch.
What practices will we use?
Shadow Dancing (introduced to me by Mayan Teacher Jose Munoz)
Fear Inventories (originally learned from Carolyn Lovewell’s book Existential Kink) and Deep Appreciation Inventories
Family Constellations practices (learned through Elise Bish’s Pleasure retreat and followed study with Restoring Resilience)
Postures, Character improv (ROOT Healing Cycles of Harm program + Somatic Experiencing taught by Lael Keen and Maureen Gallagher)
Must Read
This is not a therapeutic support group. It does not substitute for therapy or emotional care. You may need emotional care or therapy to support you in this process. If you don’t have the support or care you may need, there is a list below of somatic practitioners who are incredibly supportive with nervous system tending.
Sign up and Cost
This class is offered on a sliding scale of $200-$450. Register for the program here. The program will run with a minimum of 4 people and a maximum of 10. You will get the address of where we will be meeting after you’ve signed up and paid a non-refundable deposit of $50. Folks who attend this series will get a half prices discount on the virtual 5 part series of this offering happening in October.
If you have more questions if this course may be supportive for you, send me an email at thrubodytheraoy@proton.me.