My Entire Body Shook: A Woman Leading a Dance Jam Speaks

TRIGGER WARNING: refers to aggression and sexual violence towards women Contact Improvisation Leaders. I have had a man yell outside the door of my jam for 30 minutes because I denied them entrance because they were breathing heavily and dry-humping woman while dancing. I went home that night, walking alone to the subway, scared I would be attacked. When I reached the safety of my home the trembling began and my entire body shook and shook...

Part One In The “Dancing in the Land of Spiritual Bypassing” Series: Doritโ€™s Story

I sit in my garden with my eyes closed and meditate. I chant,โ€œThere are no weeds. There are no weedsโ€. Yet there are weeds! And if I pretend they are not there, I will not be adequately set up to deal with them. And if I do not see the weeds, I am more likely to blame the vegetables for growing poorly. I sit in a studio with a hundred other people. I am looking out large windows at a mountain view, and find comfort nestled in this mountain valley. It is the start of a retreat, and the participants all sit in a circle awaiting the opening instructions. I feel brave or perhaps naรฏve or a mix of both. I say this because I have returned to this retreat where I was sexually assaulted a year previously. The retreat organizers dealt with the assault in an appropriate manner and made many changes to their event to increase safety. But still, I am feeling unsure how being here will work out for me...

โ€œIโ€™m sorry my actions triggered youโ€: Apologies that deflect responsibility.

Author: Kathleen ReaPublished October, 2021This past week I was on the receiving end of several apologies. Many were solid effective apologies, however, in the mix were some that were renditions of the โ€œI am sorry my actions triggered youโ€ apology. To these people, I sent a reframe: โ€œYour apology is focused on me, and I... Continue Reading →

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