Love says none of us is born bad – even in the worst places.
This video is important for people to see, even if it’s not easy to watch.
Oh, my heart.
We are in this together!
holly troy ~ sacred folly
imagination experiments of a stardust yogini
holly troy ~ sacred folly 
Watching again (for about the 9th time here and elsewhere), something I noticed on the 1st viewing jumped out as SO poignant this time. In the initial steps, when the younger man the one who later spoke of the powerful echo, as he took steps forward looked over with a double-take almost puzzled at the 74 year old man stepping forward, too., as if to non-verbally say, “You, too, Man? You, too? This is every generation?”
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so beautiful!
Yes, that’s why our stories are so important, no matter where we’ve been. “You too, man?” Makes us feel less alone.
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Yes!
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I see a powerful connection between the your post and the video. Strong enough to Love editing, to keep to theme. 🙂
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Holly, Yes! And, just turn OFF the news as well. 😉 I full-on admire that she looked trouble in the face and held out a hand.
I appreciate that I was able to express some of your unexpressed.
“ I think the physical steps those men took, may be far more powerful than just sitting there and talking one on one. The step, the embodiment, the witness, and the compassion!”. Yes! It reminds me of the power of Brainspotting, though with individuals in a community setting. There was some serious emancipation going on in that prison, expanding their worlds beyond the razor wire and walls —Mayne imparting the gift that their boundaries needn’t be razor wire and walls holding things too close to the chest… AND the man who expressed they were not supposed to show weakness in prison, or Inside as they say. It’s apt that people in prison are “on the inside” is a metaphor for not imprisoning Self and ignoring the uncomfortable experiences. They most often carry precious gems of insight when given protection, trust, and gifted shameless respect.. I look forward to seeing some of those faces out here in the future teaching others, me included. Their perspective can further enhance, reinforce, and strengthen this work and society as a whole.
And, YES!, on tears welling when that man said it was the favorite day of his life. He may have been seen and experienced powerful witness for the first time. He may have seen himself in powerful witness IN himself in ways he grocked without words for the 1st time! I loved his shout-out to her, reaching his hand to her with his expressive words. I felt he came out the other side then, was born, the child birthing the parent of the man. He had obviously had many trials, though that may have been his 1st rite of passage… at 74! I expect his first blog when he gets out might start out with… “So, I was a late bloomer…” and I will be enraptured to read the rest and learn from him, from his experiences, from his perspective.
Sidebar, this video couples to pair with your Strength~The Lovers post just wonderfully. I’m digging that they are in direct succession with one another, soulful and powerful blog iNeighbs.
I’m saturated with this video, with what she is doing, with them, with what THEY did, right there in spare few steps honoring their own interstices, the spaces between where their demons are only demons because they are traumas that have been locked inside for so long. It feels like traumas bottled up get cabin fever, too, and flex to rule people to act out on their behalf.
I have hope for those 235 people, and it’s not smoking hope. It’s more faith in them that they’ll own keeping that experience moving forward, and LIVE, (ripping off my Sun card) “Them, as only they CAN be.”. It felt as if they all remembered themselves that made them more themselves in ways only strong and loving Self-ablution can.
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yes! “It felt as if they all remembered themselves that made them more themselves in ways only strong and loving Self-ablution can”
and, had I seen the video before I posted the Strength and the Lovers – I would have included it in that post!
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Edit post? 😉 Your own personal revisionist history?
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Tingles of ablution cascade throughout.
Trauma has a strange way of always being fresh when triggered.
No shame, when triggered, provides a gift to listen to the message of the trauma.
Not only acknowledging the trauma, though as well patiently listening to it until it trusts you again. And, some time after that, may even have a message for you.
I find that when one compassionately listen to their own traumas, they sometimes gift you the message of their world since then, since the time before they peeled off or ejected and to separate from you AT the trauma.
Brainspotting calls traumas our basement children.
Traumas cause acting out that behaviorism doesn’t resolve
She helped 234 people all at once by bringing their trauma into focus silently within each of them, together. That’s courage, on her part and theirs. That’s bravery on theirs, and on hers for going in like a Navy Seal for the Soul.
They listened. I imagine they respected themselves more.
And, I imagine the traumas that they allowed themselves to be formally introduced to in each of those moments, between each of the steps, literally brought them closer to their own center.
I experienced a feeling that they welcomed their trauma selves (“Parts” in Brainspotting) back to themself that began to dose them with more of themself as the traumas began to introduce and integrate all on their own, naturally, without need of words, inner souls trams of Self self-connecting..
One man, the favorite day of his life.
One woman who looked trouble in the face and held out a hand instead, doing evocatively wonderful work.
This is important. To be presumptuous, though most likely safely so, important for everyone, every single one of us here and beyond. I have not met anyone in my lifetime that has had zero trauma/influence/nudge/slam/etc.
Thank you for posting this video.
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Jordan, I didn’t have the words today, but felt I needed to share anyway. And your response is exactly what I was feeling. I would even say, the nature of our culture inspires trauma – just turn on the news! Some of us may live trauma more closely to the bone – but we all know what it feels like.
I think the physical steps those men took, may be far more powerful than just sitting there and talking one on one. The step, the embodiment, the witness, and the compassion!
I cried when that man said it was the favorite day of his life. To be seen! To tell a story without saying a word.
Yes! And “who looked trouble in the face and held out a hand . . .”
Thank you!
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It’s sad.
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yes. it made me cry.
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it’s amazing though, too. When we acknowledge where we’ve been hurt, we can heal. The collective trauma in prisons has got to be overwhelming. And I think, as a collective, we all need to be more compassionate with one another.
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There could be a lot more compassion in the world.
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