Workshops. Retreats. Individual Sessions. /
creative explorations
Free from Fight or Flight
Nature provided us with an amazing ability to escape danger. The Fight or Flight response is invaluable when we are faced with physical threats. However, over time we have begun to learn that there exists a Third Way of responding to the forces in our lives which do not have our best interests at heart. When we can resist the urge to fight or fly away from something, we have the option of standing still in our truth and refusing to be bullied or controlled. Martin Luther King, Jr. used this tool in his pursuit of civil rights. He based his understanding of civil disobedience on the actions of Gandhi, who based his use of it on the actions and teachings of Jesus. When we refuse to acknowledge the power that someone or something claims to have over us, we keep our autonomy. This paradigm shift can have a revolutionary affect on our lives when we are able to apply it to ordinary situations. In doing so, we truly have the ability to rise above our natural instincts and affect change in our relationships with the powers that be.
“I’m told that the word ‘nonviolence’ did not exist (at least in the English and German languages) until the 1950s. There’s a reason for that: the notion didn’t exist in our consciousness. We didn’t create a word for it because we didn’t get it yet!”
“Martin Luther King, Jr. was the one who most influenced our American culture regarding nonviolence. That’s why I speak of it as a recovery of nonviolence.”
– Richard Rohr
In this workshop, we will use the creative process to explore what the Third Way might look like when implemented in our own lives.