SESSIONS

• Sitting in the Turbulence: Caring about suffering we see around us might feel like a lot to carry, so how do we keep caring without feeling burdened? | October 29, 2021 | 11 AM - 12:15 PM Pacific
• Taking Sides: It seems like the world has never been so divided and polarized. What's our part in it, and how can we stay committed to what feels right, while not cutting off or taking sides? | November 5, 2021 | 11 AM - 12:15 PM Pacific
• Common Ground: It's easy to feel resentful or judgmental when we think others are wrong. How do we feel connected to, and compassion for, those whose views are not the same as ours? | November 12, 2021 | 11 AM - 12:15 PM Pacific
• Our Thanksgiving: If our suffering has a purpose, maybe it is to teach us empathy for other's suffering. How can we acknowledge our tough challenges and also feel grateful for what we have? | November 19, 2021 | 11 AM - 12:15 PM Pacific

RESOURCES

These materials are intended for only those participating in the learning community. Please do not distribute without permission.

Resources for the Series

• Safe, Sane, and Stable in Turbulent Times | Webinar, Recorded October 15, 2021

Recommended Reading

• The Body Keeps Score by Bessel van der Kolk
• My Grandmother's Hands by Resmaa Menakem
• Behave by Robert Sapolsky
• So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
• Activate Your Vagus Nerve by Navaz Habib

October 29: Sitting in the Turbulence

• Download presentation slides
• LOOKING BACK: Share your comments and reflections on Session 1
• Discussion questions from Session 1:
  • What is wrong with the world and what does it need right now?
  • Am I more or less resilient than I was a year ago? Why?
  • What brought me to the work I do?
  • How do I know if I am burning out? What does that feel like in my body, mind and emotions?

November 5: Taking Sides

• Download presentation slides
• LOOKING BACK / LOOKING FORWARD: Share your ideas about Session 2
• "United Shades of America" overview on Wikipedia regarding the documentary television series
• Discussion questions for Session 2:
  • What are some of my judgments about people who don't share my views/opinions/beliefs? Here's some examples: politics, racism, gender, vaccines/masks, homelessness/poverty, addiction?
  • What do I notice happens in my body when I am confronted with someone who challenges my views/opinions/beliefs?
  • Is this a familiar feeling in my body? Do I have an earlier memory of feeling this way?
  • Am I more or less rigid in my views/opinions/beliefs than I was a year ago, five years ago?  

November 12: Common Ground

• Download presentation slides
• LOOKING BACK / LOOKING FORWARD: Share your ideas about Session 3
• "Identifying Negative Automatic Thought Patterns", from Harvard University Stress & Development Lab
• "Something Will Always Rise Up and Fall Again", from Orion Magazine (This was shared by Rebekah to uplift spirits with something beautiful)
• "The Work is a Practice", from The Work of Byron Katie
  • Download a worksheet for the "Judge Your Neighbor" exercise
• Marshall Rosenberg (author):
  • Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life
  • Speak Peace in a World of Conflict: What You Say Next Will Change Your World
• Discussion questions for Session 3:
  • What bugs me most about people is _____.
  • The thing I love about people is _____.
  • It seems to me that all people _____.
  • When we disagree, my family of origin tends to _____.

November 19: Our Thanks Giving

• Download presentation slides
• "My Thanksgiving" by Don Henley
• "How to Be Grateful in Every Moment (But Not for Everything)" by David Steindl-Rast
• Books and songs mentioned by participants in this session:
  • Nothing's for Nothing: Transformation through Trauma by Rebekah Demirel
  • The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck
  • SOS by Dimash Kudaibergen
• LOOKING BACK / LOOKING FORWARD: Share your ideas about Session 4
• Discussion questions for Session 4:
  • For what am I most grateful and why?
  • Who is the most influential person in my life?
  • What soothing self-care do I turn to when I am stressed or sad?
  • What difficult life experience has taught me the most about myself?

FAQs

Will I get CEUs for this event? No, CEUs are not available for this event.

Can I get a certificate of attendance? Yes, certificates of attendance will be provided to people who attend at least three of the four learning community sessions.

QUESTIONS? 

Please contact us at [email protected] with any questions or if you need to cancel your registration.

FACILITATOR

REBEKAH DEMIREL, L.Ac. MPCC

Rebekah Demirel L.Ac. MPCC, is the founder and director of Trauma Integration Programs, with more than a decade as an ambulance paramedic, twenty-two years as a paramedic trainer, eighteen years of mental health counseling experience, specializing in traumatic stress, and she is a licensed East Asian medicine practitioner and acupuncturist. Rebekah’s unique skill set and experience are informed by her own traumatic childhood and teen years spent on the street and in the foster care system, giving her a special familiarity and empathy for trauma and loss.