10/10/24 Live Session Recording

What a wonderful last live recording.  I feel like I need to focus on this course material, and it is difficult to lean into it when I am not there for the live recording. However, I am always amazed at the material and conversation whenever I tune in. Again, now that I work at the prison how different the words, and the ideas are about the community of those who are incarcerated. I have worked hard to fit in there and to be a good team member.  I have been working on not being self-righteous and judgmental. Regarding the discussion, I often wake up at 3 am, and know I cannot get to sleep. I sleep in my van to work at Sacramento State prison, so sleeping is often challenging. 

The thing that bothers me most in the prison setting is the emphasis on whatever crime has historically defined that person.  The crimes is what is looked at not the person. Even in moments during team meetings when the team meets with the person, ( inmate), it is surprising and embarrassing to me that no one looks at the person. Everyone is looking at the computer.  I may casually say, what would it feel like if you went to your doctor? therapist and he/she didn't look at you? These kind of comments are not welcome and unfortunately, make me more of a suspect. 

I am so grateful to toon into this training to hear voices, points of view, that are are aligned to me.  I just don't know what I would have done without it.  thank you to all of you for  your input.  I have a lot of catching up to do with the material. 

@young-hee-heegmail-com Thank you so much for sharing these insights. I have often felt similar anger and frustrations, specifically in facilities where the culture and expectation is that eye contact with those incarcerated is not allowed- One particular facility even punished or confined individuals for looking up, for smiling, for following a human instinct to say hello. Thankfully the warden of that facility has left and slowly the culture and the people are beginning to heal as the new regimes focus is on mental health and humanity. But the road seems long and these cultures are not changing rapidly or in enough locations to support the actual healing of the individual. I appreciate your point too on people being just their conviction. This can be a barrier for some to do this work. Unconditional positive regard, Bill Brown calls it, is what we need to call upon in ourselves to show up in this work.

Bill is sighting Rodgers! Indeed I get that from his presentation and presence. One small win, tomorrow my supervisor said during our big team meeting, we can, “ be present,” and look at that person in the eye. Slowly, slowly progress is being made. 

I love learning about Ayurveda and would like to continue delving into it. I've had some health issues in the past and experienced being treated very poorly by western doctors. I constantly feel frustrated when western doctors do not know how to address root causes of issues, they simply only learned to prescribe medicines and procedures. My dad grew up in a village in the Middle East without access to anything other than natural remedies. He told me a story that revealed to me the power of turmeric which inspired me to look more into that as a solution for certain issues. Perhaps from hearing stories of my dad and from being very much against Big Pharma, I resonate much more with natural remedies and feel empowered to learn more. I like learning about the doshas, I feel connected to each of them in certain ways, so I still have to figure out what aspects I need to balance. I also think it is interesting that each part of the day is connected to a dosha and would like to experiment with going through the day with more awareness of the dosha of the time.