A few of you have written me, asking some details about this spring circle. So, I am writing you, to day to share the questions and the answers I have given.
Where did you get the idea for this offering? What are your influences for this iteration of this circle?
Five years ago I offered a circle based on Maureen Murdock’s The Heroine’s Journey. I used both the full book and the workbook she also wrote to guide us through that work. In the workbook was a walking meditation connecting us back to various points in our “womanline.”
This meditation inspired my first circle exploring ways to process our unprocessed trauma and dislodge our internalized misogyny in 2016. The circle was only three months, and it was clear it needed to be longer. Last year I expanded the circle to six months in duration. I learned a lot about how to offer this work, and also in the last year have studied more about ancestral and inter-generational trauma and ways to process it.
This iteration of the circle, is still influenced by Maureen Murdock’s work. However it is also influenced by the work of Mark Wolynn and the Family Constellation therapy approach, the study of epigenetics, Lacanian therapy, the study of behavioral inter-generational trauma, women’s history (specifically the writing of Silvia Federici), and my own personal experience of processing the trauma passed through and by my female ancestors.
Do you incorporate your Trauma Informed Embodiment (TIE)™ approach in the work of this circle?
Yes and no. While I will offer exercises for nervous system soothing, connecting to personal boundaries, and finding ground and center, we will not be focusing on these exercises, nor will we be moving through the TIE™ approach as I have developed it and utilized it with my individual clients and those who are a part of the TIE™ group programs.
I don’t know many specifics of my family history. Will this make it harder for me to do this work?
No. We won’t be focusing on the factual details of your family history beyond what you have personally experienced. We will be connecting to and utilizing our own embodied wisdom to connect to the women who came before us who we never had the chance to meet.
What do you mean by “the women who came before and live within”?
We are only here because of our ancestors. We each carry within us the DNA of those people, who thankfully, had children who had children who had children. We may have their eyes or their laugh or a predisposition to being skilled at playing the piano. In addition we carry the unprocessed trauma of our ancestors, and I can guarantee we all have several female ancestors who have experienced rape, abuse, and assault. We literally carry the DNA (including the trauma markers) of our ancestors and in this way they live with us.
And.
We also carry with us the stories that were passed down through our families and specifically through our womanline. Not the stories of what it was like growing up on a farm, but the stories of how we as females are less than; the stories of what girls are and aren’t allowed to do compared to boys; the ideas of our “role” and “station” in life. We have also internalized these stories and in this way they also live within us.
What do you mean by connecting to our “embodied wisdom”?
Epigenetics has shown us how trauma is passed down through our DNA. I also believe that cellular memory is passed down, mother to child, during pregnancy and birth. These cellular memories hold details of these women who came before us. Our bodies hold their strengths, their power, their daring, as much as it holds the pain, trauma, and shame. We will be connecting to these these strengths, power, and daring, allowing ourselves to embrace them while processing and releasing some of the pain, trauma, and shame we have held onto for generations.
Why are you limiting this work to only six women?
I have limited this particular circle to women only, because I deeply believe our own internalized misogyny causes us individually and collectively great harm. While men also have been wounded by our misogynist patriarchal culture, it is in different ways and this circle is not the place to do that healing and processing work.
The circle is limited to six participants because of the intensity and vulnerability of this work. When we are in close community it helps us to be more open about our own faults and foibles. Six seems to be the “magic” cut off point for when people are more willing to share more of themselves. After six, I have noticed that people become a little more closed and don’t share as much. This impacts both them individually and what they can then get from the work, and also the rest of the women in the circle and what they can learn and gain from the work.
Do you offer scholarships for this circle?
No. Because this circle is so small it is not financially feasible for me to offer scholarships at this time.
I am however open to talking with you and creating a payment plan that works for you and your family. I do not charge interest or fees for being on a payment plan, by the way. Everyone pays the same amount whether you pay it all at once or over several months.
Do you offer this work for individuals?
Yes. I understand that sometimes a group dynamic isn’t right for everyone. If you are interested in exploring processing your ancestral trauma and internalized misogyny individually with me, please reach out and we’ll set up a consultation appointment to see if I am the right fit for you to do this work.
When does the circle start? When will registration close?
The circle begins to gather on Sunday, April 1. Registration will close on Tuesday, April 3 at 10pm PDT. The link to the registration page is http://gwynnraimondi.com/unleashingourself
If I have more questions are you willing to talk with me about them?
Absolutely! I’m happy to hop on a video call with you to answer any further questions you may have and to see if this circle is right for you right now. I promise no “hard” or even “soft” sales from me. It is vital to me that the women who gather to do this work are there intentionally and mindfully and not because they felt pressured in any way.
Email me at gwynn at gwynnraimondi dot com or fill out this form and we’ll get our consultation meeting scheduled!