I’m someone who lives with a lot of anxiety more generally. As I half-jokingly tell my beginning students, it’s why I started meditating. It’s also why I started training in martial arts. But that’s not why I keep meditating; why
Two Common Pitfalls for Allies of Trans and Non-binary folks
Growing up, I used to hear people say, “I don’t see color.” When I was young I didn’t question it. At the time, it seemed like a useful way to convey that I like people for who they are, not
The Neurobiology of Self-Defense, Part 2
This is the second of a two-part series on the neurobiology of self-defense. Part 1 focused on the fight/flight/freeze responses. This article will focus on the neurobiology of social interactions. The Neurobiology of Social Interactions Much of the following discussion
6 Ways to be More Supportive of Trans and Non-binary Folks
Let’s begin with a story: Someone in our life—maybe a friend, family member, or colleague—reaches out to us and tells us they’re transgender, non-binary, or genderqueer. “Ooh, I got this!” we think to ourselves. “I need to be an ally
Addendum to Ours is Not a World of Heroes and Villains
Not long after posting Ours is Not a World of Heroes and Villains, I was contacted by the survivor in the story I shared. She was upset that I misrepresented the situation, and asked that I leave the post up,
Ours is Not a World of Heroes and Villains
[Note: I have published an addendum to this post. You can read it here.] One of the things I often tell people when I’m talking about believing survivors is that all experience is valid; that you don’t have to experience
The Neurobiology of Self-Defense Part 1
This is the first of a two-part series on the neurobiology of self-defense. This post will focus on fight/flight/freeze responses, and how traumatic stress impacts those. Next time, I’ll talk about the neurobiology of social dynamics.
The Value of Integrity
When Erin and I were identifying what would be the guiding values of Culture of Safety, we each contributed two. Erin said that procrastination couldn’t be one of them (they asked me to write this article a month ago), so
The Role of Confidentiality in Cultivating Trust
As I begin to unpack part four of Brene Brown’s BRAVING inventory, “vault,” I realize it feels extremely personal. Why is this, I ask myself? All of the first three items (Boundaries, Reliability, Accountability) are—objectively speaking—no less personal. After all,
Mindfulness for Everyday Safety
You might be asking yourself what does mindfulness have to do with safety or self-defense? After all, when we hear the word mindfulness, it often conjures ideas such as calm, awareness, being fully present, peacefulness and the like. Whereas, when