The Alliance’s call to action of Not One More is vital to allowing new awareness to emerge and grow. I wonder though that in the first moments of hearing “not one more” it is possible that some of us may experience frustration and fear rising and causing a cloud of fog to emerge that keeps us from believing in the power of the movement and ourselves?
Keeping in our mind’s eye, that these intense feelings represent messages from within, this call to action – Not One More… becomes even more important because the past does not have to continue to rule if we have the courage to join the call to action.
The famous modern dancer Martha Graham said, “All that is important is this one moment in movement. Make the moment important, vital, and worth living.”
I wonder what might emerge if we explore beyond the fog of fear to discover what is really bothering us. When we do this, we allow our self to move from feeling stuck and then movement becomes possible and along with that, transformation.
I invite you to join me in exploring what we might discover if instead of leaning into the “catastrophe door” we open a different door, perhaps one that holds hope and inspiration.
I’d like to share with you another quote written by a very wise woman, Mary Whitehouse. She was a psychologist and dancer, and created a process called “Authentic Movement.” She said: “There is that in us which has moved from the very beginning: it is that which can liberate us.”
If we explore this quote, our own awareness may emerge – awareness that can lead us to a different space. In knowing we would not feel upset if something was not bothering us, recognizing our heart is hurting, and we are pained by the catastrophe reoccurring yet again, we might allow ourselves to experience the awareness that we do not have to be alone. One of the best benefits of The Alliance is there are others who want to stand alongside us. They are there to help us transform our painful past experiences into understanding and hope, as in, “AH! I can do this,” or “AH! I am not alone,” or, “Together we can move through this pain from our past.”
Some readers may have experienced this exercise before. I have written about and also shared it in many ways. See if you find it meaningful now:
- Closing your eyes, and maintaining a slow pace, place both hands over your heart.
- Then, stretch your arms forward in front of you, as if to reach for something.
- Follow this by bringing both hands back to your heart, as if holding something.
- Close the sequence by letting your hands, now clasped over your heart, rest for several seconds on your heart.
According to influential psychiatrist Carl Jung, “Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.”
Connect the meaning of what you have discovered with what I previously called an overwhelming fog, and transform your heartfelt feelings into some kind of action—perhaps taking a step forward, moving close to someone else, or holding your pet. The important thing is you trust yourself to give form to what you feel creatively, so you don’t have to remain stuck.
And so, what had been a stuck place, may then re-emerge as a space of hope and inspiration for you, as well as others in your life, as you connect with them to understand the deeper meaning of NOT ONE MORE….
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Susan Kleinman, MA, BC-DMT, NCC, CEDS-S, a board certified Dance/Movement Therapist, National Certified Counselor and Certified Eating Disorder Specialist, is Creative Arts Therapy Supervisor and Dance/Movement Therapist for The Renfrew Center of Florida. Ms Kleinman is a trustee of the Marian Chace Foundation, Past President of the American Dance Therapy Association, and past Chair of The National Coalition for Creative Arts Therapies. She has published extensively, presented widely, and is the recipient of the American Dance Therapy Association’s 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2014 Spirit of iaedp award. Her work is featured in the documentary entitled Expressing Disorder: Journey to Recovery. For more information about The Renfrew Center, please visit renfrewcenter.com.