Why 3-month containers?: For those of us that have endured relational trauma, the biggest challenge is that our short-term survival strategies got switched on and then the threat never ended. The threat lived in our home. Or shared some kind of intimate space with us. Having some sense of where an experience begins and where it ends is extremely therapeutic in its own right. And especially for Neurodivergent folks, open loops of ambiguity can feel extra torturous. We want the work we’re doing to be as clearly defined as possible so that we know an ending is coming and we are more likely to relax into what wants to be released.

Why such high accountability with worksheets and homework and commitment to attendance?: There is no real relationship without mutual accountability. If we are both going to be throwing our whole selves into the ring, we DO owe each other something. With no system of accountability, people can just do whatever they want. This is an incredibly unsafe truth and energy to sit with when we are trying to be deeply relational.

What do I know about the Therapeutic needs of Rebels in Particular?

Rebels crave autonomy and freedom more than almost anything. We have a persistent, existential fear of losing ourselves in relationships. The problem is, healthy relationships set us free. Rebelling just for the sake of it keeps us isolated and away from the intimacy of community resources. How can we come here to shake up the status quo if we won’t truly let ourselves melt into the responsibility that we have to the communities we serve?

Rebelling just for the sake of it - to prove a point for the illusion of autonomy and freedom- harms the Rebel more than anyone else. People will go on with their lives while you deprive yourself of nourishment just to prove a point. Rebel energy MUST have a healthy channel and direction or else it will rebel against all the things we actually desire.

The core question a Rebel must ask themselves: “What am I fighting for?”. We can either Rebel against Love OR The Status Quo but we can’t do both at the same time. It’s time to make a choice for love and follow it through to the end.