Growth Environment
versus
Therapeutic Environment
The "game" we're playing is focused on
empowering people for their juicy future
versus protecting people from their painful past.
And that's why we conciously create a "Growth Environment" or "Life Dojo" instead of a "Therapeutic Environment".
Therapeutic Environment: The priority is on caution and creating the illusion of safety. The focus is on going back into the past and healing old wounds.
Growth Environment: The focus is on creating an environment that maximizes people's creativity and freedom — and ability to be artfully self-expressed. We practice leaning into our edge and building our ability to be even more effective, open and loving in the face of life's challenges.
The game we're playing is a fun, intense "contact sport." And if one has an active, acute injury it is important that individuals take themselves out of the game while they're healing their injury. This would include acute or delicate physiological, emotional or spiritual wounds. The community understanding is that playing full out is an assumed risk activity.
The growth environment is not primarily oriented toward healing — but towards enabling you to be more open and alive in more parts of your life. The environment that best creates growth, openness and expansion is very different from the environment that is necessary for healing delicate, still raw wounds.
Our goal is that an individual's fears or wounds not unduly limit the group — for this can lead to the "lowest common denominator" phenomenon.
If you require external protection (that you're not able to provide yourself) around a still raw and delicate wound — then a therapeutic environment would be best. Or, if you're participating with us and a "therapeutic moment" happens, then sit out the exercise and/or ask for extra support from an assistant.
Generally, we practice creating an atmosphere of great love and presence — where it is easier for people to express the fullness of their creativity and love instead of toning down their passion to protect others from their reactions to that expression.