Home > Weekends of Recovery > 2008 Weekends of Recovery: Alta
Living with Awareness in My Body, Expanding My Limits, Honoring My Boundaries
September 5-7, 2008: Advanced Weekend Of Recovery for Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse, Alta Lodge, Alta, Utah
Limited Registration: 35 participants
ALTA ADVANCED WEEKEND IS BOOKED FULL...
As of August 5, 2008, the Advanced Weekend of Recovery is now full. We will continue to accept applications, but all applications will be placed on a wait list, and you will be notified if a space becomes available. Please DO NOT make any transportation arrangements if you register as it is highly unlikely we will be able to accommodate you.
Our upcoming Advanced Weekend of Recovery has been designed on the basis of feedback we received from alumni of the Level One weekends. This weekend is for men who want to go further in their recovery by learning how to live with awareness in their bodies, expand their limits, and honor their boundaries. Building on the experience of safety and brotherhood from Level One, the advanced weekends give participants an opportunity to explore some topics in more depth. The weekend will include some activities in which everyone will participate. It will also include breakout sessions in which you will choose from several options. And we will also meet several times during the weekend for small groups.
While the structure is not yet set in stone, the facilitator team has organized the weekend into a 5 block design. Our intention is to focus on different aspects of personal growth in each block, and that activities in each sequential block will help you to face the challenges of the next block:
- Block 1: Honoring my boundaries, practicing living with awareness in my body, and practicing skills to be safer in my body (Friday afternoon/evening)
- Block 2: Expanding my limits through feeling more secure in who I am and practicing boundary setting (Saturday morning)
- Block 3: Honoring my boundaries, living with awareness in my body, and expanding my limits as I explore my blocks to intimacy and healthier sexual expression (Saturday afternoon)
- Block 4: Expanding my limits of being playful and being in touch with my inner child (Saturday evening)
- Block 5: Planning how to continue to expand my limits, live with awareness in my body, and honor my boundaries when I return home (Sunday morning)
We will utilize a wide variety of therapeutic, educational and recreational techniques, including self defense, somatic body work, authentic movement, art therapy, sculpting, physical exercise/hiking, mindfulness, meditation, emotional processing, frank and open discussion of difficult and challenging aspects of recovery, and small group work. Our hope is that you will challenge yourself and accept our challenges to go beyond your comfort zone so you can discover and build new strength, confidence and freedom. We are planning on including an open mic night Saturday evening where participants can share their poetry, writing, music, dance, and artwork. We intend to utilize as fully as possible the beautiful environment of Alta and provide opportunities to go further than we have in other weekends in exploring the mountains.
Our next MaleSurvivor Advanced Weekend of Recovery is open to any alumni of a Level One MaleSurvivor Weekend of Recovery. Alta Lodge is the location of this Advanced Weekend of Recovery. This is our 4th visit to Alta Lodge, which tells you how much we love the facility, its extremely supportive and nurturing staff, and the gorgeous surroundings. Alta Lodge is located at 8,600 feet (2,700 meters) at the base of the Alta Ski Area in Utah's Wasatch Mountains. Alta Lodge, nestled in a quaint alpine setting at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon, offers spectacular mountain views. During September, the cottonwood and aspen trees are usually in the prime of their fall yellow plumage, adding to the beauty of this setting. Alta Lodge is part of a rare tradition of country inns where the attentiveness and warmth of family hoteliers is combined with the pleasures of excellent dining and comfortable surroundings. The atmosphere of the Alta Lodge is relaxed, intimate and informal.
Facilitator Team:
Weekends of Recovery are facilitated by trained psychotherapists and somatic educators, utilizing the same clinical boundaries and code of ethics as adopted by the American Psychological Association. The weekends are adjuncts to participants’ ongoing recovery work with individual and/or group psychotherapy, twelve step programs, and individual spiritual work, and are not meant to substitute for the participants’ local support systems that are consistent with their own recovery. Dr. Howard Fradkin, a Psychologist with over 27 years of experience working with male survivors, chairs the facilitator team. The team of facilitators includes other Psychologists, Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Mental Health Counselors and Somatic Educators. Biographies of all staff members for this weekend can be found on the MaleSurvivor website at www.malesurvivor.org. Staff for the Advanced Weekend are: Lee Beckstead, Bill Burmester, Joanna Colrain, Dale English, Don Laufersweiler, Paul Linden, Lynne McDonnell, Mikele Rauch, and Jim Struve.
IS THIS ADVANCED WEEKEND FOR ME? HOW CAN I PREPARE FOR THE WEEKEND?
For those contemplating this advanced weekend, we encourage you to consider what you believe are next steps you want to take in your recovery. Oftentimes, survivors struggle to ask for the support they need, and because you’ve already been to a Weekend of Recovery, you may experience this Advanced weekend as a safer environment for you to take the emotional and/or physical risks and/or creative risks which will help you move forward. Past participants have told us that the experience of brotherhood and support they experienced at Level One grows even stronger as they get to reconnect with men from the weekend they attended and also connect with men from many other weekends. The weekend is designed to help you develop skills which will help you be safer in your body, safer in your willingness to trust others as you share and become more vulnerable, and practice skills to learn how to effectively protect yourself while creating opportunities for deeper intimacy in your life. While the weekend is designed to challenge you to take some steps out of your comfort zone, your boundaries will always be respected if you choose to opt out of any experiences we offer. Our hope is that the skills you practice here at the weekend will be transportable back to your own home and to the significant people in your life.
For those working with professionals, we recommend you discuss your planned participation in this weekend to get their feedback and suggestions for how you can benefit as much as possible from the experience while keeping yourself as safe as you need to be. As with Level One, if you are in therapy, we ask you to download the Advanced Weekend Therapist Letter of Support from the website and return it to us. If you have an already established support system of friends/family members/significant others, we also encourage you to talk with them about your participation so they can be available both before and after the retreat as needed to help you prepare and process your experiences.
If you are not in therapy, and/or do not yet have a support network, we encourage you to consider setting up an appointment with a therapist either before you come to the weekend, or after your return, and/or encourage you to explore what types of self-help groups and resources are available in your community or near by. This way you can follow up on some of the experiences and skills you learn that will help the weekend's learning stay fresh in your mind and help you apply what skills and awareness would most help your continuing recovery.
One of our staff members will be contacting you by phone when we receive your application to talk with you about your needs for the weekend and your readiness to participate. If we have any concerns about you participating, we may suggest some steps you can take to enhance your readiness for this weekend or we may ask you to wait for a future weekend while you take some additional steps we believe would be important for you to benefit from the experience.
Survivors with perpetration history:
Any person who has been adjudicated (found guilty) of sexual perpetration would not be eligible for participation in the weekends. Because many survivors have sexually acted out in childhood, adolescence or even young adulthood, we do not wish to automatically exclude them from a Weekend of Recovery. However, to assess each participant on a case-by-case basis, we want to be able to discuss perpetration history with them and their therapist. This means that in order to assure other participants that we have their safety in mind, we want to be able to screen anyone with such a history to determine if attending a weekend is in their best interest and the best interest of all participants. We expect all potential participants to be honest when we call you about any such incidents(ces) in your past; safety for all the men participating in this weekend requires that all participants honor the principle of full and honest disclosure. In such cases, an interview with the Weekends of Recovery Chairperson will be required before you will be accepted. Even if you have already been interviewed by Howard for a previous weekend, we are requiring you to talk with Howard before participating in this Advanced Weekend.
Registration Costs
Registration includes the costs of the facilitated Weekend of Recovery program, with our 10 skilled facilitators from the MaleSurvivor Weekend of Recovery Facilitator Team, plus lodging, 6 meals, and snacks. Bottled water, juices, tea and coffee will be available throughout the weekend. We have a variety of accommodations in the lodge. If you are not a MaleSurvivor member, we encourage you to join the organization prior to registration both to secure a significant discount and to help support the work of MaleSurvivor. Limited numbers of each type of accommodation are available, and will be distributed on a first come, first served basis.
NOTE: These are early registration costs, with all payments due by July 5, 2008. Registration after July 5th will cost an additional $50. Registration will be limited to the first 35 registrants.
| Category | # Available | Description | Member Price | Non Member |
| A | 5 | Single, Middle Wing, King Bed | 725 | 775 |
| B | 4 | Single, East Wing, Private Balcony and Fireplace, Corner Room | 750 | 800 |
| C | 8 | Single, Standard, East Wing | 700 | 750 |
| D | 12 | Doubles, Middle Wing, Queen and Double | 600 | 650 |
| E | 6 | Triple/Quad Dorm Room | 500 | 550 |
NOTE: All rooms have private baths except for the dorm rooms (category E)
To register for the weekend, we ask that you complete an online registration at www.malesurvivor.org and/or mail in a registration form. To hold your spot for the weekend, you will be charged $150 deposit when you register online. You will have the choice on the registration form to either prepay your registration in full at the time of registration or opt for a payment plan. Prior to July 5th, if you opt for the payment plan, your total registration must be paid by July 5th and you will receive the $50 discount for early registration. In the case of you opting for the payment plan, you will provide your credit card to our confidential system, and your deposit will be charged the day you register. The system will provide a table of when the balance of your registration will be charged to your credit card. The system is set up to make equal monthly payments between now and July 5th, when your balance must be paid in full. You may also mail in monthly checks to MaleSurvivor. Holding your registration will be contingent on receipt of your additional registration fees due by July 5th.
REGISTRATION AFTER JULY 5th: You are subject to a $50 fee for later registration. Your credit card will be charged $150 the day you register, unless you opt to pay in full. If you choose a payment plan, then the remainder of your balance will be charged to your credit card on August 5th. Your registration will be contingent upon receipt of all registration fees by August 5th.
CANCELLATION FEES: A $50 processing fee will be charged for any cancellations up until August 5th. Any cancellation after August 5th will result in the forfeiting of any and all payments made to MaleSurvivor, unless we are able to replace you with another participant. Refunds after August 5th will only be made if and when we have received payment in full for another participant, minus the $50 processing fee.
SCHOLARSHIPS:
A limited number of partial scholarships will be available for this weekend. If you have a need for a scholarship, click on Registration, and fill in the box, “Apply for event scholarship”. There you will be directed to a form to complete, which will then be emailed by MaleSurvivor to Howard Fradkin, the Weekend Chairperson. Once your scholarship is approved, Howard will email you back with your approval and then you will be able to register. PLEASE do not register prior to receiving authorization for your requested scholarship. We encourage those requesting scholarships to apply for partial scholarships only and to commit to paying some portion of the registration yourself (or ask others to assist you in your support group). This enables MaleSurvivor to make more scholarships available to more participants. We can only provide assistance with registration costs, and cannot at this time provide any assistance with transportation costs.
Because MaleSurvivor must pay substantially more for singles and doubles, we request that those asking for a scholarship be willing to share a triple or quad room. This will enable us to spread our limited scholarship resources to more participants.
If you are in a position to assist with our scholarship fund, you can contribute through the MaleSurvivor website or on the registration form. Thanks for any help you can provide.
DINING
Chef Paul Raddon has been preparing meals of exceptional quality for Alta Lodge guests for over thirty years. The outstanding cuisine will certainly be one highlight of your Weekend of Recovery. A special treat is in store on Sunday, when we’ll get to visit the Alta Lodge Sunday Buffet, a grand buffet featuring gourmet breakfast and lunch and dessert items! All of your food and snacks are included in your registration fees. The Chef is prepared to provide vegetarian cuisine if you request it ahead of time. Other special dietary restrictions or needs must be indicated on your registration form. Bottled water, juices, coffee and tea, half and half and soy milk will be supplied all weekend long for you.
Other information about Alta Lodge:
No alcohol or un-prescribed drugs may be brought to the weekend. There is also a no smoking policy anywhere in the Lodge-including guest rooms, out of consideration for other guests. Cigar and pipe smoking are also prohibited. Guests may smoke outside the Lodge on the sundeck.
Please bring a jacket, gloves, hat, & some warm clothes if you are sensitive to the cold. Temperatures may be as low as the 30’s at night and should be in the 50’s & 60’s during the daytime. There is always the possibility of snow in September! Average high temperature is 61, and average low is 40. Remember mountain air can feel chilly once the sun sets. Sunscreen is strongly advised - remember that sunrays are considerably more intense at mountain elevations. A hat with a brim is also very helpful to protect you from the sun.
Alta Lodge is handicap accessible, however if you have any special physical needs, please let us know at the time of registration so that we can make plans to accommodate your physical abilities. There are some spectacular hiking trails around Alta. If you plan to participate in any hiking activities, please pack hiking boots (or shoes comfortable for easy & moderate hiking trails), a hiking stick (if you use one), & a day pack.
All bedding, towels, hair dryers, shampoo and shower gel are provided.
COPING WITH THE ALTITUDE
Alta Lodge is at 8500 feet altitude. It is not uncommon for people to experience minor physical symptoms above 8000 feet. (Symptoms can include headache, loss of appetite, & fatigue.) There are no specific factors such as age, sex, or physical condition that correlate with susceptibility to the effects of altitude. Some people get it and some people don't, and some people are simply more susceptible than others. Here’s some tips for how to deal with any effects of altitude that you may experience during the retreat:
- Stay properly hydrated. Acclimatization is often accompanied by fluid loss, so you need to drink lots of fluids to remain properly hydrated.
- Take it easy; don't over-exert yourself when you first get up to altitude. Be prepared that tasks such as climbing stairs may require more physical exertion than you’re used to for the same task at a lower elevation. Light activity during the day is better than sleeping because respiration decreases during sleep, exacerbating the symptoms.
- Avoid tobacco and alcohol and other depressant drugs including, barbiturates, tranquilizers, and sleeping pills. These depressants further decrease the respiratory drive during sleep resulting in a worsening of the symptoms. The acclimatization process is inhibited by dehydration, over-exertion, and alcohol and other depressant drugs.
- If you have any concerns about your susceptibility to the effects of altitude, please consult with your physician. Diamox (Acetazolamide) is a prescription medication that can moderate the side effects of altitude for most people. However, since it takes a while for Diamox to have an effect, it is advisable to start taking it 24 hours before you go to altitude.
WHEN TO ARRIVE AND DEPART-MAKING PLANE RESERVATIONS
The weekend begins at 12 noon on Friday, and ends Sunday at 3:00 pm. Alta Lodge is only 32 miles from the Salt Lake City International Airport, generally a 45 to 60 minute cab ride, and 40 minutes from downtowrn Salt Lake City. The final 8 miles of the drive is up a winding, but scenic canyon road. MaleSurvivor can arrange your transportation from Salt Lake International City Airport to the Alta Lodge through Alta Shuttle (www.altashuttle.com) rate is $30 each way, or if you book online, you pay only $58 round trip. Their phone number is 866-274-0225. Rental car information is available at www.slcairport.com/transport/rentalcars. Once you register, we will send you a transportation form to fill out, and then we will do our best to provide free transportation to the center for anyone who requests it. Fifteen airlines offer service to Salt Lake City International Airport: AeroMexico, America West, America West Express, American, Atlantic Southeast, Comair, Continental, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Northwest, Salmon Air, SkyWest, Southwest, United and United Express.
Given travel time, we recommend all participants plan to arrive on Friday no later than 10:30 am; and plan to depart Alta Lodge on Sunday no earlier than 3:30 pm (which means departing from Salt Lake City airport no earlier than 5:30 pm. Please be sure to review our arrival and departure policy below before making your travel plans.
EARLY ARRIVAL/LATE DEPARTURE: Because this is an Advanced Weekend, we will allow you to book a room at Alta Lodge prior to the start of the weekend, and you may also plan on staying over after the weekend. You will be responsible for taking care of any expenses incurred during this time, and the facilitators will not be available to help you if you choose this option as we will be busy planning for the weekend. Prices per room are : Standard room, $94 plus tax; Middle Wing Corner, $116 plus tax; East Wing Corner $140 plus tax. Dinner cost for Thursday at the lodge would be $24; breakfast would be $8, plus tax and gratuity. There are other dining options in the area, although be area they are somewhat limited as ski season is weeks after our visit to the lodge. Contact reservations at 801-742-3500.
BUS , TRAIN and CAR TRANSPORTATION
Salt Lake City is serviced by train on Amtrak (www.amtrak.com/destinations/index.html) . Buses are provided by Greyhound (www.greyhound.com) Salt Lake City is accessed via I-80 (east-west) and I-15 (north-south)
Arrival and Departure Policy
Safety for all participants is our utmost concern. Therefore, it is a requirement that in order to participate in the weekend, participants must arrive at the beginning of the weekend, by 12 noon on Friday. In planning your trip, you are expected to take into consideration the unpredictable delays that may accompany your travel. While we understand you may encounter delays for many reasons, we are unable to allow anyone to begin the weekend if your delay is greater than 2 hours. In other words, you cannot be admitted to the weekend after 2 pm for any reason. If you are experiencing a delay, we request you to call us to inform us of your arrival status. It is important to understand that in the event of your inability to attend due to late arrival, you will forfeit all monies paid for your registration. One strategy to avoid this situation is to arrive in Salt Lake City the night before, and stay at Alta or some other hotel in the Salt Lake City area. Your consideration of this policy will help strengthen the feeling of safety for all participants and help us to build a community.
Regarding departure, we also request that you plan on staying until the end at 3 pm on Sunday as having everyone present for the process of closure is an important aspect of the weekend. Please arrange your transportation accordingly so you and all of us can benefit from your participation the entire weekend. We expect that anyone who cannot honor these time guidelines will not register for this advanced weekend.
Therapist Recommendation Letter:
When you register online and click on Weekends of Recovery, you will notice a tab that says “therapist letter of support”. Be sure you click on the Advanced Weekend letter of support, and not the Level I letter. We ask that all participants who are currently in therapy bring this letter to your therapist prior to the weekend, and ask them to complete it with you and send it back to us by September 2nd. The information in this letter will help us to provide for any additional needs you may have for safety. It is our intention to use this letter to help ensure your safety, and in no way is it intended to disempower you or cast doubt on your own judgment about your readiness to participate in the weekend.
Consent Form
There is also a tab on the website under Weekends of Recovery which contains our Participant Consent Form. We suggest you download this form and review it before you are interviewed. We ask that you bring your copy to the weekend, where we will provide you another opportunity to ask any questions you have. All participants must sign a consent form in order to participate in the weekend.
Schedule:
Below is the tentative schedule for the weekend:
Male Survivor Weekend of Recovery Tentative Schedule September 5-7, 2008
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2008
| 10:00am - 12:00pm | Registration & Workshop Sign-Up - Alta Lodge Deck Room-just inside front door |
| 12:00pm - 1:00pm | Lunch - Alta Lodge Dining Room |
| 1:00pm - 1:45pm | Welcome - Our Lady of the Snows (OLS-at top of the hill) |
| 1:45pm - 2:45pm | Safety - OLS Dale and Mikele |
| 2:45pm - 3:00pm | Break w/Snacks |
| 3:00pm - 4:15pm | Participant Introductions - OLS Jim & Joanna |
| 4:15pm - 4:30pm | Break |
| 4:30pm - 6:00pm | Block 1: Honoring my boundaries, practicing living with awareness in my body, and practicing skills to be safer in my body - Paul Linden:OLS When people are challenged or threatened, they typically contract their breathing, posture, movement, and attention. This is a strategy for coping with pain and a preparation for fighting back. However, it is like driving with the parking breaks on-it increases effort and reduces useful results. By becoming more aware of their bodies, survivors can better identify and understand their feelings and behaviors. By opening and balancing their breathing, muscle use, posture, and movement, survivors can develop a mind/body state of calm alertness, inner strength, and compassion. This will help them manage stress and pain and develop skills of assertiveness and self-protection. In this session, participants will have the opportunity to practice creating and protecting their boundaries through kind-hearted power. |
| 6:00pm - 6:30pm | Break |
| 6:30pm - 7:30pm | Dinner - Alta Lodge - Dining Room |
| 7:30pm - 8:00pm | Break – Travel to small groups |
| 8:00pm - 9:30pm | Small Group - in various locations Paul & Jim- OLS; Don & Mikele-Deep Powder Room (halfway between top of hill and Alta lobby); Joanna amp; Howard-Sitzmark Room (one flight up from the lobby); Bill & Lynne-38 (follow signs in lodging area); Dale and Lee-43 (follow signs in the lodging area) |
| 9:30pm + | Networking, Relaxing - Wherever except room 43 (reserved for staff meeting) |
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2008
| 6:30am - 8:00am | Sunrise Sitting Meditation - Meet in Lobby Building upon the experience of morning walking meditations from Level 1 WOR’s, we will have an opportunity to practice sitting meditation as the sun rises over the spectacular scenery of Albion Basin and Devil’s Castle. We will meet in the lobby of Alta Lodge at 6:30 a.m. (earlier than usual) to allow us time to drive a short distance. Devil’s Castle is the geological launching spot for the glaciers that carved Little Cottonwood Canyon 25,000 years ago. Albion Basin has a long history as the summer home for Native Americans and for many species of animals. Therefore, this area holds millenniums of spiritual energy that is a dynamic environment for sitting meditation. |
| 8:00am - 9:00am | Breakfast - Dining Room |
| 9:00am - 11:30am | Check In and Block 2: Expanding my limits through feeling more secure in who I am and practicing boundary setting
Part 1 - Creating Our Personal Shields Mikele and Staff; A shield is used in battle, and as a coat of arms. It is a representation, a symbolic collection of what is most important to you or what it is you wish to aspire to. Shields are a metaphor about identity and about personal boundaries. They are representations, symbolic collections of what is most important, or what it is you would wish for yourself in your recovery. These shields do not require any particular artistic ability, but they enable you to express yourself in your own way, whether anybody else understands it or not. They are also a way to use words, or no words, to communicate about your recovery. Participants can use many kinds of materials for their shields. Photos as boys or adults, magazine pictures, stones, leaves, cloth, paint, natural and scrap materials for collage all work wonderfully. We will be providing many materials for you to explore. But bring whatever you wish to use for the project. You might even surprise yourself at what you come up with to staple, glue or sew onto your shield. The important point here is to create something for yourself, like the t-shirts, that is meaningful to you and your journey, which is fierce, tender, strong--or whatever you wish. These shields will be portable. You will be able to take them home in your suitcases or in a plastic bag. Part 2 - Communicating My Needs and Protecting My Boundaries Lee Beckstead, Lynne MacDonnell; Paul Linden, Joanna Colrain – OLS Boundaries are the way we control our relation to the world around us. Many trauma survivors, lacking strong boundaries, hide their needs in order to feel safe, but this only weakens the individual. This section will help you learn verbal and somatic skills of assertiveness. You will practice expressing what you need from a place of empowerment and maintaining your strength and balance regardless of the other person's response. The goal of this section is to teach skills that participants can use for self-protection in situations where normally they have felt vulnerable and powerless. |
| 11:30am - 12:00pm | Break & Assemble to travel to Snowbird for Picnic Lunch atop Snowbird Mountain Hidden Peak (11,000 feet) |
| 12:00pm - 3:00pm | Board Tram for Snowbird Mountain Hidden Peak Picnic Lunch-options of mindfulness lunch or talking lunch; Optional Guided Nature Hike atop the mountain; Return to Alta As we move from victim to survivor to thriving, it is essential that we learn to play and enjoy life. How many of us missed the chance to have adventurous outings with out friends and playmates? Well, Saturday lunch is a chance to take an adventure trek together as a WOR community. We will drive a short distance to Snowbird, which is adjacent to Alta. Then, we will ride the tram up to the Hidden Peak, which is 11,500 feet. Surrounded by the spectacular scenery of Wasatch Mountain peaks, we will have a picnic lunch. To enhance the experience of our surroundings, Jim will share information about the geological and human history of Little Cottonwood Canyon. After lunch, everyone can choose whether to ride the tram back to the base area or to hike 3 miles to the bottom. ATTENTION: It can be cold or windy in September (perhaps in the high 30’s/low 40’s) so bring a jacket that is comfortable for you at that temperature. Also, be sure to use sunscreen, as the sun is more intense at higher elevations. Finally, bring comfortable shoes if you plan to hike from the top to the bottom. (The hiking trail is a wide, well-defined dirt and rock path that is used for mountain biking and hiking.) |
| 3:00pm - 4:00pm | Break-Snacks provided by Alta Lodge - Alta Lodge Deck Room |
| 4:00pm - 6:15pm | Block 3: Honoring my boundaries, living with awareness in my body, and expanding my limits as I explore my blocks to intimacy and healthier sexual expression
4 Breakout Sessions: a) Role Playing: Asking For What You Need for more intimacy and healthier sexuality Jim and Joanna Using in-the-moment awareness and inner dialogue, participants will have a chance to practice asking for what you want and setting boundaries for what you don't want. In fun and challenging role plays, you will explore the ways in which self-awareness can help you feel safe and intimate with another person. b) Sculpting: Join other participants as we bravely face the blocks that stop us from combining sex and intimacy. As we found in Level One, when you are able to picture how you are stuck and see the parts of being stuck, it can facilitate finding a way to become unstuck. In this session, we’ll talk some, but mostly we will use the Level One format of sculpting, where we’ll first have the sculptor sculpt a picture of what his block looks like/feels like/sounds like; and then we’ll work to sculpt the movement necessary to become unblocked and free to safely combine sex and intimacy with your desired partner. –Howard and staff c) Awakening the senses: Making friends with the skin you're in Dale and Mikele Your physical body is the vessel that contains “you”. It has senses that tell you what’s happening, feelings that tell you what your responses to it are and a brain to make sense of it all. This workshop will challenge the triggers, fear, mistrust and avoidance created by abuse and offer an opportunity to reclaim the normal non-abused process of touching and being touched in a safe environment with safe people. Whether you choose to be a physical or non-physical participant, all will take steps at taking back another part of life. d) Process group: Strategies for Connecting Sexual and Emotional Intimacy Lee and Lynne For many, being both emotionally and sexually intimate is a foreign concept. Some experience no sex drive and some feel driven only by sexuality, leading to addiction. This session will allow survivors to define for themselves what intimacy means, talk together about the concerns survivors specifically have with sex, and learn ways to increase their ability to have a sexually satisfying life. This workshop will be for those who prefer talking about these issues as well as for those who want to expand their level of comfort in talking with others about sex. |
| 6:15pm - 6:30pm | Break |
| 6:30pm - 7:30pm | Dinner - Alta Lodge Dining Room |
| 7:30pm - 7:45pm | Break |
| 7:45pm - 9:15pm | Small groups - Same location |
| 9:15pm - 9:30pm | Break |
| 9:30pm - 10:30pm | Open Mic - Your chance to be playful and be in touch with your inner child: share music, poetry, dance…Snacks provided by Alta Lodge-OLS |
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2008
| 7:15am - 8:15am |
Optional meditation walk - Jim-Meet in Alta Lobby After being able to sleep in a little later this morning, we will assemble in the lobby of Alta Lodge at 7:15 a.m. for our traditional walking meditation. A perfect setting to reflect as the morning sun illuminates the surrounding mountains – and we sometimes encounter mountain wildlife. |
| 8:15am - 8:30am | Break |
| 8:30am - 10:45am |
Check in and Block 4: Check in and Block 4: Expanding my limits of being in touch and playful with and nurturing of my inner child Dale and Mikele and Staff - OLS For most if not all, one's real self aka one's Inner Child has been buried under layer upon layer of protective coatings waiting for someone to call out his name and assure him that the coast is clear for him to be present and the core of the adult survivor. Through creative exercises, story telling, teddy bears and play, you will be given the opportunity to call out his name and tell him you are ready to love and protect him like no one else. (PLEASE BRING YOUR FAVORITE FURRY FRIEND AND A PICTURE OF YOUR SELF AS A LITTLE BOY IF YOU HAVE ONE) |
| 10:45am - 11:00am | Break |
| 11:00am - 12:00pm | Famous Alta Brunch - Alta Lodge Deck Room |
| 12:00pm - 12:15pm | Break |
| 12:15pm - 1:45pm | Last Small Group - Block 5: Planning how to continue to expand my limits, live with awareness in my body, and honor my boundaries when I return home |
| 1:45pm - 2:00pm | Break |
| 2:00pm - 3:00pm | Closing and Pictures - OLS |
| 3:00pm - 3:30pm | Return to Brunch (optional) |
ANY QUESTIONS:
Questions can be directed to Howard Fradkin at 614-445-8277, ext. 11, 800-285-9397, or emailed to hfradkin@malesurvivor.org ; or to Trisha Massa, MaleSurvivor Administrative Assistant, at 800-738-4181, or emailed to admin@malesurvivor.org
