Jan 6-8, 2006
Being gentle with yourself is not habitual for a woman coming to terms with the legacy of incest or rape. Learning to treat yourself lovingly expands the possibility of reconnecting with your essence. During this empowering, down-to-earth weekend, we’ll explore life safely, peacefully, and joyously in your body and in your world.
In Rowe’s cozy indoor spaces, as well as outside in its picture-postcard scenery, this retreat will be safe, creative, fulfilling, and fun. If it’s not hidden under drifts of snow, we’ll walk Rowe’s labyrinth. Using guided meditation, movement, dialogue, journaling, and breathing, you will have an opportunity to share your strengths, as well as your vulnerabilities. We’ll survey each woman’s emotional landscape and learn about ourselves in the non-judgmental environment survivors long for in our daily lives.
Expect to be heard. Expect to feel feelings. There will be lots of soft tissues for the hard times. This workshop will support you with the utmost gentleness and respect in developing the emotional tools necessary to create safety and self-awareness for your unique path to healing.
Prepare to stretch your capacity for fun. On Saturday evening we will celebrate our phenomenal stamina, our incredible courage, and our beautiful collective wisdom! It is a precious gift for incest and rape survivors to live among peers for a whole weekend, and we will build a powerful community together. Imagine yourself laughing in the safety of our group. Even though sexual violation happened to us, we are people, after all. Navigating the outside world alone is burdensome; silence and secrecy are confusing. People who have done this workshop found their experience “life-changing.” Please wear clothing that comforts you, bring a journal, objects, and written, poetic, theatrical, or artistic creations that touch you.
Donna Robin Lippman makes use of many of the available, wonderful opportunities in New York City to support, vitalize, organize, and advocate for survivors of sexual abuse who seek healing in community. All activities funnel through her office, The Incest and Rape Recovery Center in Manhattan, where workshops and low-fee drop-in groups occur. Donna focuses all healing efforts through the lens of body awareness and feelings. She is certified in the Rubenfeld Synergy Method®, a dynamic healing modality for the integration of the body, mind, emotions, and spirit. Donna sees her efforts as one small, manageable piece of the larger effort to heal our world. An ordained Interfaith Minister, she finds personal, as well as political violence abhorrent, including the tricky and confusing violence that masquerades as entertainment. She is honored to return to the warm and sane oasis that is Rowe, and we welcome her return.