Inner Work :
Re-envisioning a New Paradigm in Education
By Cecille Basila , LMFT , MA • Therapist & Kate Sheppard , MA • Consultant
“ There is something in every one of you that waits and listens for the sound of the genuine in yourself . It is the only true guide you will ever have . And if you cannot hear it , you will all of your life spend your days on the ends of strings that somebody else pulls .” - Howard Thurman
The year 2020 has ushered in an opportunity for a new paradigm of healing . We are experiencing a seismic shift , a chance to move from stigmatized , isolating , dominant-focused modalities to a human-centered approach that is accessible , holistic , and honoring of the indigenous mind . In education , this relationship to individual and communal healing will offer the chance for a renewal of relationships between teacher and student , curriculum , and the institution as a whole . Inner work is the mechanism to navigate this shift in a way that is productive , sustaining , and life-giving .
Our Relationship to Inner Work
“ I understood myself only after I destroyed myself . And only in the process of fixing myself , did I know who I really was .” - Sade Andria Zabala
In the winter of 2013 , Kate was a first responder to a fatal car accident . The next month she spent crippled by a dozen daily panic attacks , the images from the scene replaying on loop in her mind . In February , she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder , which at the time felt to her like a life sentence . Months of therapy prepared her to go back to work , but not for the additional challenges the year would present : she got divorced , left her job
Page 8 Fall 2020 CSEE Connections