Over the past year I have had a significant increase in male clients. This has afforded me the opportunity to create a meaningful dialog regarding their individual situations, as well as issues of masculinity in our modern society.
It has given rise to the fundamental importance of men reconnecting to both each other and to the Earth.
The experience has raised many questions about how to design and implement effective healing modalities for men. Questions such as:
As Healing Arts Practitioners, how do we begin to re-empower and re-connect men while reducing their stress and depression?
How do we do this without isolating men from women; without creating separatist groups and organizations?
It seems to me that our purpose should aim toward the integration of the sexes,
not separation. It should be one of sharing societal roles, not creating societal structures of dichotomy.
Yet, at the same time, there has to be a realistic understanding that the sexes are different.
Designing Healing Arts sessions for men can mean taking a different approach than for women.
These, and many other questions and thoughts, are ongoing and cannot be answered easily within the scope of a single article. I simply present these ideas to promote consideration of the issue(s) by both practitioners and participants in the Healing Arts.
Clients should be treated on a person by person basis with the individual’s situation, personality, and reason for seeking one’s services heavily influencing what and how the session will proceed.
However, beyond those influences, I'll share some generalized guidelines that have served me well when constructing and conducting sessions with men.
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