By Jenny Brackman, Vice President of Forward-Facing Institute
From Strangers to Safety
Jenny’s experience in Forward-Facing Me
I wrote this reflection in 2018, back when Eric Gentry was a relative stranger and I was just beginning my journey with self-regulation and intentionality. Since then I’ve had the privilege to lead dozens of people through these groups, and each time the experience has been just as magical.
When I had the opportunity to participate in a small group using Eric Gentry’s FFTT model, I quickly took advantage of it. What follows are my reflections…
The small group process
Each week group we were invited to share our success and failures in living intentionally and responding to perceived threat in a relaxed body. In the first few weeks some participants (including myself!) shared generic answers, such as something they saw someone else do. I noticed how the participants who shared personal answers seemed like relatable human beings – I felt empathy and connected with them! I noticed that generic seemed to be an initial attempt to obscure fear and that at the end of their turn, I didn’t understand them any better. These observations encouraged me to take risks and be vulnerable in what I shared. I also noticed that when one participant began by sharing vulnerably, it created a beautiful cascade for others to follow.
Knowing that I was going to be sharing at the end of the week led me to pause during stressful situations and ask myself “is this moment going to be one of my successes or failures?” That momentary pause became incredibly empowering as I developed increasing confidence that I could respond to perceived threats in a relaxed body. I also found that using the worksheet to predict triggers and imagine different responses created pathways that my body was able to follow. As a side-note, I was skeptical that a video conference would be an effective way to create a healing group. I was wrong!
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