Direct Intervention
Men's POD
As we began meeting, it felt very much like the blind leading the blind. We observed ourselves becoming very process-oriented, tiptoeing around each other and searching for leadership. It became clear that society’s role models for adult male archetypes had not served us in finding our authentic voices, and that we all are socialized to undercut our own power, voice, clarity, causality…or else to dominate or manipulate from an immature place.
We were committed to becoming a crucible for each other’s growth so we stayed the course, receiving guidance from the Women’s POD, inviting them to watch the recordings of our sessions. We developed the courage to communicate directly, confront each other’s egoic mechanisms and hold each other accountable to our stated intentions.
Like popcorn heating in a pan, causal leadership began to emerge, first in individuals here and there and then spreading throughout the POD. We began to define and pursue outrageous “Fear Challenges” that bring us face to face with the feelings we avoid, that fuel our disempowering behaviors. One of our members began going to open-mic nights to do stand-up comedy without preparation. Another confronted his fear of being seen as “wrong” by signing up for a top-level improv course. Others range from talking to strangers about our ideas to only eating 2 meals per day, to going completely off the grid for days or weeks without distractions or contact to surface and confront the disempowering voices we all live with.