Accountability

I wanted to share these resources with anyone interested in knowing how I have navigated my involvement with the Shambhala community as well as my own past mistakes and misconduct.

I wish to be accountable to my mistakes and keep growing as a person and teacher.

Here are my and Ms.Michalsen’s Statements about the incident in 2008.

If you are interested in a timeline of events regarding the incident and the healing process involved –
Click Here

On reflection it has become clear to me that the Shambhala Community, as is true in many spiritual communities, often had as a whole an unhealthy culture in regards to boundaries.

Power was misused from the top down, which created harm for people throughout the community.

There was a lack of external feedback designed into the community, and an underdeveloped infrastructure for internal feedback within the community.

I partook in and adopted some of the problems that surrounded me in the community culture.

An influence on my own incident of misconduct was a culture that was not always trauma sensitive, and where “waking up” or “stopping each others minds” were prioritized over understanding impact and the health built out of social trust, as well as, in my case, a sense of playfulness and freedom that didn’t always consider its impact on others, with different perspectives.

My work with the form of social meditation was, for me, a response to the larger culture and my desire for a more open and pro social, less hierarchical, environment.

I am now engaged with a regular commitment to therapy as well as seeking out feedback from peers and teachers in regards to my current work and ongoing development.