ABOUT THE WHEEL OF CONSENT
There lies a tremendous amount of confusion around the nature of consent— what it actually is — and how we consciously or unconsciously traverse in or out of the boundaries of it with our own bodies and in our relationships with others.
The Wheel of Consent offers a model of interaction that is based on exchanges of touch but applies to much more. It sheds light on troublesome and confusing interactions and clears them up. It turns out to describe the fundamental dynamics of most human relating.
The Wheel of Consent distinguishes between who is ‘doing’ and who it’s for. With this distinction four kinds of touch become possible, opening a rich and varied possibility of experience. It shows you how to notice what it is you want, how to trust that, value it and communicate it.
Many people have found this workshop and the Wheel of Consent to be life-changing. The Wheel brings clarity, ease, freedom, gratitude, and generosity in all your interactions.
Using the Wheel as a framework, in this workshop we will map the landscape of consent through Giving and Receiving touch with the intention of mindful awareness, honoring, trust and communication. With a deeper understanding and practice of embodied consent you will...
...learn how to trust both your boundaries and your desires
...gain greater fluency in asking for what you truly want from others
...identify common reasons why people operate out of consent (including habitual patterns, held religious trauma, institutionalized systems of oppression and power)
And, ultimately…
...gain access to more choices for yourselves in your body and in our relationships.
This workshop offers an opportunity to fine-tune your relational skills through somatic (body-based) explorations into the more radical and nuanced aspects of consent.
***This is a clothes-on workshop, and participation in any of the somatic practices is completely optional. This is not about sex, but certainly can be applied to all relationships, including and especially your intimate and sexual ones.
Through solo and partnered embodied practice and discussion, participants will refine their understanding of consent by:
- Gaining a more nuanced understanding of giving and receiving touch
- Differentiating between the act of giving versus doing, and between active and passive receiving states
- Increasing one’s ability to fully receive (and why that’s important!), recognizing what brings us out of a place of receiving and how to get back there
- Decreasing the risk of harm created by consent injuries and providing a common language for communicating consent
The Wheel of Consent has been developed by Dr. Betty Martin who is a former Chiropractor and currently a sex and intimacy coach, sacred intimate and sexological bodyworker. Check out her free video resources on her website:
Invitational space - No going along, everything is optional, you can say yes or no at any time in any way, verbally, or nonverbally, and you don’t owe anybody an explanation. Yes, no, maybe, I changed my mind are all welcome responses
Notice your patterns Take Space / Make Space - Step up or Step back, and speak from your own experiences.
Tend to your body first - Do what you need to give care and to find the most ease in your own body first. Move around, change positions, bio breaks, tea, water snacks, etc.
Open heart - Open Eyes - Re-Spect Dropping stories and judgments - seeing each other with fresh eyes
Unity - of group and of self Safe space / Brave Space - All of you is welcome, emotions, history, lineage.- our goal is to create a safe enough space, that can also be a little bit uncomfortable to find the learning edge
Confidentiality - Sharing outside of this circle from your own experience but not sharing the experiences of others. Sharing the learning but not identifying details about your partners.
Holding Positive Regard and Joyful Accountability - Together we fly - we will fuck up, so let’s celebrate mistakes as a learning opportunity. Use the Ouch - oops technology - more on this in person.
Accessibility and health protocols
* Thank you for not wearing artificial scents (e.g., perfume, scented lotion, aftershave).
* If you do not feel well, and it may be contagious, please do not attend.
*Please be in touch with allergies and other accessibility needs.
If the accessibility offered presents a hardship or barrier for you to attend, please contact us, and we will explore options for making a Wheel of Consent® training accessible for you.
Refund policy
Because of our limited space, we have a strict refund policy. If you are unable to attend, you may choose to have your payment refunded minus an administration fee, according to the following schedule:
* More than 30 days before the event: Full refund, less $50 admin fee
* 15-30 days before the event: 50% refund, or, if you can fill your spot with someone else, a full refund
* Less than 15 days before the event:
* No refunds, or unless you/we can fill your spot with someone else*
* In cases of illness or family emergency, we will endeavor to refund your full tuition less any unrecoverable costs, or transfer to a future offering.
Pricing
Please be mindful that if you purchase a price at the lower end of the scale when you can truthfully afford the higher ticket prices, you are limiting access to those who truly need the gift of financial flexibility.
If you need a payment plan (for any ticket scale), you may reach out to Taara Rose or Corinne to organize.
Some BIPOC scholarships are available
E-Transfer is an option for Canadian students
