Many Peaces Magazine #6 by Many Peaces

MAGAZINE

MANY PEACES VOLUME 6 2017 - 07

HEALING AND PEACEWORK

THE FORGOTTEN MEMORY: TRAUMA AND AMNESIA Page 11 MIDWIVES AS PEACE WORKERS Page 19 AN AID WORKER ON HEALING Page 36

MAGAZINE.MANYPEACES.ORG

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Many Peaces Magazine - Volume 6 - 2017 - 07 Published by Modul7, Rettenberg 106, 8441 Fresing, Austria Editorial: Theresa Gottschall, Paul Lauer, Mayme Lefurgey, Manon Roeleveld

EDITORIAL Dear readers, We are very pleased to present to you the 6th Volume of the Many Peaces Magazine on the heartfelt and inspiring topic of healing. In the pages to come, our authors present to you intricate, complex and beautiful connections between and expressions of the concepts of peace and healing. As peace workers themselves, our authors explore avenues of both facilitating and experiencing peace through their stories of discovery and courage. They share narratives of healing on a micro-level with topics such as the personal journey of healing oneself in difficult realities such as illness and trauma. Others speak of healing in a broader sense - the healing of nations, communities and collective groups. In this volume, you will learn about healing from a variety of perspectives from medical to energetic; healing as it is understood personally as well as the healing that happens in social and cultural fabrics. Furthermore, all of the expressions of what healing is that you will find here connect to the concept of peace. This volume asks key questions such as what do we learn from healing processes about peace? How does the art of healing foster peace both within and among individuals? How do experiences and understandings of peace simultaneously impact the healing of the body, mind and soul? All of the works in this volume also in some way connect to the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck having been written by faculty, alumni, students or close friends to the program. For many of them, the programâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s social network, geographic locatedness and teachings have been sources of healing and have allowed peace to unfold. The philosophies, research methods and tools deriving from the MA Program in Peace Studies provide new ways of conceptualizing peace and offer avenues of healing beyond the rational, conventional and sometimes limiting frames of peace and conflict studies as a field of study and applied discipline. In this volume, you will find references to the field of transrational peace philosophy and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s applied method of elicitive conflict transformation. The work being done by our authors and within this field more broadly, offer hope and possibility in a world that simultaneously aches and heals; breaks and unites. We welcome you to experience the articles of this magazine and hope it offers you inspiring reflections, conversations as well as possibilities in your own healing journeys. In peace and gratitude, The Editorial Team Theresa Gottschall Paul Lauer Mayme Lefurgey Manon Roeleveld

Editorial

TABLE OF CONTENTS GREETING NOTE

by Karin Franziska Michalek

CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION AROUND THE WORLD

DEALING WITH PTSD IN THE FIELD

THE FORGOTTEN MEMORY

BACK TO SOUL

About Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, by Marisa-Isabella Geiser

On Amnesia as a Consequence of Trauma, by Isabelle Guibert The Prowess of Traditional Healing Methods in Nigeria, by Lawal Seun Isaac

ELICITIVE PEACE WORKERS

CHRONIC PAIN

MIDWIVES AS PEACE WORKERS

SOCIAL HEALING

TRAUMA AND INNER TRANSFORMATION

Transcending Return to Work Barriers as a Physiotherapist, by Marie-JosÃ©e Ryan by Judith Otter

A Space Where Light Can Enter, by Heela Najibullah A Holistic Approach, by Johannes Ludwig

PEACE THINKERS

TO HEAL OR NOT TO HEAL? 24 Many Peaces Magazine #6

by Theresa Gottschall

STILLNESS AND SELF-DISCOVERY

HEALING PIECE BY PEACE

A Journey with a Traumatic Brain Injury, by Mayme Lefurgey

by Jaime Tilston

MANY PEACES INTERVIEWS

GERNOT GRÃ&#x2013;MER

An Aid Worker on Healing, Interviewed by Alexa Cuello

THE INNSBRUCK SCHOOL OF PEACE STUDIES

BEING A ROLEPLAYER

BACK TO LOVE

NEW MASTERS OF PEACE

Experiencing the Native Challenge as Alumni, by Hanne Tjersland and Aimeerim Tursalieva Inside the Mind of a Current Student, by Anna Stefan

APPENDIX

CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS THE EDITORIAL TEAM ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE

58 60 62

ARTIST OF THE VOLUME

BERNHARD STOLZ

provides us with pictures taken during trainings for the Red Cross, the firefighters and students of the MA Program for Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck

35 Editorial

GREETING NOTE

Dear peace colleagues and friends, I am very honored to have been chosen to write this greeting note for the sixth volume of the Many Peaces Magazine and to introduce to you, dear readers, the many very personal, touching and inspiring articles. They truly are heartfelt, strongly written honest pieces of work. By displaying different approaches to healing, the authors are challenging the readers to take steps reaching out towards those things creatively. I would also like to address a special thanks to those who passionately put effort, love and creativity into the Many Peaces Magazine again and again. Thanks for your engagement and for holding together the peace community! My name is Karin Michalek and for five years I was working in the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck as a student advisor and before that I was a student myself. So yes, I consider myself part of the Peace Studies family, which means a lot to me. And having the chance to do something for the community fills my heart with pleasure. At the MA Program I learned a lot, as student and as advisor, most of all the meaningfulness of relationships, wherein the experience of one influences the experience of the other. I learned that together we create a common field, where, potent healing moments are possible. Healing, understood as such, is deeply relational and personal and all the contributions to the current volume highlight this art of healing, the change and the transformational nature of being. Essentially, all the authors enhance their understanding of healing by telling us their personal stories and how we effect change and growth.

KARIN FRANZISKA MICHALEK (ST 05, ST 06, ST 07) is a Peace and Conflict Facilitator. Currently she is trained to become a Psychotherapist in Integrative Gestalttherapy. She is working with traumatized children at a Social Therapeutic Department. Karin conducts workshops in Holotropic Breathwork and Embodied Peacework with the focus on the relational nature of human beings. And with all her heart she loves to accompany, hold and create spaces for people on their personal unfolding, on their inner path to peace. Contact: karinmichalek@gmail.com

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Theresa Gottschall and Marisa-Isabella Geiser express beautifully in their articles the Paradoxical Theory of Change, the heart of the Gestalttherapy. Simply put, the theory states that the more you try to be someone or something you are not, the more you will stay right where you are. Transformation – in this regard – happens by compassionately accepting what is, “by acknowledging my own wounds”, as Marisa states, “I let them heal”. Or in Theresa’s words: “Looking at yourself with such honesty might not yet solve anything, but it is a step to become more aware of who you are.” Differently put, we move by standing still in acceptance. Isabelle Guibert’s contribution to the current volume focuses on amnesia as a possible response to trauma. Thereby, it highlights the importance of integration and wholeness, and raises the following questions: When and why do survivors of traumatic experiences come out of amnesia? What breaks their inner silence? For Isabelle, healing means “traversing the pain of trauma again in order to integrate what happened, put it back there where it belongs to, so as to finally

get to one’s real Self, that is, be Oneself ”. Healing, in her perspective, thus implies a constant process of integration without which the feeling of separation, void, and incompleteness creates more shadows that fuel the sense of deficiency. Since we, as individuals, are driving for complete experiences, the gist is the integration of “as many puzzle pieces as possible for transformation, hence healing, to begin”. Jaime Tilston shares thoughts and feelings about her time in hospital, diagnosed with cancer and demonstrates how unconditional love, intention and positive energy as peaceful healing techniques nurtures her healing journey. Thich Nhat Hanh once suggested, when we are with someone who is in pain, we might offer this deeply healing message: Darling, I care about you suffering. And within Jaime’s reflection this care and tenderness, this love from her beloved ones all over the world had a huge impact on her wellbeing. The experience of connection and caring for another was the blessing of a heart that was opening. For Jaime healing is rebirth, an opportunity to live and to improve the quality of life. Lawal Seun Isaac’s contribution highlights Jaime’s healing process through relatedness and belonging. The heart of his article ‘The Prowess of African Traditional Healing Methods’ evokes a holistic worldview of indigenous African cultures, where life itself is spiritual and all aspects of reality in the seen and unseen world work together. The relationship with nature then creates the desired inner balance in us. “Eventually we recognize ourselves as a part of nature which can have tremendous soul-healing benefits”, as Seun stated. “Each of us carries a connection, which we continuously need to renew.” Heela Najibullah addresses in her article the importance and relevance of social healing in reaching sustainable reconciliation in conflict-affected societies, in this case Afghanistan. She reflects on her own personal process, which holds a great potential for social healing and transformation. “By changing oneself ”, she stated, “we have the possibility to change one’s nation and the world around us.” In my perception Heela illustrates vividly the concept of an elicitive approach to conflict transformation, by revealing the systemic understanding of the self-healing creative potential of the context. Similar to the portrait of Heela’s understanding of elicitive peace work, Judith Otter tells us in her article about the meaning of midwives as peace workers. When she says that she sees her role in holding safe spaces, incorporating theoretical and embodied knowledge, clinical skills, deep listening, intuitive judgment, spiritual awareness

and personal experience, I immediately associated those qualities with facilitating Holotropic Breathwork sessions. Holding space for someone means that we are willing to walk alongside another person in whatever journey they are on without judging, interfering, let it happen, in and through themselves. When we hold space for someone we open our heart, offer unconditional support and let go of judgment and control. And those qualities I consider as the art of elicitive peace facilitation. From the wisdom of ancient cultures to modern psychology, Johannes Ludwig creates a bridge of understanding between the practice of meditation, yoga, body oriented methods and constellation work (constellation of the intention/trauma constellations). Johannes describes in his article how everyone can learn to integrate body, mind and soul to facilitate a creative synchrony of healing and wellbeing. Deep healing, means to him, to connect with one’s essence, a process, which starts with non-resistance to what is. Marie-Josée Ryan presents another example of elicitive peacework. She is working as a physiotherapist in a multidisciplinary team that empowers injured workers to shift from a pain-focused situation to a productive and functional lifestyle. In her article, she emphasizes the meaning of a trusting and supportive team and the importance to engage compassionately with others. She witnesses that healing occurs through interconnectedness and she strives to practice that every day. From the perspective of an aid worker, Gernot Grömer, a dear friend and an indispensable partner of the MA Program, “healing is the result of an attitude, of how much the person wants to be healed.” Interviewed by Alexa Cuello, Gernot challenges the readers to enlarge their understanding of healing with a medical perspective. He focuses on the paradigm shift of care in emergency medicine and is envisioning future steps in the cooperation with the Peace Studies. Altogether the current volume of the Many Peaces Magazine illustrates beautifully, both the variety and the uniqueness of healing moments. Etymologically healing means “to make whole” and this wholeness making, as C.G. Jung stated, is a creative expression of individuality. I invite you, dear reader, to dip into exactly that: The many creative expressions of healing moments. Enjoy! Karin Franziska Michalek

Greeting Note - 7

DEALING WITH PTSD IN THE FIELD ABOUT POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER BY MARISA-ISABELLA GEISER

hen I decided to write this article about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, I was not sure if I would feel comfortable sharing this; if I wanted to share my personal story or if I attempted to hide behind an academic piece. What I have learned throughout my personal healing process was, after all, that standing up and sharing with the people close to me that I have not been okay for a very long time was one of the biggest healing steps. Writing this article and openly share my experience with a broader audience has ended up being another step within a long rocky healing process. “I don’t think you can be good in life without acknowledging the part of you that isn’t good.” (Jeff Tweedy) One of the toughest things in dealing with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was for me to acknowledge that I have a PTSD. I was ashamed, I felt weak and I was scared to be labelled as someone who does not to have what is needed to work in the field. I felt like a failure. It was in 2011, I was young, adventurous and naive, believing that I could save the world. I therefore decided to move to Tegucigalpa, Honduras – also known as the murder capital of the world – to work

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in a school for youth and young adults with mental disabilities. I was convinced that if I went to one of the toughest places on earth and dealt with it, I would have all the attributes that are needed to work as a humanitarian aid worker in crisis situations. It was one of many events in my life when I thought that strength was defined by not showing any feelings and by keeping on going. It was five years later, some months after finishing my third term in the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck and just a few weeks before a trip to Brazil, that while lying on my

One of the toughest things in dealing with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder was for me to acknowledge that I have a PTSD.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pain in this life is not avoidable, but the pain we create avoiding pain is avoidable.â&#x20AC;? (R.D. Laing) At some point in Honduras I just shut down. I disassociated myself completely from any feelings or memories, leaving behind a total emptiness inside of me. I not only lost all my feelings, but worse, I lost fear. As a result, I started to feel invincible and inviolable, putting myself unnecessarily in danger many times. What I had not realised, however, was that once I was out of the danger zone, I unconsciously started to avoid many situations that would trigger all the repressed emotions. In the end, it went so far that I would rather break a bone in order to not be able to participate in certain situations so that I would not have to confront my inner black hole and my pain. I had lost the memory of what had happened and I was extremely afraid that if I awoke the sleeping monster inside of me, it would take over and never allow me to recover from it again. The consequence of suppressing all the painful emotions was holding down all kinds of emotions in general, including the pleasant ones. For years, I was an empty robot holding myself together

These sounds were all too familiar, reminding me of the situation in the school and the falling asleep every night to the shootings in my Honduran neighbourhood, which put me completely into a traumatic shock again.

All photos: ÂŠ Marisa-Isabella Geiser

bed in the middle of the night, with frozen limbs, I was shivering and fighting to catch my breath. Pictures of the dead bodies were running through my mind and I felt as if I was sitting on that very same spot in the school where I was working in Honduras, that early morning, when a young female social worker got kidnapped in front of my eyes just on our doorstep and I was totally frozen and paralysed, scared to death. It was the very same feeling I got in the military barracks during the Native Challenge of the MA Program in my first term, almost two years earlier, whilst listening to the shelling and the tapping of the people running through the hall yelling for evacuation. These sounds were all too familiar, reminding me of the situation in the school and the falling asleep every night to the shootings in my Honduran neighbourhood, which put me completely into a traumatic shock again. What lay between that night in the barracks and that other night in my bed were two years of avoidance, negation, refusal and distraction.

Conflict Transformation Around the World - 9

on a steady level, neither being too sad nor too happy, pretending to be all right at all times. Only at the point, where I had to cancel my trip to Brazil because I was too scared to confront a situation that would remind me of Honduras, I realised, as someone whose biggest passion had always been to travel, that it was the avoidance of my life which I could not bear anymore. I was afraid that this kind of avoidance was the first step of a process leading down to finally being too scared to leave the house. I had reached a dead end!

“There are certain life lessons that you can only learn in the struggle.” (Idowu Koyenikan)

What I take from this experience for my professional life, and thereby I hope I can inspire some colleagues as well, is that as social, humanitarian or peace and conflict workers we surely have to be extremely tough; yet toughness does not mean not to feel anything and to swallow down the pain we experience in our work. For sure there are situations wherein we have to Toughness does not mean not to feel keep ourselves together and ignore “The best way out is always anything and to swallow down the our feelings, such as emergency sitthrough” (Robert Frost) pain we experience in our work. uations or when we are in front of our clients. In such moments, we At this point, I am still at the very enter the hero zone and run like beginning of my healing process. a robot, switching off any other I have been seeing a psychiatrist thoughts. What has started to bewith whom I have been working through an Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing ther- come crucial for me, however, is how I deal with it once the situation apy (EMDR) for some months. There are days when I feel I am get- is over. I think it is not relevant if I go to my office and cry alone, talk ting better and others when I feel that this process is leading noto my teammates, start to sing, listen to music, play some drums, where. There are days when I move two steps forward and others dance, meditate, talk to a therapist or even take some medication to when I move three steps backward. Whereas I felt a lot of support help me calm down. What I have learned to be important is not to and encouragement from people around me at the beginning of my pretend that nothing has happened, that I have not been touched, or process, which had an important impact to find the courage to fithat this situation has not been painful. nally stand up and recognise that I am suffering from a PTSD, with time the daily routine and expectations came back, and along with it some moments in which everything became too much and I felt MARISA-ISABELLA GEISER (WT 14/15, ST 15, WT terribly alone. 15/16) is living in Switzerland, where she works with I am still far away from being healed; I still wake up in the middle unemployed youth with migration background and, in adof the night, all sweaty and nervous from bad dreams that chase me, dition, researches new methods on how to integrate newly when flashbacks of pictures run through my mind out of nowhere arrived asylum seekers, refugees and immigrants without and one sound, smell or touch can put my body in shock. Yet, I feel papers into the Swiss labour market. She has many years of experience in youth and migration work in Switzerland, that I have successfully overcome the most important step of the Honduras and the Saharawi refugee camp in southern healing process, which is to acknowledge my wounds and to decide Algeria. Contact: marisa.geiser@gmx.ch to let them heal.

Thanks to „Haus der Begegnung“ for supporting this Volume. We proudly present the following training (see also page 47): Art of Hosting-Training in Innsbruck „How do we initiate positive change?“ 23rd - 25th of October 2017 The training will be in German. web: http://hdb.dibk.at/Termine/Wie-bringen-wir-gute-Ver aenderung-in-Gang contact: hdb.kurse@dibk.at

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THE FORGOTTEN MEMORY ON AMNESIA AS A CONSEQUENCE OF TRAUMA BY ISABELLE GUIBERT

few years ago, the images re-appeared. They crashed in my memory like a meteorite, to the extent that my world perception smashed to pieces. Images of an episode of my childhood going back to 1979. Images that the adults had accused me to have invented. Images that I was ordered to silence. Images of pain, unease and query of an eight-year-old girl. Images buried in oblivion that an introspection exercise was suddenly awakening twenty-five years later.

They were henceforth standing in front of me: frozen, still numbed by so many years of ignorance, well and truly determined to be seen and heard. And then? How to continue life when the disappeared of the memory reappear without warning in order to be taken care of? How many painful recollections have evaporated to make the life of thousands of victims apparently more bearable? In 1979, Argentina’s last military dictatorship, known as Proceso, had been ruling the country for three years. Thus, while my school’s headmaster was terrifying me, people were being tortured, suppressed and disappeared on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, in a country with which I would, years later, have a unique relationship. Over time, thanks to books, films, encounters and stays in Argentina, I became aware that imprisonment, torture and suffering could provoke amnesia, forgetfulness and oblivion. And I experienced and witnessed how healing and vital remembrance is. Point of encounter with Argentina One day, inadvertently, I shook the silence an Argentine woman was maintaining about her illegal detentions during the Proceso. As a result we became close friends; over the years I witnessed her Conflict Transformation Around the World - 11

liberating process. Since then, she has perceived me as someone who took her out of her devouring and paralysing silence into her full life. Actually, I only triggered something that was ready to come out. With the benefit of hindsight, I realise how her process helped me to begin mine. My starting point is my encounter with that woman, Paz. Paz’s immediate amnesia Like every summer in Buenos Aires, the air was still very heavy in that late afternoon of January 2006. In the common patio area of the small building where I lived, some neighbours and I were gathered around a mate tea with Pedro, the owner of my flat, and his girlfriend Paz whom I did not know. Out of the blue, I asked: – Paz is a nickname, isn’t it? Your real name is Luna, right? All of sudden, she quivered and gazed at me anxiously. Pale with fear, she leaned on Pedro and, in a state of tremulous agitation, sat down. – Why Luna?! she asked barely audible.

Gabi’s posterior amnesia Through Paz, I got to know Gabi via mail and read her autobiography: “Twenty-five years ago, on 19 October 1976, I was kidnapped by Argentine soldiers […]. Three days and three nights that I had been able to erase from my mind and my memory by dint of will. My naked body lying on a wooden plank […]. Electricity causes an unbearable pain. Remembering it is also unbearable” (Fainstain, 2006). Evidently, Gabi’s reaction to pain was different. Unlike Paz, she was aware of what her persecutors inflicted on her youth: fear, torture, rape and humiliation. Shortly after her liberation, Gabi discovered that she was pregnant and decided to abort in Europe. And if that seed of life was hers and Leo’s? They would never know and the couple would not recover from the brutality they had undergone together. After aborting, Gabi returned to Buenos Aires. However, after several attempts in vain to go back to everyday life, she left the country again and forever, alone and in silence. A heavy sealed door to her past, her beloved ones as well as her persecutors, closed behind her. Twenty long years of a voluntary amnesia. Why Forget?

What causes a human being to become amnesic? What motivates A leaden silence had fallen over our words still warm from our some victims to choose amnesia over another form of response to laughs; even the mate had stopped torture, detention, and fear? What passing around. Nobody knew what is the delicate border between conwas happening, but everybody could sciousness and un-consciousness? How to continue life when sense that my question had gone the disappeared of the memory deeply into Paz’s heart. According to her own accounts, Paz’s abnormal sleep was generated reappear without warning in order – Uh… I don’t know, I mumbled, I by her instinct for self-protection to be taken care of? thought it was your name, I heard it. rather than by a conscious deci– No, this is impossible, she replied, sion. Sleep isolates and, to a certain Luna is… was my sister… she disapextent, protects the victim from an peared during the dictatorship. And, she continued hesitant, I was unbearable reality: “Sleep allowed me to do as if all that was not ockidnapped too… curring to me”. That way, macabre memories were hampered by the resulting amnesia: “I even came to think that there are still things I Her confession left me dumbfounded. We met later that week and probably underwent, like rape, of which I am still unaware”. Paz told me something astounding: on the day following our moving Gabi’s amnesia was different; it occurred after the events and was conversation in the patio, Gabi (with whom she had been kidnapped carefully maintained. In the medical jargon this kind of amnesia in 1976) got in touch with her after twenty-seven years silence! Their is referred to as psychogenic amnesia, also known as dissociative last conversation dated back to 1979. amnesia, or more poetically according to Jean Delay as “the written page one does not want to read”. Psychogenic amnesia is, among This is how Paz began to recount me her memories of 1976, she other things, caused by “the survival mechanisms of the victims in was seventeen then. Knowing that the militaries were looking for order for them to escape from an intolerable pain” (Mémoire Trauher, she had taken refuge at Gabi’s. Leo, Gabi’s boyfriend, was there matique et Victimologie, 2009). Thus, in Europe, Gabi started a too. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, they came hurtling in the new life, without Argentina or memory. Her past had remained on house, roused them from their beds, hit and insulted them before the other side of the Atlantic because it was putting her survival in hurling them into a vehicle. Free fall into a bottomless black hole: danger. “It is as if, in order to survive, a certain extent of anaesthePaz immediately fell into a deep sleep. Her companions were dumb- sia, doze, obscurity, silence and oblivion was necessary” (Fainstain, struck. Later, Gabi would write: “Paz is sleeping all the time, literari- 2007). ly sleeping. Three days asleep? Is that possible? In the middle of hell, Paz might have succeeded in creating her own paradise” (Fainstain, The cost of amnesia 2006). At times, torture would wake her up and then she would go back to sleep. Three days later, she opened her eyes, after being However, far from replacing or eliminating, amnesia opacifies and thrown half-naked out of a car in a waste ground. Gabi and Leo were puts back, it creates a void, a blank that nothing or anyone can fill lying next to her. in. Thus, Paz’s short amnesia condemned her experience of oppres12 - Many Peaces Magazine #6

sion to silence for over two decades, which led her to recurrent depressions, a profound loneliness and melancholy. Only her closest relations knew about her detentions by the Argentine armed forces, until my innocent question about her name opened a split into her past that kept growing. Today, she talks about her disappeared sister and tells her story; she contributes to memory and truth projects in Buenos Aires. She has changed her life situation that was perpetuating her suffering and her victim position. As for Gabi, her obstinate amnesia had been the fruit of a relentless work, which absorbed a large part of her energy and attention during many years, to finally leave her with a sense of powerlessness and pointlessness. The Rupture of Amnesia

When and why do survivors come out of amnesia? What breaks the inner silence? How is the retrieval of consciousness dealt with? “Often memories can emerge, partly or entirely, during events that have a very intense emotional impact and are symbolically closely linked to the past violence” (Mémoire Traumatique et Victimologie, 2009). One day, a session of Chinese acupuncture brought Gabi back to her past. By sinking into the skin, the needles brushed the memory of pain and, in an irrepressible avalanche, rekindled the past that had been reduced to silence. Once the shielded door of oblivion has

However, far from replacing or eliminating, amnesia opacifies and puts back, it creates a void, a blank that nothing or anyone can fill in. opened partway, it is impossible to keep silent and do as if. This is how Gabi decided to write and publish her story. “After amnesia comes anamnesia, that is to say awareness, a progressive regress to the past that had been hold back, a kind of return of the memory” (Rousso, 2000). Put another way, amnesia and oblivion are temporary remedies that are sometimes necessary not to get crazy. Nevertheless, healing rests upon memory. It is therefore essential to recover one’s own past or, at least, as many puzzle pieces as possible, and know which history one comes from in order for transformation, hence healing, to begin. For what hurts might be hidden by not knowing and will only heal with the process of getting to know. Re-member the past allows one to live in the present and transform, that is to say become towards the unknown future.

ISABELLE GUIBERT is a university lecturer in Innsbruck, and a nomad in mind and spaces. She teaches languages and social subjects related to peace(s), elicitiveness, and the Global South. As a workshop facilitator she uses methods of the Theatre of the Oppressed and Theatre for Living. Her research fields: unconventional writing, unconventional education, trauma and memory in relation to Argentina’s last dictatorship. She holds an MA in English studies. Contact: isaguib2612@gmail.com

Conflict Transformation Around the World - 13

CC Dirk Einecke

BACK TO SOUL THE PROWESS OF TRADITIONAL HEALING METHODS IN NIGERIA BY LAWAL SEUN ISAAC

rom my perspective as an indigenous Nigerian, there seems to be no real separation between the spirit world and the realm of matter. In that sense, spirituality is not seen as a part of life, but life itself is spiritual. All aspects of reality, in both the seen and unseen world work together. I believe that this worldview, which is very common in Nigeria, is often challenging to understand for people who are coming from different cultures and societies. Thus, it is diďŹ&#x192;cult to expect others from around the world to suddenly adopt this worldview and its own peculiarity. From my experiences and upbringing in Nigeria, I have found that to be more in tune with our natural environment, we need to be present and pay close attention to it. Awareness of nature opens pathways for us to be more aware of our innermost environment. In my perception, a relationship with nature has the potential to create the desired inner balance in us. 14 - Many Peaces Magazine #6

We can enhance our relationship with nature by creating a sit spot. This spot can be anywhere, even as close as your backyard or near a body of water or sand. I believe it does not matter where, as long as it feels peaceful. It should be accessed regularly, daily if possible, with no distractions. The purpose of a sit spot is to be present with nature and to be connected to it. Over time, you may begin to notice all the nuanced ways in which nature expresses herself: birds chirping a particular tune, a certain shade of green on each leaf, the way sunlight hits the rocks just so. With time, you may eventually recognize yourself as a part of nature, not apart from it, identifying your part in it. What I am describing here is a healing ritual that is shaped by my identity as an indigenous Nigerian. Rituals & Healing I believe everyone has already practiced ritual without realizing it. For instance, parents often have a bedtime routine with their children, or families gather for evening dinners. In order to turn these habitual practices into rituals though, intention is needed. In several Nigerian traditions, ritual serves as a gateway to the land of ancestors and to the realm of the Spirit. It evokes sacredness, purpose and intentionality. Some rituals mark every milestone in a

person’s life, from birth to death. Rituals anchor the individual to the community and give clear structure and absolute meaning to life. Almost anything can become a ritual, as long as you set an intention for positive energy. For example, before a gathering of family members, you can set an intention for love and connection to flow between everyone present. Stating this intention out loud makes it even more powerful and dynamic. Another way to make an activity a ritual is to invoke the blessings of one’s ancestors. Communication with ancestors forms an integral part of healing traditions in Nigeria. Traditional people believe their ancestors serve as a ‘lobbyist’ in the spirit world. They can make appeals for good things on their descendants’ behalf. In order to have good standing in the spirit realm, many Nigerians believe they must maintain a good relationship to the spiritual world. In my traditional belief system, one who does not know his or her lineage is considered lost with no identity. In order to reconnect to our soul, we need a definite connection with our ancestors. The power held in your ancestry is deepened by your connection to your ancestors. A starting point would involve setting up an altar of pictures of loved ones who have passed away to pay daily tribute. Speaking an ancestor’s name out loud is another well-known

Awareness of nature opens pathways for us to be more aware of our innermost environment. In my perception, a relationship with nature has the potential to create the desired inner balance in us.

powerful practice in Nigeria and across Africa and the world more broadly. More often, one can literally call the ancestor forth to ask him or her for guidance. In many Nigerian traditions, it is believed that no medicine is as powerful as that which comes from one’s own ancestry. The land holds the power to the people being there physically can have tremendous soul-healing benefits. Each of us carries a connection to our ancestral land no matter where you live. We continuously need to renew the connection. When we reach out to our ancestors, reconnect with our natural environment, and practice ritual, then, we begin the journey back to our souls and achieve wholeness. All photos: CC Dirk Einecke

SEUN LAWAL (WT 15/16, WT 16/17, ST 17) is living in Nigeria where he works at Akwa Ibom State University, Akwa-Ibom, Nigeria. He is the coordinator of Interfaith Initiative Nigeria ( a Peace Mediation Group with major activities in North - Eastern Nigeria). He is a current student of the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. Contact: lexyspint@yahoo.com

Conflict Transformation Around the World - 15

ÂŠ Sarah Chow

CHRONIC PAIN TRANSCENDING RETURN TO WORK BARRIERS AS A PHYSIOTHERAPIST BY MARIE-JOSĂ&#x2030;E RYAN

was 23 years old and practicing physiotherapy for over 60 hours a week when I felt my energy and compassion levels running dry. I felt it was time for me to acquire new skills and life experiences. I pursued further studies, including the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck. 16 - Many Peaces Magazine #6

I was curious to learn skills that would enable me to practice physiotherapy in a way that would fuel my energy and compassion levels. After completing my studies in Innsbruck in 2014, I felt ready to resume work as a physiotherapist and I felt both vulnerable and excited about it. Vulnerable because I had been away from the profession and excited because I once again felt passion and love towards it. I returned to Canada and resumed work as a health care professional (physiotherapist) at OrionHealth near Vancouver, British Columbia. I work in a multidisciplinary team attending people struggling with chronic barriers preventing them from returning to their pre-injury work. The healthcare team I work with includes a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist, an exercise therapist, a psychologist and a physician. I as the physiotherapist focus on collecting subjective and objective information during my mobility and strength assessments. Moreover, I provide treatment sessions which include specific exercise prescription and progression, manual therapy, soft tissue techniques, exploration of active pain management strategies and education regarding the injury and its healing course. An important part of my role as a physiotherapist is to deliver relevant information regarding the biomechanics behind the mechanism of injury and the factors that fuel a timely and sustainable recovery. Together with

the healthcare team, we provide comprehensive active rehabilitation to injured workers through contracts from WorkSafeBC. This provincial government agency is a no-fault insurance plan protecting employers and workers. WorkSafeBC’s services include education, prevention, compensation, rehabilitation and support for injured workers. © Marie-Josée Ryan

“Will I be able to go back to my job?” is a question I have been addressing on a daily basis for the past three years. This question has an impact on crucial aspects of a person’s present and future life. Whether a person can return to their pre-injury occupation without any limitations is a prognosis that the team makes upon assessment and monitors throughout their participation in the rehabilitation program. To help make this prognosis, our team identifies barriers preventing a person from returning to their pre-injury work. Among the barriers outlined above, pain is the prevailing factor limiting a person’s ability to perform components of their job. Thus, how a person is able to manage their pain influences their ability to return to work.

Supporting workers in transcending return to work barriers and maximizing function is challenging. Everyday, I witness the suffering associated with chronic pain and I struggle at times to stay grounded. Fortunately, working within a supportive team environ-

Everyday, I witness the suffering associated with chronic pain and I struggle at times to stay grounded.

ment encourages me to acknowledge the limitations of the work I do. It also helps me appreciate the extent of which many workers reportedly benefit from the supportive structure we provide as a team. These workers courageously defy the unpredictability of pain by exploring and applying sustainable strategies that promote healing. Seeing a person shift from a pain-focused situation to a productive and functional lifestyle nourishes my vitality levels because I strive to empower clients to take responsibility for their health and thus work collaboratively with them.

Our team provides services to injured workers who typically have been off work for a few months and have undergone medical investigations prior to being referred to our occupational rehabilitation program. This means their injury is no longer acute and they have been cleared to begin a more rigorous exercise program. They typically spend the equivalent of 4 to 6 hours per day, everyday, for a few weeks in the clinic followed by a few weeks of gradual return to work. Most of their clinic time is spent doing active exercises that simulate the specific work tasks so they get stronger and regain their mobility. Moreover, clinicians share a great deal of medical knowledge with injured workers and this tends to accelerate healing through empowerment and understanding. Elicitive Peace Workers - 17

The second question I hear often is “how long before the pain goes away and when can I return to work”? A sustainable way to approach this question is by naturally producing endorphins via active exercises. However, in many cases, the pain is present at rest and/or exercises tend to increase the intensity and frequency of the pain. In these cases where movement is beneficial but increases pain, medical knowledge is crucial in order to make optimal decisions about the client’s activity levels. Understanding the human anatomy and physiology, particularly that of the nervous system and its dynamic components is important when transcending return to work barriers. Pain ultimately depends on what the nervous system is experiencing as a real or potential threat and thus the context in which pain is experienced is highly relevant.

to convince the nervous system to become an ally in performing movements that are feared. The extent to which an injured worker is able to demonstrate the strength and mobility required to be able to return to their work is what determines the treatment team’s recommendations. At times, the treatment team identifies limitations that prevent the injured worker from returning to their pre-injury work. The worker is referred back to WorkSafeBC, the provincial government agency protecting employers and workers where further assistance may be provided.

Although the nature of the work can be quite serious at times, the group environment defies the isolation that is commonly experienced with pain. This combined with active rehabilitation fosters social interactions which are a hub for laughter, interconnectedness and I am grateful to work in a the release of endorphins. This is challenging environment because it The more information we have in the healing environment that I both assessing whether the threat is real contribute to and benefit from durencourages me to cultivate kindness or potential, the more accurate we ing my time spent at work. I find it towards our ability to heal and can teach the nervous system to defun that I continue to learn everyday grow as human beings. cide what movements are harmful from the interactions I have with my or beneficial. When pain has been clients. I am grateful to work in a significant and consistent throughchallenging environment because it out a longer period of time (a few encourages me to cultivate kindness months), neuroscience research reveals changes to the nervous sys- towards our ability to heal and grow as human beings, inspiring me tem. Pain that persists makes the nervous system more and more in my own journey. alert to potential danger and the hypervigilance may lead to a genuine fear of moving. In other words, we observe that pain is no MARIE-JOSÉE RYAN (WT 12/13, ST 13, WT 13/14) lives longer a reliable guide on whether a movement is harmful when near the mountains in British-Columbia, Canada and works every movement may be perceived as harmful. This reveals that the as a physiotherapist at OrionHealth. She enjoys being part nervous system needs a helping hand in distinguishing between of an interdisciplinary team that empowers injured workers perceived threats and real threats to our human body. to shift from a pain-focused situation to a productive and From the perspective of the nervous system’s chemistry, it is a dynamic system in which the opportunity to produce endorphins can be enhanced or reduced. In order to support this process, we need

18 - Many Peaces Magazine #6

functional lifestyle. Contact: mjryan10@hotmail.com

MIDWIVES AS PEACE WORKERS BY JUDITH OTTER

For us to really practice as midwives, to learn being close to women and to empathize with them, we first need to know and love the woman that is closest to us – ourselves. Flint, in: Ländle/Optik-Kreuter 2015

hen I read this midwife’s quote for the first time it was beautiful to realize how familiar the content felt in terms of what I had learnt about peace work. Knowing yourself and dealing with yourself and your own story on a physical, emotional and intellectual level is the core of the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck that aims to train their students to become peace workers.

Etymologically, the term midwife stems from the Anglo-Saxon term med-wyf, meaning ‘with woman’, ‘woman in the middle’ or ‘intermediary’ (Walker 1997, Storl 2015). The German expression for midwife is Hebamme. Hebamme derives from the lower high German expression Heviana which means die Hebende, in English ‘the lifting’ (Vikkunen 1957). It is composed of the words Ana referring to grandmother or ancestor and the German verb heben, lifting (ibid.). MANA, the Midwives Alliance of North America (2010) describes a midwife as someone who “incorporates theoretical and embodied knowledge, clinical skills, deep listening, intuitive judgment, spiritual awareness and personal experience”. Based upon these etymologies and descriptions, I especially understand a midwife as a link between generations. As ‘woman in the middle’ (German: Mittelfrau) or ‘intermediary’ (German: Vermittlerin) she constantly travels in-between the real and mystical world, between moments of becoming and fading away. I see her main responsibility in supporting and strengthening women in their ability to give birth. What distinguishes midwives from other professions within the German health system is that they do not treat pregnancy and birth as illnesses but rather as the most natural process in women’s lives. As long as the woman and the baby are healthy, a midwife is the one responsible before, during and after birth. During a healthy pregElicitive Peace Workers - 19

nancy all prenatal check-ups can be done by a midwife except for ultrasounds. Midwives are trained to take blood, to determine the baby’s position (and weight) by touching the pregnant belly with her hands, as well as to check the baby’s heartbeat. It is regulated by German law that a midwife must be present at every birth – obstetricians are not permitted to accompany women in labor without a midwife present. Even to most of the women in Germany this information about midwives is not known.

The midwife silently held the space for the woman and the baby going through their process of transformation.

My path to midwifery During my first presence phase in Innsbruck, my mind and heart were busy questioning, what my passion was, where my personal qualities lay and how I could find and combine both in my professional life. What kind of job would that be? How would it build on my academic studies? It was in a conversation with my friends that the profession of the midwife popped up. Never before had this career crossed my mind, neither did I immediately see a connection to my Bachelor degree in Cultural Studies nor to the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck that I had just enrolled in at the time. Nevertheless, my curiosity about midwifery grew and I decided enroll in a practicum and learn more about it. I applied for a two month long practicum position at an Anthroposophical clinic that accompanied my online phase in Peace Studies. On my fourth day, I experienced a woman giving birth for the first time. It was striking to notice how the midwives’ attitude during the woman’s birth process strongly reminded me of what I had learned about the concept of an elicitive peace worker.

The system fails to provide intimate spaces for women in which they are strengthened in their own ability to give birth. All photos: © Veronika Zohova

It was a Friday morning in April and I entered the delivery ward for my morning shift as an intern. I could already hear a woman in labor regularly making groaning, powerful sounds. When the midwife on duty took me with her to support the woman, I awed and humbled by seeing the woman in labor deeply concentrated and connected with her contractions. As she flowed through her rushes, she radiated an archaic strength that filled the room. I remember feeling intimidated 20 - Many Peaces Magazine #6

and deeply touched at the same time. With only very few, calm words couple’s intimate interactions. When there came a moment that the the midwife prepared everything necessary for the birth. She left the labor did not seem to progress, Grit suggested the couple to take a rest birthing woman in her process by safely holding the space and watch- and spend some time for themselves while we would take a walk outing her carefully. At one point, the midwife pointed to a stool in the side. Grit and I walked for about one hour in the fields, waiting for the corner of the room and whispered to me: “Now you may sit down and couple to call us, in case they needed us to be back. I understood Grit’s marvel”. The woman was on all fours circling her pelvis as her breath suggestion as a very conscious reaction to the situation in which she led her through each contraction that came and went in waves. Then felt that our presence was halting the birth. When we were called back, the head of the baby was born and with the next contraction the rest Grit made sure that I would not again enter the caravan by asking the of the baby’s body moved out of the woman. woman whether she wanted one of us to wait outside. I vibrantly carry within my the picture of that moment. It was Grit’s question before entering the caravan again, makes clear an overwhelming experience to see a human body being born out that she was not only critically questioning my presence but also her of another body. I felt deeply touched and humbled by the spiritual own. She thereby shows that she does not see herself as the expert quality of birth indicating everything present was connected and whose presence is indispensable for the birth to proceed. Instead one. she trusts the knowledge and ability of the parents who are directLike a sitter in a Holotropic Breathwork session, the midwife si- ly involved in the process. I was lucky to accompany Grit in two lently held the space for the woman and the baby going through homebirths and thankful to learn from her wisdom, knowledge and their process of transformation. experience that she so generously She creates an environment that shares with me until today. makes the woman feel safe and helps her to let go completely. In It was not until I was in the midan elicitive understanding “middle of conceptualizing my MA wifery – no matter where it takes thesis around midwives and peace place – is always about […] the atwork that I decided to apply to a Birth is a very delicate experience. tendance of the process, in which midwifery school in Berlin. After It has a lot of potential for healing the woman and the child are the many moments of doubt and fear subjects and do not ‘make’ birth about the profession’s future beand at the same time can but let it happen, in and through cause of the major difficulties that turn into a trauma. themselves” (Mergeay cited in midwives in Germany are facing Wolber 2006, 186). Within this today – financially and politicalunderstanding, midwives – like ly – I am sometimes surprised to peace workers in conflict fields – find myself at the beginning of my can be understood as balancing second year of training to become factors within the birthing system, a midwife. The largest part of my of which they themselves become three-year training takes place in part of the moment they enter. For this reason it is essential for both a clinical setting. In this setting, I often feel frustration when I obmidwives and peace workers to be aware of the effects of their own serve overstrained midwives who have to take care of not only one presence. birthing woman but three at a time. In those cases it seems to me Wolfgang Dietrich describes this attitude of the peace worker as that the system fails to provide intimate spaces for women in which follows: “[C]onflict workers have to be conscious about the effect they are strengthened in their own ability to give birth. of their presence, how they relate with the parties and change their Birth is a very delicate experience. It has a lot of potential for environment and their relations” (Dietrich 2014, 55). Similarly, Ina healing and at the same time can turn into a trauma. That is why May Gaskin, US-American midwife and researcher, explains the in- it feels even more important to me as a midwifery student with a fluence that every person present at birth has on the energy flow of Peace Studies background to keep in mind that all the knowledge the birthing process. “The birthing energy flows smoothest when and physiological as well as mental power lays within the birthing everyone present is part of the crew, helping the baby to its birth. woman herself. I see my role in holding a safe space for transformaIf some of the people present are spectators […], the birth can be tion and in recognizing pregnancy and birth as perfectly thoughtslowed down by hours or can even be halted […]” (Gaskin 2002, through processes by nature in which disturbances need to be iden231). From my own experience in another practicum with an expe- tified and acted upon in order to re-establish a dynamic balance. rienced homebirth midwife, I remember situations where I felt that my presence did not benefit the process of labor. JUDITH OTTER (WT 13/14, ST 14, WT 14/15) is living in It was a rainy day in late September and Katrin was awaiting her Germany and has completed her MA thesis in May of 2016 under the supervision of Josefina Echavarría-Alvarez. She third child in a small site caravan. The little space inside was warmed is currently training to be a midwife at the Charité Health up by a fire place. While Katrin was in a bath tub going through her Academy in Berlin. Contact: judith_otter@hotmail.de rushes, her partner gently rubbed her lower back. Grit, the midwife [see picture to the left], sat on the floor below the woman, checking the baby’s heartbeats after each contraction. I remember feeling very hot and somehow uncomfortable, sitting on a chair and watching the Elicitive Peace Workers - 21

SOCIAL HEALING A SPACE WHERE LIGHT CAN ENTER BY HEELA NAJIBULLAH

n College, I had come across a proverb by an unknown monk from 1100 A.D. that said, “When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world. I found it was diﬃcult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. When I found I couldn’t change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn’t change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family. Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.” I printed the saying and posted it on my door for I was struck with the wisdom of the Monk and kept thinking at age 20, how do his words apply to me? 22 - Many Peaces Magazine #6

From a very young age, I was exposed to world affairs and global politics because I was born into a political family in Afghanistan. My country was the battlefield of the superpowers in the Cold War and the atmosphere was filled with mistrust, violence, uncertainty and also a desire for peace. It was at age 10 that I came across the word ‘reconciliation’ when the Afghan government had introduced its policy of National Reconciliation to find a durable solution to the ongoing conflict in the country. However, the hope of a peaceful Afghanistan remained an unfulfilled vision while the country went through the civil war, killing, maiming and uprooting hundreds and thousands of people including my own family. The urge to write about reconciliation was due to personal loss. Both my uncle and father were killed and hung by the Taliban in September 1996 and the violent, inhumane act turned my family and I into silent observers. I had decided then to better understand the reasons why my loved ones were killed and what happened that fateful night. The journey to find the truth gave me the opportunity to engage myself in an intellectual exercise and gain better knowledge of Afghan politics, culture and history. However, it was not until I started studying Transrational Peace Philosophy that I became conscious of

the fact that like many other individuals from war-torn countries, I also belonged to a traumatized society and that my search for truth is linked to my own personal traumas. Turning “the gaze inwards” is the main philosophy of Transrational Peace research - Professor Wolfgang Dietrich writes in his book Interpretation of Peace in History and Culture. With this, I decided to write my MA thesis about the reconciliation processes in Afghani-

The journey to find the truth gave me the opportunity to engage myself in an intellectual exercise and gain better knowledge of Afghan politics, culture and history. stan. During my research I came across the concept of social healing by many peace researchers and scholars that drew my attention, one of those being Prof. John Paul Lederach. Lederach and Lederach explain in their book When Blood and Bones Cry Out, the concept of social healing “as an intermediary phenomenon located between micro individual healing and wider collective reconciliation… it deals with wounds created by conflict, collective trauma, and large scale oppression.” The process of writing my thesis was yet another opportunity to examine my past wounds and seek healing. I understood that the painful experiences life had offered me were unique and by owning and voicing those experiences, through the writing process, I was able to put in practice the concept of social healing for myself. As Jalaluddin Rumi says, “The wound is the place where the light enters you.”

Almost twenty years after putting up the Monk’s proverb on my door, I see how his words have applied to my life journey especially in my process of writing my book. My book analyzes the Afghan reconciliation processes through the lenses of the Transrational Peace Philosophy and Elicitive Conflict Transformation. The research highlights two Afghan governments’ reconciliation processes in 1986 and 2010 and underlines the political events that shaped the 1986 National Reconciliation Policy, drawing lessons for future processes. I point out the historical and geopolitical patterns indicating regional and global stakeholders’ involvement in Afghan politics. I conclude that social healing through a middle-out approach is the missing and yet crucial component to achieve sustainable reconciliation in Afghanistan. It goes without saying that the Afghan conflict is multilayered; therefore, a sustainable reconciliation in the country must consider not only a political approach but also a social and economic one. The Afghan reconciliation processes have usually been top-

down approaches initiated by the Afghan government. However, it is important to highlight that none of the peace deals, accords and negotiations from the Cold War era up until now have ended the conflict in Afghanistan. This is mainly because of the involvement of regional and global actors in Afghan politics. Nevertheless, the peace research done to write my book, Reconciliation and Social Healing in Afghanistan, which is based on my MA thesis, allowed me to decipher the fact that a signature on paper can be useful when it is translated into action. Therefore, a political process to end the conflict through signing accords will succeed when it accompanies social healing instruments to link the individual to the greater social and political vision of reconciliation. In other words, I conclude in my book that sustainable reconciliation in Afghanistan needs social healing instruments to connect the Afghans from a micro level to their larger motives and desires for peace. Ensuring that reconciliation in my country becomes a people-driven process involving Afghans at grassroots as well as middle-range levels. Almost twenty years after putting up the Monk’s proverb on my door, I see how his words have applied to my life journey especially in my process of writing my book. I see the importance of social healing in making reconciliation a step closer to Afghans as a possibility to change oneself in order to change one’s nation and the world around us. HEELA NAJIBULLAH (ST 14) graduated from the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck in January 2016. Her thesis with the title Reconciliation and Social Healing in Afghanistan was released in the frame of the Masters of Peace series and published by the UNESCO Chair for Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck. She lives in Switzerland and consults with international organisation on migration and humanitarian issues. Contact: heelaayn@gmail.com

Heela Najibullah

Masters of Peace: Volume 13

RECONCILIATION AND SOCIAL HEALING IN AFGHANSTAN

A Transrational and Elicitive Analysis Towards Transformation Heela Najibullah analyzes the Afghan reconciliation processes through the lenses of transrational peace philosophy and Elicitive Conflict Transformation. The research highlights two Afghan governments reconciliation processes in 1986 and 2010 and underlines the political events that shaped the 1986 National Reconciliation Policy, drawing lessons for future processes. The author points out the historical and geopolitical patterns indicating regional and global stakeholders involvement in Afghan politics. Social healing through a middle-out approach is the missing and yet crucial component to achieve sustainable reconciliation in Afghanistan.

Elicitive Peace Workers - 23

TRAUMA ...AND INNER TRANSFORMATION – A HOLISTIC APPROACH BY JOHANNES LUDWIG

aybe I will first tell a few words about myself, so that you can get a picture who I am and what my personal background in relation to this topic is. For nearly the last ten years, I have intensively dealt with the topics of consciousness and inner transformation. Starting with yoga and different body oriented techniques, I soon began to understand that a deep transformation is not possible without an understanding of trauma, especially in a more-generational perspective. So after finishing my training in yoga therapy and mindfulness work, I absolved a training in constellation work (constellation of the intention/trauma constellations) in Munich with Prof. Dr. Franz Ruppert. I have been working for the past two years now in my practice in Munich with the mentioned techniques and I would like to share with you my personal experiences in this field, what trauma is from my point of view and what an inner transformation might look like. 24 - Many Peaces Magazine #6

What does trauma mean? The field that deals with trauma, namely “psychotraumatology”, has emerged from the field of psychotherapy. It is a comparably young but constantly growing area of science, which has been especially taken into the focus of attention in the last two decades. Theories about trauma can in fact be found in other psychological systems as well, yet the distinct and clear elaboration what trauma is and what its effects are, have not been elaborated in such a clear manner as in the described area of research. In yoga there are for example, hints in the Yoga-Sutra of Patanjali about samskaras oder behavior patterns that come into place due to traumatic or incisive experiences, nevertheless their effects are not stated in such a clear manner. The most crucial insights in dealing with psychotrauma are, in my opinion, the discovery of inner splits and more-generational aspects of trauma in relation to bonding processes. Yet, before describing these phenomena, I would like to give a basic understanding first, what trauma is: A trauma originates in a punctual or repetitive event in which our survival is threatened and/or which cannot be processed by our the psycho-somatic system at the time it happens. As a consequence

parts or even the whole event is split from our conscious awareness Nhat Hanhs explains in his book The Heart of Understanding. (see Franz Ruppert’s book Splits in the Soul) In case the split parts are Yet, the starting point for the inner transformation is always in the not re-integrated after the traumatic event, they do not disappear, here and now and to be more distinct, in our own body. Our body but can turn into dangerous and destructive behavior patterns in the reflects all our psychological states and all our suffering. And it often course of time. Survival mechanisms continue to maintain their task speaks a clearer language than our mind does. We may see ourselves of preventing the traumatic event to enlightened or devastated, yet our appear in the day-to-day consciousbody may tell a different story. So ness. Therefore they drive us to it is always the first step, to listen I soon began to understand that a deep adopt certain behavior patterns fulto the language of our body. As a transformation is not possible without filling this survival function. These second step, we may start to shed an understanding of trauma, especially may vary from putting our system light on our core (body) blockagin constant inner or outer stress, to es and traumatic entanglements. in a more-generational perspective. seek diversion in drugs or to escape Doing so we will develop an “inin imaginary worlds, just to name a ner map” with the time, helping few, or leading us to many other forms of psycho-physical illnesses. us to understand better, where certain (painful) emotions and black Also the unconscious and repetitive re-enactment of the traumatic spots come from, where they are located in the body, and finally how event in different forms, either as a victim or a perpetrator, is many to deal with them when they arise in our conscious awareness. The cases a consequence of (an already existing) trauma. I have found constellation of the intention is in my opinion a very helpful method the research about perpetrator identified states especially interesting in this regard, as it allows us to slowly approach these (more-generin this context, leading either to the identification with the mind- ational) entanglements in a process-oriented manner, according to set of the perpetrator and of most probably becoming a perpetrator the client’s inner steps. oneself or to to feel guilty and worth to be humiliated and therefore On the other hand, we can directly work with our body. In my direct the perpetrator energy against the own person. Especially practice, I use yoga and mindfulness work, which provide a comHarvey Schwartz and Ralf Vogt describe this very well in their books plete system of movement, breathing and meditation exercises that The Alchemy of Wolves and Sheep and Perpetrator Introjects. can be adapted to the individual needs of the person. Additionally, These patterns become additionally interesting in a more-gener- both schools serve us with their deep understanding of the human ational context. Through the parent-child bonding the child takes body and bodily energy centers (chakras), as well as with profound over several of the traumatic behavior patterns of their parents and insights of the human consciousness. This understanding helps us as well as identifies with or tries to reject some of their traumatic to holistically transform our suffering, not by simply removing an states. obnoxious “symptom”, but by deeply penetrating into the nature of The next question arising is: how can we approach our suffering, suffering and seeing its essence. especially in such a case of symbiotic entanglement, where the traumatic event has its origin in the life of one of our ancestors? Web: www.johannesludwig.net On the way to an essential inner transformation The first thing one should not do is to moralize the question of traumatization in the sense “I am good, because you do not have a trauma or you are bad, because you are traumatized”. One the long run we are not only connected to our own and our families suffering, but to the traumatization of society and finally the whole world, as Thich

JOHANNES LUDWIG (ST 09, WT 09/10, ST 10) works therapeutically in Munich with yoga and the constellation work method (constellation of the intention). He is researching on consciousness, body and trauma, as well as on Buddhist psychology and the psychology of yoga. In 2014 he founded the Consciousness Research Group. Contact: johannes_ludwig@gmx.net

All photos: © Sopo Bolze

Elicitive Peace Workers - 25

TO HEAL OR NOT TO HEAL? W

ho am I (to write about healing if I myself am not healed yet)? - This question has accompanied me since I decided to engage with the significance of rhythm in healing processes within the frame of my master thesis. Ultimately, I realized that I wanted to dedicate my research to this topic precisely because of my personal process, which has been characterized by a constant back and forth between my desire to heal and my resistance to let go of my well-known suﬀering. Wolfgang Dietrich mentioned this expression during his introductory lecture of my first term and it has remained present in me since then.

BY THERESA GOTTSCHALL

THERESA GOTTSCHALL (WT 13/14, ST 14, WT 14/15) graduated in summer 2016 from the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck. After finishing a Yoga Teacher Training Course in March 2016 in India and a training course in dance and expression pedagogy in November 2016, she currently takes part in the basic TaKeTiNa rhythm teacher training led by Reinhard Flatischler, the founder of this method. Additionally, she continues her academic career as a PhD student at the Universitat Jaume I. Her research focuses on the significance of TaKeTiNa as a method in peace and conflict work. Being a passionate traveler, she is currently based in Innsbruck. Contact: theresa.gottschall@manypeaces.org

26 - Many Peaces Magazine #6

My well-known suffering is mainly connected to the fact that I have been struggling with an eating disorder for the last thirteen years. In simple words, this means that I became accustomed to regulating every sensation I have with food. The scope of my eating behavior ranges from starving to overeating, but my principal disorder is classified as bulimia, primarily characterized by binge eating and vomiting. In this context, I am dependent on a system of extremely restricting and irrational rules and thoughts that accompany me each and every day. These highly addictive ‘coping strategies’ have been my way of dealing with feelings and difficulties in daily life, and relearning to express them differently is one of my biggest challenges.

Although my personal struggle is certainly not an aspect of my life I am particularly proud of, I have developed a considerable openness with regards to this topic for several reasons. Besides others, I came to realize that authenticity also means to me to confront myself and others with my shadows. Most importantly, I am tired of hiding an aspect that has had a deep impact on factors like my self-perception and self-esteem, the way I treat myself and others, and my social life. This article, however, is not about eating disorders, although I could easily write a book about this subject. Rather, I want to reflect on a question that popped up in the frame of Wolfgang Dietrich’s introductory lecture and has become something I frequently chew on without finding a definite answer. Do I prefer my well-known suffering (over the risk of transformation)? I continue to feel stuck in this struggle between the wish to heal and the inability to do so, between the desire to let go of certain behavior patterns that do not serve me anymore and the need to hold on to them. There are periods in my life where I can hardly remember anything which is not connected to my well-known suffering. After so many years, I do not see any sense in sticking to it anymore. Stop. Is this the absolute truth? In the first place, there is of course no such

I came to realize that authenticity also means to me to confront myself and others with my shadows.

All photos: © Theresa Gottschall

thing as an absolute truth. Although I perceive my behavior patterns as mainly hampering and restricting, a part of me actually does not want to let go, resists to transform. My well-known suffering has also become my comfort zone, which I do not necessarily like but I know how it ‘works’. In a way, it is a seemingly safe space wherein I know every corner. I cannot grasp the particular reasons for my resistance to let go, but I believe that it is connected to a lot of fear. Maybe I am scared of the unknown - a lot of space has been occupied by my behavior patterns and the circle of thoughts linked to them. In my perception, the process of letting go of my supposed comfort zone is also connected to the transformation of this occupied space. This involves potential for something new, which might be more fulfilling than my well-known suffering. Still, at this point, it remains unknown. And this is scary. I think that this fear of the unknown is also linked to the fact that I consider myself to be a ‘creature of habit’ (I personally prefer the German expression Gewohnheitstier). This in turn is linked to a certain degree of laziness when it comes to taking another path than the one I know best. Although I do not like my coping strategies and seriously question their ‘functionality’, I have applied them countless times. They seem like an one-way street with hardly any junctions or alternative paths. Luckily, there are moments where I am able to Peace Thinkers - 27

put my blinkers aside and perceive other options. Sometimes, I even make the conscious decision to explore these unknown directions when I am not too lazy. My resistance, my fear and my laziness in relation to my wellknown suffering - all are aspects that are not easy to look at without judging them. I cannot deny that they cause a high level of frustration, exacerbated by the fact that I am aware of them and simultaneously feel stuck and unable to transform. Nevertheless, I believe that awareness is one of the keys to transformation. Thanks to the experiences made in the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck, I came to trust in myself and my process, even though it has its ups and downs. Why do I write about my struggles (instead of something less intimate)? I believe that my decision to share my personal struggles has two main reasons. On the one hand, I perceive writing as a useful tool to release my thoughts and to reflect on a different level about my inner turmoil. Sharing my story within the framework of this magazine, instead of writing in my diary, adds another dimension. Besides making myself vulnerable, I am able to acknowledge and look at myself in a more holistic manner than I usually do. Indeed, I gen-

My resistance, my fear and my laziness in relation to my well-known suffering - all are aspects that are not easy to look at without judging them.

All photos: © Theresa Gottschall

erally tend to divide myself and my actions between ‘good’ and ‘bad’, ‘strong’ and ‘weak’, to name but a few dualistic judgmental concepts. On the other hand, I hope to inspire you, the reader, to look at yourself. Is there something in your life that you want to let go of but still hold on to? Here, I mainly refer to repetitive thoughts, beliefs, relationships, habits, patterns, concepts - anything that you perceive to be hampering, as something ‘useless’ or as something which is not serving you anymore at this point of your life? If you detect something, I invite you to explore the possible reasons why it is still present in your life. Here, I am reminded of words frequently mentioned during my psychotherapy: schonunglose Ehrlichkeit, which can be translated into ‘unsparing honesty’. Looking at yourself with such honesty might not yet solve anything, but it is a step to become more aware of who you are. I relate healing to a holistic perception of oneself, where all aspects of the self are integrated and acknowledged. With this thought that I presented in my master thesis, I want to end this reflection. Looking at this idea at the present moment strengthens my conviction that becoming aware and acknowledging all aspects of oneself, including those which on the surface prevent one from letting go, is actually part of the healing process. I can wholeheartedly say that this process takes time, energy and courage, but I firmly believe that it is worth it. 28 - Many Peaces Magazine #6

STILLNESS AND SELF-DISCOVERY A JOURNEY WITH A TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY BY MAYME LEFURGEY

MAYME LEFURGEY (ST 12) is a Ph.D. Candidate at The University of Western Ontario and currently lives in New Brunswick, Canada. She is pursuing a collaborative degree in Women’s Studies & Feminist Research and Transitional Justice & Post-Conflict Reconstruction. Her dissertation explores yoga as a method of elicitive peacebuilding, specifically looking at community rehabilitation and conflict transformation efforts in post-conflict settings. Contact: mayme.lefurgey@manypeaces.org

t has been a struggle to find words necessary to adequately encapsulate the past nearly 2.5 years, a time of which in retrospection is both fragmented, foggy through the current lens in which I view it. As I sit reflecting, I am struck at how much has happened and how much I have grown, not through travel and lively exchange like in years past, but from slowing down— from staying, and standing still as the world around me not only doesn’t wait, but seems to spin faster than ever before. As a Ph.D. student from Canada, my life has formerly been defined by busy. Busy was my lifestyle, my state of being and the status quo of my daily planner. I twirled through my days of committee meetings, fundraising and awareness events, independent research projects, conferences and travel plans like a spinning top toy, seemingly effortlessly balanced in a state of inertia or constant motion. I thrived off of this routine, always looking to the next challenge, adventure or opportunity. But as the story goes, the spinning top doesn’t spin forever. Eventually it begins to waver, creating larger circles then slows gradually to its lopsided stillpoint. Alternatively, an outside force can interrupt the spinning top— leaving it brusquely unsettled as it topples to the ground. Peace Thinkers - 29

My concussion or, mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) happened get back the physical mobility I had lost, as well as to help with other as ungracefully as this sounds. While rushing from one activity to aspects of my injury such as vision challenges, memory issues, word the next, coupled with holiday bustle and a major writing deadline, finding and attention deficits. As time went on, I also went back to with great momentum my head thrashed into a cabinet, leaving me, yoga, learned to cook a few new dishes and took a transcendental spinning, toppling, banging. The impact caused pain to shot from meditation course. I began to seek out the ‘maybe laters’ that I was various areas of my head and neck; my vision draped in an out while once too busy for in my own self-care and self-discovery. sounds around me were suddenly unbearably loud. I was uncoordiI think most significantly, during this time I learned to re-connect nated, dizzy and confused yet largely to a body I seldom acknowledged. in denial of this, as I aimed to push A body that relentlessly shuﬄed through my symptoms for days and me through my life with little care weeks to follow. Even after a formal in return. I have developed a sense Even after a formal diagnosis, I diagnosis, I continued to push and of fascination for it, after growing continued to push and resist what my resist what my body needed and up within a culture that has always body needed and was in denial of my was in denial of my reality, resulting told me it is not good enough; not in becoming even more depleted. I thin enough, not beautiful enough, reality, resulting in becoming even asked for ‘just one more week’ for a body that needed more from capimore depleted. nearly three months at my part-time talism and more fixing to ever be acjob and had temporary solutions to cepted. I gradually began to marvel cover my committees and commitat it’s ability to heal, to rebalance— ments that slowly turned into resiggoing from being unable to stand on nations. Bit by bit, who I was and the things that defined me were one foot without holding onto a wall to a steady pose in a yoga class. swallowed by stillness. I embraced each thing my body re-learned with gratitude and along At this point, I was instructed to follow brain rest and spent weeks the way am learning to take care of myself and listen to my needs, for in the dark with a gradual reintegration to stimuli. Most activities the first time in as long as I can remember. caused pain to shrill through my head and basic tasks such as meal Today, it has been nearly 29 months since my injury. My symppreparation overwhelmed, confused and exhausted me. In addition toms remain most days, with frequent headaches, migraines and to daily headaches that escalated with any stimulation, I was unable a general fatigue and sense of brain fog, all common symptoms of to concentrate, irritable, emotional and had trouble finding words Post-Concussion Syndrome. I wear therapeutic glasses and still have to express myself. I was dizzy, had trouble reading, and felt unable many medical appointments. Life is anything but ordinary and my to fully process my physical surroundings— lacking the equilibrium mind is often plagued with the impending reality that there is no and coordination that once seemingly naturally moved me through way to know how when or if a full recovery is possible. The more years of activities such as dance and ice skating. time spins on, the further I sway from a life that defined me for so As once a very social person, loneliness and isolation followed long, a life defined by productivity. for months on end as spaces I frequented such as coffee shops were Amidst such uncertainty, I have also gained a deeper understandunbearable due to my brain’s inability to filter stimuli. I became a ing of what it means to be in the here and now—to be present in sedentary athlete, an ineffective, ‘unproductive’ graduate student, a my own life. I have found joy in life’s small offerings and have celecareful, cautious and, afraid adventurer. I was a busy person who brated moments I would not have previously defined by any meascould no longer do ‘busy.’ After havure of success. I have prioritized my ing my life rocked in this way, and relationships, including the one with after many months of resisting the myself. I have abundant gratitude for thought of my new reality, let alone the abilities I do have, the progress I I was a busy person acceptance of it, I gradually began am making and for the friends and who could no longer slowing down. family who are walking with me on Initially, my days consisted of this path with compassion and addo ‘busy.’ very little—a few household tasks, aptability. I’ve also felt humbled by possibly a medical appointment and others living with TBI whom I have a whole lot of rest. I spent time by met in rehabilitation groups and onmyself, but also with myself, which line who bravely share their stories, was an entirely new concept for me. I went for walks around my tips and resources and resiliently march on into their new lives. neighbourhood with sunglasses on and noise cancelling headphones. I walked slow and with intention. Eventually, I spent time What I’ve learned is that these connections, experiences and fraglistening to audiobooks, coloured mandalas and made short phone ments of life matter. If we rush through life, focusing too much on calls to friends. Pacing and planning my activities with a daybook what’s next or dwelling on past experiences, we miss them. All we and timer were necessary to manage my symptoms. I spent my have for certain is the here and now, this present moment. Oftentime juggling numerous health appointments and attending weekly times, things that appear to be negative on the surface are making group rehabilitation sessions for students living with the effects of space for new possibilities to emerge. It turns out, a lot can happen mTBI and concussion. I practiced various prescribed exercises to when standing still. 30 - Many Peaces Magazine #6

Â© Sabrina Fehres

Peace Thinkers - 31

HEALING PIECE BY PEACE I

blocked most of it out. Of my twenty month journey with cancer, I remember few details. There was a lot happening during that time; but what I remember vividly and often is the presence of my peace community. I’m not sure I would have survived that time without the support of the family I came to know and love during my studies. I was diagnosed just days before graduating from the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck.

BY JAIME TILSTON

JAIME TILSTON (WT 09/10, ST 10) studied peace and conflict studies at 3 international universities. She now resides in Canada where she works as a Gender Responsive Case Manager for adults returning from prison. She has recently been involved in the implementation of domestic violence services in Togo, and continues to volunteer as a nonviolence education facilitator in prisons in the U.S. and Canada. Contact: jaimetilston@gmail.com

32 - Many Peaces Magazine #6

My “Peace Family”, as I call my friends and schoolmates, was there with me every step, even from across the world. They provided tremendous support in many different ways. When I felt the pain was unbearable, a postcard would arrive from Switzerland, Kosovo or Dominican Republic and lift my spirits. A friend would skype into a doctor’s appointment, or simply sit on Skype while we both watched an episode of a bad sitcom and laugh, as if we were sharing a couch. During the week I was in isolation in the Intensive Care Unit, my nurses were shocked when a package arrived from India containing a pillow and pajamas. The doctors were standing outside my

room during their medical rounds talking about this strange package when my mom arrived. They told her no one here had ever received a package from India, and they were not sure what to do about it. They felt safest not allowing the “unsanitized” items in my room, but as my mom held up the items through the small window of the ICU door for me to see, I could feel the love just the same.

My medical team of scientists were not used to these non-traditional therapies. However, it didn’t take long for them to see that this international community of support and love was having a huge impact on my wellbeing. Soon, my doctors began to embrace it. I’ll never forget the afternoon of April 4, 2012, when I received my bone marrow transplant. My doctor completed the extraction of one litre of marrow from my sister Shannon’s hipbone. He brought in the bright red magical bag that, if all went well, would give me back my life. As he sat next to me, explaining the process that would follow, he noticed a small glass jar of notes on my bedside table. Because he now understood that I was integrating peaceful healing techniques with the western medicine provided at the hospital, he asked what was in the jar. I explained that a dear friend had sent me positive quotes to read on tough days. I was thrilled when he suggested that we read some quotes to the bag of marrow, so the positive energy would flow into every part of my body. This became a tradition before each blood transfusion. Although my doctor tried to be open to my wishes for natural healing, we had occasional disagreements. A year before being diagnosed, I was trained in Reiki. The way I understand and practice Reiki, one can heal by intention. By envisioning so completely and so genuinely for someone to be relieved of pain, and by sharing that positive energy directly with them, one can heal. When I first discussed a natural healing path with my doctor, providing reiki, shamanism, and eastern herbs as suggestions, he explained that while he believes these techniques are great as preventative therapy they would not provide the biological response my body needed. I was not happy with this response, but I was too exhausted and too weak to protest. After undergoing the necessary transplant, I defied the expectations of my medical team by not only surviving, but by thriving and living a very healthy life. I believe this is thanks to a perfect combination of science and love.

In our studies we learned to make things with genuine love by surrounding yourself with music and laughter as you worked to craft a meal, pouring in all your positive thoughts and love so the consumer could feel it in every bite. The support of these friends was like being surrounded by a large group of peace doctors who knew exactly which pokes and prods would bring good to the world and to my body.

I was thrilled when he suggested that we read some quotes to the bag of marrow, so the positive energy would flow into every part of my body. This became a tradition before each blood transfusion.

This was confirmed when two friends came to pamper me shortly after the transplant. They came equipped with nail polish, lotions, and healing crystals. All the buzz in my hospital room had been about “engrafting”, which is a sign of a successful transplant. We watched lab numbers for days, looking for an indication of acceptance of my sister’s cells. The peace ladies knew that with a little love and a sprinkle of peaceful healing, those cells could not resist. My doctor walked into my room as my friends were massaging Peace Thinkers - 33

me with healing crystals and dancing around while my favorite healing mantra played. He didn’t know what he had just walked into! Clearly, he’d never experienced the Five Rhythm dance we so loved in peace school! We explained that we are awakening the cells and promoting engraftment in the most healing way we knew. He laughed and said that if it worked, he should hire my friends to be part of the healing team! Amazingly the next day my labs spiked from .0 to .3, .4 and eventually 1.7 which allowed me to be discharged after 51 long days. Travel has always been a passion of mine. While confined in a hospital isolation room, I dreamt of traveling. Being told that I wouldn’t be able to travel for at least a year after the transplant devastated me. My doctor asked where I wanted to go and laughed when I said India or Burundi. I hung a picture of the Taj Mahal on my hospital wall and dreamt of adventures. Luckily, my peace friends and I had been trained in ‘spirit traveling’ during our time at the Native Spirit Camp as part of our MA program in Innsbruck. Soon enough I was taken to many places right from my hospital bed! (insert photo jtil_10) I’ll never forget watching the video a peace sister sent introducing me to her hometown of Addis Ababa on Good Friday. I heard the orchestra of car horns interrupted by

I was given a reason to smile and laugh every day.

a call to prayer and the clucks of wandering chickens, and watched the labourers singing on their way to work. I’ve never been to Ethiopia, but I know that when I do visit, I’ll recognize the sights and sounds I saw that day. Another friend surprised me by introducing me to her newborn baby girl all the way in Poland, while another announced her pregnancy from Chile and another sent audio of a classical music concert she attended in Spain. I was sent the healing powers of the Innsbruck Mountains I once called home, and the Colorado Rockies I have yet to see. I was given a reason to smile and laugh every day.

From water-colored postcards, pictures of backyard gardens at homes in Iran, France and Albania, peaceful Buddhist mantras, to Skype calls, quotes, and cookies shaped like peace signs, my peace family was with me throughout this difficult journey. Despite being confined to an isolation room for nearly two months, I was never alone. My medical team never quite understood the progress I made and the health I now enjoy, but they also didn’t know the power of this community. It is a peaceful force like no other. 34 - Many Peaces Magazine #6

BERNHARD STOLZ is a member of the Austrian Red Cross where he works as an instructor for first aid and advanced life support. As an amateur photographer he documents trainings and special events for the Red Cross Innsbruck. Contact: bernhard.stolz@roteskreuz-innsbruck.at

Ar ti st of t h e volu m e

Artist of the Volume â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Bernhard Stolz - 35

AN AID WORKER ON HEALING – AN INTERVIEW WITH DR. GERNOT GRÖMER INTERVIEWED BY ALEXA CUELLO

AN AID WORKER ON HEALING AN INTERVIEW WITH DR. GERNOT GRÖMER BY ALEXA CUELLO

GERNOT GRÖMER (1975) holds a M.A. in astronomy, a Ph.D. in astrobiology from the University of Innsbruck and he is currently the President of the Austrian Space Forum. However, for students and alumni of the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck, he is more familiar for his work with the Austrian Red Cross, where he has been training paramedics for twenty years and peace students for more than a decade.

36 - Many Peaces Magazine #6

Each semester, when Gernot appears at the beginning of the third modular period, it is a sign that soon the peace students would leave their laptops, their books and most importantly, their comfort zone. He has been one of the key actors in the development and transformation of the field training component of the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck. Therefore, one rainy morning of March I visited him at the Austrian Space Forum to know more about his perspective as an experienced aid worker and paramedic on healing, the main topic of this volume. Additionally, we talked about the transformation of the peace students’ training offered by the Red Cross along the years.

What is the first thing that comes into your mind when you think about healing? When I hear the word healing, I think I focus boldly on its somatic parts: when people have physical injuries and when they are healing those injuries. However, this encompasses both the physical aspect as well as the person’s attitude towards healing. I believe that healing is the result of an attitude, of how much the person wants to be healed and that means how much the person can take care of him or her-self accepting that he or she has been injured. The process of healing is a multiphase one I would say. On the one hand, an injured skin heals no matter what you do, except that you treat it very badly. On the other hand, there are certain injuries, from the medical perspective, for which you need an active participation of the patient to heal them. There is a specific rehabilitation process, for example, for a joint to move again and build muscles around, but there are also other long term consequences that need to be taken care of after a serious injury. If you had a traffic accident the healing part is much more complex than just the skin growing together again. An accident can change your brain structure and how you perceive pain because you have gone through an extraordinary event and you have experienced physically how your brain deals with danger for instance. I think, therefore, that healing starts already at the point before the actual action happens. Just as your immune system is trained to deal with threats, the way we are trained to deal with pain has an influence on the healing process as well. We [paramedics] talk about a phenomenon which we call cultural fear treatment and we also talk about it in the frame of the peace studies. Basically, we deal with pain in the way the healing tradition of our culture socializes it or treats it. That means, and there are many studies that back up this, that the amount of painkillers that a patient might need depends obviously on the kind of injury he has, but also on which culture he comes from. Every paramedic knows that if there is a patient from Scandinavia who had a ski accident and broke for example a leg, he needs less pain-killers than people from other cultures for instance. If the patient is wearing a uniform, like soldiers do, he needs less pain killers because a soldier is not supposed to cry or complain about his pain. So, as I see it, we start with the healing pro-

cess before the accident happens, with these mechanisms that are developed in us according to our attitude and culture. It is a matter of whom and what have made you the person you are and there isn’t too much control you can have about that. There are a few choices you can take as an individual on how much you accept an injury but this is overwhelmingly influenced by the way you have been socialized by your family, your past, your culture, your society. In what consist then the approach of the paramedics taking those elements into account?

I believe that healing is the result of an attitude, of how much the person wants to be healed and that means how much the person can take care of him or her-self accepting that he or she has been injured.

I think there are two dimensions of this. The first one is that knowing how dealing with pain depends on the culture you are coming from, we take everything seriously. However, we might have a prejudice in the back of our mind: “well, he is just a complaining and crying baby” with a particular person complaining about a small injury or so. Hence, we teach our staff to ‘swallow’ whatever prejudices that might emerge at that very moment. Instead, we try to think that we are living and working in the ‘here and now’ meaning that if a patient feels pain we do something about it, no matter if the injury should be painful or not. Normally, we use a pain scale, ranging from zero to ten. Zero is not pain; ten is the most unimaginable pain you ever had in your life. That is a subjective measure and the way we administer drugs to cope with the pain is depending mostly on that subjective perspective, but then it eradicates the cultural prejudice of the paramedic. There are as well objective measures that we can use as a measure to complement our assessment in a way but in the end pain though is generated at the place of the injury, is perceived and interpreted in the brain. Thus, many of our tools to treat pain do not work at the point of the injury but at the brain level. We understand that the physical pain caused by the injury is only one part of the story, so we are also looking at the psychological side meaning that, at certain point, we also know that giving a pain-killer is only one part of it. Also, providing a sense of security and safety, the sense of being as comfortable as we can offer and, sometimes, simple things as offering a blanket to a patient so he or she can cuddle into it are essential elements of our intervention. In other situations, we also reMany Peaces Interviews - 37

fer the patient to psychological support or to post-traumatic support. That is something we have learnt only I wouldn’t say recently but I would say within the last 10 or 20 years. There has been a paradigm shift in that sense, so 20 years ago, when I started to do this, it was ok to tell the patient to “just tough it out”. Now, we understand that is not the proper way. It is the easiest way but it is not the most efficient way in the healing process. For instance, one visible sign of this paradigm shift is related to how to deal when a person dies. When you have a close relative family member dying unexpectedly of a heart attack, the family is shocked and grieving. 20 years ago our first reaction would have been to offer pills to the close relative members, and I really mean it in the right way, to dump their emotions and overcome the first phase of the mourning. We discovered 15 years ago, that that is actually a bad idea, because you are taking away an important part of the mourning process by dumping or suppressing all those emotions and feelings. So nowadays, we tend to let them mourn as deeply as they want to and offer them support but not drugs any more, with some exceptions of course. We still have them in our arsenal for very rare cases in which we might need them but it is a very uncommon thing. In circumstances like that, there are a few things which I think are still valid that can help you to structure the grief. As strange as this might sound but of course it helps a lot if the person is spiritual or religious, because then they have their rules: for example open the window to let go the soul or cover the mirrors of the mourning house with some blankets or cloths like in my culture. When you are working with secular people, and someone just died, we need to start the digesting process right in the minute when we say “I’m sorry but your husband died.” Our first rule is to make clear to the relatives that the person is dead. This might sound very obvious and a simple thing to do but it is not. I experienced several cases where for example imagine a couple living together for 50 years and then he or she dies, we would tell to the person surviving her or his partner “we are sorry but we are stopping now the CPR, your husband is dead, we are sorry but he is dead now”. I have had cases where the partner would say “ok that’s a bad thing but would he be able to go to work tomorrow?” Therefore, to grasp the magnitude and the gravity of the situation, we need to speak in very clear 38 - Many Peaces Magazine #6

We try to think that we are living and working in the ‘here and now’ meaning that if a patient feels pain we do something about it, no matter if the injury should be painful or not.

words, no matter how hard it might be, but making it absolutely clear that this person is not going to stand up again, that she or he is dead. That is something you have to learn and train, because we tend to phrase it out in metaphors like “he’s not amongst us anymore” or “he’s gone to a place where we all will go some day” and that will not help the person, we need to say clearly: “this person is dead now”. At the beginning, when we started this changing process, there were many of these tough-it-out personalities among our paramedic staff. Many of them were thinking ‘oh this left extremist liberal approach!’ while others were thinking “I’ve been a paramedic for 30 years I don’t care about this sweet stuff ”. That has changed and there are reasons for that. The cultural awareness training is only one part of the training, we also include training elements that you can use at your advantage (as paramedic) to make your work more easily and more efficient. Let me give you an example; let’s start with one very strong stereotype we have here in Austria. We have let’s say a very large family and somebody gets injured and it is a very common thing that you arrive and you see 10 or 15 people who have been called before the ambulance has been called, because you first called the uncle if the grandpa has a heart attack and then you called your sister, and then they all arrived at the place, they are nervous and screaming, it’s chaos! In former times, these tough-it-out personalities among paramedics would have pushed them away screaming “everybody out of the room!” and it would have been a total disastrous situation. Nowadays, we teach our people that those families are surprisingly well structured. If you are able to identify the head of the family and if you gain that person as a partner, then you have an ally, and they can give clear commands to the rest of the family, if he or she says “get out of the room” then probably the family will do so. If the person says “carry the bags, move the table, make some space,” they will follow the commands and the important thing is that that person does not lose the faith because is still in control of the situation. So suddenly, he is your deputy and you can have 15 more assistants. Once you realize that, you can use this to your strategic advantage for the sick of the patient and once they accept that, the family realize they have a role and everything works better.

Did the training of a different audience like the peace students influenced that shift in the approach? Yes! First of all, it has certainly broadened my perspective, because there are so many countries and cultures involved in the training! Many more than we usually have in our everyday activities at the Red Cross. That is one part. The second part would be, something I really highly appreciate, that there is not only the willingness to learn and participate of the students but also that there are many natural talents among them to play the roles of patients within that frame. In that sense, that is a collateral benefit for us, I would say. It is not only a fun aspect, because the exercise is performed lively, but it is also our laboratory, where I can apply my magnified glasses, under very controlled conditions, where I am able to observe the people, their roles within a giving context and bringing their own culture. Therefore, I have to say I learn many things each time that then I can apply in my other teaching activities with young paramedics. How has the training to peace students evolved with the years? I imagine that the beginning was something very different from what it looks like now. When I was approached to hold the first courses more than a decade ago, it was for me like a luxury first aid course, because we had more resources than usual, and we were told to give to the students some privileges that in other courses attendants don’t have. Once I learned about the story behind the peace studies, which I didn’t know very well in the first courses, to be honest, our first reaction within the teachers group was “ok this is a rare thing” (laughs). It was not so much on our radar before, and it has some, I would say to be honest ‘esoteric connotations’ and an emergency management is anything but esoteric of course! You have blood pressure, numbers, drugs, procedures, all straightforward. So, back then, I chose to accept that and I said “well just let’s make the best out of it, because I like the people”. From the very beginning the people were very likeable and had a huge amount of social competences. Later in time, it took me like at least five or six years until I realized how much of a strategic approach was behind the didactic concept of the Peace Studies and why things needed to be done in a certain way. I also realized

I think the machinery that the people go through here from an educative point of view is really about learning how to stay operationally in time of crisis in a meaningful way.

that things are not given, but things need to evolve with time and then I reached the point when I said “ok, I’m choosing to take a role now in trying not to influence but trying to help evolving the course”. Therefore, the way we do the course now is very different from the way we did it many years ago obviously. I also accepted that the medical part, the bits and pieces of doing CPR are important elements because you need to know that but it is not the only important thing. That is the point when we realized that is also about staying structured, focused and balanced in a time of crisis, where people are screaming and there are lots of blood around you. I hope that barely anybody in the Peace Studies would have to be in situations like the ones we do for real. But I know that almost everybody from the course would not fall apart. I think the machinery that the people go through here from an educative point of view is really about learning how to stay operationally in time of crisis in a meaningful way. What would you like to see in the future regarding the field training? What I hope for the future is a stronger integration of the teaching elements of the field parts. We are now more in a sequential order, which make sense in a way. You start with the ‘easy part’ with the Red Cross and then you go to a more complex situation with the army. However, I could imagine that in the future, and I am not sure if it is going to be in five or ten years or never, but I would like to see a more flowing transition from one element to the other, where you don’t really see that you are switching from one organization to the other anymore. I would argue for a smoother transition in between the steps and a less compartmentalized work in the future.

ALEXA CUELLO (WT 13/14, ST 14) is based in Innsbruck, Austria. She holds a degree in Political Science and in November 2016, she graduated from the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck. In her thesis, she has explored the echoes of intergenerational trauma transmission after conflicts within families. Currently, she is collaborating with a local NGO called TIGRA documenting and analyzing discrimination and racism incidents in the state of Tyrol. Contact: alexacuello@gmail.com

Many Peaces Interviews - 39

BEING A ROLEPLAYER EXPERIENCING THE NATIVE CHALLENGE AS ALUMNI BY HANNE TJERSLAND AND AIMEERIM TURSALIEVA

he winter of 2017 was the 10th time alumni of the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck worked together with the Austrian Armed Forces in the Native Challenge (see fact box) to help create a unique learning experience for the current students of the MA Program. As two of this winter’s alumni roleplayers, we want to share our experiences and reflections regarding what it can mean to be alumni in the Native Challenge. It is clear that the word ‘roleplayer’ hides many aspects, since roleplaying is in the end only a small part of the overall experience. We therefore share our reflections to shed some light on this idea, broadening ‘roleplaying’ to include more of the responsibilities, challenges, experiences and qualities involved. 40 – Many Peaces Magazine #6

Aimeerim Tursalieva - MY native CHALLENGE! Being part of the roleplayer component was a very special experience since I was a student of the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck for only one semester. I experienced a new way of learning with its many hands-on activities outside the lecture room. When I entered the Native Challenge this winter, however, I could barely remember this army experience from my studies only the nice pictures on facebook, a lot of snow and some distant memories of squad internal tensions. The army week in the frame of the MA Program was left only as a white, thick fog in my mind! With this, I committed myself to participate in this winter’s Native Challenge as a roleplayer. Luckily, there was one week of preparation in Innsbruck before the actual Native Challenge started. This both challenging and productive week helped me to re-enter an army setting, getting to know and work within the ‘army discipline` again. I guess the ‘army discipline’ is much wider but for me it was about getting up at 5:30 for breakfast, having lunch at 11:30 sharp and eating dinner no later than at 16:00. During the preparation week, the alumni group was exposed to different activities such as operational planning, reactive roleplay as a facilitation tool and moulage (make-up simulations of wounds and injuries).

I come from Kyrgyzstan, in Central Asia (former Soviet UnAfter a few days working with the Austrian Armed Forces, I reion), which is a relatively ‘peaceful’ place where we never experi- alized that it might be a very different army from the one I used to enced direct war. As a child, my only ‘interaction’ with the army know from my Soviet WWII films. After some initial struggling, I came through watching Soviet movies about World War II every started to feel more comfortable in the army setting. I felt a lot of care year before May 9th (Victory Day). The Victory Day was and still is and I saw how everyone from the army always made sure that we, as celebrated widely all across the former Soviet Union. Those movies roleplayers, were well taken care of and had access to everything we were the only option to watch on national television at that time. As needed. It actually seemed that care was very much the key in this a child, in the village where I grew up, we used to roleplay games setting. We, the alumni team, also had our own processes of knowbased on those Soviet WWII movies. Since the soldiers in the moving each other better, identifying our own roles and responsibilities. ies spoke German, we would scream words such as “Schnell! Sch- It was not that easy to come together as one united team in order to nell!” (Fast! Fast!), “Hitler kaputt” (Hitler is dead) and “Hände hoch” run such operations which we were exposed to during Native Chal(Hands up!). We did not understand the meaning of the words, but lenge. We, as a group, had our own internal challenges to accept and we would scream them since it seemed important to give commands adapt to each other. Some of us had roleplayed already a few times, in German as it was played in the Soviet movies. During the prepa- while others did it for the first time. ration week, I kept the Soviet WWII movies in the back of my mind. The most creative and fun part of the Native Challenge happened Not surprisingly, it took me some time to understand how to work towards the end of the field training week. It was my first experience in an army setting again. of using roleplay as a facilitating tool and more generally the first The team from the Austrian Armed Forces tried their best to time I was in a facilitating role in such a setting. A very important help the alumni to understand what the roleplaying is about and aspect to know when you are a roleplayer is that you, as an alumwhat our working responsibilities were. The basic structure of the ni, are there to create a learning experience and hold the space for Native Challenge is created out of previous experiences and learn- the students. For me, it was not easy to be in the ‘double awareness’ ing points, which we, as alumni, mode required. When I roleplayed, I need to work with. From my first was sometimes too much occupied glimpse, it seemed that I would be with my role and lost the connecWe, the alumni team, also had our limited in this structure as I did not tion between the event, me and the own processes of knowing each other understand how to work and be crestudents. At one point, I fainted in better, identifying our own roles and ative within the ‘military structure’. the scenario because I needed to During the whole preparation week, rest and connect to my feelings, yet responsibilities. It was not that easy I was therefore silently struggling the students did of course read this to come together as one united team to understand how to bring in my as part of the actual scenario. Rolein order to run such operations which contribution. However, later I realplay facilitation is an art that needs ized there is a lot of space to create practice. At one point, when I was we were exposed to during Native and improvise also within this ‘set’ playing the role of a religious leadChallenge. structure. er, I could see it was very sensitive For the current students of the for many of the students. This made MA Program, the Native Challenge it even more interesting to be a rolasted one week. During the first two and a half days, the students leplayer, as I could reflect upon how and when it is useful to push received lectures and ran through different training activities. While students to emotional and cultural limits when you are facilitating. the students were experimenting with their gears and got introAll in all, I was amazed by all the effort, infrastructure, planduced to various security skills and tools, we, the alumni team, were ning and reflection from the Austrian Armed Forces that went into busy with designing the content of the field training exercise that creating this unique learning experience. At the same time, I saw covered the rest of the week. In this context, we were actively han- students, alumni roleplayers and program staff members working dling the website: updating information about the simulation games to make this possible as well. It was personally very challenging to and producing critical articles for further roleplaying. A big part of work in a military-civilian setting, yet I learned how different ‘strucbeing in the alumni roleplaying group was drafting incident sheets. tures and groups’ can find ways to work and create together. These sheets are important to guarantee that the whole chain of events runs smoothly and on time. It is a great skill to think strategiHanne Tjersland – The Roles of Facilitation cally and connect different events and activities in order to execute the main final scene. All in all, it was a lot of multitasking work for This winter was my sixth time participating in the Native Challenge. our team. While someone was drafting media articles, others were After my first three times as a student, I thought I could finally grasp busy roleplaying outside in the snow. One of the important aspects some of the background work involved. Yet, when I became an in our team work was keeping track on events, activities and keep alumni roleplayer, I realized I had only seen a very small glimpse of each other updated. This was especially true when the actual role- the overall picture. Now, three times into the roleplaying experience, playing started. There, we needed a structured ground to improvise I am still humbled by the immensity of work, but I have at least unand quickly change in the middle of the field training exercise heat. derstood there is a lot more going on here - on the ‘other’ side – than Some very familiar words come to mind: be structured in order to first meets the eye. be flexible (a common saying in the MA Program). During the preparation week of this winter’s Native Challenge, I The Innsbruck School of Peace Studies - 41

was asked to facilitate a reactive roleplay workshop for the new rol- experiences as a student and I want to offer the same possibility to eplaying team as I have a theatre background. This made me reflect future peace students as well. I see the Native Challenge as a unique upon what being an alumni role player actually means. It is quite dif- blend of military-civilian perspectives that creates a complex, emferent from my more ‘standard’ theatre experiences. Usually, I play a bodied, intense and valuable learning experience that is worth to more or less rehearsed role with co-actors who also know the script. keep fostering. As an end to these reflections, I invite you back into With this, we work together to communicate a shared message. In my complex being as I roleplay-facilitate one out of the many scenarios I held for students during this winter’s Native Challenge: the Native Challenge, this is different and certainly more complex. “I am late. There were a lot of things to coordinate before I could When I meet students as a reactive roleplayer, I alone (yet together with fellow roleplayers and trainers/team from the army’s side) have go. Timings and places and people involved. Who needs to be where, the full(er) picture of the situation we are in. It is therefore I who at what time, with what equipment and with what transportation! need to balance the different aspects to facilitate the learning goals. My head is full of details. Yet, I have to refocus. I need to re-enter the here and now. I am the ‘local busiThe students cannot be responsible nesswoman’ in the roleplay and my for any direction the scenarios take I see the Native Challenge as a unique goal as a facilitator in the scenario as they are not roleplaying like me. is to guide the students through a They are rather reacting as themblend of military-civilian perspectives hand-over-take-over of an old reselves through limited information that creates a complex, embodied, gional center in the simulation so they are given. I therefore need to intense and valuable learning that they can later learn how to set guide and be responsible for the up and open this center as part of scenario. It is a complex and chalexperience that is worth their UN mission. A simple scenarlenging task. to keep fostering. io, yet challenging enough. I quickly The alumni roleplay becomes go through the learning goals of the with this for me something more scenario in my head: what do I need to communicate, what would be than ‘just’ roleplaying. Rather, it is roleplay-as-facilitation: the art benefi cial if the students understand and what are absolute no-goes of facilitating through playing roles. Let me explain it: being an from the student’s side? Furthermore, how can I react to the no-goes alumni roleplayer means for me to hold a space for students to learn so the students learn? Well, the fi rst point is ‘easy’: the students need through playing the many roles necessary. These are both visible to understand the importance of having a contract, paying the agreed ‘character roles’ in the roleplay, as well as background roles of writmoney and doing a security check of the house. Still, it is more complex ing media articles, coordinating and creating scenarios, answering in ‘reality’. What if the students go a diff erent direction? Well, I have students through the UN New York mail, instructing recruits for different scenarios, applying moulage, creating information on the to jump into it. “Improvise!” as they so beautifully say. Then, I realize simulated UN webpage, coordinating and working with the army I haven’t even seen the house I am guiding the students through! How and of course, being immensely aware of the learning goals! What can I pretend to know a house I haven’t seen? I hope at least it is open. ties it all together are the lenses of being a facilitator. Everything I I have to put my faith in the larger coordination of the roleplay and do in the Native Challenge is influenced by this focus of providing a trust that the right people got the message about opening the house in best possible learning experience. It applies to everything from run- the end. Now, let’s start! In the beginning, the scenario goes more or less according to plan ning wildly creative with funny media articles to putting students into uncomfortable situations I do myself not enjoy acting out. It is (and also, the house is open!). However, I need to express quite some all done with this in mind: I learned a lot from my Native Challenge anger in my role to make the students understand the situation they Native Challenge The Native Challenge is a well-established cooperation between the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck and the Austrian Armed Forces. It is a one-week learning experience that is an integral part of every semester of the MA Program where students are trained in field-related aspects of peace and conflict work. The Austrian Armed Forces provides a learning frame by offering different lectures and hands-on training of field-related skills. The week ends with a 2-3 days simulation of a UN mission where students act as a UN field team in a simulated conflict area. Since summer 2012, alumni of the MA Program have worked together with the Austrian Armed Forces to provide additional civilian perspectives to the Native Challenge training. Alumni are in this context referred to as ‘roleplayers’ since they act

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as different characters in the simulated conflict. However, the alumni team is also an integral part of planning and coordination. Furthermore, the alumni component has gradually, in close cooperation with and with support from the Austrian Armed Forces, helped developed additional aspects to the simulation. Here can be mentioned a complex media landscape to mirror the conflict dynamics, and a UN simulated webpage where students can access cultural facts about the conflicting parties, the conflict area and the conflict history, as well as deliver reports and requests to the UN New York office as part of their training simulation. With this, alumni from the MA Program have become an integrated part of the Native Challenge training, working closely with the Austrian Armed Forces in a sophisticated civilian-military cooperation.

are in. Their main goal is to get the house I am showing them, not to ask an already angry and busy businesswoman (which I enthusiastically let them know I am through acting my role very impatiently) outof-the-context questions. The students however keep asking. It seems like my anger is not enough. I make a mental note to stress this aspect in the out-of-role feedback round afterwards (note: as far as possible, a feedback round with trainers and roleplayers are conducted with the students after each scenario to enhance the learning experience). Then, the student responsible for the UN mission security starts asking me tricky questions about some rooms that are locked in the house. I have no idea what to answer. I was not even aware that the rooms would be locked! I make up a story: there is some old office stuff in the rooms because the house used to be the old office of the local mayor in the simulation. The student, however, is not satisfied. I quickly cut off further questions by becoming increasingly angry, playing on the fact that my role wants to go back to business. Puh! Saved for this time. Still, I need to make a new mental note to include also this in the feedback round. I need to reassure the students that the rooms are locked due to out-of-the-roleplay reasons (I do not have the key!) and that they do not need to spend their energy focusing on them. At the same time, I want to communicate to the student who was asking me the questions that they were indeed good to ask from a security perspective. Hence, I start to compose a ‘feedback list’ in my mind as I continue showing the students around. In this way, I am reacting to and reflecting upon the one small learning situation after the other…” A Conclusion

What does it mean to be an alumni roleplayer? It is for sure a multifaceted and challenging experience that is both creative and fun, yet also involves a lot of work and challenges. It is a complex task of planning, coordinating, improvising and facilitating, which requires a lot of presence, flexibility, empathy and awareness. Last but not least, it is a combined military- civilian effort to work together to co-create a unique learning experience where students can learn something about themselves, others and the realities of peaces and conflicts. This is at least our experience as alumni roleplayers in this winter’s Native Challenge. HANNE TJERSLAND (ST 14, WT 14/15, ST 15), originally from Norway, currently lives in Innsbruck. She is interested in holistic, creative and embodied methods of peace work and is trained as both a theatre and yoga teacher in addition to completing the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck in summer 2016. Recently, she began the international teacher training in the conscious movement practice Open Floor. Contact: hanne_ht88@hotmail.com

AIMEERIM TURSALIEVA (WT 14/15) is from Kyrgyzstan. In addition to holding a Bachelor’s degree in sociology, she completed a training in sustainable environment. Currently, she is a MA candidate in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck. Since 2011, she has been researching about conflicts in the mineral extraction sector (gold mining) in Central Asia. Additionally, she is designing sustainable ecology trainings for distant villages in Kyrgyzstan, where gold mining activities are taking place. Contact: tursalieva@gmail.com

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CURREN T ST U DE N T

BACK TO LOVE INSIDE THE MIND OF A CURRENT STUDENT by Anna Stefan In the beginning of each of the three terms at Innsbruck before students set off to write our theses, I engaged in an online phase of around twelve weeks, during which students introduce themselves, discuss texts, and submit papers. For those students who are beginning their first and second term, a general topic is assigned for these papers we build up each fortnight, chapter by chapter. These weeks are a time for engaging in more traditional, theoretical academic work that can prepare me for the more practical activities that are offered in the presence phase once at Innsbruck. Logging into the online platform for the first module of the 2016/2017-winter term, I was eagerly anticipating the topic about which we, ‘second termers’, would write. As I write this, the online phase of my third term is already underway, and as this issue comes to print, I will be in Innsbruck for the final presence phase. Time is passing at a rate that is somewhat bewildering, and many transformations are happening with all the experiences shaping me throughout this program. In this article, I reflect on this past winter term, with the anchor of one little word. 44 – Many Peaces Magazine #6

I realized that love is an indispensable quality for ethical encounters and being in the world, beginning with myself.

All photos: © Anna Stefan

When I read that the topic to deal with in the online seminar was love, a feeling of resistance immediately boiled up inside. It was a voice saying: love? Really? Yuck. What more could I say about this topic that hasn’t already been said throughout the ages? A word so overused that it loses its meaning? For this online seminar, one I perceived to be very academic, I really struggled to treat love with an academic formality that felt authentic. Each fortnight, when I had to submit a new chapter towards what would eventually become our course paper for the term, I struggled between feeling totally pessimistic about love, and sounding totally naïve. By this vehement concern for clichés, actually, the joke was on me, by the end I found myself in a cliché of bitter confusion through postmodern doubt about romantic tropes, convinced by the manipulative potential in love rather than the healing potential. It had been an incredibly frustrating process being unable to find the words to express the significance of love for me. Those academic rituals in which I have usually felt very comfortable were totally insufficient for capturing something I perceived as so enormous. This was not a topic I could break down into taxonomy or argue about. Moments during the presence phase of winter term eased my frustrations about the inability to express this topic love, because so many of the methods we were introduced to included and then went beyond traditional academic work of reading and writing, into what I have experienced as a far more powerful realm of comprehension. A colleague giving me feedback on my paper about love said to me, “It sounds like you hate love, but you don’t want to just come out and say it!” She was right. I was angry that the meaning of love, so dear to me, was diminished, because I was seeing it everywhere (and nowhere). Rather than thinking about love in terms of a relationship such as romantic love, familial love, or platonic love, the topic began to open up more for me during Norbert Koppensteiner’s lectures on transrational peaces, one of the five peace families. In this class, we discussed the movement from postmodernity (the academic emergence and perspective of deconstruction, doubt, and differentiation) to look at differentiation and integration. We discussed energetic wholeness, Jungian psychoanalysis, humanistic psychology, poetry, embodied living, the difference between peace work and personal conflicts, and more. A brief introduction to Carl Rogers’ notion of unconditional positive regard and its relevance for peace work unstuck me from the mud of my postmodern doubts about love as a package sold to me in my Western culture. Instead, as an example of positive regard, I realized that love is an indispensable quality for ethical encounters and being in the world, beginning with myself. While during the online phase, I was merely thinking about love, I had now begun to intuit, feel and sense what love does mean for me, rather than simply, negatively, describe what it does not. Some weeks later in the term, after our practical training with the Austrian Red Cross and the infamous Native Challenge (‘challenge’ being quite the operative word!), I took a seminar called Healing Through Storytelling with Daniela Ingruber. In this seminar, we were free to do independent projects and use a rather wide range of approaches and methods. This brought me back to love. The trust placed in me by Daniela, to tell a story that felt scary and unconventional, further opened the space of how academic projects can look. In this class we learned about the special qualities of storytelling interviews. One of those is mirroring, an art of relationality that

The Innsbruck School of Peace Studies - 45

It was so beautiful and humbling to just see and be present for each of my partners’ experiences. Here was another step towards healing my attitude to love.

transcends the interviewer/interviewee interactional boundary and makes the ‘magic’ happen with trust and correspondence. I thought: there is love here. My project was in honor of a good friend who had recently died, or more accurately, it was in honor of our friendship. The process of putting together this story was incredibly challenging, but a very important step towards healing my attitude towards love because it reminded me that it is an open topic, and that my heart is still open. Following this workshop, I found another side of love in a holotropic breathwork seminar. ‘Holotropic,’ a term coined by Dr. Stanislav Grof for this breathing technique he developed, can be translated into ‘moving towards wholeness’ and is part of the field of transpersonal psychology oriented towards inner wisdom, healing and activating potentials. The breathing technique is performed in a controlled exercise with a partner, and people breathing have a wide range of experiences and expressions during their session. While the experience of breathing itself was deeply personal, I was not alone in this intense experience. For each of the two breathing sessions, participants were placed in pairs. One person would have the role of breathing, and one person was to witness. Simply to witness, and hold the space for the partner was an act of love within this context that involves my already mentioned aspects of unconditional positive regard, and mirroring. It was tough, at times, to resist the urge to intervene when the outward expression of the process looked painful, but equally it was so beautiful and humbling to just see and be present for each of my partners’ experiences. Here was another step towards healing my attitude to love, and the words of John Paul Lederach (2005) capture it: “Don’t just do something, stand there!” I am starting to learn to trust my stillness, because love is so often an invisible activity. After literally dancing through the final week in a seminar entitled The Self as (Re)source with Norbert Koppensteiner, using 5Rhythms dance and some theatre practices to accompany topics dealing closely with relationality (and sometimes love), the topic of ‘letting go’ was looming. ‘Do I have to?’ – Yes. There is love in letting go, as I see it. It is not a total loss, but like I can have an invisible rope made up of threads of connection, whose slack can be loosened so much that it might feel like the rope is weak, or gone, but some threads remain no matter what, as communication, as a transformed relationship, as memories, and the line that has been let go can be tightened in times of need. That which has been let go can be brought a little closer again, carefully so. Not clung to, rather felt elastically. Openness and elasticity are vital to my transformed attitude towards love in this last term, and I am starting to love the words to describe this process once more, trusting that this is much more than thinking, but feeling, intuiting and sensing towards wholeness and understanding.

All photos: © Sabrina Stein

ANNA STEFAN (ST 16, WT 16/17, ST 17) is a current student of the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck. She is continuing her studies after completing a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy at the University of Queensland. Originally from Australia, she now lives in Berlin. Meanwhile, she is developing her thesis, which involves aesthetics and integrative therapy. Anna is dancing any chance she gets.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS Theatre for Living Workshop with David Diamond “Rainbow of Desire and Cops in the Head”

Art of Hosting – Training in Innsbruck „How do we initiate positive change?“

Haus der Begegnung, Innsbruck

Sunday 3 September, 2pm - Thursday 7, 5:30 pm, 2017 €490 including lunch

Monday 23 October, 9am - Wednesday 25, 5pm, 2017 €350 for students (the training will be in German!)

Registration at: hdb.kurse@dibk.at

The five day Workshop engages deeply in the basics of Theatre for Living, which has grown from Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed. Participants will learn how to facilitate “Cops in the Head” and “Rainbow of Desire” and reflect on how this is applicable for their own work. “Cops in the Head” and “Rainbow of Desire” are two techniques that were developed by Augusto Boal which use the symbolic language of theatre to identify, analyze and respond to internalized forms of oppression. Internal voices, desires and also fears often shape and determine our decisions in daily life. What are the dynamics at play here?

RECLAIMING HOPE FROM A CULTURE OF FEAR – an intimate evening of theatre… without a play – Participants will have the opportunity to understand both the mechanics and philosophy of these powerful exercises. This workshop is for people who want to implement the techniques in their respective work context and disciplines such as education, peace and conflict transformation, community building, theatre pedagogy, drama therapy, politics, and social and political activism. In extraordinary financial circumstances there is the possibility to participate on a reduced fee. Contact: lena.m.drummer@gmail.com DAVID DIAMOND co-founded “Theatre for Living” (formerly known as Headlines Theatre) and lives in Vancouver (Canada). In the last 36 years David Diamond has facilitated Forum Theatre projects in Canada, the US, Australia, Namibia, Rawanda, Singapore, India and in many parts of Europe. He has received many cultural and human rights awards.

Das Intensivtraining für Menschen, die spüren, dass durch Miteinander mehr entsteht. – Ko-kreative Meetings gestalten und genießen – Bürgerbeteiligung und zivilgesellschaftl. Engagement befeuern – Unternehmen demokratisieren Jeder Art of Hosting-Prozess wird durch eine kraftvolle Frage ausgelöst und beflügelt. Die Frage für das Training im Oktober stellt die Rahmenbedingungen und Voraussetzungen für gute Veränderung in den Mittelpunkt. Sie werden erleben, wie wir anhand dieser Frage gemeinsam neue Ideen und Inspiration kreieren. So wird die Veränderung zur Chance für unsere (Zivil)Gesellschaft, unsere Organisationen und Teams, für unsere Demokratie und unsere Unternehmen. Was ist Art of Hosting? Art of Hosting ist die Kunst, Gastgeber/in für wirksame Gespräche zu sein und echte Partizipation zu ermöglichen. Im Art of Hosting geht es um eine Haltung, die auf das Potenzial der Vielen vertraut, sowie um Methoden, die Co-Intelligenz, Zusammenarbeit und Selbstorganisation fördern. Art of Hosting geht davon aus, dass wir bessere, tauglichere Lösungen für Herausforderungen finden und umsetzen können, wenn wir kooperieren, wenn wir unser Wissen und unsere Erfahrungen, unsere Träume und Hoffnungen miteinander teilen. So wird eine Kunst gemeinsamen Lernens etabliert, die uns neue Wege und innovative Lösungen zur wirksamen Zukunftsgestaltung unserer Betriebe und Organisationen, aber auch der Gesellschaft, ermöglicht. Anmeldung: bis Montag, 25. September per e-Mail unter hdb.kurse@dibk.at. Unterbringung: ist im Haus der Begegnung und in nächster Umgebung möglich. Reservieren Sie mit Ihrer Anmeldung.

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NEW MASTERS OF PEACE The Innsbruck School of Peace Studies Established in 2001, the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck was strongly inspired by the UNESCO’s famous Manifesto 2000, which proposed to turn the new millennium into a new beginning, an opportunity to change, all together, the culture of war and violence into a culture of peace and non-violence. The six corner stones of the Manifesto 2000 are: - Respect the life and dignity of each human being - Practise active non-violence - Share time and material resources - Defend freedom of expression and cultural diversity - Responsible consumer behaviour - New forms of solidarity.

LUÍS BRAVO (WT 14/15) lives in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. A criminal lawyer by training, he has been working as a circle process facilitator in penitentiaries, juvenile centers, communities, and with groups seeking to transformatively deal with conflicts. He is a faculty member of the Peace, Conflict, Mind and Awareness post-graduation program in Florianópolis, Brazil. His lecturing and research interests include the themes of Transrationality, Nonviolence and Restorative Justice. Contact: bravodebarros@gmail.com

RESTORATION AND TRANSFORMATION THROUGH MEANINGFULNESS A brief exploration of the intersections between Restorative Justice and Elicitive Conflict Transformation through the scope of Transrationality.

have dedicated my research effort to an inquiry around the prospect of transrational peaces out of justice. I start out of Wolfgang Dietrich’s exception on John Paul Lederach’s idea of Justpeace, to make my critical stance towards the Brazilian criminal justice system. Subsequently, I unfold the Elicitive Conflict Transformation possibilities through the Restorative Justice lenses, primarily based on the ideas of Howard Zehr. Interacting with the ideas of Zehr, Lederach, and Dietrich, I realized that they emphatically stress the relational aspect underlying the notions of justice, conflict and peace(s). That motivated me to explore human communication through the perspectives of authors from the fields of Biology and Psychology, in addition to that of Peace and Conflict Studies. The yearning for belonging and bonding out of our relational human condition led me to tease out a biocultural need for meaningfulness. A need, as I have concluded, that must be appreciated for the sake of conflict transformation. ***

This experience has been rewarding and fruitful as it has been an arduous work, on the psychological and physical level. Out of my own personal critical perspective on the criminal justice system, I twisted myself up, as I have open-heartedly dealt with my military family ancestry and with the historical contexts upon which the Brazilian nation-state has established its foundations. It was a very intense writing effort, especially as I have dedicated myself to it exclusively within a relatively short period of time in the seclusion of my home. At times, it felt as if the writing was done through me rather than by me. The bottom line is that all this soul searching of mine provided for healing out of the meanings I ended up constructing throughout the reflections I engaged myself with.

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ISABEL GUTIÉRREZ (ST 08, WT 08/09, ST 09) is passionate about finding ways to include transrational peace research in the arena of public policy. She organized with other fellow Mexican alumni of the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck the Peace Encounter 2016 that was held in Mexico City. Isabel lives in Mexico. Her thesis was supervised by Dr. Josefina Echavarría. Contact: isabelgutierrez@me.com

CARLOS GAUNA VARGAS (WT 14/15, ST 15, WT 15/16), born in Guadalajara, Mexico, is currently living in Vienna, Austria. Before starting the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck, he studied International Relations at the University of Guadalajara and worked on urban development and urban regulatory plans at the University of Guadalajara and the Consejo Estatal de Desarrollo Urbano del Estado de Jalisco, Mexico. He is a motivated individual, passionate about peace building, social and urban development, and communal work. His thesis was supervised by Birgit Allerstorfer. Contact: cgaunav@gmail.com

INVISIBLE CONFLICTS IN URBAN COMMUNITIES

CHANGING PERSPECTIVES:

A journey through my changing relationships

his thesis explores the existence of invisible conflicts as unconscious movements shaping my relationships with my urban communities. It is a journey of discovery and self-awareness which takes place in three different cities (Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, and Vienna) I call home. A journey of confronting preexisting ideas and of making the decision on whether or not to transform them throughout the process of making them visible. Invisible conflicts exist only as unaware energies with potential for transformation. Whenever they appear, they become a source of knowledge to be used. After that, they disappear. The process was developed as a self-explorative process using Elicitive Conflict Mapping as a tool that helped me traveling through the mist of themes, layers, and levels. ***

The project arose during my second semester (ST15) in the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck, when I discovered Theatre for Living and Elicitive Conflict Mapping. The first course showed me how to make visible the conflictive situations within communities. Whereas the latest taught me how to represent and to work with those conflicts. Both courses gave me hints on the importance of group dynamics in the process of transforming conflicts. A turning point of the project emerged out after doubting my ability and position as a facilitator in a conflict situation. I wondered: “who am I to dare to work with people’s conflicts whenever I have not worked on my own?” This question led me to use my personal process and story as sources of this thesis. Through it, I discovered my own path, one that can be used as an example to others who want and dare to work on their own conflictive situations and which made me understand my position as a facilitator instead of a guide.

Including Transrational Aspects in the Design of Public Education Policies

y research explores how to shift from a modern education pattern, based solely on rational aspects, to bring together the ethics and the aesthetics of peaces in the design of education policies and what benefits this change would imply. Through the tools of Dietrich’s transrational peaces, it is possible to accomplish a systemic change in our societies. In other words, when conflict transformation work is done with what Lederach calls a ‘critical mass’ of a community, such mass will transform the rest of the community (the system), since its members are interconnected through their familiar, social, or labor relationships, namely. One of the possible benefits of including Transrational aspects in education is that students reach an expanded intelligence and become critical citizens, building the cornerstones of truly democratic societies. ***

My experience in Innsbruck changed my understanding of education: I realized that education policies aimed towards a competitive labor market hardly take into consideration the multicultural array of my country, but instead diminish the knowledge of vernacular groups and deteriorate the social fabric of communities. I visited a Mazahua community where only women live, since men have to go Mexico City to work because their vernacular subsistence means were eradicated. My interviews with professors, public education officials, and a focus group I conducted with the Mazahuas made me feel reassured about how transrational aspects in the design and implementation of public education policies are gaining popularity, even though they are called differently.

The Innsbruck School of Peace Studies - 49

NEW MASTERS OF PEACE RANA HAROUN (WT 12/13, ST 13, WT 13/14) graduated from the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck in 2015. Since her graduation, she has been working in the U.S., coaching high school students from all walks of life with developing the skills and knowledge necessary to successfully plan their academic and professional future. Her thesis was supervised by Winfried Wagner. Contact: rana.haroun90@gmail.com

The Innsbruck School of Peace Studies The program took the Manifesto 2000 as an argument to gather faculty and students from all around the world to fill these points permanently with new life, to explore our planetary understanding of peace and conflict transformation. From there we concluded that there are as many peaces in the world as there are human perceptions and that the challenge for an academic program is to analyse the relation between these myriads of interpretations, evaluate their predominantly harmonious flow and find ways of transforming the sometimes competing interests. Thereof resulted a Call for Many Peaces, formulating the specific character of this program. Gradually we developed a systematic understanding of different forms of peace. According to our findings the main “families” of peace interpretations are - energetic peaces - moral peaces - modern peaces - postmodern peaces - transrational peaces

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THE EMBODIMENT OF NONVIOLENT COMMUNICATION PRINCIPLES IN AIKIDO An elicitive approach to conflict transformation

y thesis is the result of a research in which I thoroughly investigate the philosophical relationship between Nonviolent Communication and aikido. Systemically anchoring my arguments in the elicitive conflict transformation approach, I start by analyzing the roots of Nonviolent Communication as developed by Marshall Rosenberg. I continue by describing the Japanese art of aikido, specifically its historical origins and its spiritual roots, focusing on Shinto, Shingon Buddhism and the Omoto Kyo sect. Finally, I present the philosophical amalgam of Nonviolent Communication and aikido as seen from a practitioner’s point of view. In fact, I build my arguments upon my practice of the Art of Peace, and I methodologically bring the verbal and nonverbal aspects of nonviolence together in order to create a holistic understanding of elicitive conflict transformation, which I call Aiki-NVC. This thesis has been published by LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing as a book, titled The Embodiment of Nonviolent Communication Principles in Aikido: an elicitive approach to conflict transformation. ***

My journey in the MA Program in Peace Studies encouraged me to keep looking inside myself for knowledge, in addition to deepening my theoretical understanding of the topic. For this reason, I chose embodied writing, as developed by Rosemarie Anderson, to be the principal methodology of my research. My experiences practicing aikido, meditating and applying the embodied writing methodology generated the insights on which I built and developed Aiki-NVC. Until this day, I practice Aiki-NVC as I foster the qualities of empathy, sincerity, gratitude and making requests, while being rooted in the here and now.

MARIAN HASSAN (WT 14/15) is a Somali Peace and Women’s empowerment activist in her country. She had worked in the field of peacebuilding, research, mixed migration and gender. She closely worked with host communities, refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) within east Africa. Her work mainly focused on conflict mapping, protection, advocacy and provision of livelihoods. She co-researched Pillars of Peace Somali Program. Contact: ayaanazhari@gmail.com

VINZENZ LÜPS (WT 09/10. ST 10, WT 10/11) is living in Bavaria/Germany where he teaches transformational communication based on the study of sacred dialogue and intersubjective meditation. He has been organizing the peace-festival Impulsee since 2012 and he started the Surf and Meditate Retreat in Portugal. From 2000-2007 he was a professional snowboarder and european champion in halfpipe. Wolfgang Dietrich supervised his thesis.

THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN CLAN CONFLICT MEDIATION

RELATIONAL EMBODIMENT

Women’s peacebuilding initiatives and success stories in Puntland

Aesthetic integration of immanent being and transcendent self – my way into dialogue and the participatory spirituality of Martin Buber

he academic purpose of writing my thesis is to shed light on some of the success stories of Somali women when it comes to conflict mediation. In the discussion of peacebuilding and conflict mediation in the Somali context, the first thing that usually comes to mind is the role of the ‘traditional elders,’ which has also been expressed in many policy papers. More specifically, the emphasis is put on the fact that they are a strong pillar within the society. In my thesis, I present another picture that includes the work of the traditional elders and the role played by the traditional mechanism of conflict mediation (i.e. the customary law), while highlighting the tremendous work of Somali women peace activists. Although the main research question focuses on how Somali women participate in the ongoing peacebuilding and clan conflict mediation, it was necessary for me to expand the topic and discuss the role of customary law, kinship and the construction of the Somali clan system in order to give the readers an overview of the dynamics of change within the Somali society and how all these factors impacted (both positively and negatively) peacebuilding, politics and gender roles within the society.

y thesis highlights my personal process of inner development grounded in transrational and transpersonal theory. I start with my love for language and meaning. I discuss my experience with transrational Peaces, integral theory, aesthetics, subtle and causal dimensions of dialogue. Finally, everything culminates in Martin Buber’s second person spirituality. Buber advocates for a deeper encounter than anything I found in transrational or integral theory and he integrates transcendence and immanence. My core motivation to choose the Jewish-German philosopher Martin Buber as a guiding star is because of the existential wounding between human beings. I believe that the art of relating in Buber’s work is the kind of medicine that is strong enough to fully heal the core-wounding of the human kind. Thus, this thesis gave me the opportunity to study a universal way of relating. It is the art of dialogue and relationship. It is the mystery of what and who appears in between us when we open up to what has always been. Sacred dialogue is an existential sense of relating and relation.

***

Writing this thesis was my dear and heartfelt project. It took me 5 years and about 3 restarts to finally get through to what satisfied me and my advisor. On the one hand, I frequently got lost in details. On the other hand, I was facing harsh critique from my patient advising professor who read and commented all my rewritings. That professional attention was intense to face and a huge gift to me and my personal process. I was at times frustrated and far away from my professor’s way of seeing and framing the transrational mind. It was no easy task for either of us. Yet, the friction turned out to be fruitful, hopefully for both of us.

Diving into the thesis, conducting the interviews and doing the analysis reminded me how fulfilling life was when I was working in the field, no matter how dangerous it was. It gave me a lot of self reflection on many topics. But it was really challenging for me to discuss such a wide topic in such concise pages. In the Somali context, we cannot only discuss the political dynamics or specific gender roles without first presenting an overview picture of the clan dynamics, the civil war and the use of customary law since they all have direct effect in everyday life activities.

***

The Innsbruck School of Peace Studies - 51

NEW MASTERS OF PEACE The Innsbruck School of Peace Studies

SHEHAB MEKKY (WT 13/14, ST 14, ST 16) was born and raised in Cairo, Egypt. He studied Pharmaceutical Sciences in Cairo and International Relations in Tallinn, Estonia. He worked as a humanitarian worker for the International Committee of the Red Cross. He is interested in topics of humanitarian diplomacy and currently working as a diplomat at the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His thesis was supervised by Dr. Daniela Ingruber. Contact: shehab.mekky@gmail.com

According to the four leading principles of the program, scientificity, inter-culturality, inter-disciplinarity and orientation on practical experience we try to transgress the limits of conventional modern and postmodern schools of peace studies, which are abundant all around the world. In addition to a first class academic education of the network in Peace Studies the Innsbruck program offers a special field training component designed to integrate academic excellence with the skills required in real conflict situations. Students have to be prepared for the adventure of a very holistic – physical, emotional and intellectual - exploration of themselves, their society and in more general terms of the whole world. Transrational peaces, as defined in this program, twist the division between subject and object; they go beyond the conventional limits of reason; they are not only rational but also relational; they start the search for peace with the deconstruction of the observer’s identity; they apply all the methods of conventional peace studies and go much further. Thereof derives a unique curriculum and the world’s most challenging academic training program for peace workers.

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WHY DO HUMANITARIAN WORKERS LEAVE TO THE FIELD? Challenges, Motives and Realities

n this thesis, I listen carefully to the experience of humanitarian workers whom I met and worked with as colleagues or friends. I explore several questions: why do humanitarian workers choose this line of profession, which very often implies taking high risks? How do aid workers feel? In addition to altruism, what is their motivation based on? How does this job impact them and their families? I introduce the readers to the notion of humanitarianism, as well as its history, challenges and prospects. Then, I discuss the possible motives that could drive many aid workers to choose this line of work. Later, I explore the other side of the coin, a side that includes some of the possible drawbacks linked with the nature of this job. I aim to cover some of the aspects that could impact the life of humanitarian workers during and after their missions in the field. Some of my chapters in the thesis have pictures of people, places, and important events that reflect different moments and experiences. It is a contribution to the storytelling process and to ensure an engaging turn with the readers. ***

Since my second semester in the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck, I was already thinking about which topic to research. I wanted to write a thesis that conveys a purely and deep personal experience yet at the same time respecting and meeting the academic requirements. Researching intangible and subjective notions, such as the motivation of humanitarian workers, was an overwhelming experience. The humanitarian work is a realm of motives, dreams, personal stories, hopes, laughs and tears. I am eternally grateful for the experience to have worked as a humanitarian worker. I kept it as a living force, a tool for a living a good life and for making a change I always sought.

SIMON MOHN (ST 14, WT 14/15, ST 15) is from Germany and currently lives in Berlin. As an undergraduate, he studied political sciences and sociology. He is a involved in building up the organization Many Peaces Collective, an organization inspired by the Innsbruck School of Peace Studies that organizes different workshops (Peace Elicits) that offer transformative work as suggested and taught at the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck. He is also interested in the facilitation of various elicitive methods. His thesis was supervised by Norbert Koppensteiner. Contact: s.mohn@posteo.net

ADRIANA VICTORIA MERA SOTELO (ST 14, WT 14/15, ST 15) was born in Bogota, Colombia, studied Political Science, Do No Harm and peace building. She worked in the field of conflict, development and peacebuilding in Colombia for fifteen years. Nowadays, she is working in postconflict process in different regions of Colombia as part of international cooperation efforts. She is interested in peace processes with social communities and alternative ways for building peace. Her thesis was supervised by Norbert Koppensteiner. Contact: sotelito24@gmail.com

THE POWER OF SILENCE

THE FOSTERING OF LOVE

as a Medium for Transforming Conflicts

An attempt to relate differently

his thesis is a personal reflection about the relation between silence and peaces. Taking as starting point my social and cultural context, the analysis focuses on the perspective of conflict transformation to make way for the study of silence from the perspectives of energetic, moral, modern and postmodern peaces, complemented with different authors who understand silence within a transrational perspective. With those theoretical inputs, I show different methods in which silence serves as a catalyst and element for transforming conflicts, such as active listening, meditation (with a special focus on vipassana), mindfulness and yoga techniques. Regarding the practice of silence for the transformation of social conflicts, I describe the impact of silence within the dynamics of the Colombian conflict and the role of silence in the artistic expressions of dancing and theater. ***

I began my journey during my first term, after my experience in the Native Spirit where I had the opportunity to practice meditation in the middle of nature. The idea to be with myself was the light that illuminated my path through writing my thesis. Silence and I have had an interesting relation through my life. It has been a witness to my private moments, some of them distinguished by happiness and others by sadness, but silence has always been my accomplice. The awareness of my relationship with silence was precisely the starting point of my master’s thesis. Silence went from being an accomplice to an inspiration, an inspiration for writing.

onfronted by purposive and distanced relating brought by modernity, my thesis is motivated by finding means to foster warm and heartfelt relating. The research unfolds as an exploration of love in relation to other people, oneself and the world as a whole. Converging Eastern and Western notions of love, I infer that love can only be actualized in the here and now. Empathetic, congruent, respectful and caring attitudes are but one aspect of love. The other, more active aspect, refers to free and non-binding giving. Therefore, I focus on two questions: How to transform old and inhibiting beliefs and patterns in order to live in the here and now? And secondly, how can free giving be practiced? I narrow down both questions to the exemplary methodologies ‘Clarity Process’ and ‘Nonviolent Communication’. ***

The whole process took me roughly two years and during this time, I transformed myself on many levels. Since I tried to apply the conceptual content as well as the presented methodology to my own life, I went through an intense process of fostering love by myself. Coming from a personal place where getting external approval was highly important in my ways of relating to strangers and friends alike, these tendencies decreased in their importance due to the transformational practices. I was increasingly apt to have spontaneous and beautiful moments of loving relation. The relation to myself changed towards a better awareness of my own needs and boundaries. It was a highly rewarding journey I would not have wanted to miss in my life.

The Innsbruck School of Peace Studies - 53

NEW MASTERS OF PEACE Native Challenge The Native Challenge is a well-established cooperation between the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck and the Austrian Armed Forces. It is a one-week learning experience that is an integral part of every semester of the MA Program where students are trained in field-related aspects of peace and conflict work. The Austrian Armed Forces provides a learning frame by offering different lectures and handson training of field-related skills. The week ends with a 2-3 days simulation of a UN mission where students act as a UN field team in a simulated conflict area. Since summer 2012, alumni of the MA Program have worked together with the Austrian Armed Forces to provide additional civilian perspectives to the Native Challenge training. Alumni are in this context referred to as ‘roleplayers’ since they act as different characters in the simulated conflict. However, the alumni team is also an integral part of planning and coordination. Furthermore, the alumni component has gradually, in close cooperation with and with support from the Austrian Armed Forces, helped developed additional aspects to the simulation (see also page 40).

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SIMON PRATAP (WT 11/12, ST 12, WT 12/13) works as a Project coordinator/project writer with the Don Bosco Organisation in India which implements social development initiatives for marginalised women, children and youth across the Indian subcontinent. Contact: simonpratap@gmail.com

HINDU AND MUSLIM: without the ‘U’ and ‘I’

his thesis explores the social reality around communal violence in the city of Varanasi in India and attempts to understand the historical and social narratives that form the divisive Hindu-Muslim identities which have on many occasions led to extreme forms of violence. I borrow ideas from prevalent social movements like Bhakti and Sufism along with various contemporary philosophers to point out an alternative outlook to the religion based divisions in Varanasi. The thesis goes on to suggest the possibility that as members of the same species, we humans, can relate to each other on a more fundamental level, beyond socially constructed, religion based identities. ***

This thesis originated at an interesting juncture, a phase where I was re-evaluating and questioning my own ideas and believes. It was in the backdrop of this process that I began to investigate into the idea of religion based identities and how they can result in violence, which is arguably a case of communal violence. I realized that we often tend to classify violence into various subcategories like communal violence, gender-based violence, domestic violence and then attempt to address each subcategory of violence separately. In doing so, we can never really address violence. What seems to be needed is to approach violence as violence, as a whole, as one phenomenon. And if that can be done, violence in all its subcategories will automatically be addressed. This insight pushed me further away from dividing violence into subcategories and brought me closer to examining violence as a comprehensive phenomenon that takes place in each individual and has various forms of outward expression.

SABRINA REBECCA STEIN (WT 13/14, WT 14/15, ST 15) is a wilderness teacher and has worked in organizational change management. Currently, she is the program assistant of the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck. She co-creates and co-facilitates workshops in that field. Sabrina is interested in dance practices and in her third year of training in becoming a vision quest guide, accompanying the rites of passage in the wilderness. Contact: Sabrina_Stein@uibk.ac.at

ELA ROWEK (WT 14/15, ST 15, WT 15/16) is currently living in Innsbruck, the geographical middle between her German/Hungarian origins. At the bottom of Innsbruck’s mountains, she has found the rooted atmosphere, nourishing community and 5 rhythm sessions that helped her to focus on her thesis throughout the last year. She works for the YoungCaritas in Innsbruck as a facilitator for workshops at schools on the topic of how to deal with conflicts more beneficially for others and oneself.

TRANSFORMING POLARIZED CONFLICTS

DEATH: THE ONE AND THE MANY

Exploring Liminal Spaces of Empathic Encounter in the Current Refugee Situation in Europe

aving perceived a strong and potentially violent polarization in regards to the current refugee situation in Europe, I was wondering about facilitation methods that are embedded in a transrational and elicitive spirit to work with large groups of people, with and without a refugee or migration background, who would usually not encounter each other due to their controversial and, at times, even hostilely opposing perspectives. In the course of my research, I got deeply inspired by an approach called ´worldwork´, which was developed by Arnold and Amy Mindell. It is the application of so called ´processwork´ to work with large groups on conflicts. Processwork is a bootstrap approach that is embedded in a Taoist worldview and was influenced by Jungian psychology, Carl Rogers’ unconditional support for the individual, the transpersonal concentration on the divine as well as the system principles that are found in economics, politics and physics. The empirical part of my thesis focuses on an Open Forum in Zurich, Switzerland facilitated with the paradigm of worldwork. Next to worldwork as an example of an interpersonal and transpersonal liminal space of encounter, a sub-guiding question in my thesis has been the quest for what I name inner liminal spaces of encounter, which can support the cultivation of William Ury´s Inner Third Side. ***

This research has been feeling like an intensive meditation retreat that has confronted me with my shadows and my lights. The strong call I have felt to engage with this topic kept me walking the path of this journey even in moments when I would have loved to escape it and swim back to the top of the iceberg. I can say that it has been truly unfolding my capacity of holding conflictive perspectives internally and relationally.

Teachers of Life’s Wild Nature

his research is a journey through the unknown and wild intimate nature of death and dying in its many expressions. The quest aims to find an understanding of and guidance through its partly overwhelmingly transformative processes that change a person’s identity, for instance, after a traumatic experience. The study was set out to explore this field in order to raise awareness on the wild intimate nature that inherently exists in such dying processes and within us. It integrates nature-based understandings of rituals and storytelling. The research provides as well a frame, insights and a first guidance for peace and conflict workers and students of that field on how one can cooperate with, rather than to deny or control such transitions. ***

I personally met death throughout my thesis journey in different forms: in letting go of many ideas and expectations I had before writing the thesis and in lost and untraceable references. I met death in sleepless nights after returning home from working in a refugee camp. I faced the death of my grandfather and the ending of relationships I had with close people. In all this, I died several times. I could feel the grief, sorrow and pain of being connected and able to love. Grief taught me to see and feel the love we have for life. I found myself leaving the identity of being a student behind and entering the unknown of being a Master of Peace. It implies dancing the rhythms of death with life, to stay curious when finding new truths, stepping into the unknown, creating new stories and, for most, trusting our inner nature to move us also through challenging transformations.

The Innsbruck School of Peace Studies - 55

NEW MASTERS OF PEACE DANIELA VALDIVIA (ST 15) is a Bolivian peaceworker. She is the founder and director of a non-profit organization that has been developing projects of violence prevention since 2011, raising the awareness of thousands of families and training them on how to prevent or stop episodes of violence since early childhood. She is also a lecturer of gender-based violence in private and public universities and institutions that work on the topic, aiming to transform chauvinism by fostering new masculinities. Contact: damauvaldivia@hotmail.com

MADELEINE WHALEN (ST 14) started her MA Program in Peace Studies at the Universitat Jaume I in Castellón de la Plana, Spain. After her summer semester in Innsbruck (ST 14), she went on to write her thesis with a focus on conflict transformation through community-based theatre. She is currently living in Fredericton, Canada, where she works with the New Brunswick Multicultural Council. She also facilitates Theatre for Living workshops, for various community groups who are interested in exploring and sharing their own stories through theatre. Contact: maddy.whalen@gmail.com

LET’S END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN!

FACILITATING DIALOGUE AND EMPATHIC LISTENING IN INTERCULTURAL CONTEXTS:

Sincerely: the men

Theatre for Living as an Elicitive Approach

y thesis has been lead by a desperate need of discovering effective ways to abolish violence against women, particularly in Cochabamba, Bolivia, as the country leads the rates of femicides in Latin America. This exploration began with the study of the historical events that have shaped the chauvinism in Cochabamba and its evolution with cultural, political and social connotations. This information has been analyzed under the lenses of the holistic and transrational approaches, resulting in a new perspective on the problem that allows us to formulate new postures to face gender-based violence including all the stakeholders, promoting a change of paradigm and fostering the ownership of men in this issue and their leadership to transform it. ***

y thesis investigates the following research question: how can Theatre for Living (TfL) and the process of improvisation be used to facilitate empathic communication in intercultural contexts? I explore this question through the lenses of transrational philosophy, particularly transpersonal psychology, and combine these with a postcolonial gender/power perspective. While maintaining a critical inquiry into questions of identity, difference, and belonging in the Canadian context, the thesis explores the improvisational aspects at play in TfL, for instance: active listening, intuition, authenticity, vulnerability and curiosity. I ask: how do these elicit a critical awareness of identities, self-other relationships, and ultimately nurture trust, empathic communication, and a willingness to struggle with contradictions and uncertainty? ***

The process of researching and writing my thesis has been a unique experience because I am very close to the subject both as a victim and practitioner. Nevertheless, the more I studied the issue, the more disappointed I became. It was not easy to unlock the fact that the society where I belong to has normalized violence against women. It is unbelievable to me to see that women die every week in hands of their own husbands, boyfriends, partners or exes, and even more astounding that people do nothing to avoid such crimes. What I gained in that journey is that even though everyone’s mindset is against mine. If I have an ideal and my heart says that it is correct, I must carry on and never betray myself by giving up. Hence, I encourage you to keep on pursuing your dreams and following your passion.

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Living between and within different cultures in my personal sphere of relationships and through my experience working with immigrants to Canada in a francophone minority context, I often faced the complexities of balancing different paradoxes. These include the needs for cultural preservation and openness to change as well as integrating perspectives to form unity while sustaining unique differences. These paradoxes among others are common in cosmopolitan contexts that value diversity and inclusion yet, simultaneously, feel as though there is a central aspect of cultural identity at threat in maintaining these values. Through this research process, I became motivated to explore these issues through TfL with immigrant, refugee and First Nations youth in my hometown.

ÂŠ Bernhard Stolz

Artist of the Volume â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Bernhard Stolz - 57

r is ou resato Theid e h t br geProgram MA Also for the next volume, we would like to open the floor for alumni, students, faculty and peace facilitators to contribute to the magazine. We would very much like to see you engaged in any way you think is possible and feel passionate about. If this resonates with you â&#x20AC;&#x201C; please reach out to us. If a revolutionary moment shakes up the status quo and opens new spaces to do things differently we very much need you as editors, networkers, fundraisers and storytellers to contribute to that transformation as such. The vision for our new Many Peaces Magazine team structure is that all people involved facilitate a certain section of the magazine with a team of coordinators in the center who moderate the content, layout and overall logistics. In case you feel drawn to work on the intersections or simply want to share your ideas and passions please contact us via magazine@manypeaces.org to contribute as an editor, proofreader, article contributor or get involved with fundraising and magazine promotion!

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What do YOU wanna do? 58 - Many Peaces Magazine #6

a Aleevxiaewising R Editor

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Manon takes car of the overalle lo gistics

Call for Contributions isinag Vlavdiew ReEditor

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Mayme coord inates the editorial process

Appendix - 59

THE EDITORIAL TEAM COORDINATION – EDITORIAL MAYME LEFURGEY (ST 12) is a Ph.D. Candidate at The University of Western Ontario and currently lives in New Brunswick, Canada. She is pursuing a collaborative degree in Women’s Studies & Feminist Research and Transitional Justice & Post-Conflict Reconstruction. Her dissertation explores yoga as a method of elicitive peacebuilding, specifically looking at community rehabilitation and conflict transformation efforts in post-conflict settings. Contact: mayme.lefurgey@manypeaces.org

COORDINATION – FINANCE & LOGISTICS MANON ROELEVELD (WT 12/13, ST 13, WT 13/14) graduated in summer 2015 from the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck. Currently based in Vienna, she worked at the International Peace Institute, has volunteered with Don Bosco in the refugee camp Traiskirchen and with PROSA, organizing workshops with and for refugees. Additionally, she worked with a start up NGO known as Switxboard which focuses on the development of different projects related to refugees. Since May 2016 she is working as a doctoral program coordinator at the University of Vienna. Contact: manon.roeleveld@manypeaces.org

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COORDINATION – ART PAUL LAUER is based in Vienna and works as a junior researcher at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research Leipzig. He is an external lecturer at the Institute of Environmental System Science in Graz and facilitates seminars on team building and conflict transformation. His research interests are focused on intrapersonal conflicts linked to social ecology. Contact: paul.lauer@manypeaces.org

COORDINATION – MA PROGRAM THERESA GOTTSCHALL (WT 13/14, ST 14, WT 14/15) graduated in summer 2016 from the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck. After finishing a Yoga Teacher Training Course in March 2016 in India and a training course in dance and expression pedagogy in November 2016, she currently takes part in the basic TaKeTiNa rhythm teacher training led by Reinhard Flatischler, the founder of this method. Additionally, she continues her academic career as a PhD student at the Universitat Jaume I. Her research focuses on the significance of TaKeTiNa as a method in peace and conflict work. Being a passionate traveler, she is currently based in Innsbruck. Contact: theresa.gottschall@manypeaces.org

REVIEWING EDITORS SHIBANI PANDYA (ST 12, WT 12/13, ST 13) was born and brought up in Mumbai, India, and is currently working at a crisis shelter for women experiencing domestic abuse in Singapore. She is passionate about promoting gender equality and combating rape culture. Her thesis explored the connection between rape culture and mythology, which she then further explored with the Singaporean community through her work at UN Women. She welcomes any other opportunities to redefine dominant cultural narratives that promote inequality. Contact: shibanipandya@gmail.com

VLAD TOMA (WT 13/14, ST 14, WT 14/15) is a graduate of the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck. His passion lies in exploring consciousness and he is currently organizing the setup of a multi-disciplinary academic retreat centre in Nicaragua. Vladâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thesis was centred on Mindfulness, Buddhism and the Perception of Reality. Vlad is based in Toronto, Canada, where he teaches tourism management and researches the evolution of socio-economic systems. Contact: vlad.toma@alumni.utoronto.ca

ISABELLE GUIBERT (ST 12, WT 12/13, ST 13) is a traveller and a lecturer based in Innsbruck. She teaches languages (French, Spanish); peace and elicitive conflict transformation (focus on the wholeness of health); social work of the Global South. Her biggest aspiration as a teacher is to create a space for her students to connect to their self. Research interests: unconventional writing; transpersonal research methods; transrational teaching/ facilitation and peace education; trauma and memory especially in relation to Argentinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s last dictatorship. She holds an MA in English studies. Contact: isaguib2612@gmail.com

RANA HAROUN (WT 12/13, ST 13, WT 13/14) graduated from the MA Program in Peace Studies at the University of Innsbruck in 2015. Since her graduation, she has been working in the U.S., coaching high school students from all walks of life with developing the skills and knowledge necessary to successfully plan their academic and professional future. Her thesis was supervised by Winfried Wagner. Contact: rana.haroun90@gmail.com

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ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE T

he Many Peaces Magazine was conceptualized and launched in 2014 by Adham Hamed, Mayme Lefurgey, Paul Lauer and Isabelle Guibert. It was created as an outlet to showcase the work of alumni, students, cooperation partners and friends of the Master of Arts Program in Peace, Development, Security and International Conflict Transformation and the UNESCO Chair for Peace Studies located at Universität Innsbruck, Austria. Our magazine is published twice a year, in January and July of each year. The Many Peaces Magazine team has changed and developed over the past volumes and is currently coordinated by a team spread out over three continents and features authors and stories from around the globe. Many of the articles, stories and contributions that can be found in the magazine relate to the field of Peace Studies in some way, but more specifically to the fields of Transrational Peace Philosophy and Elicitive Conflict Transformation. The UNESCO Chair for Peace Studies have outlined five main interpretations of peace in history and culture: energetic, moral, modern, postmodern and transrational peaces. The UNESCO Chair explains that, each of these types of peaces has a specific key value, “energetic peace privileges harmony, the moral interpretation emphasizes justice, the modern understanding of peace calls for security, and the postmodern approach deals with the question of truth(s)”. Lastly,

a transrational understanding of peace, combines all of the above in a holistic manner, both applying and appreciating the rationality of modern sciences while simultaneously transgressing its limits. Elicitive Conflict Transformation is understood to be the applied method of Transrational Peace Philosophy, as it “draws out, highlights, and catalyzes existing or communally held knowledge related to transforming conflicts between individuals, groups, and communities” as opposed to more prescriptive and top-down models of peacebuilding (UNESCO Chair for Peace Studies, 2017). More information on Transrational Peace Philosophy and Elicitive Conflict Transformation can be found here. The Many Peaces Magazine is founded on the idea that there are many peaces, many interpretations and expressions of what peace is, and our work seeks to embody the philosophies and theories of the UNESCO Chair for Peace Studies while showcasing the creative work of the students and alumni who have been a part of the MA for Peace Studies. Each volume has its own theme and rhythm and we invite you to explore the previous volumes of our magazine. If you are interested in partnering with us, sponsoring the magazine or contributing an article, artwork or advertising, please contact: magazine@manypeaces.org.

With the kind support of:

Imprint: PUBLISHER: Modul7, Rettenberg 106, 8441 Fresing, Austria EDITORIAL: Theresa Gottschall, Paul Lauer, Mayme Lefurgey and Manon Roeleveld REVIEWING EDITORS: Shibani Pandya, Vlad Toma, Isabelle Guibert, Alexa Cuello and Rana Haroun LAYOUT: Paul Lauer PICTURE EDITING: Paul Lauer COVERPICTURE: Bernhard Stolz MPM LOGO DESIGN: Paul Lauer and Sophie Friedel

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MAGAZINE.MANYPEACES.ORG

The Many Peaces Magazine is made possible by the financial support of cooperation partners, sponsors and donors. If you would like to support our project, please contact us: magazine@manypeaces.org

Many Peaces Magazine - Volume 6 - 2017 - 07 Published by Modul7, Rettenberg 106, 8441 Fresing, Austria Editorial: Theresa Gottschall, Paul Lauer, Mayme Lefurgey, Manon Roeleveld

VOLUME 6 2017 - 07 “ONE OF THE TOUGHEST THINGS IN DEALING WITH POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER WAS FOR ME TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I HAVE A PTSD.” Marisa-Isabella Geiser

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“AWARENESS OF NATURE OPENS PATHWAYS FOR US TO BE MORE AWARE OF OUR INNERMOST ENVIRONMENT. IN MY PERCEPTION, A RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CREATE THE DESIRED INNER BALANCE IN US.” Lawal Seun Isaac

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“I AM GRATEFUL TO WORK IN A CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENT BECAUSE IT ENCOURAGES ME TO CULTIVATE KINDNESS TOWARDS OUR ABILITY TO HEAL AND GROW AS HUMAN BEINGS” Marie-Josée Ryan

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“BIRTH IS A VERY DELICATE EXPERIENCE. IT HAS A LOT OF POTENTIAL FOR HEALING AND AT THE SAME TIME CAN TURN INTO A TRAUMA.” Judith Otter

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“I CAME TO REALIZE THAT AUTHENTICITY ALSO MEANS TO ME TO CONFRONT MYSELF AND OTHERS WITH MY SHADOWS.” Theresa Gottschall

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“I BELIEVE THAT HEALING IS THE RESULT OF AN ATTITUDE, OF HOW MUCH THE PERSON WANTS TO BE HEALED AND THAT MEANS HOW MUCH THE PERSON CAN TAKE CARE OF HIM OR HER-SELF ACCEPTING THAT HE OR SHE HAS BEEN INJURED. ” Gernot Grömer

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