A Story About Standing Firm
I did not collapse, I did not appease, I stood upon the earth with a feminine steadiness that must've really frightened him.
In her article, Hell Hath No Fury Like A Man Rejected, Jessica Valenti beautifully (and sadly) articulates a scenario we are all too familiar with. A particular misogynistic and abusive backlash we have come to expect from certain types of men who have had their egos bruised.
“Whether it’s the guy who follows you for ten blocks because you refuse to “smile,” the bar-dweller who calls you a bitch after you won’t give him your phone number, or the ex-boyfriend who leaves threatening voicemails post-break-up—most women have experienced the unpleasant aftermath of a man who’s been refused. Anger from rejected men is such a regular part of women’s lives that many of us have strategies to preempt any nastiness: We invent boyfriends, wear fake engagement rings or give out fake phone numbers. We smile and act flattered, are polite when we don’t want to be, and leave relationships saying that it’s all our fault—anything to prevent a potential swell of rage.” - JV
Recently I have had an interaction with a man that has been ongoingly shocking. Shocking in that, an adult in a position of leadership would allow themselves to behave so poorly. Shocking also that a man today, in a field of supposed health and healing, would act so darkly toxic, and with such entitlement.
I’ve been sitting with the bullying I’ve experienced for quite awhile, wondering wether I should say anything publicly. Afraid of stirring the pot, afraid of backlash from him, and generally just afraid. I can deeply relate to what Jessica points out in this article.
I’ve been fawning my whole life, doing anything to prevent that dreaded swell of masculine rage. From growing up with unwelcome male attention all my life, from living with a sadistic step-father, from being married to a quick-to-anger narcissist, and endless cultural conditioning in movies and media that tells me women should be meek, and that male anger and aggression is acceptable.
I’ve decided I’m going to share about what has been happening to me, because I need to break a pattern of silence about abuse like this for myself. I’m sharing because maybe it will inspire you, my beloved readers, to stop being silent too.
Also, because one of the last things this man said to me, threateningly, was that he was monitoring me on social media, and that he was going to report me for harassment, when it is him who has been harassing me. Typical gaslighting. I hope he reads this and sees that his intimidation tactics are not working to keep me silent.
Do you remember my Letter to The Yoga Industry About Female Pelvises? Well, I sent part of it (eventually most of it). I started by shortening it because I knew I didn’t have a captive audience, like I do here. Here’s what happened.
Sarah Lou:
“Thanks for reaching out personally and promptly to my email, I really appreciate that. I've delayed responding because I’ve been back and forth with myself about how much I want to say. I’ll keep it brief for now, but I have thoughts and feedback on some things if you’re open to hearing them. I’ll leave that door open to you.
I’ve injured both of my hamstrings, and both sides are presenting injuries differently. On one side it’s the hamstring attachment at the knee where I have pain, on the other side it’s the attachment at the ischial tuberosity.
I’m a very experienced yogi and I work as a somatic bodyworker and pelvic health therapist. I knew there was a risk coming into this style of yoga, I’ve worked with many people who have been injured in (omitted for privacy), and I know the practice. But I thought I could keep myself safe, I thought I was fit enough and had enough body awareness. Despite my experience and knowledge, I still was injured and will have to stop practicing all yoga, and most of my other athletic pursuits. Luckily I can still walk and work.
It’s unfortunate because many of my body's general aches and pains have been kept at bay this winter. I thought this would be the perfect cross-training. I love the heat, I love sweating, and I love the consistency. There is much love, however, after trying to practice with blinders all winter, trying to ignore the things I was noticing, there are things that just do not sit well with me from a physiological safety and anatomy perspective, and are at the heart of why I got injured.
For now, I’m not sure I can wholeheartedly return to this practice, from what I’ve seen/experienced in your teachers/studio. I think it’s best for me to hear from you what my options are considering the remainder of my package.
Again, I am happy to expound over a cup of tea sometime,
Sarah Louisignau”
Studio Owner:
“Although our school offers the potential for so many benefits on so many levels, one of the main focuses is healing and prevention. ~To help heal injury & help prevent injury.~
To hear rare cases like this that someone believes they were injured by the healing practice is heart wrenching and bewildering. I am so sorry to hear that you have an ounce of pain. :(
I am however, very happy to report that in my unbroken 21 years experience teaching this yoga to tens of thousands of people, I have never witnessed anyone get injured, and I have only heard of a handful of unique scenarios where there was an injury.
Happily, in my long career, I have personally and repeatedly witnessed this yoga heal pain/injury, prevent pain/injury, cure diseases, and also, I have a legion of committed students who have attended my school for 18 years, along with hundred of thousands of others, globally.
We have so many types of people that come to class. There are very very obese individuals, 5 year olds, pregnant women, and even 85 year olds....great story: The 85 year old fellow cured his sciatica in 1 week `- just last week! His Girlfriend got off her blood pressure medication after 1 class!
People come to this yoga, and our method of teaching which comes from the oldest Hatha yoga school in the world, with a giant spectrum of issues that consistently get cured from knees to asthma to joint problems to headaches to rheumatoid arthritis.
Like anywhere, the instructors have various degrees of understanding and time teaching. You have not experienced the full staff as of yet, only various levels of my apprentices. For example, my wife began her career 11 unbroken years ago teaching this yoga and 10 years prior to that as a medical and rehabilitation massage therapist.
Potential Community Connection?: Two of our regular students are both licensed with degrees in Physical Therapy. One of them is also a licensed Pelvic Floor Therapist. She regularly recommends her patients and colleagues to us, due to our grasp of pertinent concepts that greatly compliment her good works.
What did you say your license and degree was in again? Maybe you know each other if you are in the same field?
In an effort to better understand what you are telling me about your situation, I have a few questions if I may?
You mentioned that your pain had "been at bay" for the winter. No doubt this is attributed to your regular attendance at the school. :) It sounds like you are a very athletic person and know how to use and feel your body very well which partly makes this such an enigma.
Was there a particular day/posture(s) that you notice(d) something with an immediate effect or did you notice this discomfort outside class?
Do you have pre existing injuries?
Are these discomforts old injuries or near old injuries that you are becoming aware of again as you practice?
Do you lock your knees in our practice?
Do you hyper extend your knees?
None of the teachers remember you mentioning any developed injuries or discomfort to them, just that you would from the beginning practice very lightly and typically sit out many of the poses during class.
Regarding you comments about your package, I don't think I follow. Sorry.
Previously, you had asked for me to freeze it? Do you have something else in mind?”
Sarah Lou:
“I appreciate your concern and thank you for responding about the pain I'm in. I’m not sure how to respond to your email. I feel you are saying words to show interest about my injury, but I also feel that you are saying other words to dismiss me. I feel a bit put off by it on several points. I will proceed to do my best to reply and give you the benefit of the doubt.
Injury rates are well-documented worldwide for people practicing (omitted for privacy). The fact that you are surprised by this, is itself, surprising. While I am sure this practice is healing for some people, certain body types more so than others, it seems you are trying to downplay my personal experience with a lot of enthusiasm and case studies to prove it is 'unique' to get injured while practicing, when it simply isn't. It's actually common, and my injury is one of the most often reported injuries in (***) yoga. I encourage you to do some research of your own, outside of the institution you were trained in, for perspective.
Here is one example from a simple google search.
I suppose there are practical reasons you may be surprised to read about the prevalence of injury. It's very difficult to feel one’s edge in that heat. Many injuries only become apparent once a student is away from the hot room, at home when their body begins to cool down. That is what happened to me. So, if people just stop coming to your studio and don’t tell you they were injured, you would never know. If a studio doesn't offer a safe space to discuss injuries, where a practitioner will be believed and not given a speech about the 'healing benefits' (as you just did to me), then it's not likely that they will be reported.
That is why in part I am communicating with you. Because if I owned a studio, a yoga school, for that matter, I would want to know the full scope of my students' experiences in class. I would follow up with students who haven’t returned to class. I would be soliciting their actual experience. I would be curious about the long-term health of people who practiced this style of yoga regularly, especially those with different bodies (women?).
I spoke to two of your teachers on two separate occasions about two different injuries: once about my knee in tree pose and once about my elbow in locust pose. The suggestion the teacher gave me about my knee pain actually made my injury much worse. I’m sorry they do not remember.
I am especially disturbed by this observation which has undertones of bias and judgment: “from the beginning practice very lightly and typically sit out many of the poses during class”.
It’s simply not true, I don’t practice ‘lightly’ - I am in the front row every class, 2-3 times per week, and I take practice very seriously. I practice with reverence and understanding of my own body, and I modify postures to keep myself safe. I have never ‘sat out’ a posture, let alone many. The language you use here implies that I’m not giving my all, and sitting out (as if in protest).
I've never had knee issues or elbow issues in my life, until now after practicing this style of yoga. I've been practicing yoga for over 20 years, and I’ve been teaching yoga for women’s bodies and for pelvic health specifically for over 15 years.
To qualify my feedback here are a few of my credentials:
E-RYT 500 Yoga Teacher for Pelvic Health, Pregnancy & Postpartum
Vedic Thai Yoga Bodywork Practitioner
Maya Abdominal Massage Practitioner
Sexological Bodywork Practitioner
Yoni Steaming Practitioner
The Infradian Rhythm Lifestyle Coach
Menstrual Cycle Analysis & Womb Alignment
Holotropic & Rebirthing Breathwork
Holistic Fertility Coaching
Birth & Postpartum Doula
Maiden to Mother Rites of Passage Leader
It is my work to support female athletes because as I see it, the yoga, fitness, and athletic industries (all the way up to elite levels with a few exceptions) are teaching and training without consideration of the physiological differences between male and female bodies (the pelvis most pointedly). I treat women every day who have been injured in yoga, fitness, and athletic spaces, who unknowingly make their issues worse by the way they’re guided to practice and train.
In my observations, most teachers & trainers do not know the unique movement needs (and contraindications) of menstruating, pregnant, postpartum, and menopausal women. Women as a consequence suffer lifelong injury cycles including low back and SI joint pain, painful sex, fertility decline, disrupted hormones, prolapsed organs, incontinence at alarming rates, traumatic births, high hysterectomy rates, not to mention nervous system and mental health issues because most of the time their bodies are regarded as just smaller versions of male bodies.
This couldn't be further from the truth considering women’s obvious physiological pelvic differences, including in the nervous, skeletal, connective tissue, and muscular systems. One day, I hope movement practices initially designed for male bodies will be prefaced as such, have anatomically correct cues that address both pelvises, or offer modifications tailored to women's pelvises.
Additionally, there is the topic of hypertonicity versus hypotonicity in the pelvic musculature. Without knowing where a woman’s core tone is, it’s inappropriate to cue pelvic floor engagement of any kind. If she is hypertonic (has weakness due to muscles that cannot release tension), and is cued to ‘suck in her stomach’ or ‘squeeze mula bandha’ or ‘lift the perineum’ this can exacerbate her weakness and wreak havoc on her body with lifelong consequences. Without knowing why the musculature is unwilling to release, (it could be physical injury, emotional armoring, from a fall or birth trauma, because she’s scared, or has been abused) a teacher or trainer could be out of integrity with their instruction.
Often the fitness & yoga industries do unintentional harm when their goals are to help.
I know the pain of this realization firsthand because I used to teach similarly before I knew all of this. Luckily no one was severely injured on my watch. Still, I know that I spent many years exacerbating underlying issues rather than helping women heal their bodies through movement. I had to reconcile that.
And I went further, to study and educate myself about other things that affect women in movement spaces. I took trauma-informed trainings that helped me see how often yoga, fitness, and athletic pursuits can result in unintended re-traumatization for women with:
existing birth trauma (1 in 3),
histories of sexual trespass (1 in 4),
eating disorders (1 in 20),
body dysmorphic disorder (1 in 50).
As a woman with a history of trespass, my first experiences with yoga back in Seattle were very triggering to me, and it took time to find a teacher I felt safe with. Looking back, I remember shouting, shaming, calling out, strict bathroom rules, making examples without consent, forceful physical modifications, inappropriate touch, and horribly unsafe, anatomically improper cueing. All of that sounds pretty extreme, and thankfully it rarely happens anymore, but that doesn’t mean we have finished evolving. I have become passionate about these issues in part because of what happened to me, and because I know there is a better way. I believe movement spaces should be inclusive, respectful, and knowledgeable about women’s physiological differences. I believe when they are, we find these spaces to foster true empowerment and healing.
I know this is an uncommon stance. But I ask, why is that? Why is it that something that affects half of the population isn’t yet mainstream knowledge? I’m pretty sure if there was a similar statistic of failed pelvic diaphragm function in men, we would have changed things by now. The two most common surgeries for women are #1 Cesarean and #2 Hysterectomy - both of these are often a result of pelvic diaphragm dysfunction, often exacerbated by the lack of education in our movement spaces.
When I come to practice at your studio, I have a really hard time keeping my body safe. I have been disturbed by much of the language and improper anatomy used in cueing action. I feel like I have to work very hard to reframe and alter the cueing in my own body, to keep from getting injured acutely, and from doing long-term harm. I also become distracted when I notice other women who are obviously pained, confused and struggling, with no support coming from the teacher.
Despite my best efforts, extensive knowledge, and training, I still wasn’t able to stay safe, and I injured my knee/hamstrings. In all my life, 30+ years of extreme athletics and yoga, I’ve never had knee problems.
Stretching the hamstrings this intensely is especially contraindicated for women, due to the naturally more anterior position of the pelvis. The ligaments and tendons are endangered by the cueing to 'tuck the tail’, ’legs like lampposts’, and 'suck in the stomach' during hamstring stretching - which creates varying levels of instability in the pelvic diaphragm of women, leading to all the complications I listed above.
I am not saying it was your fault, the teachers, the method, or the studio's. I am one hundred percent a believer that I am responsible for taking care of myself in any fitness class, or athletic pursuit for that matter. But the fact remains, despite my best efforts, being a person with highly developed body awareness and skill in movement, I was unable to remain safe. Suppose we use my body as a barometer. In that case, there are other women in class that are similarly being cheered on for their 'perfect form', who are unknowingly creating hip and pelvis destabilization that may require surgery or worse down the road. And knowing that, wouldn’t you want to do everything you can to help them avoid those outcomes?
One reason I see improper and unsafe cuing being justified is because of ‘tradition’. But asana practice isn’t really a tradition, it has no lineage, and it’s not thousands of years old. Even the oldest asana practices aren’t the ‘ancient yogic tradition’ that many schools claim. The roots of modern yoga are not just Indian, they are also Scandinavian. What we now call ‘yoga’ goes back a little over 100 years, and is a mix of Indian yoga and Scandinavian gymnastics / physical training techniques that were employed as British military exercise drills.
From Contesting Yoga’s Past: A Brief History of Āsana in Pre-modern India (A Harvard Divinity School Center for the Study of World Religions essay):
"Although today the word “yoga” is practically synonymous with the notion of āsana or bodily stretching, this is a relatively new phenomena that has arisen in the last century. In pre-modern India, āsana has always been one auxiliary among many, of a complete psycho-physiological system of disciplined yoga practice, enjoined alongside other yoga technologies including: ethical restraints and observances (yama and niyama), breath control (prāṇāyāma) and retention (kumbhaka), bodily seals (mudrā) and binds (bandha), and meditation techniques (dhyāna), among others."
My question is, when does ‘tradition’ need to be examined, in order not to become ‘dogma’?
Another reason for these unsafe fitness industry standards for women is unexamined misogyny. Misogyny is a big word and I do not use it lightly. Everything in the female body is designed to support optimal sexual and reproductive health. Literally every system defers to and is informed by the reproductive system. And yet, female pelvic health is most often overlooked in women’s healthcare, exercise spaces, perinatal care, and our modern culture as a whole.
Overlooking these extreme negative health cascades that women uniquely face - that is ignorance. Failure to do something about it once you know, that is misogyny.
I may be on a personal crusade to change the fitness industry, and yoga specifically, to be genuine spaces for female wellness, but my hopes are that upon reflection, you will also see that this is of the most importance. Again, I am critiquing the industry, not just your studio alone. That said, big impacts for the people in your community could be made, and injuries like mine (and worse) could be prevented.
More questions I pose: are the scripts so important, that they should be upheld over the health of the female students in class? At what point do we pivot? I am absolutely willing to sit down with you and your teachers anytime to begin the process of education and re-languaging. Please consider me an ally.
For now, this studio is perhaps not a good fit for me to practice in.
Regardless, I would like to request a refund for the remainder of my package.
Sincerely,
Sarah”
Studio Owner:
“Thank you for your kind reply. There is so very many strong opinions and assertions in every one of your emails, some of it I agree with, some I don't.
We do not offer refunds, however in your case we will make an exception. The remainder of your packages are $434.00
In this special case, we will need to meet up so you can sign for the refund.”
On March 8th I went to the studio. I walked in after class was over and the owner was behind his desk. People were still milling around, so I sat down to wait. As I waited I listened to a little girl who had just practiced this extreme style of yoga with her father. She was 8 years old I believe. She was telling the male studio owner and her father that she wanted to be the youngest yoga teacher in the world.
It was an interesting moment for me. On one hand I was inspired by her, and on another I felt ill. The two men smiled at her in a way that made me uncomfortable, a way that I couldn’t quite name.
I heard my name called in a baritone voice, somewhat like I was sitting in the principal’s office. I smiled and looked up, “Hello ________” I said, smiling. He was masked, so all I could see were his eyes, but they seemed smiling as well.
I approached the desk, and after a few niceties was handed a waiver-like form to sign. It had a written note at the top for a refund amount of $434, and below that was a typed letter waiving my right to litigation over the injuries I incurred. I paused and thought about it briefly, and since I did not come to this studio with any thoughts of litigation, I signed it.
The moment I handed back the waiver, his demeanor shifted.
I did not enter this studio expecting an ambush, so I didn’t think to get a copy of the waiver I signed, nor did I think I should have my voice recorder on in my pocket. Therefore, this is not word-for-word, as above.
Studio Owner:
“I have to say, I really disagree with everything you said in your email, and so do many other people. I’ve been asking around about you. Nobody knows you. Everyone agrees with me, including pelvic floor therapists and a doctor.”
Sarah:
“Well, that’s okay. You don’t have to agree with me. I’m fine with you having a different opinion. I want to say thank you again, you didn’t have to refund me and you did, and I appreciate that.”
Studio Owner:
“You seem like a very angry young woman, perhaps you need to do some pranayama.”
Sarah:
“No thank you. I’m not angry actually, but I am direct. Your attempts to discount me and label me are not welcome. Have a great night.”
Studio Owner:
“Oh like you attacked me in that email?! You know that there is no such thing as gender, right? We are all one androgynous energy.”
Sarah:
“I never attacked you, I think you perceived that falsely. And no, anatomy and physiology is REAL. It’s dangerous to pretend otherwise. Have a good night, I’m going to leave now.” Then I walk out the door.
Studio Owner:
“Well, just so you know we are watching you and your social media presence.”
Sarah:
(Walking back into the studio) “Did you just threaten me?”
Studio Owner:
“Well you offered to be an ally didn’t you?”
Sarah:
“Don’t bullshit me, you did not intend to make a peace offering by making that statement. You were trying to threaten me.”
Studio Owner:
“Don’t you ever set foot in here again.”
Sarah:
“You don’t have to worry about that, believe me.”
I looked around the room, and there were several people who stayed as witnesses, and no one would make eye contact with me at this moment. No one would stand up to him for how he goaded me and provoked me. Then I walked out.
I was quite shaken up. I felt angry at myself for letting him flap me. For loosing my cool at the very end. When he threatened me, my cool demeanor broke and I did get angry. I saw his eyes widen when I walked back in asking if he had just threatened me.
I went home, collapsed into bed and cried, for all the times I’ve been energetically bullied and manhandled, for the power-over dynamic that sends me into a trauma response still, for the darkness in the male-bodied population, the sheer hatred of women and femininity I could practically smell on him.
I must have struck a very raw cord. I felt defeated for awhile, but also grateful that I had the courage to speak up.
The next day was my mother’s birthday. I must have been really distracted because she asked me what was going on. When I told her, she advised me to just let it go. The mess he made was on him, and I shouldn’t let it bother me.
So I tried to forget about it. Three weeks later I checked if the refund had posted, and I didn’t see it in my bank account. He said he was going to return it to the card I used there. I wondered, could he have possibly just done all that to get me to sign a document that protected him, and never give me the refund?
I went to the pool for a swim, which was all I could really do with my knee still injured. In the changing room I ran into a friend from the studio. She told me she wasn’t going there any more because of an incident with the owner. My breath caught, should I tell her what happened? I was still in a bit of a fawn response I realized, and I decided it was time to stop. I shared what happened and she validated my experience, telling me of other women he had bullied and humiliated in class. I realized that I was not alone. “He’s going to single-handedly bankrupt his own business.” she said. “You should send him an email”, she said, “telling him you never had any intention of starting litigation, and that you have not received a refund yet.”
I had been afraid to confront him again. It went so poorly before, and even though I know he cannot hurt me, there was an old response from my childhood that made my body believe imminent danger was upon me. I sat in my car and took several slow deep breaths, and got up the courage to take some action.
I went straight to the bank. I asked for records of the past month’s deposits or any interactions with this business. I saw only purchases.
So I swallowed hard and I went home and wrote him this email:
“Dear _____,
I never intended to get litigious with this, but you had me sign a document which was supposed to be a receipt for my refund, and also contained a clause about litigation. I still have not received any refund and this was a month ago. When can I expect that $434 to be refunded to my bank account?
Thanks,
Sarah”
He responded (email title “Sigh.”):
Dude.
This was refunded long ago....
Attached is the record, also our account shows the debit for the amount on March 14.
Is there perhaps another Sarah Louisignau with the exact same card number as you that we refunded on accident?
Please let us know that you have received the refund ASAP and not another Sarah Louisgnau with the exact same card number that was used to purchase the original package.
It sounds like you need some help....
Just send us over your credit card statement for the card ending in 3317 for March 2023 and we can show you where it is on there. :)
Sarah:
“Hi ___,
You are right, I found it. It was not the account I usually use at (***), but the one I bought the package on apparently was different.
Thank you again for refunding this to me. It will be valuable to me towards future necessities.
Take care,”
Studio Owner:
“Damn Right!
It was returned to the exact same account that you used to purchase it and you know it, you liar.
You are WAY out of line, as usual.
I have never encountered a person that makes me feel as unsafe as you.
This is a classic case of victim turned predator.
You have become what you despise, but due to your extreme arrogance you will never be cured.
Never contact us in any capacity again, or I will report you for harassment.”
Sarah:
“NO THANK YOU.”
Studio Owner:
“That email constitutes contacting us again. We are going to report you now you psycho.”
Phew.
Thank you for making it this far. I still feel deeply disturbed and scared.
For the record, all I’ve ever tried to do here is stand up for myself and for other women. I genuinely didn’t know he refunded me. I wish I had seen it because the way this ended was never something I would seek out. I am not trying to start fights.
I don’t know why his reaction was so vehement, maybe he’s not used to being faced with feminine firmness, something other than fawn, flee, or fight back. He’s clearly very entitled to his abusive reactions and behavior. While plenty of people get into the healing arts because they want to help people—twice as many do so because they like the idea of being able to tell someone what to do.
Well, I didn’t let that happen. I stood firm. It was terrifying but I did it, I didn’t let the tyrant stomp me down. So now I’m the psycho? No.
I feel proud of myself, almost. I’ve worked really hard to train my nervous system to withstand this kind of charge. I never let my end of the conversation degrade into manipulation tactics, bullying, threats, or name-calling as he did.
I am keeping his identity anonymous because if indeed he is monitoring my words and actions, I don’t want to open myself up to a slander lawsuit. I don’t even know what his threat of reporting me is about. If you’re a lawyer and had advice, I’m all ears.
They say to choose your battles wisely. I have chosen to stand for something with my life and my work. Radical feminism in the face of tyranny. Protecting women’s bodies.
If there’s one thing I am guilty of, it’s speaking to a man with precision and authority about a topic I’m qualified to speak about, without using a bunch of acquiescing and appeasing language. Basically, speaking to a man as if I am defiant of the male-female power dynamics that he has blindly adopted (and always benefitted from).
I wonder if I’m being too righteous or if I have a chip on my shoulder, tho. Why couldn’t I just let it go, as my mother advised? Because when I look at her generation, I see a lot of collapsed women. Women who fought hard and won some, but lost so much. I refuse to let that be the end of the story.
There’s just a fire in me for some reason that I can’t explain, and I’m willing to get a little burned in order to pave the way for something better for other women down the line. That’s why I’m sharing this story. Otherwise it’s just a really fucked up thing that I endured, one more damn thing on the pile of patriarchal wrongdoing.
If you have a story to tell, please tell me. Tell me so that we both can feel heard and seen in it. Reply to this email if you want, or better yet, make a comment so we can all be in it together.
I hope you have the sunshine on your face today.
love love,
Sarah WolfMother
photo: Marco D
Sister Sarah! This was riveting and I’m deeply disturbed by your horrific experience. You truly walked a path of courage, paved with the decades of abusive experiences all begging you to stay safe, protect yourself. You were scared and did it anyway because you knew that your spirit— the fire in your belly— required this of you, in this precise moment, with this particular man, and your specific voice. For yourself and for all of us.
And you did so with deep wisdom, conviction, compassion, eloquence and utter badassery. Thank you. #shero
I hear you, Sarah. And I appreciate you! Your experience rings true for me as well. I had an interaction with a local dentist who dressed me down in his waiting room in front of other patients because I had the nerve to question a procedure that he was recommending. It was shocking how quickly this ”professional” man lost his temper. I knew there was no coming back from the brink once he started saying things like, “How dare you question my professional knowledge, I graduated from (fill in the blank) and was the president of the regional ADA chapter for several years!” What a tool.