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Not just opinion - that is a FACT my friend!!! 💯💯💯 All social problems share common roots. This means they can be UProoted symbiotically as well. Returning to our inner nature-based state is one of the keyyyys🗝️

Your heart & feeling is a beautiful thing, Nikki. Empathy is a superpower. It is also one we must learn to protect & care for with the reverence it deserves💖

I wouldn't say that...more like I've been studying what I teach for 10+ years [institutional oppression] & living it my whole life, whereas the student is coming in with very limited experience/exposure.

I very much agree with you about the responsibility that comes with freedom & liberation!! I am not sure I'm understanding what you share here about stewardship & dictatorship, but to me this responsibility is definitely where stewardship comes in to play. I believe that responsibility isn't something that needs to be forced or controlled per se, but more something we innately feel as we feel more connected to the world around us. As we feel/know/understand ourselves as interdependent, we no longer have to force obedience (either internally upon ourself, or upon others) - because our natural instinct comes on board & guides us, just as it does for all other living things on Earth✨ This to me is stewardship: humans working with Earth in a way that supports the full ecosystem of this planet & her inhabitants. (I wonder whether we might be saying similar things but using different words?) I do have a slightly differing opinion on whether the brain or body is more important. My studies in trauma, my work as a social worker, and my time as a PhD student of Sociology (in which I studied the health consequences of oppression/discrimination) taught me that trauma lives in the body, and it is truly the body that we must work with in order to be healthy body/mind/spirit - and in order to access the sense of interconnectedness I speak to above. The mind is conditioned by our culture (aka colonialism here in the U.S., and many other places of the world); the mind can be taught to believe many many things that aren't actually true. The body holds our deeper wisdom, and the body is how we access the innate part of us that has access to core universal truths (e.g. our interconnectedness!) That said, I am definitely not saying the mind is not important!! And of course the mind/brain is a part of the body, so none of this can truly be separated. Our thoughts *absolutely* dictate our reality, but the trauma we hold in our body - and the ways our culture has programmed our minds - completely influence our mind. I see the mind as conditioned; I understand the body as the source of our pure human essence. That's a lot, because I have a lot of thoughts about these things😂😂😂 (conditioned by my OWN lived experience!!) - but I really love & appreciate that you are interested in dialogue & sharing thoughts/questions/concerns/existential wonderings/etc! 💜

​@@amycatwest The stewardship vs dictatorship....is separating taking care of/nurturing something & having dominion over it. Which is a type of dictatorship. It comes from the environment/part of the Christian community teachings I have been around. Some of my fellow "Christians" teach having dominion over nature of all facets (animals/weather/plants) by ordering things to happen one way or another. I don't necessarily agree with all they say. Partly, because things in nature need to happen for the benefit of other things. So, when we "command" certain things to stop or change, we are also asking/commanding other things to not happen, that need to happen. For example : 1) Forest fires often are helpful in producing needed nutrients and keeping certain plants/trees alive and healthy, by getting rid of other plants or even an over abundance of insects that are harming the vegetation. So, when the "command" for the fire to stop is voiced, and it is "obeyed" then there can be a level of harm in the effect of that. I don't think many people realize what they are actually asking for. 2)Same goes with rain/flooding. We are adding so many toxins to our world that a certain amount of water needs to be put in certain areas on this planet to dilute the toxins enough to stop the harm they are doing. So, again, when the "command" of rain to stop is "obeyed" then the benefit of dilution is stopped. Another case of some people don't understand what they are asking for. In the context of my belief and how I interpret/understand what is being taught, the order of health is spirit/mind/body, in that order. Though sometimes we do have to cater to the body first to get the other healings (get rid of hunger so one can think clearly). I also have learned(or am learning) that I have to control my body and learn how to get the healing I need in proper order and NOT let the out of order times be the norm, but the abnormal. It's a process and can take much will power, discipline and perseverance. The hope is it gets easier with practice. Sometimes, just not caring can get one over the hump or through the initial hard part. There are different circumstances that can actually help one realize that they CAN do this or that. So, being put in some circumstances, though look like a disaster, can actually be very beneficial and actually be exactly what one needed. Or maybe, it's just "lemons into lemonade" endeavors. I pretty much have realized that it doesn't matter what happens or doesn't happen, it all works out for my good in the end. Very freeing for me. I'll end this book.

Yesss you misunderstood!! Quite the opposite -> when we can disconnect the *present* situation (e.g. the student) activating the trigger from the *past* source OF that trigger, we open ourselves up for empathy. Unpacking my trigger allowed me to see the student as human (aka empathy!) rather than a projection of past people who hurt me💞

@@amycatwest Do you think this student also may have experienced from people in their life, what you experienced from people in your life? I'm so glad you are working through the triggers. It's helpful to hear other people doing that, as well as one's self. Without knowing exactly what what presented in the student's paper, we can only assess what you are saying, so much. I'm not asking you to share the student's paper contents, just pointing out, we don't know the student's perspective or what was said exactly to trigger you. Personally, I'm glad you are sharing your side, at least. It is a beginning of needed conversations. We have to start somewhere. And maybe if I have had watched/listened to more of your content, I would be leaving different comments. Your title of this video stood out to me in the midst of the YT algorithm. I believe it is the first of your videos for me. I apologize for any offense I may have caused. Like you, I endeavor to understand and properly deal with my triggers. Thumbs up for conquering triggers, there so many for us, no? We are cutting them to a minimum, I would say, or at least for some of us.

It is totally okay!! As my videos pick up visibility I am quickly discerning between the haterz who just want to hurt feelings, and the people who are truly interested in engagement (like you🤗). ALL of my videos are ideas & explorations from my own lived experiences, so I really appreciate & am open to the dialogue💜💜💜 It's not even really about this particular student (which is why I didn't share details in my video), more about the process of realizing I was triggered & unpacking the root of that particular trigger, but since we're here: the context is some discriminatory/racist opinions the student shared in their final paper for a social work class I teach on institutional oppression. Realizing why I was having a charged emotional response to the situation was the most important thing for me, because I believe it IS important to hold empathy & compassion for all humans (& especially my students), including those who hold biases (which we ALL hold in some form). I see trauma as the root of all of it; if we didn't live in a culture that traumatized us, we wouldn't turn on one another like we do now. I believe there is space for both accountability (since I teach future social workers who need to understand things like racism & subconscious bias in order to sufficiently help people) AND empathy/compassion/care💗

I LOVE that you are embracing your version of weirdo!! Blaze that uncharted trail🔥🔥🔥

Ooooo YES YES YES!!!! I looooove that perspective: "INTO" the world vs "OUT" of the world. Very parallel to a contemplation I've had lately of "humans ARE nature" (not even just "part of" nature, because that contributes to a similar disconnection & awakens judgment). Amazing how really all problems can be traced down to common roots;) Very wise words - I so appreciate YOU too!! 💜

@@amycatwest That's right, humans are nature. My opinion sounds like spirituality (and is) but I feel that science verifies my beliefs. The concept was introduced to me when I was a child through the writing of Alan W. Watts and everything I have learned since then about the Universe - scientific information and personal experience - points to that being the truth. I hate to sound like a fan girl so I am going to be awkward here... My impression of you is that you are a really cool person. Thanks for interacting with me. I think your ideas are right on and I appreciate that it's you saying them. You seem like a bright reflection of my younger (less-centered) self, in that you are finding a center in a healthier way than I was able to manage. I love to see it and I will continue to check your videos as they drop. Peace 💙🌷💚 ✨Three hours later: It occurs to me that it sounds like I am saying you are not centered. I apologize if it was taken that way. I was only referring to the way I used to deal with things. Poor writing on my part.

Aww I really appreciate these comments💜 Not poor writing at all, I understand what you mean & have also had a journey of getting to this more centered version of myself. It sounds like we are tapping into a similar consciousness/awareness of these things! ✨ It's exciting to see the lines between science & spirituality blur, because there really is no separation - just humans in either "camp" playing out one extreme or the other. Science without spirituality lacks humanity/reality, and spirituality without science easily becomes dogma. I'm so glad to have you following along🥰 - looking forward to continuing the dialogue!!

@@amycatwest 🤯😄 it's really exciting to hear my own ideas/contemplations/hypotheses beginning to reverberate outside... Like a recipe that a bunch of people came up with at the same time, alone in their kitchens- same basic ingredients, similar purpose, different seasoning. 🙂It seems to correlate with my concept of a collective unconscious 🌌 💙☮️💚

Yessss - love that imagery of a co-created recipe!! Are you familiar with the hundredth monkey effect? Totally points to this concept. If we want to use nature-based terminology rather than esoteric/spiritual terms, I would call this "instinct." Just like animals innately know how to support species survival, so too do we. There is an underlying consciousness guiding ALL living beings, and it is utterly THRILLING to live in a time when we are consciously accessing this consciousness!!!! 😜

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Yesss so well said 💯💯💯 The progress you're(we're) seeing is amazing & a huge sign of our healing!! 💜

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I’m so glad! 💜

Yes…so many carry teacher trauma💔 & I’m sorry you’ve had bad experiences too. It’s important to me to speak about this stuff from the lens of an educator for exactly that reason💜

You are so welcome!!💞

I'm so glad this was helpful for your process too🌻🥰

Yayyyy so glad to have you here!! 🥰💜🙏 Ooo & I love your question. One framework I use in teaching [social work students] that I think could translate for youth is the growth cycle of a tree... When we think of a tree, we probably are just imaging the trunk, leaves, & branches, but in fact the root system is the most fundamental part - and is where the tree first developed. If the soil a tree grows in is toxic (aka the origin of the trigger -> usually toxic family dynamics), the whole tree is going to be impacted. We might first notice symptoms of the problem in the leaves & fruit, because that's the part of the tree that is most apparent to us - but we can pull off all the dead leaves & rotten fruit we want, and nothing will get better. We have to go to the roots & understand the deeper cause behind those surface level symptoms. That might be a little more complex than what you're looking for, but I find nature is often the best tool to break down things we humans have made a complex mess of😉 The tree analogy is a powerful one because it can apply to individual level struggles (some of my former students who are now therapists use it in practice!) AND societal/systemic level issues. There's an older video on my channel where I walk through the tree framework if you're interested!

@@amycatwest that’s beautiful and helpful, thank you so much!

Yessss it is TOTALLY like time travel - I've heard it described as an "emotional flashback" too which really matches my experience (because the EMOTIONS can get so big). That gap is where it's all at. The first step in any type of change process is awareness, which then eventually naturally creates more space for that gap - so I think you are on a great pathway by simply beginning to look at & talk about this!

Why do you say that?

Ooo thanks for sharing about this worksheet resource, I am familiar with Anna Runckle (Crappy Childhood Fairy) who offers a similar practice that can be soooo helpful for unpacking those deeper triggered feelings. I also think there's a difference between projecting the problem onto others and unpacking the "roots" of a trigger, if I'm interpreting your comment correctly. By understanding that my trigger is actually rooted in past experiences with people from my past (including a parent), it allows me to show up for the hurt inner child part of myself & respond to that inner hurt as I would to any other hurt child. This isn't the same as projecting my trigger back onto those past people/my parent, which would look like externalizing the responsibility for caring for that hurt child...e.g. a mentality of "THEY did this to me, so I'm not responsible for fixing this."

@@amycatwest I had an experience where I was triggered and used the work sheets, I mentioned, to look at it from all sides. I was just allowing the feelings to be, welcoming them even though it was uncomfortable. When I did it must have made this child trapped inside of me feel safe enough to allow me to become aware of it. It was somewhat embarrassing but at the same time there was an innocence about it. I think awareness is more important than knowledge about it. This work is not for the faint of heart as it requires the courage to be honest with yourself. Blessings

​@@seacaster I love this so much!! 💟 Re-connecting with our inner child is soooo much of what healing truly is🥰

Awww I love this comment!!! LET'S GET EXCITED ABOUT TRIGGERS😜 - because they are indeed pathways to deeper self discovery & internal connection! 💜

This is suuuuuuch a good perspective, thank you so much for taking the time to share!!! I SUPER appreciate you sharing about how being told you were "smarter than" messed you up as a kid & fed a competitive type of self worth. I can see how "you are more than" has a similar hierarchal ring to it, and that makes sooo much sense. Thank you for HOW you communicated this feedback too btw🙏 I actually really relate to you - I totally found my worth in achievement and obedience growing up. My desire to follow the rules & do well in school MOST definitely made me uncool, on top of (but connected to) the sensitivity/depth I speak to in this video. In my video I'm coming from a slightly different frame: I see fitting into the education system (good grades, obedient, etc) as different from fitting into the cultural system (being able to happily live in the framework of the "American Dream" -> which requires fitting into normative culture: participating in social norms, talking about what other people talk about, feeling fulfilled from culturally normative activities [sports, beer, fireworks, gossip, etc - stuff the "cool kids" tend to be into]) I most DEFINITELY fit into the education system (and the professional workforce system) - from the outside looking in at least. I found my identity & sense of worth from that for manyyyy years of my life. But it was hollow, because I was constantly having to fulfill an illusion of who I was supposed to be. It was hollow, because I DON'T fit into the broader cultural system.

Thank you very much for taking the time to respond so much in depth as well! That makes a lot of sense. Yes, feeling hollow describes it well. I've also noticed lately that I'm still carrying some shame about that with me, more than 20 years later... And yes, it sounds plausible that sensitivity could make a child more eager to please...

OOF I soooo wish that too. It would honestly change everything. And I wish *I* had been this introspective before reacting to my triggers in the past!! I want us to live in a culture where this kind of stuff is taught & normalized! This truly was a breakthrough moment for me, I'm so glad it connects for you too💜

Truly my pleasure!!! I'm so glad you connected with my experience💜

So heartened to hear this Andrew💜 I hope your challenging times shift into more easefulness soon🙏

You are so welcome!! Thanks for this sweet comment💜💜

Yessss Heidi I LOVE this for you💜💜💜 I wish I woulda known then (when I was teaching you) what I know now, but I am SO glad you have paved a pathway of self love & self acceptance for yourself - AND for all the others you will encounter on your journey💜 Super proud of you for walking in your bada$$ authenticity🤗👌⚡️🔥🦄👏

SOOOO hard to untangle😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 That's why we gotta talk about it!!!!

Haha yesssss Abraham Hicks has definitely been a source of strength & inspo at times I needed it🙏🙏🙏 Grateful for their wisdom, tho this one came all through me😘♥️

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Colonialism is a systemically & systematically imposed cultural infrastructure - not at all the same thing as migration or tribal battles for resources. But you don't need to see things the way I do!! It's okay if these videos aren't for you;)

@@amycatwest You misuse the meaning but anyways good luck!

Agree to disagree ☮️

ok but websters dictionary is available in the future...fyi

@donmezzanatto8607 If you're getting your history lessons from dictionaries, that is precisely the problem!! If you're genuinely interested in understanding, I encourage you to check out the resources I share in my video because they helped me better understand too💚 If not, then I wish you peace along your way.

Hmm interesting! I understand the original meaning of colonialism to be the suppression of indigeneity (AKA natural human nature). I'm curious what you mean exactly, or how you see it differently?

Right??? Like it’s all made up anyways…soooo why can’t WE make it up?