Join us for a special 8 month group led by Willoughby Britton, Mandy Johnson, and rotating Cheetah House Care Team Members
Brief Overview
This course is for people who are beyond the acute phase of adverse experiences and may be wondering what is next. We explore how to integrate meditation traumas into our lives.
"Becoming Myself" is an ongoing immersion and commitment to self-discovery, self-honesty and authenticity. It involves understanding your temperaments, embracing your strengths, and letting go of limiting beliefs. It's about living with the courage to set healthy boundaries and to pursue your creative passions.
During our sessions we will learn more about our senses of self, and what it means to be true to who you are, regardless of external expectations. This can be achieved by exploring your inner world (safely and with discernment), practicing self-appreciation and care, facing your fears, and fostering positive relationships through building connections.
Click Here for Program Details and What to Expect
Instructors
Willoughby Britton
My survival strategy as a kid was to be very attuned to other people’s moods, values and expectations. People pleasing, overachieving and abdicating my own needs became a character trait. In every situation I unconsciously asked myself: What are the standards and expectations here? How do I get an A? How to I avoid failing and punishment? I was a straight A student, varsity athlete, and eventually and Ivy-League professor. The pattern replicated itself with meditation and spiritual practice. I followed the instructions exactly and would never have thought of modifying the practice to fit my needs or goals. Did I even have needs or goals of my own? If so, what were they, and how would I go about figuring that out? After repeating crashing and burning, I slowly began to see where external values and goals were not a good fit. I began to develop my own internal compass and learn to hear my own voice. Then I had to give myself permission to actually do those things that called to me, even if it disappointed others.(I’m still working on that part). As a researcher and clinical psychologist, I have learned that this is a common risk factor and pattern for people who get into trouble with meditation and/or spiritual groups. As part of my scholarship, I created a class that I taught (with my husband) for many years at Brown University, all about different sense(s) of self called “Me, Myself and I”. This class will be a combination of my scholarship, research, clinical work and continued quest to become myself.
Mandy Johnson
Over the past 20 years of recovery, I have had the privilege to be a witness to many human beings courageously grappling with life challenges, loss and grief. Their stories stayed with me and offered me insights into what it means to be a truly ‘whole’ human. What interests me is exploring the value of stopping; and that it’s never too late to have a life that is not fuelled by so much compulsive and sometimes destructive doing, that you forget how to be kind and tender with yourself. I support those recovering, whether from an addiction or from life, to become more able to drop external personas and instead begin living with brave honesty and through truly experiencing who they are. Have you noticed how the first question you get asked is usually – “So, what do you do?”. I am far more interested in discovering, “who you are apart from what you do in the world?”. For me personally, that question supported me in Becoming Myself. My work has evolved over the years as I “shifted” through all the many and varied frameworks that had in some cases been imposed into my mind and being. As I became clearer and more honest, I kept what felt most resonant and let go of the rest. Through my work now, I highlight the importance of understanding how early developmental trauma leaves profound impacts and may cause vulnerable individuals to be more prone to behaviours that are maladaptive; resulting in some sort of self-medicating with addictions and compulsions of various sorts. I value Cheetah House. As part of the care team, I offer support and resources to clients who suffer adverse events from meditation and long retreats. I personally had an experience of how grief and loss impacted me on a biological level, lying in wait, activated unexpectedly on retreat. My life was thrown into turmoil. I had to learn new ways of setting boundaries, exploring creative resources and really getting honest – and I hope that you join us on this course, so that you may enjoy becoming yourself, in a way that feels most resonant and congruent with your deepest values.
Schedule
Becoming Myself will meet virtually (via Zoom) on the first and third Tuesdays from 12:00 to 1:30 pm Eastern Time.
Between session activities may include readings, writing prompts, journaling, and self-designed, person-specific goals and target activities.
2025
September 16th
September 30th
October 7th
October 21st
November 4th
November 18th
December 2nd
December 16th
2026
January 6th
January 20th
February 3rd
February 17th
March 3rd
March 17th
April 7th
April 21st
May 5th
May 19th
Drop-in Price:
$30/class**
*In order to create a safe container/community, all folks who wish to participate in the course will need to attend one of the first four classes. This can be done with an 8 session package or drop-in class, and of course with the full course registration. Folks who sign up but are unable to make it to one of the first four classes will not be able to participate in the course, and they will be refunded.
The above links will be removed after the fourth class, but can be provided directly for folks who need them again.
* *Financial assistance is available. If you qualify, you will receive a discount code of up to 50% off to use for the full course registration or drop-in class. *
Note on the 8 session package: The purpose of this package is to accommodate folks who:
Can’t commit to the full course due to scheduling
Do not qualify for financial assistance, but cannot front the full cost of the course all at once (this is part of why it is already discounted as well).
Questions? Email us at cheetahhouse.org@gmail.com. We hope to see you there!