Announcing a series of courses aimed at
supporting individual growth and resilience.
Embodied Conflict
Thursdays April 30- June 4, 2026 / 12:00 - 1:30pm ET
By sliding scale $120-$375
Generative conflict moves us closer to purpose. For that reason, you might expect communities and organizations to embrace and celebrate generative conflict. Too often, however, our societal conditioning and past traumas prevent us from responding well to the opportunity to embrace conflict. We are so steeped in punitive systems culture that, rather than offer loving corrections, we disavow nuance and cancel one another or avoid raising issues at all. Creating cultures of belonging that are resilient in the face of individual missteps and political disagreement requires us to accept generative conflict for the sake of our shared purpose. When we practice holding generative conflict skillfully, deeper relationships and greater cohesion become possible, and our campaigns benefit from greater efficacy and more nuance.
Piloted for Harvard University faculty and hosted by the Kirkridge Retreat Center, participants will explore generative conflict through the embodied modalities of somatics and applied theatre. Using collaborative exercises, group challenges, and storytelling, participants will explore their skills and growing edges while learning to develop a culture of belonging for application in the larger world.
This workshop is for you if…
Imagine…
By the end of the workshops you will…
Piloted for Harvard University faculty and hosted by the Kirkridge Retreat Center, participants will explore generative conflict through the embodied modalities of somatics and applied theatre. Using collaborative exercises, group challenges, and storytelling, participants will explore their skills and growing edges while learning to develop a culture of belonging for application in the larger world.
This workshop is for you if…
- You want to feel secure in your relationships without fear of ruptures or cancellations.
- You long for less guardedness and more transparent communication in your professional relationships.
- You’re skilled at analysis, but not at staying present when things get hard.
- You want to feel confident, compassionate, and open when addressing sticky conversations.
- You want tools to express your boundaries and needs with ease and openness.
- You're curious to gain insight about your own conflict shaping for the sake of more responsive choices when under stress.
- You are interested in exploring group dynamics through collaborative experimentation.
Imagine…
- Willingly engaging in repair without avoidance or fear of vulnerability.
- Freely expressing your needs without guilt.
- Openness and care being your immediate response to conflict.
By the end of the workshops you will…
- Expand your capacity to spot the signs of nervous system defenses in yourself and others.
- Have a greater awareness of your unconscious adaptive strategies and safety shaping around stress or conflict.
- Have more tools and an increased ability to respond more constructively to pressure.
- Be more conflict secure and conflict responsive.
- Be more skillful at communicating your boundaries and needs.
Facilitator
Marissa Metelica is a social equity consultant, cultural worker, and expert facilitator working at the intersection of embodied leadership and healing justice. With over a decade of experience, she designs and leads programs and partnerships that cultivate cultures of belonging and support individuals and groups in navigating conflict as a source of learning, growth, and transformation.
Marissa brings a grounded, relational approach to her work, partnering with nonprofits, institutions of higher education, and city government to implement just and sustainable practices that strengthen resilience, deepen empathy, and support accountable development. Central to her work is an embodied methodology she has developed that weaves together somatic group facilitation, applied theatre, and mediation—an approach she integrates across all of her social change efforts.
Marissa holds a Masters Degree in Applied Theatre from the CUNY School of Professional Studies and has studied politicized somatics extensively under Dara Silverman’s Embodying Racial Justice. She has served as a core consultant for the Racial Healing Initiative and as Vice Chair of the Board at Kirkridge Retreat and Study Center. Her theatre for peacebuilding work has taken her to Rwanda, Uganda, and Northern Ireland.
Marissa brings a grounded, relational approach to her work, partnering with nonprofits, institutions of higher education, and city government to implement just and sustainable practices that strengthen resilience, deepen empathy, and support accountable development. Central to her work is an embodied methodology she has developed that weaves together somatic group facilitation, applied theatre, and mediation—an approach she integrates across all of her social change efforts.
Marissa holds a Masters Degree in Applied Theatre from the CUNY School of Professional Studies and has studied politicized somatics extensively under Dara Silverman’s Embodying Racial Justice. She has served as a core consultant for the Racial Healing Initiative and as Vice Chair of the Board at Kirkridge Retreat and Study Center. Her theatre for peacebuilding work has taken her to Rwanda, Uganda, and Northern Ireland.
Self-Guided Courses.
Somatics for Connection
A self-paced somatic learning series.
Access the following sessions at your own pace.
Session 1: Intro to Somatics/ Connecting to Self
What is somatic embodiment? We'll map our terrain by exploring when and where we're in our bodies, and learn tools for creating a more “flexible” nervous system.
Session 2: Unpacking Stress Defenses
We'll practice centering exercises and will explore nervous system defenses, parts mapping, and our “window of capacity”.
Session 3: Recovery from Override
We’ll get curious about bypass and override, practice coming back to a grounded state, and continue our parts mapping work.
Session 4: Safety Shaping, Shame, and Dissociation
We’ll explore shame and dissociation and how they show up in our bodies and our connections. We will dive into the vital importance of safety, dignity, and belonging.
Session 5: Building Resilience
Resilience is our focus—expanding our “window of capacity” and learning to better resource ourselves from within.
Session 6: Centering Receptivity/ Connecting to Others
We'll culminate our journey through practices centered on relationship and connecting with others without losing ourselves. We will learn mutual connection practices and other tools.
Access the following sessions at your own pace.
Session 1: Intro to Somatics/ Connecting to Self
What is somatic embodiment? We'll map our terrain by exploring when and where we're in our bodies, and learn tools for creating a more “flexible” nervous system.
Session 2: Unpacking Stress Defenses
We'll practice centering exercises and will explore nervous system defenses, parts mapping, and our “window of capacity”.
Session 3: Recovery from Override
We’ll get curious about bypass and override, practice coming back to a grounded state, and continue our parts mapping work.
Session 4: Safety Shaping, Shame, and Dissociation
We’ll explore shame and dissociation and how they show up in our bodies and our connections. We will dive into the vital importance of safety, dignity, and belonging.
Session 5: Building Resilience
Resilience is our focus—expanding our “window of capacity” and learning to better resource ourselves from within.
Session 6: Centering Receptivity/ Connecting to Others
We'll culminate our journey through practices centered on relationship and connecting with others without losing ourselves. We will learn mutual connection practices and other tools.
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Curriculum Topics.
Unlearning Racism
This interactive training will provide delve deeply into issues of race, racism, and whiteness. Through activities, dialogue, and lecture, participants will learn about the historical legacy of racism in the US, increase racial literacy, and investigate unconscious bias. Participants will learn about and practice strategies for interrupting racism on three levels: internally, interpersonally, and institutionally. By the end of the training, participants will have tools, resources, and practice in allyship. Learn more...
Bystander Intervention
Participants will observe their default nervous system responses and learn to use those responses as assets when disrupting racist behavior in both the public and private spheres. Role play is an effective tool because the nervous system responds in the same ways it would when activated on the street or at a family gathering when someone expresses harmful behavior. Practicing using our body's natural responses when interrupting injustice provides valuable muscle memory, making it easier and more likely that we will advocate for the rights of others when we witness racial injustice in real life. Learn more...
Unconscious Bias
Despite our best intentions, even the most pure-of-heart can make snap judgements that stereotype, generalize, and otherwise diminish the full humanity of another person. While conscious bias can be easier to identify, unconscious (aka implicit) bias is trickier to spot in ourselves and others; and that’s the thing, we all have biases. Unconscious biases are particularly important to work on because they can cause unintended harm to others. In this training, participants will learn to identify conscious and unconscious biases in self and others, learn skills for interrogating and combating bias, and non-violent communication skills to support healthy dialogue around this touchy topic.
This workshop investigates internal, unconscious favoritism and limiting beliefs through theatre games, dialogue and individual written exploration. Participants will explore blind spots where our biases lie and learn best practices for combating them. The goals of this workshop are to augment awareness, increase personal responsiveness, and explore best models for sustainable, responsive, culture-setting. Learn more...
This workshop investigates internal, unconscious favoritism and limiting beliefs through theatre games, dialogue and individual written exploration. Participants will explore blind spots where our biases lie and learn best practices for combating them. The goals of this workshop are to augment awareness, increase personal responsiveness, and explore best models for sustainable, responsive, culture-setting. Learn more...
Power & Privilege
This training investigates issues of power and privilege through theatre games, dialogue and individual written exploration. Participants investigate models of confronting interpersonal, institutional conflict and oppressive behaviors, contextualized within our nation’s historical framework. The goals of this workshop are to augment awareness, increase cultural and interpersonal responsiveness, and explore best practices for inclusion. Learn more...