The Seek Safely Promise (The Matrix Dictionary)
Seek Safely is a website created by Kirby Brown’s family, whom decided to bring positive purpose to Kirby, James Shore and Lizabeth Neuman’s tragic deaths in a Sweat Lodge led by Self-help guru James Arthur Ray (see my article James Arthur Ray and the Sweat Lodge Tragedy).
The website says: Kirby’s search to find the deeper meaning in life and a deeper purpose for herself was a huge part of who she was. We want to be Kirby’s voice to keep others safe from physical, emotional and financial harm. When someone is seeking to expand themselves, they should not lose their money, their time or their life! Kirby’s parents, George and Ginny are licensed, clinical social workers and educators who have worked with those suffering from trauma, depression, anxiety, family dysfunction, grief, and challenging life transitions. Kirby’s siblings, Bob, Kate, and Jean, are professionals in various fields who are also raising young families. If Kirby was alive today, we know that she would be speaking up – yelling, more likely – about the abuses she experienced. Now, we are Kirby’s voice. On the website Self-help practitioners are asked to sign The Seek Safely Promise. It says: A person’s journey to self-empowerment and personal improvement is deeply personal, emotional and often times spiritual. We/I acknowledge and support every individual’s right to a safe and constructive journey so that each person might find the personal growth and change he/she seeks. As an organization/program we/I are committed to providing an environment and experiences that are: Truthful: Consumers will receive accurate information about the authors, leader’s or speaker’s professional degrees, credentials and experience. Protective: The leader will protect the emotional safety of participants by keeping confidentiality and implementing appropriate boundaries. Accurate: It will be clearly delineated what is personal opinion, belief or speculation as opposed to information that is supported by third party scientific research. Integrity: The leader will provide personal witness by living the program being taught. Respectful: Participants will be able to freely express opinions, without fear of public humiliation, ridicule, shame or physical abuse. Safe: The leader will have a comprehensive risk management plan to minimize any risk taken by participants and clearly explain any potential risks. Kirby Brown´s mother asked big names in the self-help industry to sign the promise. She says they wouldn´t do it. In my view there is nothing in the promise that any responsible human being could not agree with. In this I mean: by signing it they do not conform to any authority, organization, idea or ideology. They just make a promise about that they are honest people. It opens the question: why not? (note that because they haven´t signed the promise, doesn´t mean that they break the promise!). On the time of writing only 79 lesser known practitioners have made the promise. The page also shows a list of people the website has invited to make the promise, among others Tony Robbins. The list amounts to 167. No one have signed it. Related: The Matrix Dictionary |
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