Rape Culture, Restorative Justice, and Community Acupuncture

Responses

1. 

   Spartacus March 18, 2012

   First, thank you for the very powerful and informative link you provided. It occurs to me while reading your post that you may actually be in a position of great ability when it comes to getting through to Doug during your upcoming meeting, as you have been treating him and he’s presumably had to be trusting of you to let that happen. Have you & your community gotten a qualified interventionist involved in planning your meeting? It sounds to me like this might be a good tack to take: someone impartial,who can frame the discussion in the best possible way to get Doug to help himself. With someone who has no personal stake in the meeting mediating there could be a greater chance of understanding and success. I think you & your community are being very brave in attempting this, it sounds like the most difficult of situations.

2. 

   Lisa B. March 18, 2012

   Thanks Kim. We are going to get someone skilled from outside to facilitate the meeting.

3. 

   Nora March 18, 2012

   Hm, I have to say I feel a little anxious about how many identifying details about the patient are on this blog; I think this discussion might be better for the forums. It’s a good and important subject.

   In the meantime, some practical, immediate thoughts:
   Perhaps you should not be at the accountability meeting? And/or, perhaps you could be there primarily as a resource for the community, as a representative of POKE? Perhaps part of the accountability process would be him agreeing to get acupuncture at certain times – partly for your sense of safety, but also so that the women who are accusing him/who were assaulted by him can also know when NOT to come in for acupuncture themselves? Is it possible that he would be more amenable to getting treated at POKE by another of the punks–one who is not in so many of his social circles?

   Sending best wishes to you, your patient and your community, for safety and healing.

4. 

   korbenp March 18, 2012

   Thank you for continuing to talk about and help redefine useful boundaries in the context of doing community acupuncture. In a society where we’ve largely forgotten how to be with each other at all I feel like doing this pretty counter-cultural work is one kind of lab for how we can actually be good to each other and ourselves.

5. 

   Lisa B. March 18, 2012

   Nora, thank you for your first comment. I initially had the sense that this non-public blog is as private as the forums; maybe that’s not accurate. I’ve edited the post.

   And thank you for your other thoughts. One of the other punks has indicated that she’s totally willing to keep treating him. Maybe I do need to reconsider how many hats I’m agreeing to wear.

   Thanks for your well wishes, too. It helps.

6. 

   poke March 19, 2012

   I’m sure I’ll see you before you read this, however, I am a little concerned that this still might be better situated in the forums, as opposed to a public blog site. I think the topic merits much discussion, and I would like for you to receive as much insight/support and thought provoking posts as possible. But because it involves one of our patients, it feels a little naked out here somehow…
   ps. i heart you.

7. 

   MMDobson March 20, 2012

   Thank you for the link, I read as much as I could of the blogs that were posted there, and I have a better understanding of rape culture. I’m glad I got it before you took down the blog.