Dancing with the Energy of Conflict and Trauma: Letting Go - Finding Peace

“Dancing with the Energy of Conflict & Trauma, Letting Go – Finding Peace” is about bearing witness to and learning from real life struggles with conflict and traumatic events – some from the author’s life and many more from those he has worked with in numerous countries. The healing power of story is the book’s guiding path. The supreme importance of humanizing one’s adversaries and humbling ourselves is the book’s guiding spirit. The focus is upon finding strength, compassion, and peace within our lives and others. One’s peace need not be dependent upon individuals or circumstances one is in conflict with, unless one chooses to place power there. This book is about becoming aware of and working with the energy of conflict or traumatic events in a way that doesn’t focus exclusively on the verbal expression of the conflict. Words of conflict and trauma can cause one to become stuck in the powerful emotions one is trying to avoid. “Dancing with the Energy of Conflict & Trauma” is neither a training manual nor a definitive textbook. It is offered as a collection of powerful real life stories about the search for meaning and wholeness in the midst of conflict and traumatic events, all of which have been part of Dr. Umbreit’s life journey and his work for over 30 years with individuals and groups from more than 25 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America. “Dancing with the Energy of Conflict & Trauma” offers a window into what many would consider to be one of the most powerful, yet least understood approaches to dealing with severe conflict and trauma - that of embracing and working with the energy that is driving the conflict. The intent is to assist the reader in learning the importance of healthy release of toxic emotional energy that keeps us stuck in patterns of conflict, and learning to let go of our efforts to change other people or difficult circumstances with which we are faced. Learning to focus on the only thing we truly have power to change: ourselves and the energy we bring to what we experience, and learning practices that foster strength and peace within our souls. It means embracing life in its wholeness and nurturing our mind, body, and spirit. This book begins with several brief stories of how painful conflict and life threatening traumatic events in the author’s life and others have been and continue to be his greatest teachers of life wisdom, compassion, and humility. The healing and release found in some stories is totally independent of a dialogue with the person who caused the harm or a cure of the traumatic event or diagnosis. Many other stories involve face-to-face dialogue between the person who was deeply harmed and the perpetrator. All of the stories bear witness to the incredible strength and resilience of the human spirit. “Dancing with the Energy of Conflict & Trauma” is an invitation to expand our awareness of the magic and mystery to be found in walking the path of authentic transformation and healing through directly facing our most difficult conflicts and traumatic experiences. Stories will come from workplace settings, families, within communities, and in war torn nations from Northern Ireland, to Africa, and the Middle East. These stories stretch the imagination of what can be possible in fostering our own healing. They provide powerful testimony to the strength of the human spirit; touching of the soul of humanity even in the presence of some of the most evil and violent behavior imaginable. It requires entering an unfamiliar yet deeply enriching state of being that all are capable of, despite our backgrounds, our woundedness, our culture, and our education. The book concludes with what can be learned from courageous individuals who offer many gifts of awakening that can enrich our lives and free our spirit. Practical tools for the journey of facing conflict and traumatic events are offered as well.

Dr. Mark Umbreit is a Professor and founding Director of the Center for Restorative Justice & Peacemaking at the University of Minnesota, School of Social Work. He serves as a Visiting Professor at the Marquette University Law School in Milwaukee. For many years Mark has been affiliated with the Fetzer Institute and its work on peacebuilding, healing, and the power of forgiveness. He is an internationally recognized practitioner and scholar with more than 40 years of experience as a mediator, peacemaker, trainer, teacher, researcher, and author of numerous books and articles. Dr. Umbreit has conducted training seminars and lectures throughout the world, in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Mideast, and North and South America. Mark has been a consultant and trainer for the U.S. Department of Justice for the past 30 years. Dr. Umbreit also serves on the faculty of the Center for Spirituality & Healing in the Academic Health Center at the University of Minnesota, teaching courses on Peacemaking & Spirituality, and Forgiveness & Healing. As a practitioner, he facilitates peace-building circles in the community between members of diverse cultures and restorative dialogues between family survivors of homicide and the offender in their quest for healing and strength. He is working with colleagues in Northern Ireland, Italy, Liberia, and Israel/Palestine on peace building initiatives. He has helped establish restorative justice programs in nearly every state and numerous other countries. Dr. Umbreit’s research has contributed significantly to policy development in numerous countries. Mark is currently working as a Senior International Consultant with the United Nations Development Program and the Ministry of Justice in Turkey to support their legislative efforts to implement victim offender mediation throughout the country. Dr. Umbreit was recently elected to server as the founding President of the new National Association for Community and Restorative Justice.