Episode 228: Aikido, Conflict Resolution & Trauma. Jeff Dowdy

Aikido and trauma resolution?

Part of my own education in my graduate psychology program involved learning Aikido. Psychology and Aikido are a perfect fit. When I learned of this week’s guest, Jeff Dowdy, and the work he was doing within the trauma field, I jumped at the chance to have him on the podcast. Aikido is a non-violent martial art. If you’re not too familiar with it, you can read more about it here.

Over the last twenty years, Jeff Dowdy gratefully has had opportunities to direct programs utilizing art and Aikido to support the excellence of youth and adults in under-resourced and in at-risk communities. Jeff has led community arts projects, taught art in the classroom, and has recently founded Sarete, a nonprofit that utilizes the martial art of Aikido as a resource for reducing the burdens of conflict and trauma.

For Jeff, Aikido was a discovery that the body isn’t just along for the ride, it is a driving force that determines our experience. Sarete stems from the realization that the body becomes a resource for experiencing conflict in a way that leads toward resolution and healing.