Men in our culture tend to struggle and suffer in isolation. The notion of sharing our struggles in any deep way with others, whether it be a counselor or with other men, in general is seen to be weak and shameful. This has gotten to the point that men with serious problems such as trauma’s or serious life stresses, not only hide it from others, but they hide it from themselves. Masking pain and vulnerability with alcohol and drugs, an assortment of addictions, or with attitudes and behaviors of dominating others has created a growing population of men that are in deep pain and are stuck in it, unable to go anywhere but spiraling into depression, addiction, isolation, even incarceration and suicide.
It is acceptable for women to be depressed, to be sad, to be floundering, at least to a far greater degree than men. If men allow these feelings out, they fear shaming as being effeminate, or gay, or un-manly.
Men need support from other men. Learning how to navigate feelings from the women in our lives is tricky business, because women are wired, (and plumbed!) differently than men. We need to learn how to feel from other men where we can. To learn that the path into feeling and vulnerability is not only acceptable, but it is the MOST courageous warrior task that we can take in our lives. Staying in our center in the amorphous and confusing realm of feeling is the new frontier, the wild west of our time: exploring our inner landscape.
Eric works extensively with men both on in individual sessions as well as in groups and workshops. Working with leaders in the men’s movement such as Robert Bly, Michael Meade, Malidoma Some, numerous shaman’s and martial arts teachers since 1985, as well as the Mankind project,, Eric brings a wealth of experience and wisdom to this realm.
As a somatic educator, Eric Sjoberg brings his lifelong passion for the exploration of human potential to his work with clients.