Science - Politic - Culture - Creativity - Earthcentric vision: An integrative somatic approach to trauma and nervous system restoration

Facilitation & Training | Online & In-Person

While I find individual healing to be an important step in our personal growth, I cherish collective healing work even more for the connection and energetic power that can be created in a well facilitated group. Participants in group work can see themselves as part of an interdependent whole and sense their growth being supported and witnessed by more than just themselves. As a trauma-trained person, part of my facilitation work is to repair the broken lenses that we see the world through. These broken lenses created split and separation in us as a collective, and by repairing them we can become one again and feel more of our interconnectedness. Be it in wellness and/or spiritual retreats or in workshops, I mix various tools and techniques to create group resonance, cohesion and compassion.

UPCOMING EVENTS

COLLECTIVE RESONANCE: THE NEUROBIOLOGY OF GRIEVING TOGETHER

GRIEF CIRCLE FACILITATOR TRAINING - FUNDAMENTALS

Course day & hours: Every 2 weeks , Saturdays & Sundays from 10:00 pm to 14 pm, Berlin time

Course language: English

Course Length: 13 modules spread over 3 months, with a one-month break in August

Number of participants: This training is designed for a small cohort, max 12 people

WHY THIS COURSE

In today's complex and fast-paced society, the need for understanding and honoring grief has never been more critical. Grief, in its various forms, permeates every aspect of our lives, from personal losses to global crises. Without proper support and understanding, unresolved grief can manifest as emotional distress, physical ailments, and societal unrest.

'Collective Resonance' emerges as a vital program, offering essential tools and insights to address the profound complexities of grief in our modern world. As individuals navigate the tumultuous waters of human loss, ecological challenges, and societal injustices, they often find themselves grappling with overwhelming emotions and unmet needs for support.

This condensed workshop, merging neuroscience, cultural sensitivity, and practical skills, is designed to navigate the intricate interplay of grief amid human loss, ecological challenges, and societal injustices. By empowering facilitators with the knowledge and skills to hold space for grief, 'Collective Resonance' aims to foster resilience and connection in individuals and communities alike.

Join us in redefining the role of grief facilitation in our society, as we embark on a journey of collective understanding and compassion. Together, let us illuminate the path toward healing and resilience in the face of life's most profound challenges.

It takes a village to raise a child, but what if the village is traumatized?

Online group training | Zoom | 15 MARCH - 17 MAY 2024

WHY THIS COURSE

As for many things, there is no one-size fits all in parenting as well. There are no bad parents, and perfect parents don't exist either. But there are systems (the village) that impose us ways of doing, and is bombarding us with parentings advices, perspectives, various philosophies, judgmental looks and voices, etc..without taking into account our children’s real needs.

We want our child to be quiet in this queue at the supermarket, to sit and eat perfectly at a table...we just want them to BEHAVE because we, parents and care givers are feeling pressured and judged by our surroundings (the village). So yes, it takes a village and if we want it or not the village in a way is raising our children for us.

But instead of disciplining them, and being highly concerned by their behaviors, what if we cultivate connections with them?

Human beings long for connection, not just in the first few months of life but throughout life, and the center of connection is in our nervous system.

PAST EVENTS

It takes a village to raise a child, but what if the village is traumatized?

Online group training | Zoom | Oct 27 - 15 DEC 2023 |

WHY THIS COURSE

As for many things, there is no one-size fits all in parenting as well. There are no bad parents, and perfect parents don't exist either. But there are systems (the village) that impose us ways of doing, and is bombarding us with parentings advices, perspectives, various philosophies, judgmental looks and voices, etc..without taking into account our children’s real needs.

We want our child to be quiet in this queue at the supermarket, to sit and eat perfectly at a table...we just want them to BEHAVE because we, parents and care givers are feeling pressured and judged by our surroundings (the village). So yes, it takes a village and if we want it or not the village in a way is raising our children for us.

But instead of disciplining them, and being highly concerned by their behaviors, what if we cultivate connections with them?

Human beings long for connection, not just in the first few months of life but throughout life, and the center of connection is in our nervous system.

In-Person Event

SOFT SPACE with OJB in Hamburg

Location: EEDEN - Hamburg

Date: 02.07.2023

Who: Black FLINTA

SOFT SPACE with OJB in Hamburg

TRUST & BELONGING

How do we use our breath to explore our soma and its liberatory wisdom in a system of oppression?

How do we trust our ancestors ?

What does it mean to cultivate a felt sense of trust, safety, support and belonging in our bodies and in our communities?

This Soft Space is an invitation to cultivate trust within our relationship web including our relationship to self, with other humans, with the surrounding, and with our ancestors, to embody belonging.

Register via email on the contact form.

Monthly In-person Event

Embodied self: Coming home to the body

Location: Lisbon

Agora Lisbon : Rua Rafael de Andrade, 23,

Date: Sat 15.04.2023

Embodied self: Coming Home to the Body

In-person event | Lisbon | Starting in spring 2023

Embodiment explores the relationship between our body and our mind. It’s a practice that breaks the body-mind duality and use the body as a tool for expansion through self-awareness. When embodied, we have the capacity to allow the moment-to-moment process as we experience life.

Through mouvements, visualization, touch, sensory awareness, exteroception, proprioception, Interoception, breathwork…..this monthly workshop will make room to connect our thought, feeling and sensing and experience ourselves and surroundings in a new way.

“The more embodied we are, the more present we are in our body, the more alive we feel, and the more we can experience our interconnectedness.”

Hour: 6:30-8:30 pm

Fee: 35 Euros (23% Portuguese VAT included)

In-Person Event

SOFT SPACE RETREAT with Caminhada de Mulheres Negras

Fully booked

Location: Vianna de Castello - PORTUGAL

Date: 09-12th March 2023

SOFT SPACE RETREAT with Caminhada de Mulheres Negras

Caminhada de Mulheres Negras is a black women and non-binary hiking group based in Porto-Portugal, that aims to make outdoor activities more accessible and safer to Black bodies.

Their bi-annual weekend retreats happens in Portugal with various activities such as hiking, beach/river adventures, cooking together, mindfulness, resting …beautifully balanced activities that combine dynamic and slow movements where everything happens at your own pace.

I will be facilitating "Soft Space” a moment for somatic practices and soft breathing techniques.

For more details about the retreat and forthcoming dates, join the group mailing list HERE

To get an impression of the upcoming event, see images from our last year’s edition.

Évènement en ligne

S’autoriser à rêver

Où: en ligne /zoom

Dates:

08 février de 19h30 à 21h

09 février de 19h30 à 21h

10 février de 19h30 à 21h

In-Person | Berlin | Feb 22.04. 2023 | 10-6PM

S’autoriser à rêver est une étape importante du processus de décolonisation et de libération collective. Nous créons cet espace de trois jours, du 8 au 10 février, afin d’explorer ensemble et profondeur cette thématique grâce à un croisement de nos outils et approches. Ainsi, nous naviguerons entre conversations, travail somatique et outils créatifs et artistiques se mêlent pour co-créer nos rêves pour le futur.

S’autoriser à Rêver

Kind Words

  • "Thank you for being such a wonderful facilitator and teaching us softness in a way that resonates for black women. I came away with many tools that I am still practicing today. I hope to maintain this practice of softness every day and every week!"

  • « We launched our hiking group almost one year ago and have since seen a growing community. For us a retreat was a natural next step, and we were lucky to connect with Tobi, who was able to take our experience a step further and facilitate a space of healing.....and joy. This felt key to the experience. There is no doubt that we need to be open to share our pain, our journeys, our concerns...but so often as black people we are not encouraged to share our joy. Tobi opened up a space in which this could happen in a safe and supportive way. »

    Caminhada de Mulheres Negras

  • Tobi's group workshop as like drinking water after a long period of thirst. She is gentle, attentive an knowledgeable. I felt both grounded and like walking on the air after.

    L.S- Visual artist - Berlin/Germany

  • For most of the sessions I felt cared for, respected and relaxed. When any discomfort came, it was purposeful on Tobi's part (such as looking into the eye of colleagues and feeling their emotions) and I found this very powerful. I learned breathing and tapping techniques that, even though weeks have passed, I am still practicing with some frequency. I am paying attention to my breathing frequency and I feel the written material she brought to the sessions was very important to review at home. Tobi is a special person with a vital energy that exudes knowledge, intelligence and compassion. She speaks with property about what she teaches and seems to have that kind of knowledge that, more than from studies, comes from life and practice. It comes from her ancestry, her Africanness and her ability to understand herself. Her joy and energy are also contagious. Definitely a person you want to have by your side. I recommend to anyone who is in the beginning or in the middle of their journey of finding themselves to participate in the soft space sessions facilitated by Tobi. Thank you very much and asé!

    G. B - Portugal

  • I think it can be really difficult to create a "safe space" in the past, often I have felt it is impossible, however participating in Soft Space with Tobi brought me closer to believe this is possible. I felt supported, understood and connected to myself and others. Tobi is patient, present and caring as a facilitator really supporting growth and healing. Forever grateful for the time with her.

    C.v - Portugal

  • "I’m not someone who can easily get out of my head and just be in my body yet Tobi brought a great energy and variety of activities that helped me do just that. She also made me feel comfortable that no matter what level I was at, I wasn’t doing anything wrong. So my mind could wander and then come back without feeling any guilt. What I loved most about her sessions were getting to share the space with other Black women and leaving with tools that I can use on my own at home and with my daughter. Thanks Tobi! "

    G.M - Portugal

  • « I took part in Tobi's soft space for half a day and hope I will have a chance to join many more. Tobi does not only have a lot of knowledge and experience, but also a real gift in creating a safe atmosphere, like I have never experienced before in my life. The tools she taught us were so effective, that they really helped me to calm down from a very stressful and negative period in my life. And I went out of soft space with joy in my heart and felt ready to manage anything that will come my way. I even incorporated some of the tools into my daily life. Thank you Tobi for creating soft space for us and thanks for being this wonderful you! »

    R.F - Portugal

  • "As an artist embedded in performative practices, I already took parts in many workshops about body and movement. But the one with Tobi was quite special and different in the sense that we worked other important parts of the body such as the eyes and the tongue, which leads us to the gaze and flavor, important senses to our artistic practices). The way it awakened very deep feelings and memories in my body helped me achieve some important and sensible aspects not only in my own body practice but also as a collective body."

    C.S., São Paulo, visual artist

About Tobi

Born and raised in Benin, movement and displacement have been an integral part of her life and define her entire identity. Having grown up in the West African sub-region and also lived in North Africa, notably in Tunisia, she has experienced in her flesh the countless ethnic, inter-religious, and social divisions that are deeply rooted in the colonial trauma that the continent has experienced.

Based today Portugal after having lived in Germany, she is a somatic practitioner and a skilled group facilitator with a deep commitment to working with individuals and communities to repair connections and integrate collective, intergenerational, individual, and systemic trauma. She founded RECONEKT a space to deeply look how systemic trauma has fragmented us as collective body and ways to heal together. She believes that anti-oppression work begins within one's self and includes addressing all oppressed groups and identities as we work towards liberation of all beings.

Learn More

Join Our Newsletter, join our grief circle

Grief is part of life, part of our growth process, part of us.

What if we make more space to honore it? What if grief more often together?

Subscribe to receive our Newsletters and join our free monthly online communal grief circle.