We were deeply touched by our conversation with Derrick Mason. Derrick shares with us his journey from learning the understanding shared by Sydney Banks while in prison, to his role as Director of Beyond Recovery today.
Derrick's initial insight involved seeing the psychological innocence of his mother, and the impact of believing the misunderstanding that everything in his life was her fault. During the Beyond Recovery program, he attended in prison, at first just like so many of us he was taking in the understanding from a purely intellectual place. But eventually, after several weeks of still showing up, the understanding moved from his head to his heart. He now always follows that feeling as a guidepost.
Derrick teaches us about the power of showing up as ourselves, and how that's all we ever need. He can notice his insecure thinking and then remember that the opportunities he's been offered have come as a result of being himself and removing the mask he once thought was necessary to be successful.
Derrick's story is such a powerful testament to the fact that our experience of life is always being created from the inside out. He shares that while he was in the worst physical place imaginable, prison, he was feeling better than he ever has before. And if he can feel that way in prison, and trapped while on the beach with money in his pocket, then he could trust in the truth of this paradigm-shifting understanding.
This episode explores:
- The feeling comes from within
- Lean into uncomfortability knowing comfortability is your true nature
- Forgiving yourself leads to seeing others' psychological innocence
- Always show up as you -- it's healing for everyone around you
- Vulnerability is our strength
- Freedom is available to us anywhere
Show Notes
Buffering skills: Angus may need to insert some buffers between his appointments in his calendar.The tango of death: the anger game - it takes two to get into entanglementXL comfort blanket: the feeling being embraced by our true nature
Equal Justice Initiative: EJI is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society. You can donate here: https://support.eji.org/give/153413/#!/donation/checkout
The Bail Project: Working to restore the presumption of innocence, reunite families, and challenge a system that criminalizes race and poverty. They're on a mission to end cash bail and create a more just, equitable, and humane pretrial system. You can donate here: https://bailproject.org/mission/?form=donate
Derrick Mason learned about this understanding while in prison in 2017. He was impacted by the truth and simplicity in Sydney Bank’s books, as well as the love and trust of Jacqueline Hollows and the Beyond Recovery team. Derrick was then able to see the true potential within himself, which had only ever been limited by his own thinking. Derrick is a director for Beyond Recovery and serves on the Board of the Three Principles Global Community. Learn more here: https://beyond-recovery.co.uk/.
[Disclaimer: this narrative is not intended to detract from the need for comprehensive reform to the justice system in the United States and beyond. See the Show Notes on this page for donation recommendations.]
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Angus & Rohini Ross are “The Rewilders.” Listen to their podcast Rewilding Love. They believe too many good relationships fall apart because couples give up thinking their relationship problems can’t be solved. Many couples don’t know how to navigate low moods, conflict, and emotional reactivity. In this season of the Rewilding Love Podcast, Rohini and Angus help a couple on the brink of divorce due to conflict. Angus and Rohini love working with couples and helping them to reduce conflict and discord in their relationships by pointing them to their innate wisdom and wellbeing. They work with couples who are struggling and couples who would like to deepen the love and intimacy they already have. They co-facilitate private couples' intensives that rewild relationships back to their natural state of love.
Rohini is the author of the ebook Marriage, and they are co-founders of The 29-Day Rewilding Experience and The Rewilding Community. You can also follow Angus and Rohini Ross on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. To learn more about their work visit: TheRewilders.org.