KIX, early session \ Email to join

Investigating Addiction through Dance + Sharing

Date

Jul 20 2023
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Time

CEST
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

❗️Please register via the contact form or email me. Spots are limited.
Contribution is €15 (reduced) | €20 (regular) | €25 (supportive)

Each week, we explore a different topic through a combination of tools. You are welcome to join just one class, however, please consider that the possibility of change occurs when we give ourselves the time and commitment to open to that change.

New News \ Two Thursday Classes: KIX, early session + KIX, late session
Due to the long waitlist, full classes and intent to keep the group size smaller to allow for connection x sharing, KIX is opening its doors to additional Thursday classes:

  • KIX, early session: 2x month, first + third Thursday of the month @ 17.00 – 19.00
  • KIX, late session: every Thursday @ 19.45 – 21.45

About the KIX Project

KIX is for anyone curious about addiction, compulsive tendencies or dependencies for the first time as well as for anyone familiar with how it plays out in their lives.

This special and unique format to investigate all forms of addiction – big or small. The work is based on Samar Linn’s long personal history of (multiple) addictions, over 10 years of recovery and professional work as a counselor, facilitator and movement catalyst. Her personal journey brought to light the critical importance of a multi-layered approach to understanding and healing from addiction while her professional work built the foundation on how and why.

For over 2 years now (born March 2020), KIX has been a space to investigate, to learn, to discover as much as a community. There is an intangible, yet very healing, journey that those who join us regularly experience. We learn – viscerally, experientially through the body – that we are not alone. The body x mind x emotions are fundamental aspects of this project and this non-judgemental, confidential and safe space allows for deep personal inquiry, compassion and freedom.

About the KIX format

KIX’s special format supports us through the body, feelings and the mind. Each week we will;

  • Dance: We have the chance to express our feelings – or even discover them through spontaneous movement to a wave of musical beats. We connect to our body and begin to sense our needs and wants. During the dance, I use the 5Rhythms® map to guide our expression.
    • Often our bodies were abused or ignored by our addictions.
    • Most of us lost the capacity to feel.
    • Many of us believe(d) that certain feelings were ‘bad’ or ‘dangerous’ and we tried to hide them.
  • Share: We practice being honest and vulnerable when we get real with how we are in a safe space. We shed secrets, learn that we are not alone as we hear other people’s experience and gain additional strength and hope.
  • Explore Specific Topics: Each week, we explore specific topics about compulsions and addictions. We investigate why we learned to escape and invite new tools and perspectives into our lives. Depending on the topic, we use different tools and formats for these exercises.

Details for class

  • Wear clothing that is comfortable to move (and sweat) in
  • Bring a water bottle
  • Foot wear is optional – indoor or dance shoes only – most people dance barefoo

FAQ’s

Addiction is any compulsive or uncontrollable habit that we engage in to escape our feelings, or our reality.

Often it starts as a way to help us cope with life experiences yet over time we lose control and compulsively go towards those behaviors or substances.

Here are a two examples of how alcohol and Netflix were first used as ways to cope, and later became addictions:

  • The first time Louise* got drunk, it felt like all her insecurities disappeared. She felt like she was on top of the world and could be her ‘true self’ no matter who was in the room.
    At first, Louise only drank at big parties or conferences. Over time, she drank more often and at the slightest ‘feeling’ of stress. Her self-esteem worsened and she started to feel ashamed of her drinking.
    But she continued to keep a flask close-by as ‘medicine’ for stress. Even when her drinking affected friendships, commitments and her very own values, she couldn’t stop. Louise found support to stop drinking. She learned new ways to deal with stress and let go of her insecurities. 
  • Val* loves watching Netflix. To watch his favorite show is treat at the end of a long day. A way to relax. One episode turns into five and before long, it’s midnight.
    Val wakes up tired the next morning because of the previous night’s Netflix binge. Even if he turns off the TV, he can’t sleep anyway because his thoughts keep him up. He feels lost.
    Val tells himself that everyone watches Netflix at night and even though he senses his life is ‘running away’ from him, he doesn’t know what else to do, and finds himself in front of his screen again, day after day.
    Val discovered that Netflix binges were a way to hide from uncomfortable feelings and decisions he was avoiding. He received guidance and tools to feel his feelings and confidence to make important life decisions – without Netflix or other compulsive behaviors.

*names changed to respect confidentiality

Drugs. Work. Social Media. Booze.
Food. Sugar. Nicotine. Sex. Romance.
Netflix. Money. Love. Control. Power. Shopping.
Codependency. Co-addiction. Email. Orgasms. Adrenaline.

….. our unique flavors of addiction are endless.
All are welcome to be explored here.

Please feel free to contact me for a 20-minute no-cost and confidential chat.

Here are some signs, too, that might give you some clues:

  • Reward: Do you feel better and more in control ‘doing it’ even if there might be negative consequences?
  • Importance: Do you find ‘doing it’ has become a part of who you are or a way you live your life? Do you worry you would not be able to ‘deal’ without it or believe that you couldn’t ‘live’ without that person, job or behavior?
  • Disruption: Do you say you are going to do something different and then – almost like a dream – find yourself ‘doing it’? 
  • Frequency: Do you ‘do it’ more often and for longer periods of time than before, or than you originally planned? Do you hear yourself say “just a bit more” or “just another one” or “I can’t help it”?
  • Pausing: Do you feel uncomfortable if you cannot ‘do it’? Does ‘doing it’ or being with that person take up all your thoughts and energy? Do you have emotional or physical responses, e.g. racing heart, while you are engaging in the behavior or when you cannot ‘do it’?
  • Secrecy: Do you keep this behavior, the frequency or the intensity a secret from others? Do you hide the behavior or feel scared what would happen if someone else finds out? Deep down, do you judge yourself for what you’re doing ? Do you rationalize or make excuses, even to yourself?

It is not required to ‘stop’ your addiction prior to attending KIX, however, it is required to be sober for the events.

What we all have in common is a curiosity about about how addictions, compulsions or dependencies play out in our life. We might, also, be open to learn what can lead to those addictive behaviors or the shadows or (negative) self-definitions we have about ourselves.

You are invited to show up exactly as you are, in this non-judgemental, open and confidential space.

Please do not attend class under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

All addictions rob us from connection, freedom, intimacy. Sometimes we recognize this sensation subtly, in our innermost realms. Other times, addictions might run rampant in our external worlds. 

I believe that functioning is a way to survive life which is a far cry from what we all deserve – living life and thriving with peace and serenity.

Only you know, in a space within yourself, whether you are functioning and ‘just making it by’ and if / when you are ready to lay down the taboos and investigate what it might be like to live and thrive without addictions, compulsions, codependency or dependency.

5Rhythms brings a beautiful framework to the world, and it is often described as a conscious dance meditation. The 5Rhythms is a practice developed by Gabrielle Roth who identified that life naturally moves in patterns – energies – that create a wave, a cycle. The more we experience being in these different energies, the more prepared we are for life.

As a certified 5Rhythms teacher, I use the 5Rhythms framework as a gentle guideline for the music I play. Each of these different rhythms has special qualities which we use to discover and to express feelings. In my own journey, I adapted the 5Rhythms map to confront my own addictions and compulsions – still potent healing for my daily life.

About Samar Linn

Samar is a curious investigator of the human experience and a movement catalyst. She is a certified 5Rhythms® teacher, a trained Integrative Counselor and Bodyworker. KIX is her heart project that was born out of her exploration of the insidiousness and pervasiveness of her multiple addictions. The gift has been to learn the root cause of all addictions and to create a unique program for herself to lead a fulfilling and addiction-free life. Today, she offers her learnings forward in the format as KIX.

Samar runs a range of workshops and regular classes to bring more curiosity to ourselves, openness to our uniqueness and permission to embrace the magic in daily life. Her raw attitude, vulnerability and fascination in ways to embody freedom of expression provide an electric, creative and safe environment.

Taste the Music