There's a moment in every man's life where the shell he's built around himself finally cracks, and everything he thought he knew about strength gets turned upside down. For me, that moment came during my first men's group experience, going from 30 years of being emotionally stuck to sobbing on my back in just 20 minutes. I recently shared this story and more about the transformative power of in-person men's work with Melanie Curtin on her podcast Dear Men, exploring why physical presence and real connection between men creates breakthroughs that simply talking about our problems never can.
We talked a lot about what happens when men actually go away together, how it mirrors the old hero's journey of leaving the ordinary world to face what's really going on inside. There's something about being physically present with other men, feeling their energy, getting real feedback in the moment, that just accelerates growth in ways that talking about it alone never can. The camaraderie that forms is real. I'm still in touch with guys I did a single practice with years ago because we went deep fast.
One thing that kept coming up is how much of our vitality gets locked away, especially around anger and other energies we've learned to suppress. Creating containers where men can safely access and move that stuff is some of the most transformative work I've seen. When a man walks in like a shell and leaves with life force moving through him again, that's what this is about.
We also talked about the nervous system piece, how touch and presence with other men creates safety that lets the dam finally burst. So much of what we carry isn't just ours, it's lineage stuff, patterns handed down that haven't been able to move for generations sometimes.
If you're curious about what men's work really looks like and why going away with other men can be so powerful, check out the episode. And if you want to experience this kind of work yourself, head to evolutionarymen.apply to see what we have coming up.
