PRIME Retreat: Feb 19-22, Joshua Tree, CA: Learn More
In nature, nothing moves aimlessly for long. Rivers spiral, storms rotate, planets orbit. These forces – centripetal forces – pull things inward toward balance and stability. They keep chaos from flying apart.
Your body works the same way.
When we experience trauma, the opposite force takes over. Instead of moving toward center, our energy is thrown outward, like debris from an explosion. Focus scatters. Relationships feel unsafe. Our body loses its sense of home. This is what we call centrifugal trauma: the outward push of fragmentation.
The path back is not about “becoming a better man” in the abstract, or chasing some ideal self. Healing is centripetal: a return to your own center, where your physiology, emotions, and actions are in sync.
We discovered that vague ideals like “masculinity” or “authentic self” have limited benefit. What produces deeper and lasting results is work from biology up. Trauma dysregulates your nervous system, pulling you out of alignment. Somatic practices and trusted community act like gravity; they pull you back into coherence, into connection.
And just like in nature, when conditions are right, healing happens naturally. You don’t have to force yourself to grow; you have to create the right environment for your system to remember how.
Here are three ways to start drawing yourself back toward center:
When you feel scattered or unsafe, slow down your breathing, lengthen your exhale, and notice your weight against the ground. Your body needs to feel safe before it can return to center.
Spend time with people who hold steady, who help you feel seen and heard without judgment. Our groups serve this role; they’re an anchor for connection.
Choose one small action today where your internal state matches your external expression, whether that’s speaking honestly, showing appreciation, or saying no when you mean no.
If this idea resonates, try this:
This week, track one moment each day where you notice yourself being pulled outward into stress, defensiveness, or shutdown. Then, choose one of the three practices above to pull yourself back in.
If you want to go deeper, MELD’s approach is designed to make this return to center not just a skill, but a way of living rooted in physiology, grounded in connection, and supported by community.
To discover more about MELD’s Functional Men’s Work, check out this post.
