Anna Saviano, Practice Owner
I first thought of knowing this way in 2022. I was in a room full of veterans, first responders, and DOC workers. Sometimes it’s the Dept. of Corrections guys that really get my wheels turning. That particular day was not anything special – I’ve been working with Warriors’ Ascent since 2017 or 2018, so I’d been in this exact room with a variation of this group many times before.
What made it different, though, was how I was thinking about it after leaving. I teach a section that is five hours, with a ton of content, and things can get pretty heavy. Folks who make it to our program have seen it all. We don’t get too much into specific stories, but I’ve been around long enough to know. And that got me thinking about how we know things. What the experience of knowing can be. It occurred to me that if I were to *imagine* everything these particular men had witnessed, done, been subjected to, or heard about, I would crumble. I would not be able to do my job at all, let alone well.
It comes in three levels. I envision it as a bullseye, and that we can move in and out of those circles. That is, if we practice and do so with intention.
The “How We Know Things” Bullseye
- Outside ring: Here is where our cognitive or cerebral knowing happens. This is the data, the facts, the most technical knowledge we have lives here.
- Middle ring: A deeper way to know or understand is through our imagination or our creative mind. Envisioning the situation someone else is in can increase empathy. It connects us to our loved ones and can also be painful, knowing at that level.
- Inside circle: This is our own lived experience. Where our body has been, what we have been through in our own, real life. This is the deepest knowledge we can access.
Since 2022, I have been implementing this in my work with clients of all sorts, as well as introducing it to other clinicians. I’ve sent home post-its with a scribbled map of “How We Know Things”. I’ve learned from everyone along the way, but the model hasn’t changed much. It can help understand your own experiences with enough distance to not be overwhelmed by feelings. Moving from the outside in, allows for a deeper and more empathic understanding of the folks closest to you. Understanding that ‘knowing’ (outside ring) is not the same as ‘knowing knowing’ (inner circle) means we can all maintain some perspective. Build grace for people who have been through some things we’ve never seen. Maybe even create a little peace in your corner of the world.
