ifeelmyself up close

Up Close | Ifeelmyself

Techniques such as body scan meditations, yoga, and other somatic practices can help individuals tune into their physical sensations. By doing so, they can release physical tension, improve their posture, and enhance their bodily functions. From a more philosophical or psychological standpoint, feeling oneself up close can involve existential inquiries into the nature of self and identity. It's about questioning who one is, what one values, and where one stands in the world. This reflective process can lead to a deeper understanding of personal goals, aspirations, and one's place in society.

Practicing mindfulness and meditation can enhance this self-awareness. By dedicating time to introspection, individuals can develop a closer relationship with their inner selves, fostering a sense of compassion, acceptance, and understanding. On a physical level, feeling oneself up close might refer to being acutely aware of one's bodily sensations. This could involve recognizing areas of tension or relaxation, noticing changes in breathing, heart rate, or other physiological responses. This awareness can be crucial for physical health, stress management, and overall well-being.

Psychologists like Carl Jung have explored the concept of the self in depth, introducing terms like the "persona" (the social mask we wear) and the "shadow" (the repressed aspects of ourselves). Exploring these concepts can help individuals feel themselves up close by uncovering hidden facets of their personality and integrating them into their conscious awareness. Artists, writers, and musicians often explore the concept of feeling oneself up close through their work. By expressing their inner experiences, emotions, and observations, they provide insights into their own process of self-discovery.

The phrase "I feel myself up close" can be interpreted in various ways depending on the context, including emotional self-awareness, physical sensations, or even a philosophical perspective on self-perception. Let's dive into a detailed exploration of this concept across different dimensions: Feeling oneself up close often starts with a deep dive into emotional self-awareness. This involves recognizing and understanding one's emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. It's about being present with oneself, acknowledging feelings without judgment, and understanding their roots. This process can lead to better emotional regulation, improved mental health, and a stronger sense of self.

Marilyn

Marilyn Fayre Milos, multiple award winner for her humanitarian work to end routine infant circumcision in the United States and advocating for the rights of infants and children to genital autonomy, has written a warm and compelling memoir of her path to becoming “the founding mother of the intactivist movement.” Needing to support her family as a single mother in the early sixties, Milos taught banjo—having learned to play from Jerry Garcia (later of The Grateful Dead)—and worked as an assistant to comedian and social critic Lenny Bruce, typing out the content of his shows and transcribing court proceedings of his trials for obscenity. After Lenny’s death, she found her voice as an activist as part of the counterculture revolution, living in Haight Ashbury in San Francisco during the 1967 Summer of Love, and honed her organizational skills by creating an alternative education open classroom (still operating) in Marin County. 

After witnessing the pain and trauma of the circumcision of a newborn baby boy when she was a nursing student at Marin College, Milos learned everything she could about why infants were subjected to such brutal surgery. The more she read and discovered, the more convinced she became that circumcision had no medical benefits. As a nurse on the obstetrical unit at Marin General Hospital, she committed to making sure parents understood what circumcision entailed before signing a consent form. Considered an agitator and forced to resign in 1985, she co-founded NOCIRC (National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers) and began organizing international symposia on circumcision, genital autonomy, and human rights. Milos edited and published the proceedings from the above-mentioned symposia and has written numerous articles in her quest to end circumcision and protect children’s bodily integrity. She currently serves on the board of directors of Intact America.

Georganne

Georganne Chapin is a healthcare expert, attorney, social justice advocate, and founding executive director of Intact America, the nation’s most influential organization opposing the U.S. medical industry’s penchant for surgically altering the genitals of male children (“circumcision”). Under her leadership, Intact America has definitively documented tactics used by U.S. doctors and healthcare facilities to pathologize the male foreskin, pressure parents into circumcising their sons, and forcibly retract the foreskins of intact boys, creating potentially lifelong, iatrogenic harm. 

Chapin holds a BA in Anthropology from Barnard College, and a Master’s degree in Sociomedical Sciences from Columbia University. For 25 years, she served as president and chief executive officer of Hudson Health Plan, a nonprofit Medicaid insurer in New York’s Hudson Valley. Mid-career, she enrolled in an evening law program, where she explored the legal and ethical issues underlying routine male circumcision, a subject that had interested her since witnessing the aftermath of the surgery conducted on her younger brother. She received her Juris Doctor degree from Pace University School of Law in 2003, and was subsequently admitted to the New York Bar. As an adjunct professor, she taught Bioethics and Medicaid and Disability Law at Pace, and Bioethics in Dominican College’s doctoral program for advanced practice nurses.

In 2004, Chapin founded the nonprofit Hudson Center for Health Equity and Quality, a company that designs software and provides consulting services designed to reduce administrative complexities, streamline and integrate data collection and reporting, and enhance access to care for those in need. In 2008, she co-founded Intact America.

Chapin has published many articles and op-ed essays, and has been interviewed on local, national and international television, radio and podcasts about ways the U.S. healthcare system prioritizes profits over people’s basic needs. She cites routine (nontherapeutic) infant circumcision as a prime example of a practice that wastes money and harms boys and the men they will become. This Penis Business: A Memoir is her first book.