The Work That Happens When We Don’t Turn Away

Often I have witnessed healing through great shifts. Moments of sudden release when long-held energy or tension finally clears from the body.

But as I continue exploring and sharing Acting As Ritual, I see something quieter emerging. Just as powerful, and perhaps more sustainable.

What I see now is how deeply our lifelong patterns are woven in. The ways we hold ourselves. The postures and habits built to protect against pain. Wilhelm Reich called this our character structure, the unconscious armoring that shields us from feeling.

Truth isn’t hidden somewhere far away. It’s right here, beneath the familiar shapes we’ve mistaken for who we are. What we call personality is often just a pattern we’ve carried so long we forget it isn’t fixed.

In Acting As Ritual, we work with the material of our lives. Writing. Improvising. Giving voice and shape to what’s unresolved. We bring the shadows that have been running the show into view so they can be integrated.

This work asks for honesty. The kind that stays present with fear, confusion, and the memories that shaped how we move through the world. And it’s in that staying that something shifts.

Since last November, I’ve worked closely with ten people in a dedicated container, and over time I’ve taken more than a hundred through this process. What began as an experiment has become a practice that stands on its own.

I’ve seen people cross thresholds. Times when it felt easier to turn away, but they stayed with it. And because they did, they touched places in themselves that had been hidden and brought them forward. That choice allowed the real work to happen.

As this Character Detectives group moves toward its next phase, laying the groundwork for a ritual theatre ensemble, I’m preparing to open the container again for those ready to see the patterns that have shaped their lives and take back the lead in how they move through the world.

If this feels right for you, whether you’re in Byron, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, or interested in working together online, just reply to this email and I’ll share more. Both paths are available.

With love, Igor

For daily glimpses into Acting As Ritual For Healing, Self Discovery and Freedom, you can also follow me on Instagram @iamigorkreyman and @DivineTheatrix