Pysch Nurse Says Martial Art Has Given Her New Skills

“If you had told me 30 years ago, when I was beginning my career as a psychiatric clinical nurse specialist at the Cleveland Clinic, that some of the most valuable lessons I would one day use in my daily encounters would be learned from practicing a martial art,” says Kirste Carlson, “I wouldn’t have believed you. It turns out there were some precious life skills even a doctorate in nursing practice hadn’t taught me.”

Carlson, who moved to Euclid three years ago, says she was delighted to find such a helpful resource just a few blocks from her house, in the form of Lake Shore Aikido, which offers classes several times a week in beautifully renovated quarters at Shore Cultural Center. Besides keeping her physically fit, says Carlson, Aikido provides “a laboratory for learning about yourself, and practicing a creative way of being under pressure.”

Aikido has been called “the peaceful martial art.” No vicious kicks or chops or maiming. But that doesn’t tell half the story, says Carlson, who was inducted several years ago into the Clinic’s Nursing Hall of Fame. “It’s really about movement as the root of healthy psychological functioning.

“How you’re able to move is how you’re able to be in the world, and how you’re able to behave under physical or emotional stress.”

In fact it was the “interactive” nature of Aikido, she says, that first drew her to Aikido. “I had done yoga for years, but I was intrigued by the idea of working with another person. Because that’s what we all have to do in our real lives.

“What I’ve learned from Sensei Betsy O’Donnell at the Lake Shore dojo influences how I approach situations I face daily as a psychiatric nurse who helps other health care professionals deal with the stresses in their lives and work. And, I’ll let you in on a little secret: the stressful situations these highly trained people face are really no different from the ones faced on a daily basis by anybody who has teenagers, a difficult spouse or partner, or a colleague at work who likes to pretend he or she is the boss.”

The whole idea behind Aikido, which she has found so helpful in her own daily life and work, says Carlson, is simple one: “Your first move should always be to a physical and mental place of safety. You need to be able to locate it and know you can get there.

“When somebody behaves aggressively toward you, in word or manner, you don’t attack them back; but you don’t run away either. Instead, Aikido teaches you how to take a position slightly off the line of fire, from which you can safely stay connected with them without resorting to violent, angry behavior of your own.”

You might momentarily “win” by hurting the other person, says Carlson, “but be assured, they will resent you after that, and wait for the opportunity to get even. Part of the secret is learning to move from a secure center. It has to do with gravity, alignment, posture, and a growing self-confidence. Practicing Aikido with a partner gives you immediate feedback about how well you’re learning these things.”           

It’s also an incredibly fun way to exercise, she says. “It’s playful. We laugh a lot. And we learn to look at one other’s (and our own) mistakes with humor and compassion.”

It’s been said that Aikido is a personal growth system disguised as a martial art. “I think that’s true,” says Carlson. “Among other things, it’s allowed me to be curious. I never dismiss someone; I find myself willing to explore their point of view – because it doesn’t threaten me. I’m working, you see, from a position of strength. And that is a wonderful feeling.”

Dennis Dooley

Resident of neighborhood since 1956. Worked on East 185th street since 1970.

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Volume 7, Issue 12, Posted 5:18 PM, 12.06.2015