Omega is committed to creating a safe, respectful, and inclusive learning environment. During a recent workshop presented by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk and Licia Sky, Dr. van der Kolk made inappropriate and antisemitic comments that are deeply troubling and entirely inconsistent with Omega’s core values and community standards.
We recognize that these remarks caused pain and harm, and we take this very seriously. Upon learning of the incident, Omega leadership took the following actions:
- We met with Dr. van der Kolk to express our strong disapproval, urged him to issue an immediate apology, and informed him he would no longer be invited to teach at Omega.
- Our Senior Director of Programming addressed the workshop participants in person, offering Omega’s apology and clearly rejecting the remarks. Omega leadership held one-on-one conversations with anyone who wished to speak directly with us.
- We monitored the remainder of the course and offered options to anyone who wished to leave.
- For participants who had already departed before these in-person conversations took place, we followed up by email with apologies from both Omega and Dr. van der Kolk.
We are aware that the letters sent to this limited group have since been shared publicly. Our intent was to ensure that everyone who missed the in-person apologies received them directly.
Throughout the past week, our leadership team has continued to meet with and respond to anyone who has reached out to share feedback or concerns, and we remain available for continued dialogue.
In addition to responding to this incident, Omega is taking steps to strengthen our safeguards and expectations, including:
- Reviewing and strengthening our faculty contracting, programming, and evaluation processes.
- Revising our faculty code of conduct and protocols.
- Clarifying and reinforcing our community agreements for all who teach or participate in our programs.
We deeply regret this incident. We are committed to listening, learning, and taking concrete action to ensure that Omega remains a place where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.