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My purpose in writing about the format is to provide you with more of an understanding of the workshop. If you want to know more contact me directly.
The process workshop has been developed to create a safe environment for the exploration of early life imprints and relational issues. In the course of understanding what happened earlier in our life we can create more choices in how we are and behave today.
It can take between 2 to 4 hours to go through the initial phase of the workshop. During this time we will begin the journey of coming into relationship with each other. As part of this, each of us has the opportunity to introduce ourselves and name our intention for the workshop. I will go through the underlying principles and give an overview of different aspects of the workshop.
Every participant has the opportunity to take a turn. Each person’s turn is unique and the way it unfolds and is facilitated is determined by his or her intention. There is a group process that I will facilitate to support us arriving at one person taking a turn. I then read the turn person’s notes and he/ she will affirm his or her turn with each member of the group or surround. This is to ensure that the surround is ready to support the turn person in their journey. This process supports the deepening relationship between those present.
We now move into the turn itself, which develops based on the intention and needs of the turn person. As the turn person shares information, I facilitate the developing relationship between him/ her and the members of the surround. During this time, I will ask questions relevant to the intention. I also offer coaching to support the turn person and the surround as the story unfolds. Relating takes the form of gentle contact and I may also suggest interactions that the members of the surround and the turn person can explore.
As part of the coaching, I support the slowing down of patterns that become apparent during the sharing from the intention. For example, this ‘slowing’ can be in relation to speaking, experiencing feelings, perhaps to body movement, or some combination. It happens within the container of relationship provided by the surround: It may be just about the surround being there and holding presence or perhaps physically supporting the turn person’s movement patterns: In whatever form it takes, it is with gentle attention – as if being present at a baby’s birth.
It is within this process of slowing down and having expression of the early life imprints, whilst remaining in relationship, which supports the integration of these past events. Another aspect is creating a coherent narrative about what happened in the past; appreciating how certain behaviour developed to support the turn person in their life and seeing the possibility of change. From this place of integration we find that there is space to choose other possibilities to our behavioural actions, especially in relationships, that can more support us in our life today.
Once the session is complete, the members of the surround have the opportunity to make an essence statement of how the turn person’s session touched them.
Whilst these workshops support accessing issues that occurred around birth, participants can also work with a number of other issues, such as separation, adoption and so on. It is not necessary to know what the issue was when coming with an intention. The intention can come from how your life is today.
Each of the following mornings there will be a check in. There may be some discussion of the previous day’s session to support right-
After the last session, as part of closure, I will talk about completion and suggest ways of participants having connection with each other over the next month. This forms part of support and of the integration of their experience. We will also look at other possible support structures. I can offer suggestions about how to integrate these new perceptions into our lives.
