the OST-Healing Metaphor...

[Lisa Heft]

Chris (and Chris) and others -

Part of my background / experience is in HIV/AIDS education.  Here is
what we teach regarding the treatment approaches for that virus.  A note
that you cannot 'cure' a virus - you therefore treat in three ways at
once for the best approach to maintaining health:

- Anti-virus
medications which inhibit the virus from reproducing itself and from
attaching to healthy immune system cells

- Anti Opportunistic Infections
medications that act proactively to ensure that - if you get an
infection (specific to a damaged immune system because that immune
system cannot recognize infection) you will get a milder case of that
infection, not a life-threatening case

- Immune enhancement
medications and other approaches, from spiritual to emotional to herbal
(which I also classify as medications) to natural approaches such as
acupuncture or bodywork, to exercise to nutrition to community support
and connection - to help the whole body do its own work against the
virus in as robust a way as possible.

I share that with you because in looking back over it I can see many
metaphors and also literal applications to/of/for what Open Space and
other good work does in organizations / communities / systems to keep
them healthy *even when* they are sick, and to prevent further
life-challenging illness.

My two pesos/rubles/cents,

Lisa

L i s a   H e f t
Consultant, facilitator, educator
O p e n i n g  S p a c e
2325 Oregon
Berkeley, California
94705-1106   USA
(+01) 510 548-8449
lisaheft at pacbell.net
(coming soon: www.openingspace.net)


-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of chris
weaver
Sent: Saturday, May 31, 2003 4:51 AM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: the OST-Healing Metaphor...

two more thoughts along these lines:

the language of a homeopathic intervention, or a "dose" of what ails us,
is
problematic.  it seems that the system reveals what ails it from within
- it
is in no way an outside intervention - and calibrates the internal dose
with
great care (as the person hesitates to give language to the dead moose
and
then finally does, digging deeper than ever to find words that are both
honest and responsible...)

and...what is a vaccine?  a big dose of not what ails us but what might
ail
us in the future?  a very tricky undertaking, seems to me...

just meandering...

chris

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