Unintend Consequences, Collateral Damage and Truth Telling

[karen gorrin]

There is a saying that goes something like this, "If you love
something, set it free. If it comes back to you it's yours. If it
doesn't, it never was." These words feel relevant here.

With the act of stepping aside, IMHO Harrison truly allowed room for
ALL possibilities of outcome: the energy of the group and it's
individuals may have blossomed or contracted, or shifted in any number
of expected or unexpected ways, perhaps leading to the collapse of
this OST process altogether, perhaps leading to renewed energy and
focus. By loving so much, and by trusting so much, Harrison modeled
what it truly means to, "allow what Must Be to emerge." And so it did.


In other words, people were lovingly offered space in which to
"metabolize" (or process) their powerful group experience, taking
whatever path was appropriate for them to do so. There is tremendous
freedom and creativity in such loving space. In fact, I might say that
open loving space is really all that actually exists. (A conversation
for another thread!)

I find that the "gasp-lack of oxygen" feeling can be a fear response
that arises when powerful, unfamiliar, or uncomfortable emotions catch
people by surprise. Often, just the act of naming the emotion, and
normalizing it's existence, makes room (and makes it "okay") for
people to relax their defensives, own their experience, and return to
their breath and the present moment.

For this reason, before stepping aside I *might* have named some of
what I was feeling swirling throughout the space, perhaps even noting
my own held breath (if it was held), as a method to make it "okay" for
others to do the same. This is important, I believe, because as the
individuals in the group "own" their experience, there will be less
"un-owned stuff" swirling about the group and causing havoc on others.
Through the acts of noticing and naming, we allow ourselves to be
present with what's happening, while also remaining non-attached.

Greeting from rainy and cold Seattle.


---
karen gorrin | ceo
www.modus360.com

Modus360 | Facilitators Design and Guide the Process
Important Conversations :: Key Decisions :: Collaborative Work

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