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At 07:58 PM 10/16/2002 -0400, Winston wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>One challenge for me was the
presence of a group "guru" with a large<br>
controlling streak who claimed "seigniorial rights" on several
occasions,<br>
kind of like "space invader lite". For example during the
opening after the<br>
principles and law had been reviewed, she interrupted to declare to
the<br>
circle: "during MY breakouts, nobody will be allowed in after we
start, and<br>
if anyone wants to leave they will be asked to explain why, and also to
say<br>
goodbye". The interesting thing is that she had obviously already
earned<br>
the respect and honour of the participants, many of whom came to
the<br>
conference to learn from her. So on the one hand she was sometimes<br>
disruptive of the process, since some (not all) folks were hesitant to
go<br>
against her "amendment" to the Law and so fussed or complained
about her<br>
controlling behaviour instead, while on the other she was important to
the<br>
process as one of the key dispensers of (putative) wisdom...
an<br>
interesting polarity I had not personally observed (in Open Space)
before.</blockquote><br>
I would guess this makes the point that it is not about the "purity
of the process" but rather about the desires of the group. The 4
Principles and The Law are (so far as I am concerned) only statements of
fact as opposed to prescriptions of behavior. People then have to
choose.<br><br>
<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>A question that arose from the
nature of the group is perhaps more<br>
interesting. In a number of the breakouts (not necessarily the
guru's),<br>
there were real-time and intimate experiential exercises, as is in
the<br>
nature of Focusing. In those situations, it sincerely felt to some<br>
participants as if there should be no "bumblebeeing" allowed
since it could<br>
not only disrupt the process "en cours", but potentially cause
damage to a<br>
vulnerable psyche in what I will choose to call a therapeutic
situation.</blockquote><br>
I have had this situation on a number of occasions. Folks can say
whatever they want. And people will do whatever they do. What seems to
work best is invitation and request -- as opposed to dictates. So, I have
seen folks say "we are going to do a process. It will be confusing
if people come and go, so I ASK that if you choose to come, come for the
beginning -- and if you choose to leave, please do it quietly and don't
come back." Seems to work.<br><br>
Harrison<br><br>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
<div align="center">Harrison Owen<br>
7808 River Falls Drive<br>
Potomac, MD 20854 USA<br>
phone 301-365-2093<br>
Open Space Training
<a href="http://www.openspaceworld.com/" eudora="autourl">www.openspaceworld.com</a>
<br>
Open Space Institute <a href="http://www.openspaceworld.org/" eudora="autourl">www.openspaceworld.org</a><br>
Personal website <a href="http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm" eudora="autourl"><font color="#0000FF">http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm</a><br><br>
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