EXPERIENTIAL CONVERSATIONS – An Uncommon Lens

Each of the following presentations takes place on a Saturday and Sunday (11:00-1:00 EST). The cost of each 2-day presentation is $129. As we look in the mirror, and to our clients, these are the elements that arise again and again. More than diagnosis, they are aspects of a response vocabulary, which is often nested in the language of the generations.

Each presentation will be recorded. Participants will have access to the recording for two (2) weeks following the presentation dates. If you can’t attend the full live presentation, you can still register as normal to receive access to the recording for the following week.

Of Solitude and Loneliness May 11-12

Ultimately, it is, of course, a journey alone. We are traveling alongside others but alone in our footsteps. Still, some have companions, and others do not. If this is our lot, we can ask why? But a better question might be, What is the space for? How shall I fill it? We can look toward purpose, meaning-making -- one of the unique things we as humans have the capacity for. What is this space for? And then we set about answering the question. And in setting out anew we even have a better chance of finding good companionship, and if we don’t — or it takes time — we get to engage in life in fresh ways, making our contributions and spreading our wings. Together we will parse the difference between loneliness and solitude, and consider ways in which we can be alone but not isolated.

Victims and Perpetrators June 29-30

These words are frozen in time. Where once some were victims and others were perpetrators, as history continues to unfold, the roles change. But as descendants, whether several generations down or of those just behind us, we are born into a belonging that is identified with one or the other. Our connection to the victim or to the perpetrator impacts our belonging in ways that are usually hidden to us. Is my inability to succeed an expression of loyalty to the victims of the civil war in my homeland? Do I make sure to destroy relationships with the people who love me to punish myself? Is that an act of atonement for what my predecessors did? Together we will explore the collective unconscious threads that come to us from the powerful field of Victim and Perpetrator. 

Living Well in an Unwell World July 27-28

How can we expect joy in a world that is suffering? Is it wrong to try to cultivate love and happiness when it is out of reach for most of the people on the globe? Everyone is talking about it, all the therapists and other helpers, that anxiety and depression are overwhelming people of all ages. Some of us don't even realize how the events happening out there are rattling and reshaping our experiences of ourselves. Why am I so jumpy? so angry all the time? so lethargic. What is wrong with me? Together we will look at the Constellation we are living into right now. Our descendants will look back and define it that way. Together we will consider the clash between personal aspirations and global forces that seem to orient to destruction.

Success ... Is Where We Start! August 24-25

In my personal and observational experience, "success" is not a destination, it is a way of being. Those of us who see ourselves as failures have always held this identity deep inside. It was given to us as a fear or expectation by caregivers who themselves held this self-image. We are either terrified of not living up to expectations or resigned to replicating their experience. If we can shed such limitations, put aside this part of the inheritance, we can connect with the core success of our being. We made it. We can then bring that sense of ourselves into the world so that the world has a chance to welcome us. 

Life in Shadow and Light September 14-15

Paradox, nuance, ambiguity … these are among the powerful subtleties of life; they are the threads that allow for freedom. It is never one way or the other, though we tend to comfort ourselves with the illusion of certainty. Shadow and light need space to find harmony within us as individuals and in systems.  Tolerance for paradox, nuance, and ambiguity is an antidote for reactivity and carelessness. Together we will explore the contours of shadow and light and ways in which to expand our tolerance for uncertainty so that we might have peace.