Thought-provoking ideas, and transformative tools and training for working with individuals, groups, organisations, and communities.
Nature doesn't do sameness
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Dear Reader, Spring is nature's own celebration of diversity, a riot of new colours, shapes and forms all emerging together, each different, each essential to the whole. And so too with our upcoming programs that we are delivering in spring and summer! This newsletter is focused on skills to support diversity because diversity lies at the heart of Process Work. It begins with the concept of Deep Democracy, the listening and valuing of all parts, knowing that different energies all have their place in the ecosystem, and extending that democratic valuing to the different levels of experience – daily reality (Consensus Reality); subjective reality (Dreamland world of parts, figures, differences) and Essence reality (the oneness that connects everything). All of these realities are equally important, and noticing which one is most in the foreground in the moment can be a simple tool to grow our awareness. Many people have different responses to the word 'diversity'. Some associate it with 'the other', some associate it with the environment, some associate it with themselves and some a mix of all of those things. Whichever way, nature shows us that not having diversity generally causes stagnation, decay and eventually death. As dramatic as that sounds, behind it is a staunch calling to really embrace diversity as life itself. So why is it so hard? The catch is that working with our differences is rarely easy, and it often doesn't come naturally. Whether it be our own internal tensions, challenging relationships we find ourselves in, bitter systemic injustices or conflict caused by clashes of different values, different knowledges, different ways of understanding, different histories – we can err on the side of protecting ourselves or just not going there. Sometimes it's just less painful. At ANZPOP we believe diversity is life itself and that as a school, part of our job is to support folks with tools to be able to approach, access and be with that diversity within and across the levels of experience. Process Work prioritises awareness, and sometimes that means sitting with painful truths. These are the same skills that support better relationships, better communication, better collective decisions and outcomes, and a deeper, more resilient connection with self-compassion, energy and love in our lives. Our first really exciting new addition is a workshop that has been many years in the making: Meeting Across the Divide: Can we talk about Racism? In this workshop, Colleen Clarke, a Wergaia/Gunditjmara/Wemba Wemba/Djadwajali woman (Victoria) and Bec Lang, an Anglo-European woman, explore holding spaces for truth telling, the power of non-Indigenous allyship and the skills Process Work can offer for sitting with hard truths around a difficult and ongoing conversation. ANZPOP is an organisation based on unceded Aboriginal lands, that through Process Work teaches the skills to sit with pain, understand power, process relationships and hold healing - all of which are covered in this very important workshop which we are so excited to offer. At its heart is an ongoing commitment to finding a new way forward. Below, Colleen and Bec chat a little about what's behind the dreaming of it and why this work is so needed. MEETING ACROSS THE DIVIDE: CAN WE TALK ABOUT RACISM? This will be an intimate workshop with capped numbers to be able to sit with depth. Book early: 👉🏼https://anzpop.org/training-programs/process-work-public-courses/meeting-across-the-divide/ If you are a Process Worker who wants to better support the diversity of your clients – we hate to break it to you, but you need to start within! In our latest online Continuing Development Practice Lab we focus on Your Therapist and Facilitator Style – where appreciating and understanding your specific style (including the bits you don't like 😉) not only helps you be more effective and sustainable, but more importantly means you are congruent about diversity and really walk the talk with your clients and groups. Beck and Silvia have recorded some great conversations about this concept, including discussing why it's important, how metaskills are an extension of personality, and non-mainstream styles – so keep an eye out on ANZPOP's Facebook page for those, and join Beck in these online trainings to discover your own uniquely specific tools to do your best work. YOUR THERAPIST & FACILITATOR STYLE TRAUMA-INFORMED FACILITATION For those who have been waiting for its return, this is the last time this highly regarded online training will be run in 2027 – don't miss out! And finally, the beauty of diversity lies in the very fact that our world, our planet, needs it. What part of your unique diversity have you been put on this planet for? Life Myth is a phrase coined by Carl Jung to describe the underlying archetypal pattern that guides a person's lifelong personal development. Working with Life Myth using different channels of experience (the body, movement, sound, sight) was further developed by Arnold Mindell, revealing a persistent and repeating pattern of energies that play out through your life, evidenced in your early childhood dreams. Join us in person at the end of the year to go deep and discover your own energetic patterning, and supercharge your work in the world by creatively exploring your Life Myth at Work. LIFE MYTH AT WORK So whether it's through sitting with truth-telling, understanding your own style, holding trauma with care, or discovering your Life Myth, each of these offerings is really an invitation to meet diversity more fully – within yourself, in your relationships, and in the world. So today, take a moment to notice the diversity around you in nature, and let it remind you of the richness that difference brings to life. warmly ANZPOP *Did an amazing friend or colleague forward this email to you? Click here to get it directly into your inbox |
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Thought-provoking ideas, and transformative tools and training for working with individuals, groups, organisations, and communities.
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