The conference started at a reasonable hour. A practice that felt good and allowed time for thinking and moving into a good space for the day.
I found it most interesting to consider the cultural and individual context that each participant brought to the gathering. What any word’s meaning exists for me can be very different than someone else. The way the Danish or the Americans construct meaning in English create new ways of thinking about various ideas we are exploring together.
There has been great presentations about the nature of dialogue and the role of models in reflexive practice. It’s nice to be surrounded by others that try to work reflexively. The challenge for all of us to be part of a process while at the same time be aware of the dynamics, internal feelings, body language, surroundings, aesthetics, and individual context.
I imagine all of us in a process holding onto the edges of a giant rubber band. Pulling a space open by consciously working together and in harmony and trust. Allowing the space within to be open for participants to explore, question, be uncertain, and relational. We are in this sense dual-natured, being both the practitioners who create a positive space and the participants in the centre that trust the space will remain open.
It’s this idea of process consciousness that I believe allows groups to become reflexive. How does a group develop group skills to enable them to hold dialogic and context awareness, as well as work with the content itself?