Most of us are terrified of conflict, says Arnold
Mindell, PhD, author of fifteen books and
internationally recognized for his innovative synthesis
of Jungian therapy, dreams, and bodywork. But we needn't
be. His burning passion is to create groups and
organizations where everyone looks forward to group
processes instead of fearing them. He calls this the
deep democracy of open forums, where all voices,
thoughts, and feelings are aired freely, especially the
ones nobody wants to hear.Since 1992, one of Mindell's
prime interests has been the bringing of deeper
awareness to group conflicts. Conflict work without
reference to altered states of consciousness is like a
flu shot for someone in a manic or depressed state of
consciousness. Most group and social problems cannot be
well facilitated or resolved without access to the
dreamlike and mystical atmosphere in the background. The
key is becoming aware of it.Mindell introduces a new
paradigm for working in groups, from 3 to 3,000, based
on awareness of the flow of signals and events. You can
take the subtlest of signals indicating the onset of
emotions such as fear, anger, hopelessness, and other
altered states, and use them to transform seemingly
impossible problems into uplifting community
experiences.As Mindell explains, ''I share how
everyone--people in schools and organizations,
communities and governments--can use inner experiences,
dreaming, and mysticism, in conjunction with real
methods of conflict management, to produce lively, more
sustainable, conscious communities.'' |
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