Project Team / Pattern and Structure

The first workshop is over and we thought some of you might like to know what we did out there in the wilds.

The group arrived on Monday late afternoon and most of the rest of the day was for settling in. In the evening after dinner, we met around the fire in the tipi on Long Beach and had a chat about what we’d got planned for the week. We were careful to remind everyone about the upcoming solo day, and to have a think about what they wanted from their day. We also invited everyone to come to this first workshop as themselves, rather than as representatives of their organisation.

On Tuesday we spent the morning exploring the local area before making up groups of three to do a co-counselling activity. The focus was on the quality of listening in co-counselling, rather than on the content of the discussion – which remained confidential to the participants.The theme of this activity was ‘human needs’ and after the small group work we gathered together to look at some theories from Abraham Maslow and Manfred Max-Neef. In the afternoon we went on a slow-walk. This led into an outdoor meditation, using the five senses to become aware of our surroundings – and was followed by an hour spent quietly alone. The evening was dedicated to preparing for the solo which was planned for Wednesday.

The solo day really started when everyone went to bed the night before. From this moment on we kept silent. On Wednesday morning we met in the tipi and everyone headed out for the day just before dawn, crossing the threshold of the tipi door to mark the start of the day. In the evening at    dusk, everyone returned in the their own time. After sitting by the fire in the tipi, or just checking in to show they were home, it was time to go back    to the Old Byre, get cleaned up and eat. All in silence.

On Thursday morning we met in the tipi before breakfast and broke the silence, before having breakfast together. Everyone was asked to hold their story until the formal story-telling session later in the day. An hour of reflection time was given before the story-telling started, to allow everyone to gather their thoughts and decide what they wanted to say to the group. The story-telling process was highly structured and designed to create an easy space to speak honestly and to encourage deep listening. Everyone told their story and had a chance to reflect what they had heard – without judgement, problem solving or interpretation. The process took all day with regular breaks and another fabulous soup from Rob for lunch.

On Friday we met in the tipi for ‘circle time’ where everyone had chance to say how they were feeling and to bring any issues to the group. After this we packed and headed out into the heart of Knoydart for the day. Along the way we explored issues that had arisen for each person during the story-telling day. This led into an activity in pairs designed by psychotherapist Sarah Conn, from the University of Harvard Medical School, where the wild place we were in became a mirror for our feelings and experiences. This helped us focus down on specific issues and insights that emerged during the solo day. On the walk home we stopped to explore some of the themes that had emerged during the week and to talk about the potential trauma of going back to the everyday world of our usual daily lives.

Everyone was up early on Saturday for the boat back to Mallaig and the journey home.