A Description of Open Space Technology

From http://www.openingspace.net/openSpaceTechnology_method_DescriptionOpenSpaceTechnology.shtml by Lisa Heft

What is Open Space Technology? This is a way to format a group meeting, retreat or conference that generates communication, collaboration, innovation, and other solutions to challenges and transitions. When your organization or community has a complex problem, you are completely out of ideas regarding a solution, you have a diversity of people that you can bring to the process, and the time for resolving this situation was yesterday — this is a great time for Open Space Technology (OST). Group members emerge from the process invigorated, refreshed, and proud of their individual and collective accomplishments. Committees, task forces and design teams can take weeks, months and even years to accomplish their goal – or in some cases simply to define their goal. Much of this same work can be accomplished by holding an Open Space. A half- or one-day Open Space can help people to quickly bring forth emerging issues and opportunities and to build mutual understandings and networking; a 2.5 day Open Space includes issues, opportunities and action planning, resulting in a complete written report of the proceedings for all participants plus identification and prioritization of next steps. Open Space is an interactive process — participants meet in concurrent and overlapping mini-discussions around a theme or an issue, across departmental, hierarchal or historically opposite lines. The cross-pollination of moving from group to group and topic to topic in a non-linear way allows participants to jump quickly from familiar ways of thinking into innovation and action. The use of Open Space Technology has been effective since the mid-1980’s in a diversity of settings, cultures and countries. The method has been used by communities working towards peace, chemists designing new polymers, tribal and governmental leaders planning land use, community advocates and local government designing literacy programs, conference organizers holding conferences in this format, architects designing pavilions for the Olympics, an entire town having a simultaneous discussion town meeting, and community workers helping communities rebuild and heal after times of war. This tool can be utilized by groups of 5 to over 2000 and the dynamics and the results are always the same: input from stakeholders at all levels, new ways of thinking and working, large amounts of work done rapidly, bringing perceived competitors together on issues and projects, organizational flexibility, interdepartmental or intercommunity teamwork, a sense of accomplishment and a feeling of passion and energy for the challenges ahead. Guidelines for an Open Space Meeting The rules are simple, although setting up the parameters for a meeting or conference in Open Space is based on the theories of complexity, self-organization and open systems. Do you know how sometimes when you go to a conference or a meeting, the best ideas, networking, brainstorming and deal making happen during the coffee breaks? Open Space Technology is designed to simulate that natural way people find each other and share ideas in all different cultures and countries. It is also based on the understanding that there is a great amount of wisdom and experience in any gathered group of people – that we are all ‘experts’ and can all contribute – a true democratic process. It all starts with a circle of chairs, without a pre-designed agenda. The group sets their own agenda by identifying issues and topics that have heart and meaning for them; topics for which they have passion and interest and for which they are willing to host a discussion group. Small group discussions happen throughout the day, with participants moving from group to group whenever they feel that they can no longer learn or contribute to a discussion, or when they feel drawn to another topic.

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What does it mean to “hold space?”

via http://www.mythic-cartography.org/category/podcasts/

What does it mean to “hold space” for emerging social technologies, like Non-violent communication, Consensus decision making, Agile Teamwork, and Open Space Technology gatherings? What skills do we need to do so? What happens if we don’t choose to hold intention and attention around the social spaces that we create?

I interview Diana Larsen, of FutureWorks Consulting,  a world-class facilitator in teamwork and social technologies (and coincidentally, my mother). Together we explore the world of “holding space”.

Holding Space With Diana Larsen – COMC Podcast Episode 22 [59:46m]: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download

Curing the Therapeutic State

Thomas Szasz on the medicalization of American life

Lifted from http://www.reason.com/news/show/27767.html Click on over to read the entire interview!

Reason: You may have seen the TV commercials in which drug companies urge people suffering from “social anxiety disorder” or “generalized anxiety disorder” to ask their doctor for a certain brand of pill. These ads reinforce the idea that anxiety and other kinds of psychological problems are medical issues, and they highlight the physician’s role as pharmacological gatekeeper. But they could also be seen as empowering individuals by encouraging them to be assertive with their doctors. On balance, do you see this kind of message as a positive or a negative development?

Szasz: This phenomenon illustrates what I call the creeping therapeutic state. I see it as insidious, especially given the cooperation between the government and the media. This is allowed on television. But advertising Scotch, a legal drink, is not allowed. This subtly undermines the rule of law, the principle that if something is legal, then it’s legal, and if it’s illegal, then it’s illegal. A prescription drug is illegal; pharmacists cannot sell it to you unless you have a prescription. These are illegal drugs, but nobody calls them illegal drugs. So I see this as pernicious, as an example of what F.A. Hayek and Ludwig von Mises talked about–that the opposite of freedom is not brutal tyranny but capriciousness.

Reason: Suppose someone feels depressed, and he finds that when he takes Prozac he feels better. Or suppose he’s anxious, and he finds that he calms down when he takes a Xanax. He can get these pills from his doctor. Is he doing anything wrong by taking these drugs?

Szasz: I don’t think he’s doing anything wrong, except I think he should be able to buy these drugs in the free market so he can compare them to opium, marijuana, or other drugs. There is no competition now between the prescription drugs and the traditional drugs which people took when they felt bad. After all, people have medicated themselves since time immemorial. I suspect that opium in small doses is safer over a long period of time than these complicated organic compounds.

Reason: In recent years, we’re told, this country has been hit by an epidemic of “attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.” What are the roots of this epidemic?

Szasz: I would first say that the epidemic doesn’t exist. No one explains where this disease came from, why it didn’t exist 50 years ago. No one is able to diagnose it with objective tests. It’s diagnosed by a teacher complaining or a parent complaining. People are referring to the fact that they don’t like misbehaving children, mainly boys, in the schools. The diagnosis helps tranquilize the parent, tranquilize the school system. It offers them the sense that they are doing something about the problem, that they are dealing with it in a rational, scientific way. It’s a kind of pharmacological magic.

Reason: What do you think the consequences of prescribing Ritalin for all of these kids will be?

Szasz: We may not know all of the medical consequences for another 20 or 30 years. In social terms, it gives the impression to people that behavioral problems are medical and should be handled with drugs; it imposes a certain stigma on the child, possibly on the family. It medicalizes educational and child- rearing problems, and it may cause biological problems in the person taking the drug. I don’t know if the average person on Main Street realizes that if a 30-year-old man has a pocketful of Ritalin, he can go to jail for years. This is called “speed.” And this is what they give as a treatment to schoolchildren when there’s absolutely no laboratory or medical evidence that they are sick.

Reason: Recently we’ve heard Tipper Gore and other people say that health insurers should be forced to cover mental health treatment on the same terms as medical treatment. What do you think the consequences of such “parity” will be?

Szasz: We are talking about a situation where the government is mandating that an ostensibly private insurance company provide coverage for a disease which doesn’t exist. There is so much to say about it, I don’t know where to begin. The people who clamor for this–mainly politicians and psychiatrists–want parity for mental illness, but they don’t want parity for the mental patient, because ordinary patients can reject treatment.

They don’t mean therapy; they mean getting a foot in the door for involuntarily treating people and having these huge bowls of money going into psychiatry and psychiatric drugs. Again, cui bono: Who profits from this? It finally came out that Eli Lilly is a big donor to the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, and they have millions of dollars to propagandize their views. The critics don’t have any money to propagandize their views. This is a completely one-sided, government-sponsored movement.

Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

Who’s in Charge of Your Destiny?

Locus of Control

Finding Out Who’s in Charge of Your Destiny

From: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newCDV_90.htm

As the environment around you changes, you can either attribute success and failure to things you have control over, or to forces outside your influence. Which orientation you choose has a bearing on your long-term success.

This orientation is known as your “locus of control”. Its study dates back to the 1960s, with Julian Rotter’s investigation into how people’s behaviors and attitudes affected the outcomes of their lives.

Locus of control describes the degree to which individuals perceive that outcomes result from their own behaviors, or from forces that are external to themselves. This produces a continuum with external control at one end and internal control at the other:

People who develop an internal locus of control believe that they are responsible for their own success. Those with an external locus of control believe that external forces, like luck, determine their outcomes.

Benefits of an Internal Locus of Control

In general, people with an internal locus of control:

• Engage in activities that will improve their situation.

• Emphasize striving for achievement.

• Work hard to develop their knowledge, skills and abilities.

• Are inquisitive, and try to figure out why things turned out the way they did.

• Take note of information that they can use to create positive outcomes in the future.

• Have a more participative management style.

Managing the Drawbacks of a Strong Internal Locus of Control

People with an internal locus of control are generally more successful, for very good reasons.

However there can be times when having an external locus of control can be an advantage, particularly in situations where people need to be considerate and more easy-going. People with a strong internal locus of control tend to be very achievement-oriented, and this can leave people around them feeling “trampled” or “bruised.” And with a very strong internal locus of control, there is also a tendency to want to control everything, and this can lead to difficulties in taking direction.

If you have a strong internal locus of control, make sure you pay attention to the feelings of people around you – otherwise you’ll seem arrogant, and people may not want to work with you.

Also, make sure that you manage risks properly. Random events do occur for all sorts of reasons. While you can manage many of these with enough determination and hard work, some you can’t.

Note: As people grow older they tend towards a more internal locus of control. This comes from the increased ability to influence things going on in their lives and the realization that much of what happens to them is a result of what they do.

Tips for Developing an Internal Locus of Control

Recognize the basic fact that you always have a choice. Making no choice is actually a choice in and of itself, and it’s your choice to allow other people or events decide for you.

Set goals for yourself and note how, by working towards these and achieving these, you are controlling what happens in your life. As you do this, you’ll find that your self-confidence quickly builds. (This is something we deal with in great detail within our Design Your Life goal-setting and life-design program.)

Develop your decision making and problem solving skills so that you can feel more confident, and in control of what happens. With these tools, you’ll find that you can understand and navigate through situations that would otherwise damage you.

Pay attention to your self-talk. When you hear yourself saying things like, “I have no choice” or “There’s nothing I can do”, step back and remind yourself that you do, in fact, have some degree of control. It’s your choice whether you exercise it or not.

Key points:

You locus of control says a lot about how you view the world and your role in determining the course of your life.

When you believe you have the power to control your own destiny and determine your own direction, you have a strong internal locus of control. In most cases, this is an important attitude to have if you want to be successful.

People with an internal locus of control tend to work harder and persevere longer in order to get what they want. This is not to say that having an external locus of control is always bad: There are some situations where this approach can work well. The key for your own personal development is to understanding your natural tendency and then adapting it to the situations you are faced with.

Take an interactive quiz to determine your current locus of control at . . . http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newCDV_90.htm

Whole Brain Functioning

  Dr. David Jubb and Annie Jubb on TV!

Dr. David Jubb and Annie Jubb on TV! PART TWO

Dr. David Jubb and Annie Jubb on TV! PART THREE

Dr. David Jubb and Annie Jubb on TV! PART FOUR

Annie Jubb is the co-author of the LifeFood Recipe Book, Colloidal Biology and Secrets of an Alkaline Body, along with 5 other books on Whole Brain Functioning (WBF), the training program co-created with her partner of 15 years, David Jubb Ph.D. WBF training is adventure based experiential learning to create deep resource states of consciousness through firewalking, sweatlodges, and adventure ropes course. Annie is known to her clients as a shaman, healer, spiritual leader, amazing speaker, an expert in the body-mind-spirit connection. For more info, please visit: http://thebestdayever.com

6 Thinking Hats

Experiences in Communication

 Experiences in Communication
by Carl Rogers

The speech that follows shows how I resolved the problem of endeavoring to communicate, rather than just to speak about the subject of communication.

Full Text

http://www.listeningway.com/rogers2-eng.html 

So I have learned to ask myself, can I hear the sounds and sense the shape of this other person’s inner world? Can I resonate to what he is saying so deeply that I sense the meanings he is afraid of, yet would like to communicate, as well as those he knows?

Seven Habits Revisited: Seven Unique Human Endowments

Stephen R. Covey

November 1991

http://www.franklincovey.com/fc/library_and_resources/article_library/the_seven_habits_of_highly_effective_people/seven_habits_revisited__seven_unique_human_endowments

I see seven unique human endowments or capabilities associated with The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

One way to revisit The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is to identify the unique human capability or endowment associated with each habit.

Those associated with Habits 1, 2 and 3 are primary human endowments. And if those endowments are well exercised, secondary endowments are bequeathed to the person through the exercise of Habits 4, 5, and 6. And the endowment associated with Habit 7 renew the process of growth and development. Primary Endowments

The primary human endowments are 1) self-awareness or self-knowledge; 2) imagination and conscience; and 3) volition or will power. And the secondary endowments are 4) an abundance mentality; 5) courage and consideration; and 6) creativity. The seventh endowment is self-renewal. These are all unique human endowments; animals don’t possess any of them, but they are all on a continuum of low to high levels.

More . . .

Expressing the Unspeakable

Expressing the Unspeakable

by DJM

Art therapy is “especially helpful to those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)” (Spinner, 2007). The main focus of this paper is on combat veterans, because war is one of the most extreme traumas that can be experienced. If art therapy effectively treats wartime trauma, it will surely be effective in treating most other traumatic experiences. What is art therapy? Why and how does it affect PTSD? What do those who are receiving art therapy have to say about it and how has it helped them? Art therapy has been around for quite some time, but only now is beginning to catch on, being used more and in more diverse settings. “Art therapy can be an essential way to help individuals heal from trauma experiences.” (Holtman, 2006)

People have been expressing themselves trough art since prehistoric times. The meaning of our artistic expressions and the objects that are produced from them have evolved in over time. From cave paintings depicting a successful hunt to nervous doodles on a notebook, our artistic expressions vary widely in meaning, style and purpose. The use of art in therapeutic settings started in the early twentieth century and became more popular from the late sixties onward (Ahmed, 2006). “Art Therapy uses imagery to: Safely and effectively access traumatic memories, Reduce anxiety, depression, numbing, as well as other symptoms related to PTSD, and to Promote verbal processing” (Ayala)

Drawing, painting, sculpting, writing and other creative forms of expression can be used to “provide a vehicle for exploring concerns and conflicts, to gain access to traumatic images and memories, to help build a trusting therapeutic relationship between client and therapist, and to access and promote healing” (Bowers, 1992; Johnson, 1987; Oster & Gould, 1987; Salmon, 1993 in Glaister, 2000).

Perhaps as a quirk, malfunction or an evolutionary leftover, our bodies make recovery from trauma difficult. “During the fight or flight response, parts of the brain that are not required for survival are inhibited. Memory is affected in such a way during this response, that it is difficult to impossible to recall memories of the event and put them into words” (Holtman, 2006).

“Research has found that conventional methods of treatment may not be the best for treating trauma. One example of this is desensitization, which encourages the individual to explain or reenact their trauma experience repeatedly so as to “desensitize” them. In some cases this may actually trigger anxiety or a “flashback” and in effect, worsen the condition rather than heal it. (Holtman, 2006)

“Art therapy’s engaging and tactile process is ideal in treating trauma. The visceral process is able to activate and access the sensory parts of the brain in non-verbal ways, which supports the natural progression of the ‘stuck’ trauma memory. Expression of memories and feelings connected to a trauma in nonverbal ways can act as a bridge, connecting the activated abstract (non-verbal) and concrete sensory memories with the organizing areas of the brain, allowing for progress in the cognitive process” (Holtman, 2006).

The combination of the non-verbal with the verbal gives art therapy a valuable place in the treatment of PTSD as well a other trauma induced problems. Aside from allowing the traumatic experience to be more fully remembered and better understood, and helping in the development of coping skills, “the act of making art endows the individual with control of both materials and image formation, supporting an intra-psychic sense of regained power” (Holtman, 2006)

Veterans find art therapy to be an important part of their healing process, stating that art therapy is “relaxing, gives them focus, develops and encourages creativity, it is grounding, and helps in the comprehension of their experiences of war.” (Spinner, 2007) Judy A. Glaister (2000) in a case study of a woman named Clara, who suffers from posttraumatic response, finds that her:

Drawings helped [her] access and explore her self-concept, feelings, and behaviors . . . [she] believed that the drawings helped her gain insight and make changes . . . Drawings were useful . . . in these sessions mainly as a technique to help her explore hidden and new areas of herself . . . Through the exploration of her drawings, aspects of the self became more apparent, leading to new insights, new responses, and renewed growth (Betensky, 1995; Oster & Gould, 1987; Salmon, 1993). The drawings helped Clara recognize patterns, connections, and changes.
Despite the positive effect art therapy has on many veterans, “Veteran and military hospitals employ few art therapists and provide limited art therapy classes” (Spinner, 2007).

This may be due to misconceptions about art therapy and the need for more research in the area. “Kate Collie and colleagues as a part of a larger effort within the American Art Therapy Association and the art therapy community to develop evidenced-based treatments for Veterans, particularly those with PTSD have:”
analyzed data on “best practices” in art therapy with combat-related PTSD, concluding that art therapy may be a treatment of choice with returning Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. In her summary, Collie notes,

“although art therapy has been understudied with Veterans, it shows promise in the treatment of hard-to-treat symptoms combat-related PTSD, such as avoidance behaviors and emotional numbing, while also addressing the psychological situations that give rise to these symptoms (American Art Therapy Association, Inc., 2007)

“In summary, art therapy can be an essential way to help individuals heal from trauma experiences”(Holtman, 2006). The visceral process of art therapy can help to bridge the non-verbal with the verbal parts of the brain and memory. Art therapy has been used and found effective by veterans and more research is being done so that it can be taken more seriously and be funded more widely.

References

Ahmed, S. H., & Siddiqi, M. N. (Dec 23, 2006). Healing through art therapy in disaster settings. The Lancet, 368, 9554. p.S28(2). Retrieved December 02, 2007, from General OneFile via Gale:

http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS

Ayala, K Art Therapy for Treating PTSD. (n.d.) Retrieved December 2,
2007, from The Center for Creativity Web site: http:/
/www.center4creativity.com/treating%20PTSD.htm

Barker, E. (Nov 2006). The artist within: creating art can help you manage anger, grief, and other difficult emotions. (No talent required!). Natural Health, 36, 10. p.98(2). Retrieved November 30, 2007, from General OneFile via Gale:

http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS

Glaister, J A (Jan 2000). Four Years Later: Clara Revisited. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 36, 1. p.5. Retrieved November 30, 2007, from General OneFile via Gale: http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS

Holtman, Jayne (2006). Art Therapy and New Perspectives in Treating Trauma. Retrieved November 30, 2007, from Main Line Health Web site: http://www.mainlinehealth.org/mlh/centprog/bhealth/article_10686.asp

Spinner, Jackie (2007, April 15). War’s Pain, Softened With a Brush Stroke. Washington Post, p. C01.

American Art Therapy Association, Inc. (Winter 2007). Art Therapy Shows Promise with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. American Art Therapy Association, Inc.
Newsletter, XI, Retrieved Nov. 30, 2007, from www.arttherapy.org/membersonly/pdf/AATAnewsletter2007winter.pdf