Describing Transformational Groups
Transcript Excerpt of Jane’s Teachings
during Bennet’s NLP Timeline Session 9-22-09
(Client’s name is change to protect his identity.)
“Your whole concept of groups is you have to be other than them. Whatever the group is, you’re going to be other than that. So you’re always in the position of not fitting in, for some purpose. Perhaps it’s that you don’t want to have your identify taken over by the group mentality. You don’t seem to have the idea that you as yourself, can be a part of the transformation in the group. The way groups facilitate transformation is when each person that comes into the group is there with their authentic self expressing what matters to them, in the moment, in the context of what is happening in that moment in time, which takes a lot of courage. A group is valuable only as far as it’s a transformational process, which means that every input of every person participating, wherever they are at that moment, which can keep changing, is a part of the continual transformation of the group. That’s what makes it so exciting. It has a very, very creative potential. It must feel as though you have to somehow give up yourself, or you have to somehow lose your identity. But if you do that, it defeats the whole purpose of a transformational group.
When you were in the group you were making a point of people knowing how different you are. The conclusions that you jump to are from the perspective of you being so different. It is defining life for you in a very narrow way. You’re creating separations way, way, more than there really is.
So whatever your response is, negative or whatever, you give your response, and then other people are responding to your response. And if everybody stays in the present moment with where they are at, and allowing themselves to be connected with or affected by what happens, the whole process goes deeper, bringing out truths that have been hidden, and bringing the experience into a larger context beyond the distortions of the unhealed issues.”
