Spotlight On — The Therapy Model as a Worldview
One of the greatest joys of my life is having the opportunity to engage with all sorts of people who ask challenging questions. One recent interaction involved providing someone clarity around this thing we call The
Therapy Model and which is ever present in our conversations with clients as they explore what is possible for their lives. I share this conversation publicly with you because I know that at this time of year many people are actively involved in creating new possibilities for their lives!
The Therapy Model is not a specific thing or perspective: it is no specific therapy, it is not the medical model or scientific model. Rather it is a comprehensive set of interlinking assumptions that are the framework or deep infrastructure behind how we look at ourselves and our world: a worldview. It shapes what we hold as possible; it defines what counts; it frames our expectations of science, medicine, law, human potential, government, business, parenting, religion, wellness, and all the myriad other dimensions of our lives, individually and collectively.
A metaphor about worldviews that might be useful is "dreaming" ...in our part of the world, dreaming is a state that we enter when we are asleep. So whenever we talk about anything associated with dreams, dreaming, dream-like, we presume that a person is not conscious of the process, that whatever happens is 'non-real', that the dreamer is not at all responsible or accountable for what unfolds in the dream, that the body of the dreamer was doing something very different from what the mind was up to. However, for the Australian Aborigine, dreaming is a very different conversation. Dreaming is all about the 'real world'. In the 'dreaming', a person is at their most potent, most insightful; they are deeply connected with source ...everything is fraught with meaning and the dreamer is fully capable of deciphering that meaning. It is in the 'waketime' that meaning feels elusive.
This distinction between the perception of what dreaming is, frames and shapes our respective capacities to engage the world. For Australian Aboriginal peoples, their view of dreaming affects all aspects of life; it can be seen as a worldview for them. A worldview is a perceptual filter that affects virtually everything we engage in life. Dreaming, for the Western mind, is held as only one aspect of life; we do not see it as not central to our lives.
We have defined The Therapy Model as that Western worldview which is so pervasive that it impacts on everything and anything we engage: it is like water to the fish; so present, so taken for granted that we aren’t even aware of its existence most of the time. The features or characteristics of The Therapy Model are well documented in both Phoenix
Rising and The Alchemy of Energy so I won’t review them here.
Suffice it to say that if you are looking for a radically different way to experience
your life and your world, becoming familiar with these characteristics is useful.
It is also useful to discover what other worldview might be possible to consider.
For us, that is The
Autopoietic Model. Let me give you a medically oriented example. In The
Therapy Model, we judge illness as an abnormal state and typically use interventions
like medication to help a person return to a ‘normal’ state of wellness. Some
people think that if they stay away from prescriptions they are operating outside
The Therapy Model. Which may not be the case at all. It is one thing to not write
a prescription and it is quite another to be able to see that responses we consider
as abnormal/destructive/aberrant/abhorrent are, in fact, 'intelligent'. It is
one thing to require the mind to 'figure it out' and quite another to presume
that there is nothing to figure out and that the body can process the intelligence
without the mind having to have any role at all (including knowing what it was
ever about!).
It is quite safe to presume that everything you've ever engaged that is not WEL-Systems based reflects a Therapy Model perspective. Not like that is good/bad, right/wrong but simply that it is only part of a much larger picture ...and that our Western minds are only now becoming able to see with some clarity (but how much more is to be seen we simply don't know) that there is something else for us to consider, namely The Autopoietic Model.
Gwen McCauley
Today's Thought
"Consider this: the amount of fear we
carry is inversely proportional to who we believe ourselves to
be, as capable of manifesting our lives. The less we believe in
our own capacity to manifest,
the more we hold to an external world
as 'real; and that we are but victims to its forces"
Louise LeBrun
Coming Attractions!
We are pleased to offer you the following seminars, workshops and
programs. Each one designed to provide thought-provoking and life altering
experiences for your on-going personal and professional development.
WEL-Systems Experiences: January to April
Catalyst for Change
WEL-Systems Catalyst Certification |
Jan
17 - 30 |
The Power of One
WEL-Systems Change Agent™ certification |
Feb 10 - 11 |
Awakening Body, Mind and Spirit
a WELness Experience |
Feb 12 - 13 |
Communicating with Intention
…creating a context for results |
Feb 15 |
Connecting with Confidence
…creating productive relationships |
Feb 17 |
Taking Care of Business in Changing Times
…results, resourcefulness & reality |
Feb 22 |
Éveil du soi physique, mental et spirituel
Une introduction aux modèles WEL-Systems |
Feb 26 - 27 |
Your Self Directed Career
…creating work that works for you |
Mar 8 |
From Survival to Thrival
…creating, flourishing, growing - with Less Stress, More Life |
Mar 9 |
Creativity for Life
…evoking clarity from within |
Mar 19 - 20 |
Resourcefulness in Action
WEL-Systems Coaching Practicum |
April 14 -
22 |
Igniting the Self
WEL-Systems:NLP Practitioner Certification |
April 16 -
22 |
Influencing with Intention
WEL-Systems Master Facilitator Certification |
April 25-May 1 |
The listing above only shows the first scheduled date. For more details and the complete program schedule, see
www.WEL-Systems.com/schedule.htm
Quick Updates
Awakening Body Mind and Spirit - English and in French ~
Éveil du soi
We're pleased to be able to offer access to this powerful two-day program in both English and French. If it's time for you to engage your world differently; if it's time for you to let go of the old and discover how to shape a new way of living, this two-day experiential process is for you!
English: Awakening Body Mind and Spirit ~ February
12 - 13
French: Éveil du soi physique, mental
et spirituel ~
Février
26 - 27
WEL-Systems Change Agent Certification
What changes will you and other members of your workplace experience in 2005? Would you like to be equipped to deal effectively with change rather than to be limited by engaging the turtle strategy (head down, hope no one notices you) or the bulldog strategy (growl at anything that moves, hope you scare them off)? As a certified WEL-Systems
Change Agent™ you can take charge and begin to reap the
benefits of initiating or managing change in your workplace. This simple and
effective program series will make a huge difference in your ability to be the
difference you seek. Start anywhere you like, select two 1-day modules that
match your needs and interests, add them to the core The
Power of One session
and discover just how easy it is to become a skilled agent of change ...and
achieve certification!
The Power
of One module is scheduled for February 10 & 11. Optional 1-day modules include:
As a certified WEL-Systems Change Agent you'll not only be a powerful
force for change in your organization but you'll be eligible to deliver
WEL-Systems based change modules into your organization. For more information,
visit www.ProGenerations.com/programs/CA.htm.
WEL-Systems Conference: Awakening the Quantum Biological
Human - Update
We're almost there! As we finalize workshops for Day 2, we know that
you'll be amazed at what you'll discover from this roster of 8 distinct
2.5 hour programs on a wide variety of topics and interests. The
February Newsletter will carry details on agenda, pricing, and registration
process.
Watch for Early Bird pricing - save $50
off the full program fees as you commit to your own evolution. If you're clear
that you want to ensure your place at this buffet of exciting new ideas and
experiences, we'll make sure there's a place for you at the table.
Valhalla Inn in Toronto on May 28-29, 2005.
Don't miss out! To identify your interest in attending, send an email
to Conference@WEL-Systems.com and
we'll add you to our participant list of people who will be given first
notice of pre-registration details.
Magic and Miracles
From Kathleen N, BC., on her experience of the Huna
Retreat
“
Building to the moment with everything throughout the weekend - the Saturday evening experience. The way you and Paul set the room. The music, chanting – your chanting is beautiful and beyond description Louise, candle lighting, Gwen with the smudges throughout the days, all added to the ultimate purpose for us being there .
Moment to moment Louise , the mindful awareness the weather patterns had & how
they influenced the experience – your bringing them into our awareness throughout
the program in such a way so that I was consciously aware of the affects on
me and those in the room.
Right down to the resort itself with the little cabins we stayed in, the communal meals, the awesome northern lights (good timing), the waves crashing on the beach, the wind blowing magnificently, the tidal movements – the whole experience was amazing, like none other I’ve ever experienced.
”
The next scheduled offering of our Huna Retreat is October
14 - 16
Thought Waves
Linda Walker's first introduction to an Institute experience recently occurred at the Huna Retreat.
We thank Linda for her willingness to share her journey of discovery and insight with us all.
Linda Walker writes:
"I was born and raised in Nova Scotia on my Grandfather's farm. Like many Nova Scotians I had to move away to find a job. My current interests are geared to learning more about myself. Reiki, genealogy and the WEL-Systems Institute are helping me find the answers."
Atlantic Aloha!
The airplane dipped, bounced, shuddered and rocked back and forth over the air currents. It felt like I was on a roller coaster with no tracks. Thoughts about that doomed Swiss Air flight flitted through my mind. I took a deep breath and said to myself that landings at Halifax International were usually bumpy on approach. All I could see out the window was an ethereal mist. The pilot was doing an instrument landing. I kept looking for the ground and saw it just an instant before the wheels hit the tarmac.
I could hear a collective sigh of relief from the passengers, myself included, that we were finally on solid ground. The usual shuffle and bustle occurred and the airplane was exited. I went to the car rental counter and picked up the keys to my transportation for the next forty-eight hours. It was raining so hard I felt like I hit a wall of water as I exited the airport. It was blowing so hard I had to push myself through the wind to the car park. It was a glorious Nova Scotia day.
It was November 5th, 2004. A number of events had led me to Nova Scotia on that date. My journey really began a little over a year ago. My journey was to rediscover myself and become the person I knew I could be. It all started when I met Marlyn who was to become my Reiki coach. After having a few Reiki treatments for my various ailments, I decided that I wanted to become part of the energy myself. I took the first two levels of Reiki and people noticed the changes in me.
One weekend I attended a gathering led by Sequoyah Trueblood called “The Circle of Remembering”. On the Saturday there was an introduction to the "Breath of Life". We did a breathing exercise for about 10 minutes. During the exercise I found myself on another journey. I was crossing the prairies. I got as far as the Alberta - BC border when the exercise stopped. I was disappointed that I didn't get to finish my journey. Graham was asked to relate his experiences of his "Dream Quest" to the gathering. After that I got to talk to Graham who said he had taken a WEL-Systems course. He believed that the course had laid the groundwork for his successful "Dream Quest". I had come across the WEL-Systems website before and I decided to check it out again. I discovered the invitation page to a Huna retreat in Nova Scotia. Ouch, I thought it was too expensive. I waffled for a few weeks and then decided to call for more information. Louise answered the phone and was explaining the program when I suddenly realized that my intuition had led me to this point. I have discovered that my intuition is very subtle and I often miss the signals. I interrupted Louise in mid-sentence and said “Sign me up”.
So, there I was driving home to attend my step aunt's graveside service in the blowing wind and rain. I would not have gone to the service if I hadn't been already booked to go to Nova Scotia that day. I arrived home with enough time to grab a sandwich and give my mother, my mother-in-law and my other aunt hugs before we dashed off to the cemetery. The sky cleared and the sun came out but the wind was still flexing its muscles. Coats were flapping and everyone was holding onto their hats while the minister gave the graveside ceremony. After the service I was able to give comforting hugs to my step aunt's three daughters and son. No one wanted to hang around in the wind so everyone got into their cars and left. I got in my car and set out for the retreat. I had told Louise that I would probably be an hour late.
When I got there everyone else was seated in a circle around the room. I walked in and Louise met me in the middle of the room and stated "You must be Linda. We weren't expecting you for some time." She gave me a big hug and said "Aloha. Welcome." The only vacant chair was next to Louise and I sat down there. I hadn't realized it at the time but I already felt like a part of the family.
Visit our web site for to read the entire article Atlantic
Aloha! at www.WEL-Systems.com/articles/atlantic.htm
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