[Neurons] Meta Reflection #48

[meta]

L. Michael Hall

Meta Reflections #48

October 29, 2007 

Unlearning Series #2 


UNLEARNING NON-ENHANCING

MEANINGS



In the last Meta Reflection on the power of unlearning, I introduced the human crucible as a change machine for unlearning what you have already learned that no longer serves you. This is a recent invention in Neuro-Semantics, one that arose from the new modeling on self-actualization in revisiting the work of Maslow and Rogers and taking it to the next level.

How did it come about? It came about through an exploration into the idea of "encounter" that was central in the 1960s and 1970s in the first Human Potential Movement. It seems that Fritz Perls, Abe Maslow, Carl Rogers, Will Schutz, and the others in that movement had become aware that there was something special about a real, authentic "encounter" experience. Accordingly, at Esalen in the hands of Perls, and then later Schutz, "the encounter group" became the central mechanism among scores of others for the unleashing of human potentials.

But there was a problem with such encounter groups at that time. Following on from the way Perls conducted his gestalt encounters and the influence of the Synanon group (a community of former drug addicts on Staten Island NY), the encounters were pretty intense. In fact, thjey were very confrontative. They had the quality of being an in-your-face-encounter with the truths that you are denying, rationalizing, bull-shitting, pretending, etc. As I have read some scripts of those encounters, I did not get the sense that it was a pleasant place or a safe place to change. It was more, "Change now or we will increase the pain you are already having!"

Esalen in those early years mostly used Gestalt therapy processes of encountering blocks and limitations. With Gestalt therapy you would project your "issues" onto an empty chair and then start a conversation with that issue. Fritz presented the Gestalt approach as using awareness, contact, and integration as the liberating factors for human beings.

A good example of this is in the book Hot Springs: The True Adventures of the First New York Jewish Literary Intellectual in the Human Potential Movement. This pop book published in 1971 by Stuart Miller gives a novel-like description of his sex-craze adventures at Esalen. In his book he called Esalen "a honey pot of eroticism" (p. 14). He speaks about them being inner-space astronauts (p. 37) and experiencing marathon encounter sessions. These involved being deprived of sleep and having intense encounters. "A marathon is a very serious thing, a muscular form of encounter, going for broke." (p. 73).

Will Schutz who wrote Joy in 1967 describing the goings-on at Esalen. He popularized the human potential movement at that time, and then later evolved the "encounter group" approach, slowly modifying it and making it more acceptable as a process for group and team development. His expertise developed in the area of group dynamics. Eventually, however, the Esalen kind of encounters came to an end. They seemed to create as much trauma and hurt and defensiveness as the unleashing of potentials.

Yet there was something in the idea of an encounter with oneself, one's truth, one's reality that somehow facilitates one becoming real, more authentic, more true to self and getting free from one's limitations. One clue that I came across was Maslow's description of Synanon and his analysis of the liberating factors within the encounter. Another was his list of characteristics of self-actualizers, in fact, from that list I began setting out the qualities that seemed to make for a powerful, respectful, life-changing, and transformational encounter. [That list is in Unleashed: A Guide to Your Ultimate Self-Actualization if you want to examine it].

Maslow spoke to the Synanon group and their leaders and commented,

"The assumption in your group seems to be that people are very tough, and not brittle. They can take an awful lot."

And what was the design of encouraging them to be brutally frank with one another? The design, was to help them e-establish contact with reality, to get real, to become authentic, to let go of all ltheir defenses and pretensions.

In creating the human crucible, I began with Roger's three key components to self-actualizing therapy (Client-Centered Therapy)-accurate empathy, unconditional positive regard, and congruent authenticity-and used them to begin to describe the qualities of the Crucible. I then added two of the characteristics in Maslow's list that were "change factors." Those five elements made up the Crucible when I first presented it in Portland in March of this year. But later two other elements came to my awareness-also from Maslow's list. That provides the seven elements that now makes up the human crucible.

Three of these elements facilitate the first stage and creates the safety that's required to change and sets the stage for the central feature of the encounter- the ability to acknowledge and speak the truth honestly. That's what creates the fire of transformation in the crucible, the truth that sets us free from self-deceptions and lies. Yet there's more. There are two more features that amplifies the heat as we find old meanings now melting down, old "introjects" that haven't been fully digested finally fragmenting into chewable bits, and old limiting habits of mind, emotion, or body that have held us back evaporating in the light of a new expanded consciousness. And then from that furnace something new emerges-a transformation as we are able to fall in love with life, vision, values, etc. 

While I'm not revealing the whole story of the human crucible here, the crucible is the place for unlearning. The experience that so many have shared about it so far is that it is a place of gracious and gentle transformation. They have been utterly surprised at how natural and easy it is. They have expressed shock having expected it to have been more confrontative or "hard" or painful.

Yet it is none of those things. That's because the crucible is itself not hot or intense or scary. In itself, it is a safe place. It is a sacred place. It is a loving and transformative place that brings out your best and allows you to embrace developmental change naturally and elegantly. What generates the heat in the crucible? The hot thoughts, emotions, fears, hopes, dreams, dreads, guilts, mis-understandings, etc. that have held us back. And the shock of it all, the surprise, the paradox is that by embracing the very "dark" things that we have feared and hated-they melt away and then we see them for what they are- just human thoughts and feelings.

Are you ready for the crucible? To have your own special sacred place for unlearning and transforming so that you can soar? Are you ready to welcome and release the "shadow side" that has plagued you, the "dragons" that you fear would consume you, the "dark night of the soul" that would overwhelm you? Are you ready to release potentials from within that you weren't even aware of? 

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The Ultimate Self-Actualization Workshop: Unleashing Potentials for Peak Performance is the newest Neuro-Semantic Training . We launched it in Portland Oregon with Rich Aanrich and Cat Wilson of Apositiva and the second training of it has just finished in Gold Coast Australia with Martin Urban of Inspired Focus. 

2007 Schedule 

8) Nov. 20-22, Lisbon, Portugal. EvoluiTech Formacao e consultoria. Amalia Duarte, aduarte at evoluitech.pt 

9) Nov. 23-24, London, England, NLP Conference. Jo Hogg, Director, jo at nlpconference.co.uk. Three hour workshop: Actualizing Your Highest and Best.

10) Nov. 30 - Dec. 3, 2007. Avignon, France sponsored by Formation Evolution et Synergie and Gilles Roy, Neuro-Semantic and NLP Trainer. gilles.roy2 at orange.fr www.coaching-pnl.com 33 (0) 4 90 16 04 16. 

11) Dec. 7, 8, and 9, 2007. Italy, Bologna. Sponsored by an Institute of Neuro-Semantics and Lucia Guiovannini and Nicola Riva. lucia at blessyouitalia.eu nicola at blessyouitalia.eu www.blessyouitalia.eu +39 348 229 2562.





If you or your organization would like to sponsor the Ultimate Self-Actualization Workshop, contact me. I'm looking to present it as far and wide as possible.

2008

1) April 4-7, Portland OR. sponsored by Apositiva, Rich Aanrich and Cat Wilson (www.apositivechange.com rich at apositivechange.com). (503) 525-0595. 

2) May 17-19. ID Com. International, Montreal Canada. Isabell David. Phone: 450-224-5398 / 514-815-5457. idcom at cgocable.ca / idcom at idcominter.com

Web: www.idcominter.com 























































L. Michael Hall, Ph.D.
Neuro-Semantics Ltd., Executive Director
ISNS - International Society of Neuro-Semantics
P.O. Box 8
Clifton, Colorado, 81520 USA
www.neurosemantics.com 
www.meta-coaching.org
www.self-actualizing.org 

Email: meta @onlinecol.com @acsol.net @mindfocus.co.za
(970) 523-7877
(970) 523-5790 FAX
(877) 686-2867 toll free in the USA only
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