Hello,
I've just picked up some books of Paul Ferrini's and I'm always so touched by his way of saying things. He is a great mentor for those who are looking to rid them selves of all the things that seem to take us from our joy. I'm looking into starting a 9 week (once a week) program to support others in their journey to Love.
Take a look below and tell me what you think, perhaps ask questions, and if you have been in an affinity group, i'd love to hear your thoughts!!
I love you all,
Susan
The Purpose of the Affinity Group
The purpose of the Affinity Group Process is: to give and receive
unconditional love, acceptance and support. To create a safe, loving,
non-judgmental space in which we can open our hearts and move
through our fears.
The Group Guidelines
1. Remember our Purpose: We are here to love and accept one
another, not to judge, analyze, rescue or try to fix one another.
2. We agree to share from our hearts and be honest about what we
are thinking and feeling.
3. When our Judgments come up about someone, we will be aware of
them and gently bring our attention back to the person speaking.
4. We will not interrupt anyone's process. We will give the person
sharing our undivided attention. We will not engage in cross-talk.
5. We will take thirty seconds in silence to acknowledge each person's
sharing.
6. We will not monopolize the group's time and attention. We will yield
the floor to others in the group who have shared less than we have.
7. We will make "I" Statements, not "You" statements. We will take
responsibility for our own experiences and respect the experience of
others. We will not assign "our" meaning to something someone else
has said.
8. We will not hide our hurt or angry feelings. We will share them
honestly, without trying to make others responsible for how we feel.
9. If someone shares a hurt or angry feeling with us, we will
acknowledge how s/he feels. We will not defend ourselves or try to
justify our words or actions. We will share any feelings that come up for
us.
10. We will stay in the present moment. We will not bring up the past or
future, unless they are happening for us here and now.
11. We will keep everything that is said in the group confidential.
12. We will honor the silence, knowing that it offers us an opportunity to
become more deeply present to ourselves and others.
13. If we feel that the group is going "off-purpose," we will ask for a
moment of silence, during which our group can re-center and
remember its purpose.
14. Remembering that we won't do this process perfectly, we will be
gentle with ourselves. We will use whatever transpires in the group as
an opportunity to practice forgiveness.
Group Agreements
1. We agree to honor the purpose of the group.
2. We agree to practice the guidelines.
3. We agree to be on time for every group meeting.
4. We agree to attend every meeting of the group.
