back to basics

Written by Niek | 08 June 2010

Back to the basics of the CCI approach of co-counselling is not only useful for refreshing what to do, how to do it as it was meant and is understood now, it shows as well, what and how I changed things in my experiences, and it deepens these why's and what's. That is my personal experience after a 'b to b'- residential weekend, starting last Friday evening at 8PM till Sunday afternoon 5PM in June 6 2010 at Donkerbroek, Friesland, the Netherlands. As the participants came from different parts of the globe, the training was in Dutch and English, including the CCI manual. The experience with CCI co-counselling varied from being an active member of the Dutch CCI community to having learned co-counselling in the 1970's. The band b-course was facilitated by Marlies and Joke and the participants contributed to the success as well. I was amazed how fast we all became an integrated and committed group of individuals in re-experiencing.

We started with a short round of introducing ourselves, and had an opening circle with good and new. We were invited to experience 14 so called 'techniques', starting with, in pairs, observing in silence what is happening in our body, our thoughts and our feelings, lying down as worker, eyes closed for 3 minutes and 3 other minutes with open eyes and wording the observation.
Very in the beginning we practiced the 'present time' exercises, how to start and to end a session, the impact and use of sign language, validations, 'what to take with you from a session'. And right the first evening a short session in a group of 4 or 3 participants.

opening circle

Special was, for me, to walk to an opening circle next morning, in silence, observing on the way the singing birds, the landscape, the trees, the flowers. Also in silence we co created a loosening exercise. Inside we experienced 'you remind me of ...' (identification check), session ingredients and structure, repetition, literally description etc. In the evening we created sounds with several instruments (drums). First the dancers followed the drums, later we all got the chance of moving while the drum followed the movement: the 'dancer' in charge, with the full attention of the players.
The Sunday morning we shared so called overnight phenomena in our opening circle inside, we role played (wait as co-worker or participant for the instructions of the worker) and experienced the technique of contradiction. By finding the contradiction in the group with support, then going straight into a longer session, direction holding on that contradiction. The workshop ended with practicing 'action planning' and a 'validation throne' where every participant accepted and took in, the validations the other participants offered them within 2 minutes in total. These validations were written down for them. For me it was an inspiring weekend. And we all got a certificate of attending this back to basic training.