MOVE ME
Creative workshop session
For the curious, the creative, the activist, the seekers for truth, justice and inspiration
MOVE ME #4 happened at Olive Academy, Cambridge on Wednesday 6th November 2024 from 2.30 – 5.30pm
The participants at this session were the outreach counselling team at Olive Academy and was held at their ‘alternative provision’ school in Cambridge.
Participants’ comments:
“I felt a parallel processing of MOVE ME and my own counselling practice. There was a long lasting impact from the workshop and I reflected about the concepts the following weeks. I have no doubts that the seeds planted during the workshop will become saplings in the near future. And stepping backward to the past will encourage a forward movement/dance. As a protegé, I am ever grateful for Jonathan’s skills, knowledge and generosity. ”
“It was such a wonderful day for me. I think the whole thing was very meaningful. As I said there is something magical about MOVE ME and I would certainly like to be involved again.”
“I think what struck me most was the contrast between two things: one, how similar the speakers answer were to the 200 years’ time exercise* and two, how different the created images were and how different our reactions were to the eyes closed guide/guided exercise were in general. It makes me think that it is possible to have similar outlooks and experiences in a verbal format but totally different perceptions when expressing in an embodied way. And therefore, what we might miss out on with our clients if we only use talking-based interventions”.
“Something that has stayed with me is what Jonathan said about feeling an initial resistance within oneself in response to an instruction. This is something I sometimes experience very strongly. I’m really interested to know how others experience this. My hunch is that it might be experienced quite significantly by the children we work with”.
“Overall, I found the workshop powerful and I’m really thankful to Jonathan for running it. I also found it challenging at times, especially the eyes closed parts. Part of me wonders whether this aspect could have been an ‘opt-in’ exercise so that those who do not feel comfortable to participate don’t have to. But the I also think that by feeling some pressure to take part I was able to learn so much more than I would have done otherwise.”
*We reintroduced the exercise (developed by Joanna Macy, to whom much gratitude) where descendants in seven generations time listen to us in the present talking about how we experience our lives in relation to environmental, social, and personal change. We used this in MOVE ME #1 but not since.