An exploration by invitation only - winter 2024
The Villagers Approach™
A playful way to see more clearly who we really are
with Frank Echenhofer + Jane Brunette
Some say we contain neurotic fixations and defensive structures. Others say we contain problematic inner family systems and dysfunctional patterns. While these approaches have their merits, they are flawed in that they turn us into problems to be solved. It seems to us that Walt Whitman got it right when he said we contain multitudes, but that's a bit much to deal with in our day-to-day life, so we prefer to hone in on the parts of us that appear on a regular basis and call it a village.
There's wisdom in a strategic exaggeration of our villager's qualities. If we exaggerate, we know it's not really who we are. We can drop our crippling idealism and slip past the poison of shame by seeing our vexations as a shared human experience of foibles, blind spots and eccentricities. This practice helps us lighten up and accept the inherent imperfection and limitations in human life while increasing our ability to witness without heavy judgments.
When we lighten up, it gets pretty funny, what we humans do. For example, one of us has a villager with the tendency to bloviate. Known as "The One Who Bloviates," we notice when he shows up — just one villager in the village — catch him and exaggerate him. Relishing this exaggerated energetic dimension is a much more enjoyable (and hilarious) way to set ourselves free than, for example, primal scream therapy.
Not yet ready for prime time. Contact us if you'd like an invitation when we make it public.
There's wisdom in a strategic exaggeration of our villager's qualities. If we exaggerate, we know it's not really who we are. We can drop our crippling idealism and slip past the poison of shame by seeing our vexations as a shared human experience of foibles, blind spots and eccentricities. This practice helps us lighten up and accept the inherent imperfection and limitations in human life while increasing our ability to witness without heavy judgments.
When we lighten up, it gets pretty funny, what we humans do. For example, one of us has a villager with the tendency to bloviate. Known as "The One Who Bloviates," we notice when he shows up — just one villager in the village — catch him and exaggerate him. Relishing this exaggerated energetic dimension is a much more enjoyable (and hilarious) way to set ourselves free than, for example, primal scream therapy.
Not yet ready for prime time. Contact us if you'd like an invitation when we make it public.
