We all know the moment of putting our whole selves in to a space, and then wishing we could follow the childhood prompts to turn yourself about and take your whole self out! As adults, we usually set those feelings aside while we stay in the tense meeting or the uncomfortable conversation, but what if instead we developed the capacity to notice those feelings and use them?
Our bodies know things before our minds catch up. At Systemic Summer School, we will support one another in syncing body and mind to a more seamless whole of connection and meaningful feedback. We will practice reading, trusting, and using body intelligence and somatic experiences to inform and enrich our lives.
We know that embodied PLAY is the best way to LEARN....
Last summer, the students from the Embodied Life, Leadership, and Decision-Making Training asked for summer camp. We had a great time meeting up to practice the course material through an approach of spontaneous emergence. This summer, they've asked me to host a systemic summer school, to bring a little more structure to the live edge of emergence. So here we are! Come play and learn with us.
Explore serious systemic principles in a way that centers the FUN of being human...
We will gather as a community of practice to learn and play with the systemic principles underlying Systemic and Family Constellations. These principles will be translated into practical tools for enliven your daily life, your relationships, and your leadership.
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You don't need prior experience with Constellations, just bring yourself with genuine curiosity, non-judgement for others, and a willingness to experiment.
THE SHAPE OF OUR TIME TOGETHER
Eight sessions.
Twenty-four hours of guided practice.
One summer that expands & enriches life.
We meet at my garden studio, tucked into the Multnomah Village neighborhood of Portland. Each session runs three hours and follows a three-rhythm wave:
LEARNING
Learn systemic principles rooted in Hellinger's work with Systemic & Family Constellations, and enjoy an embodied practice to bring it alive.
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PRACTICE & INTEGRATION
Move into pairs or small groups to practice with people of varied experience levels in real time. Everyone gives and receives.
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REFLECTION & FEEDBACK
Return to the full group for reflection and feedback from the facilitator and group.
Like all of the offerings with Many Ways, Systemic Summer School invites a stance of curiosity, integrity, play, and mutual care.
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Bring a notebook and your full self. Bring a snack for the sharing table if you're so moved. Easy breezy summer squeezy.
A TASTE OF WHAT WE DO TOGETHER
Example Practice: Interrogate an oldy-moldy
Most of us have stories that we retell over and over, usually about a big life moment. Common examples are: shining as lead in the school play, how you met your spouse, the life-changing illness, the wild synchronicity, the crushing divorce...
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In this exercise, we're going to work with a partner to interrogate one of these old-moldy stories to see what the story is doing for us, perhaps beyond our conscious awareness.
SAMPLE SESSION PRACTICE FOR LATER IN THE SUMMER
Systemic conversations are ones where we intentionally bring our presence and skills to accompany another person to consider their story, pain point, or dilemma from a system-level perspective.
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Applying prior skills to Interrogate an Oldy-Moldy
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We'll use the body sensory maps we each built earlier in the summer, noticing where emotions show up for us (such as apprehension in the shoulders, inspiration at the top of the chest, fear in the belly, or creative juice in the spine)
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As we become increasingly comfortable with using our body sensations as meaningful somatic feedback we'll start to attune to another's non-verbal cues
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We'll listen for the Drama Triangle (villain, victim, and hero)
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We'll be curious where Helliger's Orders of Love might be out of order (belonging, give and take, and social order)
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New learning:
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We will discuss the components of a systemic conversation (permission, collaboration, ​turning towards the pain, tracking somatic cues, etc).
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We will also think about the ways that stories we repeat are usually doing something for us, like portraying a position that we (consciously or unconsciously) reinforce for ourselves or others.
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Interrogating the split between what we think a story means, and what it is actually doing for us (or the teller), is a great skill to develop!
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Paired Practice:
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The name of the game here is bringing somatic awareness into the stories told and heard. This equips us to include body intelligence as part of discernment.
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As story tellers, we will tell an oldy-moldy, paying special attention to our own somatic sensations while we share the story.
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As inquiring interviewers, we will practice the art of inquiry, skills of reading non-verbal cues, and attuning to the pain.
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We will then change roles.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE STORY TELLER
Select a real story to share that is important to you, well-rehearsed, and familiar.
We're loooking for something with a genuine spark, recognizing this is not the setting for trauma work.
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Notice your sensations while you tell the story, and what you emphasize verbally or otherwise.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR
SYSTEMIC INQUIRER
As you listen, challenge yourself to track the following:
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What is the story?
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What do you sense the story is really about?
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From tracking somatic and verbal cues, 1) Where do you think they hurt, and 2) Where are you sucked in?
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What is your sense of the underlying need or purpose?
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Which of the Orders of Love are out of order?
Time will be shared to allow the conversations to unfold with caring attention. After the pairs switch roles, each person will gently share what they noticed as the interviewer, getting feedback from the story teller as to how the observations land.
We'll then come back as full group. Each pair will share what happened, what was surprising, what was learned.
I'll ask questions and offer feedback related to the skills and techniques I'm hearing. I'll also invite and encourage peer sharing and learning, as this is a collaborative community of practice and I'm a full participant in the field as well as a guide. I will provide handouts each session, including optional homeplay exercises for those who want to extend the playground beyond our time together.
WHAT YOU'LL CARRY WITH YOU
By fall, you'll be ready to live, work, and play in new ways, taking with you...
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A working vocabulary of systemic terminology and principles
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A growing toolbox of personal somatic exercises and paired practices
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Session handouts from every session
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Access to a shared document library that grows all summer long
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A more calibrated felt-sense of what's happening in conversations, groups, and systems, and what you might want to do with that awareness
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A stronger capacity to regulate your nervous system and attune to others, offering presence that steadies the people and systems around you
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New tools to make any conversation more system-wise
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A community of wonderful new colleagues and friends with aligned interests
Part of why I'm dedicated to this work, is that I believe that leaders who include somatic phenomenology in their ways of knowing move differently in the world, and create more conscious impacts. They're harder to knock off center, and can resource themselves as needed. They're more at home in themselves, less inhibited, ready to do the hokey pokey whenever that's what the situation calls for. Connect to these principles and learn these tools from a place of play. Ultimately, play is the best way to work through these threshold times and co-creates something new.
THE DATES
Session Schedule - 2nd Fridays* & 4th Sundays
Session 1
June 12
Friday, 3-6pm
Session 2
June 28
Sunday, 3-6pm
Session 3
July 10
Friday, 3-6pm
Session 4
July 26
Sunday, 3-6pm
Session 5
August 7*
Friday, 3-6pm
*First Friday, still workshop eve
Session 6
August 23
Sunday, 3-6pm
Session 7
September 11
Friday, 3-6pm
Session 8
September 27
Sunday, 3-6pm
Notes on the rhythm:
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The schedule is intentionally woven to maximize everyone's summer weekends (whoot!), while interlacing with the Systemic & Family Constellation Workshops in Portland (6/13, 7/11, 8/8, 9/12) and on the Oregon Coast in Newport (6/27, 9/5). We can also follow up all of this together at the Constellations on the Coast Retreat in Newport, October 8-11. Systemic Summer School is a beautiful complement to all of these offerings.
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Systemic Summer School is also a fun entry point if you're new to systemic principles, or are looking for a warm-up for fall offerings of the Embodied Life, Leadership, and Decision-Making Training, or (upcoming) Systemic Constellation Facilitator Training.
REGISTRATION
Save Your Spot - Register Below
In alignment with the Many Ways Payment Flow, a sliding payment scale is available for this offering. Please choose the level that best reflects your financial reality, while honoring others in the circle.
COMMUNITY CARE
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$1,000
or 4 x $250
Your spot + contributing to scholarships for others
MARKET RATE
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$800
or 4 x $200
The typical rate for this rich experience
NEEDING SUPPORT
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$600
or 4 x $150
An option if you need support to participate
An additional scholarship rate may be available by inquiry. If you experience less reliable income to meet your needs, please email me to explore options to join us.
The Many Ways Payment Flow
I long for a world in which there is ample, equitable access to support and services at every scale of the social system. The Many Ways approach to payment flow recognizes that what is equitable (fair to the circumstances) is not necessarily equal (the same for all). Different people at various times have diverse needs and capacities. This is life.
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Please choose the best rate for you and your financial reality. For those in a position to give, your contributions support me in welcoming others to the fires I'm tending.
ALIGNMENT CHECK
Wondering if this is right for you?
I recently discovered I have pictures of myself in this pose spanning four decades and seven countries.
So, I guess this is my special move, eh?
Stand on one leg (or your special move). Giggle.
Test for yourself if the following statements feel true:
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I want more play in my life
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I want a better connection with my body
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I want a relational dynamics life decoder ring
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Systemic principles seem oddly compelling
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In my heart of hearts I really am a goofynut looking for beloved community
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I like snacks and guidebooks for homeplay
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This feels like a great way to augment my summer and enrich my life
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I desire to stand on one leg long enough to consider all of these silly prompts
QUESTIONS I IMAGINE YOU MIGHT HAVE
FAQ
Do I need prior experience with Constellations or somatic work?
Not at all. Genuine curiosity is the only prerequisite. Both beginners and beginner's mind are welcome. Those with prior experience will find the work rich and rewarding, with opportunities to share your knowledge with others, too. Sessions are designed to meet you where you are.
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What if I miss a session?
It's OK! It's summer and I've designed this with that in mind. Attendance is encouraged and the community experience is central to the value, but if you miss a session, you won't lose your place. You'll receive the session handouts and meet friends to practice with outside of summer school.
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Is this therapy?
No. Systemic Summer School is an educational community of practice. The practices are designed to build awareness, skill, and discernment, but not to process trauma or serve as clinical treatment. If something tender surfaces, I will provide support within the scope of the container, while also referring you to more appropriate resources.
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How many people will be in the group?
This is an intimate community experience. Space is intentionally limited to keep the learning alive and the connections real. Register early to secure your spot.
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Where exactly is it held?
Sessions take place in my studio and garden, in the Multnomah Village neighborhood of Portland. The exact address is shared upon completion of registration.
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What should I bring?
A notebook, your full self, and genuine curiosity. Feel free to bring something for the sharing snack table if you feel so moved.
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How does the payment plan work?
You can pay in full at registration, or choose the four-payment option at the same total, split into monthly installments. If you're in a position of financial need beyond the listed levels, reach out about the scholarship rate before registering.
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I'm interested in Family Constellations or other learning opportunities. Does this connect?
You betcha, and beautifully so. The Systemic Summer School schedule is intentionally woven to complement the Constellation Workshops in Portland and Newport, the Constellations on the Coast Retreat (October 8–11), and to serve as an optional precursor to the Embodied Life, Leadership, and Decision-Making Training and facilitator training programs in the fall. Each of these offers stands alone and enriches the others.