Selves in Action
- Two Day Workshop
May 10-12 2024
Led by Adrian Longstaffe and
Ranjit Krishnamma
Click on the topics below to find out more...
- Meeting the Different Parts of Ourselves
- Give me some examples
- Why work with Subpersonalities?
- The Tools
- The Workshop Ethos
- The Leaders
- Logistical Details
- Contact Details
Selves in Action
Have you ever noticed how we can -- think, behave, react, feel -- in radically different ways depending on circumstances, physical health, who we are or what is going on in our lives. One way of looking at the human psyche is to understand it as a group of so-called 'subpersonalities' or 'selves' each of which is capable of operating as an independent person for shorter or longer periods of time.
Give me some examples
Some of these subpersonalities are role associated -- the mother or the boss for instance. Others operate to keep us safe -- the protector, the controller. Yet others are young -- inner children -- and others are gender-based -- inner male and female. There are ones which run us -- the critic is a good example here -- and others we don't know about but which influence us nevertheless.
Of course these names are only for convenience. Your inner family is a set of quite unique individuals and you may, as you get to know them, want to give them their own unique names.
Why work with subpersonalities?
Why would we want to know about these parts of ourselves?
Well -- although they all developed for good reasons -- and between them they have got us this far -- some of their viewpoints and ways of behaving may not be useful to us any longer. And, as in any outer family, they get into fights -- uncomfortable when they can't get away from each other! And these conflicts may not just be internal. I have noticed that, in relationship conflicts, it's usually one of my subpersonalities versus one of theirs. Knowing this can give us any number of ways of negotiating agreement.
So, this workshop will take a look -- from all sorts of angles -- at this inner family.
The tools
The tools we will use will include talking and listening, bodywork, Imagework (visualisation), shared ideas, and shared creativity.
One of the most important processes is the opportunity for the facilitated presentation of some of these important subpersonalities to the group. This powerful process allows the group to support and witness the work as well as identifying with and recognising similar issues in themselves.
A rich journey which will move from mind to heart and back again bringing these into healthy working relationship.
The workshop ethos
These workshops are designed for you to work personally and for you to get what you need. They are also designed to empower the process by supporting other people -- this concept of mutual support is one of the ingredients which makes it safe to go on these inner journeys. We get inspired by each other.
As part of the boundaries designed to hold you and the work safely, you will be asked to sign a simple ethics form in advance of the workshop. Nothing out of the ordinary, but it is good to make this explicit.
This workshop comes from the traditions of theatre and of personal development. It is not a therapy workshop. Part of the work will involve you presenting yourself and your process to a supportive group -- although this may seem scary at first, it can be a powerful and inspiring place to get witnessed as who you are.
The Leaders
Adrian
Longstaffe
Adrian has worked as a teacher in more than six careers including veterinary
medicine, choreography, acting training and educational technology. He graduated
as a psychotherapist in 2000 and leads the internationally famous personal development
workshop "The Mastery".
"This is my own workshop and I feel proud to have created such effective, deep and safe work. I gained the Diploma in Leadership of the Institute for Creativity in 2003. My experiences across the fields of academia, personal development and theatre have resulted in a fascination with the training of actors -- one of the few groups of people for whom the taking of emotional risk is part of the job description.
Subpersonality theory is one of the most useful ways of looking at the human psyche and there are versions of this in almost every flavour of psychotherapeutic work -- this is material which should be more available to everyone."
"One of my aims is to enable people to walk their feeling universe with the same confidence that they walk their thinking universe -- balancing the rational with the non-rational. Selves in Action has been running for over 20 years now – I feel humbled at how deeply it touches the lives of participants."
Ranjit
Krishnamma
Ranjit has been an actor and facilitator for more than half
his life. He has led The Mastery of Self
Expression for around thirty years. He has also developed intensive workshops
of his own including “Feeling What Is,” “Beyond the Method,”
(a six week acting course) a short dramatic intensive called “Expresso,”
a residential drama/development/holiday in France – “The Heart of
Drama,” and an outdoor adventure week in North Wales, ”Into the
Wild.”
He is a co-creator and leader of “The
Space” workshop : a laboratory for emerging leaders.
Most recently he has been involved in running Circling and human connection
retreats and facilitating Authentic Relating workshops internationally.
In his spare time he enjoys table-tennis, swimming, and writing fiction.
“I like to lead from a place that acknowledges the one-ness that exists
beneath our conditioned minds and I encourage an individual and intense exploration
of the inner world and its relationship to our daily lives. I am proud to be
a part of what I believe to be some of the most effective and ethical human
development work on the planet.”
Sam
Chittenden
Sam is the Director of creative development company Different Development, based
in Brighton. Her experience includes many years as a Board Director in the NHS,
& as an actor/director, writer & poet. She is fascinated by stories
and the characters that inhabit them.
Sam is the author of leadership textbook, Rhyme & Reason - The Poetry of Leadership. She hosts a variety of personal development workshops and retreats both in Brighton and in a remote farmhouse in Brittany.
"I love experiential and embodied learning such as the work we do in Selves in Action. It gets quickly to the heart of an issue in a way that will never be forgotten. I am thrilled to be sharing this work with other coaches."
As well as leading Selves in Action, Sam also leads the Internationally acclaimed workshop The Mastery of Self-Expression.
Logistical Details (Bristol)
Date: 10-12 May 2024 (If you can get 4 or more people together, contact us and we will schedule an extra workshop.)
Times: -- this is a 2 ½ day workshop:
Friday
7 PM – 10:30 PM (approximate – depending on numbers)Saturday
9:30 AM – 9 PMSunday
9:30 AM – 6 PM
Cost:
Full price £250
(earlybird 4 weeks in advance £199)
Deposit £45
Venue
The Studio
24 Clifton Wood Road
Clifton
Bristol
BS8 4TW
Selves in Action Taster Evenings
These happen in the months preceding the workshop, contact Adrian for times and dates.
Contact Details
J. Adrian Longstaffe
Interactive Consultancies
24 Clifton Wood Road
Bristol
BS8 4TW
Tel: 07909 584613
E-mail: adrian@interactive-consultancies.co.uk
© Adrian Longstaffe
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Updated 31/05/2023