Build thriving intentional communities (residential or not) through the power of Authentic Relating
Register below for Cohort 2, on Tuesdays. To check time zone conversion and/or add to your calendar click here. For Cohort 1 (on Mondays) register here. For the free introduction webinars click here.
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This online program offers 6 sessions of 2 hours to introduce people to the powerful practice of Relational Inquiry (similar to Circling™). Held with the support of 2 experienced facilitators, up to 8 people are very reliably welcomed into deep connection spaces, provided with tools and practices, and guided on a profound journey of deeper self-knowledge, greater insight and compassion for other people, and more skillful and loving communication.
The course is designed for people without prior experience in Authentic Relating, and is particularly useful and impactful for people already living in an intentional community or ecovillage (i.e. people with existing relationships), anyone starting one, and/or any group who wants to operate a joint project with more love and more effectiveness. The potential of this practice is to solve the major challenge faced by ecovillages and intentional communities, which is how can people get along better and collaborate more effectively.
What is Authentic Relating?
Authentic Relating is many things: a thriving global practice community, 30,000+ strong, with four major schools and 50+ local, peer-led communities. It is an open-source, global movement for social transformation based on the idea of prioritizing connection, showing up powerfully for other people, and injecting more love into the world. And finally, it is a powerful practice called Relational Inquiry (similar to Circling™) which will help you to show up with more truth and care in all the contexts of your life and navigate differences and conflicts with more ease and joy.
What is Relational Inquiry?
Relational Inquiry within the Authentic Relating tradition is, ultimately, a “presence” practice, a non-verbal way of being and an attitude towards life and towards other people. While it is, of course, a lifelong game (very much like love), this introduction frame of 6 sessions has proven effective in launching people into a lifelong process of learning and growing our relational effectiveness, compassion and empathy.
Jason Digges introduces Authentic Relating
Watch this 11 minute video for what you will learn in the PRLC course and what makes Authentic Relating such a breakthrough, powerful way of being in community.
Differences between the PRLC and the ARC courses
We are also offering a related course, Authentic Relating in Community (or ARC) that can accommodate up to 16 people (the PRLC is limited to 8 people). The difference between this course (the PRLC) and the ARC is that in the PRLC we drop immediately and with only minimal context-setting into the Relational Inquiry presence practice, whereas in the ARC there is more guidance. Also, in the PRLC all the action takes place in the main room (whole group), whereas in the ARC there will be breakout rooms of paired-shares or small groups.
Both the PRLC and the ARC are the first courses in the world which directly tackle the problem of bringing Authentic Relating into intentional communities and eco-villages.
Is this like therapy? Or maybe “encounter group”?
Not exactly, but it can be very therapeutic! Relational Inquiry is a deep process of inquiry into the joys and sorrows and fundamental challenges of our humanity, as these challenges show up directly in a group of people committed to bringing more love and harmonious connections into their lives. However, there is a structure to it and set of guidelines, the most important ones being what we call “commitment to connection” and “own your experience”. The structure does, ideally, make the group safer, more fun and potentially more transformational than either therapy or encounter group.
The Enrollment Process and your interview with the leader(s)
PRLC’s can be emotionally and intellectual intense. They also challenge social norms and social conditioning of how people do relationships, and consequently can be initially confusing, terrifying and exhilarating all at once. PRLC’s are not for everyone, and therefore to be admitted into the course we ask that you register and then book a 20-30 minute interview with one of the course leaders so you can get a direct experience of Relational Inquiry and decide if it’s for you. If at the end of the interview, either you or the leader decide this is not for you, your money will be refunded.
Upon registering and paying for the course, one of the leaders will send you an email with an appointment booking link. You are requested to book an appointment within 72 hours of purchasing the course, ideally.
For questions, feedback or concerns about this process, please write to [email protected]
Graduation certificates and ongoing development opportunities
If you wish to apply for a graduation certificate at the end of the course, this will be granted (or not) along with specific feedback of what you did well and how you can improve to become a more effective leader within your family, business or community. Everyone who completes the course will also be invited into the free monthly gathering and circle of the global PRLC graduates community. Currently this meeting happens on the first Tuesday of each month at morning time Eastern US.
About the Facilitators
Marco Beneteau (course leader). Marco is the author of the Circling Guide, the most popular book on the practice of Circling within the Authentic Relating tradition, along with its draft sequel Relational Power. Both books are offered on the gift economy. He has been running these groups for 7 years, representing about 1500 hours of practice to date. Many of these groups were ongoing, including a weekly men’s group that has been running continuously for 5 years. He is also the author of a love and sex manual for men entitled As Lovers Do, and a memoir entitled Broke, Single, Crazy and Old: the Redemption of a Sex and Love Addict.
Sophie Nicole Lemperle-McGrath (co-leader) is the founder of Connecting circle (in German), a Gestalt facilitator, mediator and “Getting Real” Coach.
All of her life Sophie has been fascinated by interpersonal dynamics and the question of what constitutes a strong foundation in all kinds of relationships – private or professional. Can we learn to love? How do we use conflicts as learning opportunities and convert the conflict energy into more connection?
Her work is deeply influenced by the teaching and love of Martin and Annette Rubeau. She has also learned from and with Susan Campbell PhD, and through her work: “Getting Real”.
Other opportunities in Authentic Relating
Please check out other courses, Authentic Relating in Community (Cohort 1 on Wednesdays), and Practical Relational Leadership (Cohort 2 on Tuesdays), and/or reach out to [email protected] if you want us to produce a course for your community or organization.
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