Twenty five faculty members from three countries (US, UK, Israel) convened at the beautiful ocean-side retreat center at Mar de Jade. We enjoyed inspired meetings, daily ZB sessions, delicious meals, long walks, sunsets, body-surfing, dancing, cultural adventures, and more. This provided ample time and space for extended conversations, connecting, resting, brainstorming, and reconciling. Seeing, touching, and caring for each other fully was so very valuable.
We used the Open Space Meeting format again, wherein each person is responsible for the meetings they convene. Below are summaries from the Open Space sessions and attached are more detailed reports from those who submitted them. We hope that everyone will continue to work and play with these agenda items (and the one’s we didn’t get to!) in the spirit of stewardship for the work of ZB in the world.
The ZB Touch Foundation board facilitated a one-day meeting which included a research presentation, an explanation of the role of the ZB Touch Foundation, the ZB Touch Foundation non-profit status, the ZB Touch Foundation website, initiatives and conferencing, an envisioning touch exercise, and more.
Conscious Touch – Pat Dorsey, Ida Smith, Christine Baldwin
Pat was interested in exploring the role and power of Highest Personal regard and the field of Therapeutic Presence. Ida wanted to explore and identify qualities of Loving Touch, and Christine was similarly interested in the state of Stillness. They combined their efforts and created a meditative and hands-on exercise to optimally feel these qualities while doing ZB.
This group exercise was designed from the passion and excitement that Pat Dorsey, Ida Smith and Christine Baldwin along with the fellow participants brought to the group.
Our gathering was an exploration of three-fold.
– One was to access the expanded field around us,
– another to drop in deeply to stillness and presence,
– and from these places explore the capacity to clearly engage in three fulcrums that the individual/ the field is asking for and watch the power of this.
– Also to be aware of what one notices in oneself when accessing these sweet fulcrums. ***All of this ultimately is about being deeply present with oneself, with the field and with another so that the power of the work, the healing is amplified and there is an increased conscious awareness of what is needed.
– The beginning of our session, the meditation that was guided and the sitting in stillness together went well.
-Prior to our slowing down we had made clear who we were working with and what we were doing. It was a clear beginning.
-During the sessions themselves lots of ahas arose. For me personally, ultimately it was the safety to be unsafe. (Christine)
-Our ending needed more structure as we worked with sharing within our group and the importance of pauses, and the importance of a clear and well held container when working in an amplified field became evident.
-Our capacity to stay with the process allowed for a larger healing which impacts not only the individual but the group, communities, relationships, the world.
-For me, (Pat) trusting the Tao even when things got a bit wobbly revealed the reliable intelligence inherent in following the process with openness, compassion and high personal regard. A process that provided a very profound and powerful healing for some individuals and the group and one that gave us all lessons to enrich our teaching.
-One of which was to have all the logistical details about the bodywork swap set up before going into the silent meditation and after the swap the partners sharing privately before coming into the larger group share.
Building our Base – Cindy Tefft
Cindy spoke passionately of the need to build the base of ZB clients from the general public, so there is a demand for more practitioners, which will create fuller classes, more of a buzz and name recognition of ZB. Discussion and Brainstorming ensued and everyone was inspired by Cindy’s leadership.
I’d like to share with you some of the information that came about from a breakout group at the International Faculty Gathering in Mexico recently; “Educate the World, Build Our Base” It would be great if we could keep the energy going on this item. Sometimes there is an energy drop when we aren’t able to attend or if the information doesn’t reach us. Pictures of charts will be included with this email. They may or may not make sense to you; maybe they will create a spark or an idea you may want to add and share.
While we need to create community and connections within the Zero Balancing arena itself, many of us on the faculty would love to see more general public involvement in ZB, creating a demand for practitioners, who would create a demand for more classes. In short, we would love to have people come to us asking us to teach, instead of trying to market, search out and fill classes on our own. The organization(s) have done a great job of top-down development. However, to become sustainable, we need to create an equal bottom up development. The work that has been done collectively and individually to create connections with other organizations has been awesome! Now, let’s work on BUILDING OUR BASE!
Several ideas were :
1. “Life Skills” classes using ZB principles and taught to general public, generating interest in ZB.(David Laden has written up about 30 principles and concepts in a nice format)
2. Flyers produced by the office that we could reproduce to give to general public. 3. Create better ways to communicate the benefits of ZB (share the ‘gold’)
4. Name Recognition
5. More research…..(great start here)
Several charts read Fantasy to Reality. Hopefully we will have Reality to Action Steps or something similar.
My Best Wishes for 2016 – Judith Sullivan
Judith came prepared with little packages including boxes, beads, and paper for writing wishes and gratitude. She led her group through a process of acknowledging their gratitude for different aspects of life and documenting what their wishes are for those life experiences in the upcoming year. Judith says, “It was the first time I had done this exercise and I was amazed afterwards how differently I felt (in a good way). I have my box on my desk and shake it every now and then. And it makes me happy. This was an exercise that I think would best have been done by the whole group as a unity exercise.”
Judith led “Boxes.” This was an experimental artistic exercise in which we wrote our best wishes for 2016 related to ZB as well as to ourselves. There were several categories which included Home and Family Life, My Work Life, Values to Embrace, Something I’d Like to Learn, Money, A Wish for the World, Health and Well Being, and Near and Dear to My Heart. Before each category, we would write our gratitude for what we did have. Then we wrote on the category slip, our wishes for that particular category. We had 2 minutes for each category which really helped to focus us in our intuition and not overthink everything. I was surprised at how my best wishes for myself were the same as my best wishes for ZB. If it was difficult to figure out a wish, then you could draw a symbol of what you meant. It took 20 minutes for the entire exercise. Then we folded each paper and put it in the box. Each fold was a fulcrum. In the box were several little seed beads. When all the wishes were in the box, we shook the box which was another fulcrum.
There were 4 people in addition to me. It was a 20 minute exercise that we went through efficiently. There were more boxes that people who didn’t go to the meeting were able to take. I don’t know if anyone used them as I haven’t received a report from anyone else who wasn’t at the “box” meeting.
What is Middle C? – Karli Beare
Karli led a beachside discussion on the meaning of Middle C. The group discussed Middle C in the body, in the organization, in our language, and in the work of the ZB Touch Foundation.
What is “Middle C”? What does it mean? What does it include?
Key Areas of Discussion/Participation/Comments
- Participants described where they feel Middle C in their bodies: – in hands – as you do all ZB Principles
– in Third Eye – a Knowing
– in sacrum – a solid, sacred starting place
– in centre – your pelvis – your core
– in a place beyond words
– it runs through you likes a current
– in that place in the heavens that binds us
In basic terms – everything that makes a fulcrum is all Middle C.
Middle C represents the common universal truth of ZB – a point of balance without judgment.
- Organisationally:
Middle C is a neutral starting point – a clear point in highest personal regard
All music comes from Middle C – important for everyone to know what this sounds like, but then be supported when exploring major and minor harmonies.
The language of Middle C- to stay in harmony with one another.
Potential for ZB Life Skills Class – this would be C Major. - Language:
Use specificity of language eg: vortex is not ZB.
Important to build from basics when developing any Advanced Class.
How much is too much? Need to ensure it was a ZB class using ZB language in harmony with Core Workshop principles. - Foundation:
Protects integrity of ZB.
Protects the principles and the implicit quality of ZB as we move forward and expand. Like Jazz – provides a structure for personal improvisation within a common rhythm. Provides a common basic map for procedures and guidelines.
Allows for cross fertilisation of ideas.
Oral tradition allows for growth and development – not stagnation and limitation. Provides a place of unity with Founder.
ZB is like a living organism, with a heart and organs – and a spirit: needs a body to hold them.
Newer Scientific Models applied to ZB – Jo Hale, Michele Doucette
Jo Hale and Michelle Doucette both shared an interest in bringing to light contemporary scientific models which complement and expand the current teachings and principles underpinning Zero Balancing. Jo facilitated a discussion of how the concept of Biotensegrity can augment our teaching and principles. She led a donkey lean exercise, based on this model, which was structurally, energetically, and theoretically expansive for all. Michele described the physiological process of interoception (the body’s conscious awareness of self) and its essential relationship to touch, as well as the superconductive nature of connective tissue and its relevance to ZB teaching.
Jo Hale shared an interest in bringing to light contemporary scientific modelling and understanding which both complemented and provided a healthy and open-minded critique of the teachings and principles which underpin Zero Balancing, as developed by Fritz Smith MD. Post-modern, multi- disciplinary appreciations of the human bio-dynamic system, utilised by other successful up and coming body/mind modalities, might best facilitate the flourishing of Zero Balancing in twenty-first century context.
Jo Hale shared her fascination for Biotensegrity, a ‘structural design principle that describes a relationship between every part of an organism and the mechanical system that integrates them into a complete functioning unit’. Pioneered by Orthopaedic Surgeon Stephen M Levin, and grounded in his professional experience and observation, this model explores and expounds the dynamic interrelationship of biological ‘compression and tension’ body stresses. Dynamic ‘balancing’ is thus seen as an integral part of a healthy system which has the capacity to ‘self-reference’ and ‘self-adjust’ with respect to context and experience on macro through to micro levels. Jo referenced Osteopath Graham Scarr’s recent book (2014) – Biotensegrity, the Structural Basis of Life, which skillfully unfolds a deep appreciation of biomechanical forces in biological life, thus challenging pre-existing top down/gravity dominated models of structural mechanics, and opening up a vista of biological forms as spacious and coherent multi-dimensional phenomena.
The talk was followed by donkey ‘leaning-in’, embracing inspiration gained from contemplating Biotensegrity. This focused and deliberate ‘consciously embodied’ exercise provided a heightened sense of self as multi-dimensional, alive, adapting and communicating.
Delightful – great fun!
Michele described the physiological process of interoception, and how touch receptors in connective tissue play a crucial role in the the body’s ability to sense and recognize self, to develop conscious awareness of self and environment, and to experience resilience in emotional and behavioral responses. Recent research has shown that humans have a unique neurological tract for self-awareness. Uniquely in humans and some primates, touch receptors throughout the connective tissue matrix, which respond to slow and purposeful touch, are directly connected to the pre-frontal cortex through the spinothalamic tract, without travelling through lower brain centers. This wiring help the human perceive tone, meaning, emotional context, self and environmental awareness, and personal consciousness, and is mediated through touch, stretch, pressure. This may be a new explanation of how the ZB touch effects consciousness. Research shows that a “noisy” interoceptive pathway, where there is too much sensory firing is directly associated with anxiety, depression, addiction, and irritable bowel syndrome. Do we quiet the system in
ZB…as we touch gently and purposefully, and hold at stillness, so the quieter nature can be perceived? For a more in-depth understanding of the mechanism than can be explored here, see Chapter 2.3 in the book Fascia, The Tensional Network of the Human Body by Schleip, et al (textbook).
Michele also discussed the superconductive nature of the crystalline matrix of connective tissue and how that supports the holographic model relative to ZB. It’s a fascinating realization that humans invented superconductor technology that is actually a reflection of the organic technology of our bodies, before we even knew that was what we were. We have created technology in our own image. Biblical? What else will humans create and learn from our own bodies. This is a beautiful reason to continue to
have our hands on the primary source of intelligence: the matter, the energy, the spirit, the form, the mystery, the magic of these bodies.
Lastly, the concept that scientific inquiry has now proven that touch is not optional for human development.
Community and ZB – Larry Adams & Judith Sullivan
Larry shared his enthusiasm for the movement afoot about creating a data base of ZBers who will house students while classes are going on in their neighborhoods. A great way to build community and provide a friendly and affordable lodging opportunity. Judith discussed building a data base on the ZB website for all the interesting projects people are doing in and around ZB. Free clinics, community outreach, mentoring, working with specific populations, etc. What are we doing outside of the box?
Growing Edges – Jim McCormick
Jim facilitated a sharing circle about our growing edges as teachers. He described how he is using some of the work he is doing through his studies in psychotherapy within his ZB sessions. He demonstrated how to more deeply connect, share, and reflect with a client. This was a fairly large group and most people share a growing edge. There were moments of piercing truth and authentic self-expression that touched us all. And, of course, Jim masterfully demonstrated his growing edge.
Create a ZB film to educate the world about ZB – Giovanni Pescotto
Giovanni is dedicating himself to creating a film to educate the world aboutZB. He has connections with an Israeli filmmaker who is willing to help him. He convened this group to share his vision and create an opening for insight and support for his project.
Exploration of ZB Fulcrum Exercise – Susan Klein, Ida Smith, Pat Dorsey
We created a “self-less” group of practitioners, who embodied the “field of ZB” as they moved down a row of tables, from one client to the next, with each of 6 fulcrums. The faculty members receiving sessions were, on the fields introduced by previous faculty fulcrums. Fulcrums were simple and we worked in concert with each other, moving gracefully from table to table. The embodied field took on a choreographic quality
and strongly affected the three faculty members who chose to watch and witness. After this practicum, having a group experience of well-being, we sat in silent harmony for some time before bringing in the mental component. Powerful. Instructive.