Catherine O'Riordan

The idea of a 'Circle of Trust' Group  is based on the writings of Palmer J. Palmer. It has much in common with Person Centred principles and values and seeks to give each member of the group a held, non-judgemental space to unearth their deepest self, their True Self if you like. Palmer describes how a Circle of Trust works here: https://couragerenewal.org/hidden-wholeness-hub/

 

The main point is that the group's aim and values seek to enable each person to feel secure enough to dig deep and share as much or as little as they want without fear that someone will challenge them, speak over them, or 'advise' them. Each group member is there to discover their own truth, witness to the work another person is doing, and create the supportive environment required to do this 'soul work'.

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‘In a circle of trust, we can grow our selfhood like a plant - from the potential within the seed of the soul, in ground made fertile by the quality of the relationships, toward the light of our own wholeness - trusting the soul to know its own shape better than any external authority possibly can’.

 

‘What sort of space gives the best chance to hear soul truth and follow it? A space defined by the principles and practices that honour the soul’s nature and needs. What is that nature, and what are those needs? My answer draws on the only metaphor I know that reflects the soul's essence whilst honouring its mystery: the soul is like a wild animal’.

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‘Like a wild animal, the soul is tough, resilient and resourceful, savvy, and self-sufficient: it knows how to survive in hard places’. ‘Yet despite its toughness, the soul is shy. Just like a wild animal, it seeks safety in the dense underbrush, especially when other people are around’.

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