CULTURAL KEYLINE
The Life Work of Dr. Neville Yeomans
Thesis
submitted
24 December 2005
For the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
In the
Photo 1
Four stages in Dr. Neville Yeoman’s life
Top left: At
Fraser House, circa 1961
(Yeomans, N. 1965a, p. 81)
Top Right: As
election candidate, 1969
(Yeomans,
N. 1965a)
Bottom Left: Wedding
to Lien, November 1972
From Lien
Yeoman’s book – used with permission
(Yeomans
and Yeomans 2001)
Bottom Right: On
Atherton Tablelands, 1993 Yeomans Family photo
-
used with permission
Two
Poems Written by Dr. Neville Yeomans
Together
the following poems (Yeomans
2000a; Yeomans 2000b) provide a
feel for the subject matter of this thesis. I first knew of the existence of
these two poems when they were handed out at Neville Yeomans’ funeral on 7 June
2000.
The Inma
There seems to be a new spirituality going around - or a philosophy –
or is it an ethical and moral movement, or a feeling?
Anyway, this Inma religion or whatever it is – what does it believe in?
It believes in the coming-together, the inflow of alternative human
energy, from all over the world.
It believes in an ingathering and a nexus of human persons’ values,
feelings, ideas and actions.
Inma believes in the creativity of this gathering together and this
connexion of persons and values.
It believes that these values are spiritual,
moral and ethical, as well as humane, beautiful, loving and happy.
Inma believes that persons may come and go as they wish, but also it
believes that the values will stay and fertilize its area, and it believes the
nexus will cover the globe.
Inma believes that Earth loves us and that we love Earth.
It believes that from the love and from the creativity will come a new
model for the world of human future.
It believes that we have started that future - now.
I guess that if you and I believe these things we are Inma.
On Where
Perhaps somewhere there is an unimportant place caught
between East and West, North and South, past and future.
It is so far behind that it can only go forward.
Its Indigenous people are so badly treated they will risk anything for
a better life.
Its white overlords are so distant from the centre of their
own culture that they don’t know where to go except to
self-government.
It is wealthy, industrial, consumer, under-populated and chaotic.
It has tropical coasts and islands. It has cool mountains and
tablelands.
It is closer to Asian and Melanesian peoples than its own capital city,
and it often sees itself as the end of the earth.
Yet the desires of some of its citizens are:
to build the first free territory guided by global humane laws
to implement the UN covenants on Human Rights
to give migrants, visitors and native born an equal say
to accept ideas, people and music of living from all over
to welcome and respect every interested person
to love Planet Earth, and
to take a next step towards a happier more beautiful more human
community.
Maybe one such place is called Northern Queensland,
But an Aboriginal word meaning 'a coming together' is Inma.
CONTENTS
Acknowledging
Abstract
CHAPTER ONE – ON HUMAN FUTURES
The Thesis Structure
Three Interconnected Foci
On Global Reform
Keyline and Cultural Keyline
Research Questions
Life Changes
A Warm December Morning
Summary
CHAPTER TWO - NEVILLE’S MODEL FOR A 250-YEAR
TRANSITION TO A HUMANE CARING EPOCH
Introduction
A New Cultural Synthesis
Webs and Lacewebs
Summary
CHAPTER THREE – THE EMERGENCE OF
THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITIES AND COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH -
History, Types and Significance
Overview
The Emergence of Popular/Folk and Scientific Models
Nineteen and Twentieth Century Practice
Early Australian Experience
Evolving Therapeutic Communities
Social Psychiatry, Social Therapy and Milieu Therapy
Decline of Therapeutic Committees in the
Decline of Therapeutic Committees in the
Wider Applications of Therapeutic Community
Rehabilitation Services, Transitional Facilities and
The Move to Community Based Care
Community Mental Health - The
Community Mental Health in the
Community Mental Health in
Self-Help and Mutual Aid Groups
Organizations, Networks and Mutual Help Providing
Support and Sustenance to Marginal People
Healthy Living Centres
Everyday Life Mutual Help
Natural Nurturers in Everyday Life
Possible Futures
Shifts In Psychiatric Models
The Psychosocial Model, Therapeutic Governance and
Global Social Control
Summary
CHAPTER FOUR – ON METHOD
Overview
On Being an Insider Looking in
Explicating the Inexplicable
Data Collecting
Note Taking
Interviewing
Interviewing Neville
Interviews With Bruen and Chilmaid
Margaret Cockett and Other Interviewees
Prolonged On-Site Social Action Research
Archival Research
Engaging in Naturalistic Inquiry
Ensuring Trustworthiness
My Theoretical Perspectives
Using Emergent Design
Writing Through and Making Sense
Writing Through
Using Grounded Theory
Recognising Fractals and Holographs
Using Thick Description
Using Thematic Analysis/Narrative Analysis
Using Connoisseurship
Structure/Event Process Analysis
Emergence of Intuition
On Being a Scientific Detective
Crafting the Writing
Summary
CHAPTER FIVE - CONNECTING SUSTAINABLE
AGRICULTURE AND PSYCHOSOCIAL TRANSITION
Orienting
Inspiring Trauma
Water Telling Us What to do With it
Keyline Emerges
Creating Deep Soil Fast
Designing Farms
Links Between Sustainable Agriculture, Psychosocial
Change And Indigenous Sociomedicine
Tikopia - Celebrating Difference to Maintain Unity
And Wellbeing
Other Influences
Melding the Precursors
Summary
CHAPTER SIX - FRASER HOUSE MILIEU
Orientating
Introducing Fraser House
Window of
Layout, Locality, and Cultural Locality
Assuming a Social Basis of Mental Illness
Locality as Connexion to Place
Cultural Locality
Sourcing Patients
Back Wards and Prisons
Aboriginal and Islander Patients
Family- Friends-Workmate Network as Focus of Change
Balancing Community
Being Voluntary
Re-Casting the System
Fraser House as Therapeutic Community
Staff Relating
For and Against
The Use of Slogans
Fraser House Wellness Norms
Handbooks on Fraser House Structure and Process
Family Therapy
Drug Use
Summary
CHAPTER SEVEN -
GOVERNANCE AND OTHER RECONSTITUTING PROCESSES
The Resocializing Program – Using Governance Therapy
Committees and Balancing Governance
Patient Administration
The New Role for all Staff
Flexible Rigidity
Patient Treatment and Training
Fraser House Training
The Canteen and the Little Red Van
The Domiciliary Care Committee and Domiciliary Care
Crisis Support
The Outpatients, Relatives and Friends Committee
Constituting Rules and Constitutions
Summary
CHAPTER EIGHT – FRASER HOUSE BIG MEETING
Big Group - Using Collective Social Forces
Preventing Session Creep
Big Group Layout
A Mood That Attunes
On Neville’s Role as Leader and his Group Processes
On The Side of Constructive Striving
Neville’s Sensory Functioning
The Far-From-Equilibrium Learning Organization
Gain, Loss, Threat and Frustration
Summary
CHAPTER NINE – FRASER HOUSE TRANSITIONARY
PROCESSES
Introduction
Social Category Based Small Group Therapy
Child-Parent Playgroups
Individual Therapy
Research as Therapy
Values Research
Psychiatric Research Study Group
Work as Therapy
Margaret Mead Visits Fraser House
Cultural Keyline
Attending and Sensing
Forming Cultural Locality
Strategic Design and Context-Guided Perturbing of
the Social Topography
Leaving Nature to do the Work
Cultural Keyline in Groups
Summary
CHAPTER TEN – CRITIQUING AND REPLICATING
Orientating
Critique of Fraser House in the Sixties
A Response
Replicating Fraser House In State Run Enclaves
-
Fraser House and Transitions to Community Self
Caring
A Follow-Up Service and Liaison
with Outside Organizations.
Catchment Areas
Neville’s Actions to Phase Out Fraser House
The Decline of Therapeutic Communities
Fraser House Evaluation
Fraser House a Model for American Research
Ethical Issues in Replicating Fraser House
Inma and Fraser House
Networking
Ex Fraser House Patients and Local Self Help Action
Findings
A Powerful Influence
Summary
CHAPTER ELEVEN - FRASER HOUSE OUTREACH
Orientating
Extending
Advisory Roles
Coordinator of Community Mental Health Services
Community Health
Evolving Asian Links
Wellbeing Action Using Festivals, Gatherings and
Other Happenings
The
The Second Festival – The Paddington Festival
Festival Three -
Festival Four - Campbelltown Festival
Festival Five – The Aquarius Festival
Festival Six – Confest
Festival Seven – The Cooktown Arts Festival
The Keyline Trust
Divorce Law Reform
Writing Newspaper Columns
Implicitly Applying Cultural Keyline in Business and
Other Organisational Environments
Evolving Functional Matrices
On Becoming an Election Candidate
Influencing Other States
Findings
Summary
CHAPTER TWELVE - EVOLVING THE LACEWEB
Orienting
Evolving the Laceweb
Aboriginal Human Relations Gatherings
The Self Organising Rollout for Bourke
Further Rollout for Armidale
Wider Networks
Evolving Small Therapeutic Community Houses in Far
Further Travels
Speaking on the Indigenous Platform at the UN Ngo
Rio Earth
Geoff and Norma Guest’s Aboriginal Youth Training
Farm
Developing Aboriginal and
Communities
Gathering
The
Unpo and Other Global Action
New State Movement Update
Indigenous People Linked to Confest
Cultural Healing Action
Using Ideas from the Laceweb Homepage
Summary
CHAPTER THIRTEEN –
EVOLVING THE LACEWEB SOCIAL-MOVEMENT
Orienting
Evolving the Laceweb as a Social Movement
Evolving Natural Nurturer Networks
Linking the Network into the Wider Local Community
The Enabling Network
The Sharing of Micro-Experiences Among Locals - A
Summary
On Global Reform
Three Transition Phases
Laceweb and Functional Matrices
Examples of Laceweb Action
Inma Involvement in Urban Renewal Project
Signing UN-Inma Memorandum of Understanding and
Treaties
East Asian
Summary
CHAPTER FOURTEEN - WHITHER GOETH THE WORLD
– HUMANITY OR BARBARITY?
Conclusions