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Developing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Drug and Substance Abuse Therapeutic Communities
Written 1992. Lasted updated Feb 2007.
INTRODUCTIONThis is a report of a 1992 Gathering in Far North Queensland Australia about establishing therapeutic community among indigenous people. The Aboriginal and Islander people who attended this gathering learnt many things about indigenous healing ways and indigenous therapeutic communities for softening substance abuse and supporting people likely to be incarcerated. As well, because of cross-cultural conflict set up by Anglo attendees, the Aboriginal and Islanders also learnt a lot about dominant culture ways of control. Soon in the report, all is not as it first seems. While set up as a healing sharing, all manner of cross-cultural and intra-cultural conflicts, misunderstandings and 'sticky mess' quickly engulf everyone. Mob psychology, crowd manipulation, stampeding, power plays and dominant/dominated cultural ruptures abound. And in all of this goo there are many magic moments and scope for potent understandings about intercultural healing. Even with all the conflict, the gathering continues with the three themes. At the end of the page is material on the healing ways of the Aboriginal elder Geoff Guest. This particular material is also included as a separate page The Healing Ways of Old Man - Geoff Guest Note: Page numbering in the Report is designated in this internet page as -X-, for example -12-.
-1- DEVELOPING ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER DRUG AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITIESABSTRACTA partial history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) involvement with Therapeutic Communities is briefly summarised along with the development of the National Campaign Against Drug Abuse ( NCADA) funded ATSI Therapeutic Community Forum held at Petford Aboriginal Training Farm and Clump Mountain Youth Wilderness Camp in Far North Queensland Australia between 26 July and 1 August 1992. Happenings and learnings at the Forum are outlined. Requested therapy and mediation trainer trainings for ATSI people by a predominately ATSI training group is set out together with a proposed training agenda and a brief outline of the proposed multi-leveled course process and content. A micro-process analysis of Geof Guest's therapy processes is discussed along with it's relevance for the development of a team of ATSI Therapeutic Community Practitioner Trainers. The Forum funding document is included to provide briefing material about the aims of the ATSI Therapeutic Community Project. Excerpts from the book 'Fraser House' provide detailed descriptions of the structures and processes used within a Therapeutic Community that accepted virtually all of the ATSI people from the NSW Mental Health system over thirty years ago. Refer Fraser House in the paper Communal Ways for Healing the World and Wounded Healers - Wounded Group a paper on sociomedicine. -2- SECTION DEVELOPING ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER DRUG AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITIESORIGINS The idea of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) initiative into exploring therapeutic communities can be traced back over thirty years to Australia's first mental health therapeutic community based at Fraser House in the North Ryde Psychiatric Centre in Sydney, Australia. Fraser house accepted virtually every aboriginal person in the NSW mental health system in the early 1960's (refer to 'Fraser House' a book by Dr. Neville Yeomans and Professor Alfred Clark. Appendix B of this report contains a segment of the book 'Fraser House' that was written by the psychiatric nurses of Fraser House and outlines the unique structure and processes used there. Following the experience as the founding Director and prime innovator of Fraser House, Dr. Neville Yeomans (a non ATSI person) has had Terry Widders, an ATSI person of Banjulung origins, as a co-mentor. Terry is a candidate for MA (Honours) at the University of New South Wales and has more recently been lecturing in Aboriginal History at Macquarie University. -3- SECTION A Terry's specialty is 'cultural modeling'. This is a process which enables fine distinctions to be made as to how members of a culture express themselves culturally, and more specifically, express themselves verbally and nonverbally. Terry is extremely fluent in the Japanese indigenous Ainu expression, the Han Chinese expression, and the Indonesian expression. He is currently mastering the French expression. Terry and Neville have worked extensively over the past 15 years providing therapeutic community skills to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) groups. Refer the timeline in Communal Ways for Healing the World. From the 1970's Neville has worked with ATSI peoples in setting up a string of Therapeutic Community Houses in Mackay and Cairns in NE Australia. In 1990 Neville and three ATSI co-facilitators (Maureen Watson, Phillip Bayles and Listell Jackson) ran a therapeutic community mediation training skills workshop at Lake Tinaroo on the Atherton Tablelands in NE Australia. ATSI people from the Cairns District, Mount Isa and a group of ATSI women from Milingimbi attended. In the 1980's Dr. Neville Yeoman became the consulting psychiatrist and advisor to Petford, an ATSI therapeutic community operating for over 15 years providing food, accommodation, support, healing opportunities and vocational skills to destitute, homeless, and disadvantaged ATSI and other youth. Often these youth had been in trouble with authorities and had been participating in alcohol and other substance abuse. In 1992 Dr. Neville Yeomans presented Petford, at his own expense, at the NGO 'Rio Earth Summit' in Brazil, and as a platform speaker at that gathering, introduced Petford to the world. -4- SECTION A THE ATSI THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY FORUMThe idea of having an ATSI Therapeutic Community Forum at Petford was a natural extension of this ATSI involvement in therapeutic communities over the past thirty years. In January 1992, discussions took place at Petford Aboriginal Training Farm in far north Queensland between Geof Guest, the Aboriginal Director and founder of Petford, Neville Yeomans, Psychiatrist and advisor to Petford, and Les Spencer, a Melbourne based Behavioural Scientist and long time work associate of Neville Yeomans. This was the first time Les had met Geof Guest. The evolving idea was that funding would be sought to allow ATSI people, and specifically the needy youth of Petford and Clump, as well as other unemployed ATSI people, to come together to begin a process of exploring the therapeutic community concept and to develop ways in which this concept can be used to address a range of major issues for ATSI peoples. These issues include, alcohol and other substance abuse and specifically the major issue of the very addictive practice of petrol sniffing - something that quickly causes irreparable brain damage. Other issues are the development of ATSI administered and controlled therapeutic communities as alternatives, in appropriate cases, to prisons and mental hospitals or as community re-entry half-way places for these institutions. Another issue was the use of the therapeutic community model as a model for ATSI community development. -5- SECTION A THE CONTINUING CHALLENGEThe relationship between ATSI peoples and Europeans has been marked by more than a 200 year history of difficulties and misunderstandings. The ATSI THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY FORUM - as a gathering of ATSI and 'European' people - was no exception. As this report unfolds it will become increasingly apparent that Les Spencer looms large in everything that transpired, both during the Forum, and in the weeks leading up to the Forum. He became a focal point for all of the varied and multiple agendas, power-plays, suspicions, confusions, angers, stampeding and scapegoating - a weird, bizarre and useful role. Such a role has often been recorded from antiquity on. BEGINNINGSFrom January through 7 July 1992 there were many phone calls between the following people who were ultimately to become the members of the Forum Management Committee:
-6- SECTION A During these phone discussions, the Forum was developing as an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander initiative by the respective Boards of Petford Aboriginal Training Farm and Clump Mountain Youth Wilderness Program, in association with Inma Black Mountain. During these discussions both Les Spencer and Neville Yeomans repeatedly reminded discussants of the appropriateness of young people being present at all parts of the gathering. Les Spencer had the role of finding funding for the proposed Forum. The Forum concept evolved further during discussions between the above management committee and the concept was encapsulated in written drafts by Les. The drafts that formed the NCADA fund application process were sent to Petford and Clump for discussion and approval by their respective Aboriginal Boards prior to being sent to NCADA. Les understood that submission documents, including the Forum budget, was discussed and approved by the Aboriginal Boards of Petford and Clump. The Fund application in it's final form (Appendix A) was approved by NCADA and expressly states that the Forum was an ATSI initiative of the three participating Groups. The Forum was under a management committee. The names of the members of this management committee were listed in the Forum funding application to NCADA. Geof Guest signed the NCADA Funding Grant papers on behalf of the Forum Management Committee. The three ATSI groups of Petford, Clump Mountain and INMA Black Mountain were fully involved with all aspects of initiating the Forum. Stemming from the NCADA fund guidelines requiring a 'nominated contact person', Les Spencer was designated for that role and titled 'Project Coordinator'. -7- SECTION A Les' three roles were agreed in discussions and enshrined in the Final NCADA Funding Submission - which in turn was, to Les' knowledge, agreed too by the Boards of Petford and Clump - namely:
Les is a behavioural scientist with majors in psychology and sociology. Les' psychology honors research project was on many of the therapeutic micro-processes used by Geof Guest with the Petford youth. Les has also completed a training directors' course run by LIMRA of Hartford USA and has held national and state responsibilities as a training manager in the private sector. As such, he is well placed to prepare reports and competency based educational resource material. During none of discussions between Les and the rest of the management committee was it discussed, let alone agreed, that Les was also to play the pivotal roles of 'Project Director' or 'Program Director'. Les has had many years experience in running experiential workshops and conferences for multinational companies and certainly had the background to carry out both of these roles. -8- SECTION A However, had this expanded role been suggested at the time Les was preparing the Forum Funding Submission, Les would definitely have declined for the following reasons. Les:
It is understood that ATSI control of both the initiative and the Forum process was totally understood and endorsed by NCADA. The subject of control is picked up again later in this report. -9- SECTION A THE JULY 10 PRELIMINARY MEETINGThe Funding application expressly stated that there would be a preliminary meeting on July 10 1992. This was characterised in the Fund Application as a 'briefing meeting'. Further, this section of the Application reaffirms Les' role as a 'coordinator of participants', and not that of 'Project Director' or ''Program Director'. While the expression 'organiser' is used, this term, from the tenor of the whole section, relates expressly to the follow-up briefing of the board members of The Australian Therapeutic Community Association (ATCA) and the Keyline-Permaculture people, and in his capacity within the three roles stated previously. The application stated that there would be a meeting of the management committee to 'get a preliminary overview of the issues involved'. In phone discussions between Les and the other management committee members prior to 10 July 1992 it was arranged that the processes and activities that would be used during the Forum would be talked through and arranged during the 10 July 1992 preliminary meeting. Gerald Appo of Clump Mountain stated that he would be bringing about ten people - and if possible, some board members - to the preliminary meeting to be held at Petford. Gerald requested that money be made available for this preliminary meeting to cover:
-10 - SECTION A Because of considerable concern by Charlie Blatch and Joe Lamberti (both non-ATSI people) of The Australia Therapeutic Community Association (ATCA) about the role of ATCA during the Forum, it was organised that Charlie and Joe would also attend the preliminary meeting. Notwithstanding that it was organised 14 days prior that the preliminary meeting would be at Petford on the 10 July 1992, of the Northern Queensland members of the management committee, only Neville Yeomans (non-ATSI) was available to meet on the 10 July. The best we could get was that Geof Guest (ATSI) of Petford would be available on the 12 July 1992. Cec Mawdesley (non-ATSI) of Petford would be available in the morning and late afternoon of July 12. As it turned out Geof was only available to meet with Joe, Charlie and Les for broken parts of the day on the 12 July. Geof was understandably 'on call' in respect of the ongoing life at Petford. The Clump Mountain Group (10 ATSI people) advised that they were not attending the preliminary meeting at all. It was arranged for Les, Charlie and Joe to see Neville at his house in Yungaburra for a few hours and to briefly see Mareja and her INMA associate Rowena at Rowena's house down in Cairns. The following emerged from the 'preliminary meeting(s)':
-11- SECTION A This was decided (in the absence of the Clump Mountain group) for the following reasons:
The focus of Forum process would be the actual demonstration of the 'change processes' used by therapeutic communities to help people stop drug and substance abuse. This also made the presence of resident youth imperative. It was reaffirmed that the Forum was not a conference and not a 'talk-fest'. The focus was to be:
It was affirmed that the process would be loosely structured to maximise the scope for people to take responsibility for their own sharing and learning. 12- SECTION A In keeping with the flavour of the two previous affirmations, the ATCA member's role was to demonstrate how healing takes place within their respective Therapeutic Communities. Theirs was a duel role -'trainer training' and 'actual demonstration of healing processes'. When the occasion presented itself, they were to actually work with someone. For example, some ATSI person may want to personally experience working with a facilitator who would use a therapy process with that ATSI person on a personal issue like 'controlling anger' or 'improving self esteem''. In this way ATSI people would get first-hand experience of the power of specific therapeutic processes. There was going to be an open agenda that would take a similar format each day. The major and the first event of each day of the Forum, commencing at 6:30 AM, would be participants joining in Geof Guest's 'therapy session with the Petford youth'. This session is held every day of the year at Petford, from shortly after 6:00 AM till 7:00 AM. This session would provide participants with an opportunity to experience the non-obvious subtlety of Geof Guest's successful approach to behaviour change with ATSI youth. Virtually all of the extensive behaviour change in Petford youth in their (typically three months) stay can be traced to these morning sessions. -13 - SECTION A Each day after breakfast, the open agenda would be concurrent activities and process in the following areas. Major themes:
Sub themes:
The process and content of the above open agenda would evolve from the evolving rapport and personal responsibility of all participants. The process would essentially evolve from 'what was recognised as being valuable to the ATSI people'; that is, if some person or process was 'not appropriate' then this would be demonstrated by people leaving the process or not turning up in the first place. In essence, people would be 'on-show', and an invite to come back to participate in an October 1992 training would be a function of how one's contribution to process was received. -14- SECTION The above overview of Forum process complies with the project aims and objectives mentioned on the first page of the Funding Application namely: The Project Aims and Objectives are: To provide a forum for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to explore setting up, administrating and conducting Therapeutic Communities to help people stop alcohol and other substance abuse. The above process was discussed by Geof Guest (Petford), Joe Lamberti (ATCA), Charlie Blatch (ATCA), and Les Spencer at Petford, and by Charlie, Joe, Neville and Les Spencer at Neville Yeomans' place in Yungaburra, and with Mareja Bin Juda of Inma Black Mountain, Rowena (also of Inma Black Mountain), Joe, Charlie and Les at Rowena's place in Cairns. Joe and Charlie did not meet Gerald Appo (Clump Mountain) or visit Clump. The above Forum process was also discussed with NCADA prior to the funding being granted. The open agenda process allowed for the 'unfolding' of events' during the Forum rather than having some fixed or arbitrary agenda 'ordering' when, what and how people were to behave. This follows the spirit of the UNESCO model as reported in The International Peace Research Newsletter in June 1992 about UNESCO's 26th General Conference: The greater politicization of UNESCO through the election of the Executive board by Governments, is being balanced by the creation of an 'Ad Hoc Forum of Reflection', as was proposed by Germany and France, and which will be composed of eighteen highly eminent intellectuals from various regions of the world' (our italics). -15 - SECTION Notwithstanding the foregoing, during the ''preliminary meeting' discussions, Joe and Charlie of ATCA continually expressed a desire that there be a written and formal agenda for the Forum. In turn, Les and Neville continually stressed to Charlie and Joe the open nature of the agenda and that the focus was on establishing rapport between the participants of two cultures and the demonstrating of the healing change-processes used within the ATCA board members' respective therapeutic communities. It was also stressed by Les and Neville, that if the members of the ATCA board (all non-ATSI) were not comfortable with this role for any reason, then perhaps they had operating staff within their therapeutic communities who were more comfortable with 'an unstructured hands-on role within an open agenda'. The ATCA board were using the day before the Forum for their annual general meeting (AGM) at a location 90 minutes drive from Petford. Obviously, they wanted all of their board members to attend the ATCA AGM and the Forum. Before Joe and Charlie left to brief their board members about their proposed Forum role, Charlie reconfirmed to Les that the board would attend. TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTSBetween 3 - 6 July 1992 Les had the agreement of all ATCA board members in respect of dates and times of arrival and departure. All members knew that these dates could NOT be altered within 14 days of travel because ATCA tickets were on Apex class fares. These bookings were made around 3 - 6 July 1992 but no payment was made at that time. -16- SECTION At that time it was also arranged that ATCA members were returning from the Forum on Sunday 2 August (with some returning on Saturday 1 August). As at 8 July 1992 the arrangement was that ATCA members would attend the Forum for five days - Monday through to Friday. Immediately after Joe and Charlie left the preliminary meetings and after Charlie had confirmed that they would be attending, Les arranged payment of the ATCA member's travel. This locked ATCA members into departing on Sunday 2 August as arranged. The timing of payment was crucial to ensure that fares were on the cheaper Apex class. Shortly after the Apex fares were in place Charlie rang to say that ATCA was giving a commitment to stay at the Forum only until Wednesday and that thereafter members would make individual decisions as to how long they stayed. At this point Les reaffirmed firstly that Apex fares can not be changed except by moving to a higher fare structure, and secondly that any additional outlay resulting from change in departure time would not be at the Forum's expense. This arrangement was agreed to by Charlie Blatch, the President of ATCA. This had been expressly stated by Les when the original arrangements had been made around 3 - 6 July 1992. Any openness about this could have incurred the local ATSI groups in a cost over-run of a couple of thousand dollars - something that Les wanted to ensure would in no way happen. One ATCA member Ms Klassen found that she had to return on Wednesday because of unavoidable staffing shortages and an extra return flight at Apex rates was arranged within the Forum travel budget. -17- SECTION Meridian Travel, the travel agent that Les was using, said that the return leg of Ms Klassen's original ticket would have to be forfeited. However Les decided to approach Australian Airline directly in an attempt to conserve the value of the ticket. Les advised the Airline that the Forum was funded by NCADA for ATSI people and asked whether they would break their normal Apex fare rules so the Forum would not forfeit the original return fare. They agreed to do this on the basis that Ms Klassen's ticket be re-logged back into their booking system for use at a later date. The date 28 October was given by Les - two days after the end of the proposed ATSI Therapeutic Community October Training Gathering. This would allow the date of this ticket to be changed again in the future, and if necessary, for someone other than Ms Klassen to be able to use it. The control of the ticket remained with the Forum organisers. Australian Airlines stressed that this was NOT their normal practice and that they were making a PR gesture for the Forum's benefit. FORUM BANK ACCOUNT SIGNATORIESLes was given the task by Geof and Cec of organising the signatories of the Forum bank account. They were:
There was a proviso that any three were to sign. -18- SECTION ADVISING CLUMP MOUNTAIN OF CHANGESLes travelled down to Clump Mountain with the papers for Gerald to be a bank signatory. Les explained the reasons (mentioned on page 11) for the Forum being held at Petford. Gerald expressed extreme disappointment. He stated that assurances and undertakings had been given to Clump's volunteers and other workers, local business suppliers (caterers and equipment hirers) as well as to the Clump Board that the event at Clump was taking place, and that a lot of work had already gone into this. Les proposed that the Forum could move down to Clump on Friday afternoon. This would overcome some of the issues previously raised and still mean that the Forum time spent at Clump was unaltered (originally 'in Sunday night - out after lunch on Tuesday'; this being changed to 'in Friday afternoon - out Sunday lunchtime'). Gerald agreed to this but expressed concern that this would mean that the Forum would be held over six and a half days and that Petford's time had been increased (refer page 22). He was also concerned that Clump Mountain was not involved in these discussions and decisions. Gerald asked for the agenda that Petford was using and Les outlined the open agenda process mentioned above (refer pages 11-14). Gerald said that the Clump segment would be conducted under their own agenda. This revised proposal (namely, to still go to Clump - only at the end of the week instead of at the beginning) was discussed and agreed to by the rest of the Management Committee. -19- SECTION ACTION PRIOR TO THE FORUMLes elected to stay at Petford after the Preliminary meeting. This saved a second return flight from Melbourne just prior to the Forum. It also meant that all travel arrangements relating to all other participants could be made from Petford. At the same time it committed Les to forego other personal business and other activities he had in Melbourne. In addition to the time spent teeing up travel arrangements, during 12 - 29 July 1992 at Geof Guest's Petford Aboriginal Training Farm, Les:
-20- SECTION Geof expressed continual concern that there were many other funding submissions and other Government Submissions to be written for Petford that should have been prepared months previously by the Petford Administrator Cec Mawdesley (non-ATSI). During this time Geof Guest often referred to breaking one of Les' legs so he wouldn't leave; Les was doing so much useful work in such a short time. ATTENDANCE RATIOSLes was able to get almost all of the initial invitees to the Forum on the Apex fare basis. This was partly due to NCADA taking every step to speed clearance of the grant directly to the Forum's bank account. This was excellent service. Obtaining Apex fares had freed up a number of thousand dollars in the travel budget. Some ATCA members were asked if they could find appropriate ATSI people to bring with them (unemployed ATSI people with a strong desire to help their people - refer page 4). The idea was to get a six to one indigenous to non-indigenous ratio of attendees (to be in keeping with attendance ratios for indigenous gatherings suggested at the recent 'Rio' NGO Earth Summit in Rio De Janiero, Brazil that Dr. Neville Yeomans had attended). Eric Felgate from ATCA in South Australia arranged for one of his Christian outreach workers, a non-ATSI person, to bring 6 ATSI men with him. -21- SECTION In keeping with the above ratio, the idea was to keep the attendance of non-ATSI people to a bare minimum. Les had misunderstood from conversations with Health, Housing and Community Services (HHCS) people in Perth that Pat Nunn, a person originally from the Transvaal in Africa and a HHCS worker from Kalgoolie, was a black African. Even when Pat said she was 'not aboriginal' Les still assumed that she was a black African. When James Pitts (ATCA Sydney) and his son (both black Americans cancelled, Les asked Charlie to try and find ATSI people to use these tickets. Charlie was unsuccessful in doing this and recommended an 'ATSI looking person' who had lived for a time in an Aboriginal community. One extra ticket became available in South Australia. Les asked Eric Felgate to find a suitable ATSI person. Eric could not find one and brought a non-ATSI person. Les had tried to get additional funding for an ATSI group to video the Forum but was unsuccessful in the time available. Neville's son Quan (part Vietnamese) was staying with Neville and had a video camera. He was invited to the Forum and took a video record. Because of some of the events that occurred during 8 - 26 July while Les was at Petford, Les invited a non-ATSI person skilled in psychological crisis intervention to be on hand during the Forum. Cec Mawdesley, the administrator of Petford, is also non-ATSI. The above events resulted in 20 attendees at the Forum being non-ATSI. As it turned out, the resultant ratio of Non ATSI to ATSI had powerful consequence on outcomes during the Forum. (Even Robinson Crusoe, alone on his island but for his servant Friday, had brought all of his 'cultural baggage' with him and that European baggage totally coloured his relations with Friday.) -22- SECTION CONCERN ABOUT MAKING A PROFITLes found it difficult to get firm figures as to how many ATSI people would attend from the local region. Numbers changed continually. The food and accommodation budget was worked out on 60 participants for 5 days at $60:00 per day, that is, $18,000. Some days after setting up the bank signature, Gerald Appo of Clump Mountain sent to Petford a budget of over $8,000 (including $500 approximately for travel). Based on 15 meals and five nights at Petford and 6 meals and 2 nights at Clump the Forum food and accommodation budget of $18,000 (a figure known to Gerald) was split (after discussions between Geof, Gerald, Cec, Neville and Les) approximately in the following way, $12,750 to Petford and $5,250 to Clump. At one stage the number of likely attendees reached 84. This news brought great concern from Gerald Appo of Clump Mountain. Notwithstanding the national implications for ATSI people of having people from around the country exploring the therapeutic community concept, and that the Forum project may be considered a 'continuing project for funding' by NCADA (the funding body), Clump had taken the view that they were looking to turn a profit on the Forum. Having increased numbers eroding their profit margin was for Gerald Appo of Clump, disturbing in the extreme (refer page 18). He suggested that some people be told that they could not come. Because of firstly, people staying for broken periods and secondly, cancellations, the numbers of attendees hovered around 70. -23- SECTION FURTHER TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTSWithin three days of the Forum, but for a few hundred dollars, all of the Travel budget was committed There was enough in the travel budget for one return trip for Les Spencer in order to fine-tune the competency-based educational resource package. As well, a further un-used return ticket in the name of Pitts (James Pitt's son) was kindly arranged by Australian Airlines to be transferred to a future booking in October (the same as for Ms Klassen's ticket mentioned previously) James Pitts is an American Negro from Detroit who is the ATCA board member from Sydney. Had this action not been taken, this un-used Apex fare would also have been forfeited. DISCONTENT REGARDING TRAVELA few days before the Forum was to start, Les was advised that 6 ATSI people from Mareja's family area on the Northern Peninsula wanted to attend the Forum. Apparently Mareja had sent information to that area a month earlier. Possibly, news had just reached this group that six people were attending the Forum from a neighbouring community. Les told Mareja that he was uncertain as to whether this new group could attend, as the only source of possible travel money at this late stage would be if other people cancelled. The word came back that there was great concern about Les' ''lack of capacity to organise anything as he was 'indecisive''. A few days later a few places became available via cancellations so that some of Mareja's people could come. The outcome of these travel arrangements is discussed later in this report. -24- SECTION A number of other ATSI people cancelled travelling on their Apex fares. Again, after a direct approach by Les, Australia Airlines broke their rules and allowed new people to travel on these Apex tickets and, as a further consideration, allowed times of departure and return to be altered with no fare increase. Gratitude for this attention to service has been conveyed by Les Spencer to the management of Australian Airlines. SIXTY MINUTESSometime after the 12 July 1992 Geof Guest organised for the TV's Sixty Minutes 'Mike Munro' unit to film the healing work that Geof and his wife Norma do with the youth at Petford. It will be readily apparent that this reflects the very high esteem which is placed on Geof and Norma's work with ATSI youth. In Les' view, Geof's work (just prior to the Forum starting) with a new arrival, prone to aggressive behaviour, was next door to sainthood. Apparently 26 - 28 July 1992 suited the TV group and enabled them to include shots of the Petford youth at the Dimbulah Rodeo on Sunday 26 July. This meant that apart from Geof's early morning therapy session and late in the day, Geof was not in attendance at the Forum on the first two days. It is understood that the TV filming did not focus in any way on the Forum. -25- SECTION THE FIRST DAYApproximately 11 non-ATSI and 23 ATSI people arrived at Petford on Sunday 26 July 1992. Seven ATCA members, all non-ATSI, arrived on Monday. A further four ATSI people also arrived on Monday. Seven ATSI people arrived on Tuesday. This made 52 Forum attendees. Additionally there were approximately 20 Petford people.) NON-ATTENDANCEGerald had advised two weeks earlier that no one associated with Clump would be attending the five days of the Forum at Petford. The Clump people wanted to be in the local town of Innisfail when the Prime Minister was there on the Tuesday. On Wednesday they wanted to go fishing to minimise the amount they had to spend on food for their segment of the Forum (refer page 22). On Thursday and Friday all of their people would be setting up for their Forum segment at Clump. A Doctor had advised Mareja against taking her asthmatic son to Petford. Mareja rang from Cairns to say that she wanted to drive a hire vehicle to Petford each day and bring day visitors with her. This would have cost over $750 and by this time the Forum travel budget was all allocated. Mareja was advised of this. The ATCA group had stayed in Atherton on Sunday night and continued their Board meeting on Monday morning. They arrived at Petford just before midday on Monday. This in effect lowered their committed time at the Forum to two and a half days. -26- SECTION BEFORE BREAKFAST MONDAYParticipants had been told that the Forum would start on Monday morning at 6:30 AM with Geof's regular therapy session with the Petford Youth. It is understood that only Ken Yeomans (Keyline), Rob Crittendon (ACFOA), Les Spencer (making an audio tape), Neville Yeomans and Quan Yeomans (making a video tape) attended. Pat Nunn (HHCS - Kalgoolie) may have attended. No ATSI people attended. Les had been tape recording Geof's morning therapy session and had begun writing up therapy micro-process descriptions of many of the countless therapy processes that Geof uses. Many of these therapeutic micro-processes have been well documented in the therapy literature and have been used since antiquity by indigenous and other healers. Section B, page 62 of this report contains Forum educational resource material based around transcripts of Geof's therapeutic ATSI stories and his other therapy work. The transcript in Section B, page 75 is accompanied by brief descriptions of some of the therapy patterns, processes and behaviours being used by Geof. Similarities between Geof's therapy processes and those used by other noted therapists in the psychotherapy literature are discussed in Section B of this report. By identifying the patterns and processes used by Geof, other people can quickly learn to do what Geof does so successfully. -27- SECTION As mentioned, Les had commenced micro-analysis of the therapeutic patterns used by Geof, qualifications in this therapy micro-process area and is well able to do this work, It was also intended to explore the possibilities with Geof of getting these morning segments published under a some heading like 'Stories of the Old Man' Les has tertiary research qualifications in this therapy micro-process area and is well able to do this work. It was also intended to explore the possibilities with Geof of getting these morning segments published under some heading like 'Stories of the Old Man'. 'Old Man' is Geof's title on the Petford property and throughout the Northern Peninsula area, It is a term of the highest respect due to a valued Elder, Neville Yeoman's son Quan's made video tapes of Geof's work for use as an aid to enable trainees to study the subtle non-verbal work that Geof does to complement all of the processes he uses, Again, these non-verbal processes are not obvious, With every respect, it is problematic whether Geof himself knows all that he does so well, He does it spontaneously and intuitively, Subsequent to Geof's morning therapy session, Rob Crittendon, a non-ATSI Director of Evaluations for The Australian Council for Overseas Aid (ACFOA), and a person, it is understood, who has tertiary studies in psychology, described Geof's therapy session as 'nothing but a few homilies!', To quote the gist of Rob's view, 'Geof's session was 'nothing but a joke! To call that therapy is to deceive yourself!' (refer Section B, page 62-93) It was, in retrospect, inappropriate to ask Rob to evaluate Petford as a Therapy Community, Virtually none of the micro-processes and patterns used by Geof are obvious unless a person is trained to recognise them, That these processes operate below awareness is a large part of their power. -28- SECTION AFTER BREAKFAST MONDAYAfter breakfast participants were told that there would be an initial gathering under the trees near the front gate, About half the participants attended this gathering, Geof said that he wanted to ''pick peoples' brains' and that they would also have time later on to pick his brains, He then left with the sixty minute TV crew, The front gate group was then told by Neville Yeomans that there would be at least two groups that morning - a Keyline- Permaculture group and another group for anyone interested in healing. The South Australia Christian outreach worker had not joined the meeting near the front gate, He had already commenced a healing session on the front lawn with the 6 ATSI people he had brought, After brief definitions of the terms 'Keyline' and 'Permaculture' and some background comments the Keyline-Permaculture group moved across to an area at the back of the farm outbuildings where Keyline-Permaculture could be used, After morning tea, Roshelle Patton (ATSI), Robin Bailey (ATSI) and Rosemary Morrow (Non ATSI) - all Permaculture people - worked with some ATSI people in designing gardens for their local communities, The front-gate group continued through to lunch time on this Keyline- Permaculture theme, This session greatly expanded ATSI people's understandings. -29- SECTION Around mid-morning, Les joined the Christian outreach worker's healing group and demonstrated some mind-body therapy processes that are useful in working with tension, anger, rage and increasing a person's emotional choice and psychological and physical flexibility. Others joined this healing group during this work. The ATCA group arrived before lunch, spoke to a few non-ATSI people and moved into a closed meeting. THE 'NON-ATSI' MEETINGAfter lunch almost all Non ATSI people had a meeting. Rosemary Morrow (non-ATSI - Permaculture) brought Roshelle Patton (ATSI -Permaculture) as the only ATSI observer (Robin Bailey - ATSI Permaculture - may have attended). The Christian outreach worker did not attend. He still had his 6 ATSI people around him. Neville Yeomans and Les Spencer were asked to attend this non-ATSI meeting. With the non-ATSI people in closed session other ATSI people tended to disappear and lie on their beds. The non-ATSI group was chaired by Joe Lamberti of ATCA. Joe commenced by saying words to the effect that the meeting was called 'because there were many unresolved issues'. -30- SECTION Pat Nunn (HHCS - Kalgoolie) and Rosemary Morrow said that since arriving at Petford they had formed the view that the Forum was Les and Neville's project and that it never was an initiative of Petford, Clump and Inma Black mountain. No one had turned up from Clump Mountain and Geof Guest of Petford was off with Sixty Minutes. Mareja Bin Juda of IMNA Black Mountain had also not turned up. Some in the non-ATSI group said that Les and Neville were liars, had deceived them and had them attend under false pretenses. Earlier in the day, Rosemary Morrow had refused Les permission to tape anything she said. It is understood that Pat Nunn's (non-ATSI) view that the Forum was not an ATSI initiative was a reason why she did not give any feedback to the Forum about her recent trip to the Indigenous People's Conference in Edmonton Canada or provide any substantive contribution to healing sessions during the Forum, something she had undertaken to do. The non-ATSI view was that the absence of an agenda was a monumental oversight. Virtual all agreed that Les and Neville, as 'Program Organizers' were hopelessly incompetent. Rob Crittendon (ACFOA) said that words to the effect that 'Les' incompetence as a 'project director' knew no end'' - also, that Rob's lack of adequate briefing by Les and Neville had compromised his position, that he wanted to leave that night and that he would go directly to Canberra and take every step he could to get the Forum Funds frozen. (Rob was the person who said Geof's therapy was a joke.) Neville had sent briefing material to Rob. Rob had also received a copy of the Forum Application for Funding Document from Les. Les had also briefed Rob prior 25 July 1992 on the proposed loose structuring of an open agenda. -31- SECTION The mood of the non-ATSI group was that they had to have a formal agenda. The Non-ATSI people were in a bind because the local ATSI people were apparently saying, or implying by their behaviour, that the Forum was not 'their show', This apparently suggested that no ATSI person was going to 'come up with a formal agenda', As well, ''the incompetent Les and Neville' seemed to show no interest in a formal agenda, During this group discussion, Les and Neville repeatedly stated that there WAS an agenda - that it was an open agenda as per the process that had been communicated to everyone of them prior to their arrival, (The 'open agenda process' is outlined on pages 11 to 14 of this report, During discussions prior to the Forum, prospective non-ATSI attendees had repeatedly asked for a formal agenda and had had the proposed open agenda format outlined to them, Conversations about the open-agenda format that Les and Neville had had with non-ATSI people prior to the Forum had tended to finish with a silence or a topic change on the part of the non-ATSI participants, When this happened, Les and Neville had mistakenly assumed it meant participants had finally accepted the open-agenda format,) Another theme that was continually brought up by the non-ATSI people during the Monday afternoon non-ATSI meeting was that a formal agenda would 'let them know what was going on', Again the question was raised 'Are we supposed to be training trainers' or 'healing', Both Les and Neville replied words to the effect 'Both those things and other things as well, There has already been many things going on simultaneously and everyone can have an input in what is going on and can add to what is going on; there are multiple agendas.' -32- SECTION The non-ATSI people continued to be very disturbed by this 'looseness'. They wanted the typical Western-rational 'solid foundation', They wanted 'certain' things happening at 'certain' times, The ATCA group implied they had an ATCA agenda and that this could be slotted into a formal Forum agenda, However, it seemed that the only way to get a formal agenda was for the non-ATSI people to make one up for themselves. There was a major reluctance by non-ATSI people to devise a formal Forum agenda. Presumably they were conscious of being members of the 'distant dominant culture'. ATCA members and others expressed a major concern about 'taking over' the Forum, The last thing they wanted to do was to be seen to be setting and controlling the 'agenda' and taking over on Geof's property, This very issue highlights the link between 'agenda' and 'control'. A case could be made for 'control, but not obvious control' via use of 'agendas', as being high on the non-ATSI hidden agenda' (all the more reason for an open-agenda). The meeting broke up just before tea with this impasse. The non-ATSI people were very unsettled indeed. Throughout this meeting Mary Alcorn of the ATCA group stood out as a mediator and conciliator, She took every opportunity to resolve issues that could lead to the successful continuance of the Forum Process. -33- SECTION TRAVEL ISSUESPrior to coming to Petford Joe Lamberti of ATCA Victoria had tried unsuccessfully to change his Apex ticket to return on the Wednesday. Joe had planned a meeting in Victoria for the Thursday as soon as the ATCA Forum commitment had been reduced to three days Joe ended up having to pay some hundreds of dollars personally because, in Joe's case, the airline stuck to it's rule that Apex fares can't be changed It is understood that Joe had billed ATCA for the extra fare money because 'he was attending the ATCA board meeting' Charlie and Joe sought reimbursement from the Forum funds for the extra money paid by Joe. Les told them that no payment would be made as the Forum travel budget was totally used up Charlie and Joe of ATCA, and Rob Crittendon (ACFOA - 'Geof's therapy's a joke') made comments to the effect that there seemed to have been irresponsibility in budget matters and sought to have access to all documents This action must be seen in the context of the ATCA group and Rob Crittendon knowing that they would have to personally find about $600 each to get back home before the next weekend and that they wanted to get extra cash from somewhere in the Forum budget or out of the local ATSI organisations so they would not be personally out of pocket. -34- SECTION AFTER TEA MONDAY NIGHTAfter tea on Monday night the ATCA group had a closed meeting. Les was then told that most of the ATCA people and Rob Crittendon wanted to leave that night. They said that to stay on at Petford 'with such a disorganized agenda' would compromise their organisation. The ATCA group showed an understandable first commitment to their own organisation ATCA. A meeting was called that included the ATCA group, Rob Crittendon ACFOA), Geof Guest (director of Petford), Neville Yeomans and Les Spencer. Those wanting to leave that night wanted Geof Guest to find money from the NCADA budget to get them home again. Geof's proper concern was that the Forum budget was precisely allocated and committed. What these non-ATSI people were asking, in effect, was for Petford to pay. It was put to the non-ATSI people that if they wanted to go home early then they would have to pay personally. Neville left this meeting to allow those wanting to go home to discuss things privately. Mareja Bin Juda (ATSI - Inma Black Mountain) had made her own way up to the conference. Immediately Mareja heard that the bulk of the non-ATSI people wanted to go home and have Geof pay for their fares, Mareja entered the meeting. Anyone there would agree that Mareja entered and filled the room with dignity and presence She said words to the effect: 'What's going on here! I understand that all of you 'experts' are going home! I have brought my people a long way to learn from you guys!' -35- SECTION A The reply was words to the effect 'There's no agenda'. Mareja's extremely loud reply was words to the effect: 'Well let's all make a bloody agenda!' Those wanting money to go home quickly reverted back to that issue Les left the meeting before it was over and to his knowledge there was no follow-up to Mareja's suggestion about making an agenda It is understood that Mareja was furious with the non-ATSI people's behaviour and made her fury known to the ATSI participants. TUESDAY BEFORE BREAKFASTAs far as can be recollected, the only Forum participants to attend Geof's morning therapy session was Ken Yeomans, Mary Alcorn, Neville Yeoman, Pat Nunn, Les Spencer (making an audio tape) and Quan Yeomans (making a video tape). Again no ATSI people attended. Overnight no one had left Petford. -36- SECTION A Joe Lamberti and Ms Klassen (both of ATCA) had decided to leave Petford. This had the effect of having ATCA'S formal presence at the Forum cease. Other ATCA members were staying 'as individuals' and not as 'ATCA'. Rob Crittendon (ACFOA) had decided to go. He WAS to have received $180:00 a day for his evaluation services during the Forum. Ms Klassen and Joe already had tickets to fly back from Cairns on Wednesday and Rob paid extra himself to get back to Canberra. Therefore money to get people home ceased to be an issue for the time being. Charlie, Joe and Rob showed no further interest in investigating the budget (refer page 33). AFTER BREAKFAST TUESDAYAfter breakfast Geof and the Petford youth again departed with the 60 Minute TV crew. Mareja called a full meeting of all participants. Virtually all attended. Mareja sat in the middle and asked everyone to introduce themselves. As this was finishing Joe Lamberti (ATCA) joined the group. When Mareja started on her next bit of process Joe, who had decided to return to Melbourne, interrupted with, 'Some people here have a few issues that need resolving.' Mary Alcorn (ATCA) said 'bloody hell' quietly to herself (Les was sitting next to Mary and heard her say these words). Mary then said, 'Shut up Joe!' Mareja continued with her process. This group was the first time that many of the ATSI people had an opportunity to speak and listen to non-ATSI people about healing and therapeutic communities. -37- SECTION A FURTHER CONCERN ABOUT TRAVELOf the 10 people coming from Mareja's area (the original 6, and the 4 new ones mentioned previously on page 23) only 4 turned up. Les immediately arranged for six more paid tickets (in the names of people advised by Mareja), to be available within Australian Airline's computer system and to be picked up at their local airport and advised Mareja of this. After Mareja's Tuesday morning group finished, Mareja told Les that the original tickets had been taken back for crediting to the local travel agent and that the local Travel Agent couldn't issue new tickets because there was no money for the new tickets. Each time Les was approached by Mareja, Les checked with the travel agent Les was using who in turn assured Les that the new tickets were paid for and were available to be picked up at the Australian Airways counter at the local airport as previously advised. Les reaffirmed to Mareja a number of times that all her people had to do was to go prior to the flight and pick up their tickets. Mareja kept saying 'They won't issue tickets without money' and became increasingly irate towards Les, saying that he was totally incompetent. On one occasion that Les was ringing Meridian to reaffirm that the tickets were available, Meridian Travel, the agent Les was using, wanted the names of the people whose tickets were in question. The names where required to enable Meridian Travel to locate these people on Meridian's computer. Les did not have his list of names with him, and rather than run 150 metres to the other office at Petford, Les asked Rowena (Mareja's associate at INMA Black Mountain) for her copy of the names in Mareja's presence. Mareja characterised Les action as, 'trying to place the blame for the 'mess' on Rowena'. Les was advised that his utter incompetence would be reported at length to the local elders. -38- SECTION A Because of Les' repeated calls, Meridian Travel rang to say that it was their understanding that the confusion had been created because soon after the six new people became involved, a 'Mareja' had contacted an Ansett travel agent in her family's area and had this Ansett agent book six tickets on Ansett Airlines and that this Ansett Travel agent would not issue Ansett tickets without payment. The local people kept following (presumably) Mareja's instructions and going to the Ansett travel agent's office. The local people were told by their local travel agent that the money was required before the Ansett tickets could be issued. It is understood that the Ansett agent kept looking at her own Ansett computer booking and never checked Australian Airline's computer system (which the Ansett agent had access to) which contained full instructions about the paid Australian Airlines tickets being available for processing and pickup at the local airport. Assuming Mareja did take this action, after the behaviour of non-ATSI people on the previous night, making her own booking on Ansett (and not Australian Airlines) on behalf of her own people was presumably, and understandably, Mareja's way of ensuring that her people did get to the Forum. However, Les already had Mareja's people paid to travel on Australian Airlines, not on Ansett despite the previous tickets being credited. The paid tickets were teed up on Australian Airlines by Les within minutes of Les first finding out they were travelling. They were available to be picked up at the Airport just prior to the flight. Les approached Mareja to tell her that the paid bookings were on Australian Airlines not Ansett but before he could do so Mareja said that Les was not to contact anybody, including his own travel agent, Meridian Travel in Melbourne, and that Mareja was taking over. -39- SECTION A Throughout the previous conversations with Mareja, Les had no knowledge of 'the Mareja 'Ansett' intervention', and that Mareja was referring to a second set of tickets on Ansett. Once Les was told by Meridian Travel about the second set of bookings on Ansett, Les had Meridian Travel contact the Northern Peninsula Ansett travel agent in question and Meridian and the Ansett agent sorted out what had happened and arranged for the local people to pick up the paid Australian Airlines tickets at the local airport as originally arranged by Les. All of this group arrived at the forum. AFTER LUNCH TUESDAYAfter lunch, Geof Guest took 14 participants on a tour of Keyline-Permaculture sites on Petford. A dam site needing further work was surveyed by Ken Yeomans (a Keyline consultant) and Ken gave Geof recommendations. The three Permaculture people, Roshelle, Robin and Rosemary, also made constant contributions. A number of ATSI people were learner-observers. The group also explored two possible locations for growing horse feed. Ken obtained information about possible Keyline irrigation locations to explore later in the week. Tour group members found this a very valuable experience indeed and it opened their eyes as to the possibilities of Keyline-Permaculture. Upon return, Geof immediately set up a big group meeting which virtually all attended. Many issues relating to therapeutic communities were discussed and then Eric Felgate (ATCA - South Australia) showed a video of a project that gave long-term unemployed people life direction, vocational competencies and involvement within a therapeutic community. Animated discussion on funding issues and other issues flowing from the video made this a very worthwhile session. -40- SECTION A BEFORE BREAKFAST WEDNESDAYAgain the same people attended Geof's morning therapy session. No ATSI people attended. AFTER BREAKFAST WEDNESDAYMost of the remaining ATCA members wanted to return home on Friday afternoon. It is believed that Mary Alcorn and Eric Fegate stayed through to Sunday. Les approached Australian Airlines and again received every cooperation. The Airline again broke procedure and changed departure times on Apex fares without any extra payment. This meant that all but a couple of airfares were on Apex and everyone arrived and departed smoothly. Only Joe Lamberti and Rob Crittendon incurred personal out-of-pocket expense to themselves and it is understood that neither Geof Guest nor the Forum budget had to pay to get non-ATSI people home early. Meanwhile another group session was under way based on a Permaculture video that Rosemary Morrow had brought. This session was very informative. The bulk of the group that saw the video commenced to make a Permaculture garden beside one of the living quarters. -41- SECTION A A BIG MEETINGAround midday the word want round that there was to be a full group meeting. Everyone was asked to be there. Mareja took the chair and said the meeting was called because there still seemed to be unresolved issues. Again the ATCA people expressed major concern about the absence of a formal agenda. Rosemary Morrow and Pat Nunn reaffirmed their concern that they believed Les when he said that the Forum was an ATSI initiative and that they now did not believe this. Geof Guest said that he had left Les and Neville to organise things and that he had not had a big enough involvement in the program and that he believed that not having a formal agenda had caused a lot of trouble and that it was regrettable that the Sixty Minute filming had taken him away from the Forum and that he was very concerned that the Forum was going to reflect very badly on Petford. During Rosemary, Pat and Geof's remarks others were also commenting. -42- SECTION A Cec Mawdesley, the non-ATSI administrator of Petford (refer pages 19 & 20) then made the following allegations:
In between Cec saying the above, many people spoke to endorse the remarks of Cec. Rosemary Morrow and Pat Nunn (both non-ATSI) reaffirmed that they would never have come if they had known it was 'not an ATSI initiative'. ATCA people reaffirmed that they were in a bind with no agenda. Neville Yeomans reminded the ATCA people that he had suggested that people from their respective ATCA therapeutic communities who engaged in hands-on work may have been more comfortable operating with an open-agenda format. -44- SECTION A Mareja said:
In response to the foregoing Les took each issue in turn and gave his perspective, namely:
-45- SECTION A
-46- SECTION A
Each of Les' replies where constantly interrupted by interjections from all over the group - especially from Cec - comments like 'Les, stop justifying yourself'. -47- SECTION A Notwithstanding the above comments by Les, Cec ignored them and took every opportunity to reaffirm the original list of issues that he had raised. Non-ATSI people, and especially Cec Mawdesley, had Les Spencer and Dr. Neville Yeomans as ''the trouble makers' and were continually stating that these two were the stumbling block to success. Mareja then created a context that removed Les and Neville from the balance of the Forum. This meant the 'two excuses' were no longer available to the non-ATSI people. Cec Mawdesley, the non-ATSI Petford Administrator then took control and organised for the Permaculture group to draw up their own formal agenda after lunch and for the remaining ATCA people to work with him after lunch in drawing up a formal 'healing agenda'. Cec then declared that Les had to hand over everything relating to Petford and the Forum immediately. Geof Guest, as the Aboriginal Elder and owner of Petford, did not respond to this declaration by Cec. Mareja told an ATSI person from the Torres Straits called Mr. Christian (not to be confused with the South Australian Christian outreach worker) to go with Les to ensure that everything was taken from Les. -48- SECTION A At this point the South Australian Christian outreach worker (a non-ATSI), who was sitting next to Les, turned and said words to the effect that Les' incompetence had wasted time that he could have put to far better use on his Harley Davidson in the streets of Adelaide and that Les should be 'F...ed, skinned alive and burnt at the stake'. With group applause to this little gem, Les was escorted away by Mr. Christian (from the Torres Strait) to Les' tent to get every bit of Petford and Forum material. Earlier in the Forum Mr. Christian (ATSI) had often referred to the concept 'shame' in Les' presence. The Petford/Forum material was intermingled with Les' private things and sorting it out took a little time. Cec arrived at Les' Tent and said words to the effect that 'The group won't stomach any more of your deceit and they want you to hand over all the Forum files in the middle of the group.' Les drew Mr. Christian's attention to the concept of 'shame' and asked whether he thought it necessary for Les' underwear to be on display to the ladies in the group. Mr. Christian told Cec that there would be no handing of material over in the middle of the group. Video tapes of Geof's therapy that Neville's son Quan had made (tapes worth about $140:00) were also confiscated by Cec. Later, audio tapes that Les was using to prepare a microanalysis of Geof's therapy process were also confiscated by Cec. -49- SECTION A AFTER THE WEDNESDAY BIG MEETINGLes did not feel like lunch. He went for a five mile walk and climbed the highest local mountain. From the Mountain top, Petford was a small distant dot in the middle of the valley. Les found this perspective to his liking and stayed there till sundown. It was a beautiful twilight - very therapeutic. Les returned to Petford about 8 PM. He was told that someone other than Geof had told Neville Yeomans to leave Petford. Neville had done so about 5 P.M. Les was told that the South Australian Christian outreach worker was going to drive him out of Petford to wherever Les wanted to go. Les said some farewells and some ATSI and non-ATSI people said that they were ashamed about what had happened, and words to the effect that everything had gone over the top. Some said that they disagreed with some of what had gone on and that they now regretted being silent. Les was advised that notwithstanding the avid commitment by the Petford non-ATSI administrator Cec Mawdesley to seeing that agendas were developed, after lunch nothing had happened and that people seemed to go and lie down. Further work was done on the Permaculture garden during the afternoon. After a 90 minute drive being chauffeured by the South Australian Christian outreach worker, Les arrived at Neville's house around l A.M. Thursday. For Les it was a long day. It was an even longer day for the South Australian Christian as he had the return trip to Petford. -50- SECTION A THURSDAYAfter some searching, Ken Yeomans found a large area that has great possibilities for developing a Keyline irrigation system. Ken gave Geof a report on this and information on what to do next. The Permaculture people finished the garden. It is understood that no formal agenda was developed or used at Petford after Les and Neville left. FRIDAYThe group moved down to Clump. It is understood that Gerald spent time describing how Les had 'lied to Clump Mountain people'. Gerald announced the Clump Agenda. It is understood that group process soon departed from this agenda. It is understood that there was a talk by an Elder, followed by a guided rainforest walk during which the participants were told how the Clump Mountain Youth Wilderness Camp makes full use of the rainforest in it's youth program. The beach area of nearby Mission Beach was also visited for similar reasons. -51- SECTION A CONCLUSIONSExtensive learnings took place at the Forum. There is ample scope for further extensive learning from what happened at the Forum - both for the participants and for anyone else who uses this report as a case study. The participants were aware of the aims of the Forum as expressed in the Funding Application document, namely: 'To provide a forum for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to explore setting up, administering and conducting Therapeutic Communities to help people stop alcohol and other substance abuse.' However, much of the energy of participants was caught up in personally coming to terms with the unfolding context. Rather than the intended process of open sharing of successful healing experiences, people seemed to be very wary. Things had 'risk' attached to them. The more 'healing' type people present would readily recognise that the following behaviours have virtually no role in healing, or in the fostering of relationships, community and understanding:
Yet during the big group meeting on Wednesday morning, the whole group had been drawn into these behaviours in ritual drawing, quartering and scapegoating. -52- SECTION A At the same time, the Forum was in many ways closest to the Therapeutic Community tradition during that big meeting. The Wednesday morning big meeting during which the Petford administrator made the long list of allegations (refer pages 42 & 43) contained many of the same elements as those reported as happening in Therapeutic Communities over the years. The following quotes about Therapeutic Community 'big meetings' are from Dr. Neville Yeomans and Professor Alfred Clark's book Fraser House' (refer page 2 of this report). 'Now there are certain patterns of human activity, particularly in relatively undifferentiated collectivities, which are relevant to the central aims of psychotherapy, that is, personality change and change in social adjustment. These, the phenomena of collective behaviour, are of particular interest since they involve some of the most dramatic and profound changes in behaviour, and ultimately of personality, that are seen in the lives of human beings. Characteristically, collective interaction involves crowd and audience mechanisms. The crowd is an active collectivity of people united by a common mood, which may be itself changing. The audience is a similar but passive collectivity. Both are typically 'shoulder to shoulder' rather than 'face to face' in their interaction. A dominant feature of crowd phenomena is emotional contagion producing a state of collective excitement. This ranges from unrest and fear to rage, and even to collective ecstasy developing around some focal point such as a major danger or threat, a crisis, or an issue of intense emotional importance.' -53- SECTION A 'These dramatic and exciting events create new frames of reference and as Sherif and Sherif (1956) point out, 'With the change of major anchorages in the frame of reference, the character of experience and behaviour is modified and may even be transformed'. Again, a collectivity sharing a common threat, etc., develops a group structure which according to Blumer (1955) gives the members 'a basis for an established personal identity and for a course of action.' In referring to the mechanisms of elementary collective behaviour, Blumer discusses milling, collective excitement, and social contagion. He states that under the influence of these social forces people become aroused and more likely to be carried away by impulses and feelings; hence rendered more unstable and irresponsible. In collective excitement, the personal make-up of individuals is more readily broken and in this way the conditions are prepared for the formation of new forms of behaviour and for the reorganization of the individual. In collective excitement, individuals may embark on lines of conduct which previously they would not have thought of, much less dared to undertake. Likewise, under stress and with opportunities for release of tension, individuals may incur significant reorganization in their sentiments, habits and traits of personality.' -54- SECTION A 'In the therapeutic Community of Fraser House, though daily meetings of the community group involve the passive collectivity, being an audience to a few main actors, this is not always so. At times, active crowd behaviour may ensure involvement of sections, or most of the community' (Pages 33 & 34). The actions of Cec Mawdesley, the non-ATSI administrator of Petford, during the Wednesday big meeting (outlined on pages 42, 43, 46 and 47 of this report) is an illustration of influence and control via the use of crowd and audience mechanisms, especially stampeding an audience into making decisions via emotional contagion. Crowd and audience mechanisms can be very potent. People can use them in both adaptive and maladaptive ways. Over time therapeutic community participants learn to recognise and challenge maladaptive behaviour. A classical characteristic of therapeutic community big meetings has been participants struggling together with their current typical, and often non-adaptive, behaviours. This is often a painful process - gaining the skill of stepping back to see more clearly what is happening, making some new sense out of what is going on, doing soul searching, taking personal responsibility and exploring alternative behaviours. A number of people at the Forum did do just that. After the big meeting they said that, upon reflection, they could see firstly, how influence patterns had been used by non-ATSI people to 'divide and conquer' and secondly, how behaviours like judging, blaming, scapegoating, bluster and stampeding, while being crude and effective tools of raw power, are not conducive to the development of a caring community. -55- SECTION A It is understood that at least one ATSI person saw very clearly the power and control processes used by non-ATSI professional organizers and administrators against other non-ATSI individuals, and from this, had major insights as to how these same processes are used by non-ATSI administrators within ATSI communities across Australia to have influence and control. Others have noted the role that administrators and policy-makers can have in limiting the effectiveness of Therapeutic Communities. John Lindsay, in his book 'Ward Ten B - The Deadly Witch Hunt (page 52)', refers to A. W. Clark and R. N. Walker's article 'The Continuing Influence of the Therapeutic Community Concept' published in the International Journal of Therapeutic Communities 1984 (5) Pages 140 - 156. Clark (who co-authored the book 'Fraser House' with Dr. Neville Yeomans) and Walker circulated a questionnaire about the Therapeutic Community concepts and noted that policy-makers showed a more negative attitude towards the concepts than psychiatrists, social workers and psychologists, in that order. The concept had more influence amongst those in closer contact with direct patient care. Clark and Walker finally question whether the more powerful professional groups and policy-makers have absorbed and co-opted the Therapeutic Community concepts to fit their own needs. Various segments in the 1992 Spring edition of 'Therapeutic Communities - The International Journal for Therapeutic and Supporting Organisations' is very relevant to the Forum as a whole, and the big meetings in particular. -56- SECTION A In talking about the prevalence of scapegoating behaviour in Therapeutic Communities one Journal author notes: At the level of inter-systems there are myriad examples of pairing, sub-grouping and scapegoating which form and dissolve within the community' (page 6). It is typical for people confronting difficulties to try to find fault outside of themselves. Progress happens when people start taking responsibility for their own responses. In considering the constant demand for a formal agenda at the Forum, it is relevant to note another Therapeutic Community Journal author who makes the observation that people who have moved into management or executive board positions within Therapeutic Communities often become obsessed with order and loose touch with the spontaneous nature of therapy: 'Therapeutic Communities are so often under threat by managers who have failed to understand their value' (page 55). 'It is not uncommon for the best senior practitioners and consultants to become so immersed in the immediacy of their clinical lives that they lose sight by themselves of the whole' (page 69). 'These problems arise from what one author calls 'our over structured society' (page 58). -57- SECTION A What would have happened if the much required rigid 'Agenda' had been available from the outset? Given the enormity of the multiple hidden agendas that were pervasively present -especially among the non-ATSI participants - would such a rigid agenda have served any purpose whatsoever other than as a 'vested interest'' control process? How soon would departure from the agenda been an issue? How soon would 'people not attending agended sessions' been an issue? How soon would the rigid 'agenda' been attacked as poorly conceived and a take-over job by the author of such agenda? How soon would a ''non-ATSI originated' rigid agenda been used as a reason for non-involvement? How long would a rigid agenda have delayed the emergence of a 'need' and 'issue based' process? Would such a 'need and issue based' process ever developed under a rigid agenda? Despite the best of intentions, in what ways do dominant cultures use formal agendas to maintain their power? Throughout time powerful people have gathered unto themselves the ''right' to be the 'definers of what is going on'. Once in this position, any one can take the high ground and say that another person is an 'incompetent liar' and an 'exploiter' and so on. If ever there is to be progress within and between peoples of any group in the world there has to be a move beyond power maneuverings and conquistador behaviours to true communion, healing process and a commitment to understanding. In many respects, that the Forum took place at all was a wonder. Anyone reading the Forum Fund Application (Appendix A contains the full NCADA Fund Application Document) with an open heart and mind would be thrilled at the infinite possibilities held out in the intention of the document. It has implications for the quality of life throughout the whole earth. -58- SECTION A FUTURE ACTIONFollowing the Forum, requests have been received from ATSI people in both Northern Queensland and The Northern Territory to facilitate 'therapy and mediation practitioner' training as well as 'trainer' training. In both locations there are a group of ATSI people who have demonstrated a willingness to make a major commitment to personally developing their therapy mediation and healing skills. Programs have been discussed with these ATSI people based on multi-level training by a team of predominantly ATSI people. The program has been designed to operate simultaneously at multiple levels, namely:
-59- SECTION A
Trainees will also begin designing or modifying their own therapeutic interpersonal, family, group and community programs to incorporate their new learnings. The training program, as the next step in furthering development of ATSI Therapeutic Communities throughout Australia, is a relatively small, though strategic one - strengthening this core group of ATSI people as highly trained ATSI Therapeutic Community trainers. Following the pioneering work of Terry Widders (an ATSI person -refer page 3), an increasing number of ATSI people with therapy, mediation and cultural modelling skills will be able to model ATSI healers throughout Australia and so incorporate this ancient wisdom into their own therapeutic work and training. -60- SECTION A A team of ATSI people with highly refined therapy modelling skills will then be able to attend non-ATSI Therapeutic Communities both in Australia, and if deemed appropriate, overseas. For example, they could visit member organisations of firstly, The Australian and New Zealand Richmond Fellowships and secondly, of The Australian Therapeutic Community Association and other Therapeutic Communities. The ATSI Team can take from these organisations' healing processes, the bits that the ATSI team find compatible with ATSI culture. This is a fundamentally different and culturally appropriate approach compared to, for example, attending a non-ATSI therapeutic community to be 'taught the non-ATSI way of doing therapy'. Section B page 94 contains an agenda for an 'ATSI Therapy and Mediation Practitioner Training Program'. FRESH PERSPECTIVESSome emotional heat is typical of therapeutic process at the individual, interpersonal, family, group and community levels; emotional heat can help loosen up fixed perceptions and behaviours. All of the possibilities of the Forum Funding Document still remain. Much has been learnt at the Forum. For some, much is yet to be learnt from reflecting on this report as a case study. In so doing, participants - in a spirit of seeking understanding, not judgment - can see what contributed to misunderstandings and conflict during the Forum, as well as see the value of having worked through these issues. From these understandings it is possible to see what happened from a number of new perspectives. -61- SECTION A TAPPING INTO THE TRADITIONSATSI involvement with therapeutic communities stretches back over thirty years to when Dr. Neville Yeomans transferred virtually all ATSI people out of all of the Mental Hospitals in NSW to the Therapeutic Community of Fraser House in North Ryde. Geof and Norma's Petford has also enriched the ATSI therapeutic community tradition in providing healing opportunity to ATSI youth for the past fifteen years. As well, ATSI people have a therapeutic and healing tradition that reaches back to Dreamtime. All of this provides ATSI people with a solid tradition and a solid foundation upon which to build healing futures. A next step now is to train ATSI trainers to tap this rich body of traditions and make it readily available for the immense benefit of all ATSI peoples. Because all records were taken by the non-Aboriginal administrator of Petford, the material in this Progress Report has been written from recollection of events. Any errors of fact are not intended. Les Spencer September 1992 -62- SECTION B
THIS EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE MATERIAL HAS BEEN FUNDED BY NCADA FOR USE IN THE ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER (ATSI) THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY PROJECTEach morning at the Petford Aboriginal Training Farm in North East Australia Geof Guest, the Aboriginal Director of Petford, provides healing opportunities for ATSI youth residents. The following material is based on Geof's therapy processes.
GEOF GUEST'S MORNING THERAPY SESSIONDISCUSSIONDiscuss and identify therapeutic patterns implied in the following:
-63- SECTION B DISCUSSION POINTSTherapeutic Elements:
Being sleepy This is akin to a naturally occurring trance state where the mind's critical and judgmental aspects are dulled. Geof creatively uses these moments with the youths when they are particularly open to new possibilities. When sleepy the youth have a tendency to stay in the same place and are not restless. Often the whole group remains where they are after Geof finishes and only get up when breakfast is ready. Youth do pay attention. Ask them about what they heard and learnt that morning and they can reel off a long list. -64- SECTION B Being close together When the youth sit down close together they are literally supporting each other. (On this aspect show the trainees the Petford Video 'Ringer' segment where all the boys are supporting the smaller boy (the one who has the 'fit') on the blanket. Geof could have easily carried the boy back to Norma, but instead this smaller boy experiences being totally and literally supported - probably for the first time in his life. Importantly, he is being supported by the complete youth community at Petford, many of whom, up to that moment, had been his tormentors. The other youths, in carrying the young one, experience being a caring, supporting, community together - powerful change stuff! This is a beautiful and elegant example of the holistic nature of Geof's work. Ideas and behaviours are linked to profound physical experience. Keeping each other warm further fosters 'togetherness' and community. Always at the same time The youth habitually take their place and sit waiting for Geof to start. They develop a 'self-regulation' component. Geof never misses holding this session at Petford. This fosters in the youth (i) a preparedness to follow rules, (ii) self discipline and (iii) a spirit of cooperation; all critical in developing a work ethic. -65- Appendix B In fact 'being cooperative' is a 'critical and central behaviour' that Geof endeavours to install in every youth in his program. Being cooperative is central to personal effectiveness in every aspect of a fruitful life in community with others. It is linked to holding down a Job, keeping a marriage and family in a close bond and developing a 'community' that communes together. When youth arrive at Petford they tend to have non-cooperation as an entrenched behaviour. The transcript of Geof's therapy session later in this Section on page 79 highlights some of the micro-processors that Geof uses to sustain cooperative behaviour. Relatively early Youth develop self discipline in:
Always at the same place The place becomes an 'anchor'. Each morning when they sit down in the same place it anchors them back to prior learnings. They can link new learnings with prior ones. Because of all of these associated learnings it becomes a place of special power. The location is also where food preparation and eating takes place and that has a good feel about it. It is in the very centre of community life with dogs barking and pots and pans and Norma's booming voice adding to the richness of what's going on. All this binds the learnings to this community experience. -66- SECTION B At the start of the day Each day starts with communal learning and reinforces that this is a learning place. It allows further processing of 'yesterday's unfinished business' after just finishing 'sleeping on it'. Matching duration, content and process to youth receptivity Geof works with the youth while they are receptive. If receptivity and cooperation wanes, Geof either opts to increase receptivity and cooperation, or closes the session. DISCUSSIONDiscuss and identify therapeutic patterns implied in the following:
-67- APPENDIX B DISCUSSIONThis may be:
Quite often when Geof is doing therapeutic work with a particular youth, the youth concerned does not know this is the case. In this way Geof can by-pass resistance. Geof checks whether he has got a particular outcome and if not, does further work until he does get it. DISCUSSIONDiscuss and identify therapeutic patterns implied in the following:
-68- APPENDIX B DISCUSSIONDiscuss and identify therapeutic patterns implied in the following:Each session tends to have a central theme and a number of parallel minor themes that cover three areas, namely:
For example, on page 75 of this Section there is a transcript of a small segment of one of Geof Guest's morning therapy sessions with the Petford youth. This session had the major theme 'married life' Under the ideas heading Geof had the youths, amongst other things, think about:
-69- APPENDIX B
Under the behaviours category Geof had the youths role-play (amongst other things):
He then had them experience changes in their own emotions, feelings and mood states. These experiences were then linked to the theme 'married life'. He would have them imagine a future where they are married and then have them live out different scenarios so that they were 'embodying' the feelings and behaviours. -70- APPENDIX B As is typical, during the session Geof also followed up unfinished business from the previous day and wove in specific therapy work with a number of the youth. All of this was packed into half an hour and yet the pace seemed almost sleepy and leisurely. Geof also weaves multiple stories together and then has the youth role-play characters in the stories. There is an extensive literature on the therapeutic use of stories and an excellent introductory text is David Gordon's book 'Therapeutic Metaphors'. A basic pattern is to have the various elements in the story almost exactly the same as those happening in the clients life, that is, the same ideas, behaviours and feelings. The stories contain possibilities for the resolving of the issues concerned. To use one of Geof's simple stories as an example:
-71- APPENDIX B The new behavioural, conceptual, and emotional possibilities are contained in a second ending to the little story. In this new ending the father asks one of the youths why he wants the orange and the youth replies 'mum asked me to get some orange rind to make a cake'. The other youth wanted to eat the orange. So the father peels the orange and gives the orange to the youth who wanted to eat it and the rind to the other youth to give to his mother. Geof went on to link this story to something that happened the day before and to his main theme for that particular day which was 'working for supervisors that may not be very good at their job'. This orange story also embodies a basic underlying belief of Geof, namely that it is always best to seek outcomes where everybody's needs are met (for example, at the Forum, June 1992). ___________________________________________________ LETTERBill Wilson ATSIC THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY FORUM Enclosed is a copy of the Forum Report and Educational material as arranged. The Petford Video 'The Ringer' is being sent under separate cover. Geof's therapy processes in the video segment with the small youth having a tantrum is a rich example of Geof using the therapy micro-processes mentioned in Section B of the Progress Report. We have been receiving considerable interest in our community healing learning Projects from Unique, Intercultural and Indigenous peoples in countries around the world and have plans in place to -72- APPENDIX B have Unique Peoples, Unrepresented Peoples and Indigenous Peoples' Intercultural Healing Learning Gatherings in the NE Australia area in 1993 to mark the end of the Indigenous Peoples year. There are at least two associated sites in the NE Australia rainforest and tablelands that can be developed firstly, as continuing healing learning centres for intercultural Unique and Indigenous people's of Earth. After the Gatherings next year, those Unique and Indigenous people who want to, can stay on and live and share learning healing in the rainforest. Look forward to receiving your feedback on the Progress Report. Yours sincerely Les Spencer ENC. -73- APPENDIX B Les Spencer
Tel: 03 4571 451 (no longer a current number) 7 September 1992 Roger Allnutt ATSIC THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY FORUM Enclosed is a copy of the Forum Report and Educational material as arranged. Look forward to hearing from you. The Petford Video 'The Ringer' is being sent under separate cover. Geof's therapy processes in the video segment with the small youth having a tantrum is a rich example of Geof using the therapy micro-processes mentioned in Section B of the Progress Report. We have been receiving considerable interest in our community healing learning Projects from Unique, Intercultural and Indigenous peoples in various countries around the world and have plans in place to have Unique Peoples, Unrepresented Peoples and Indigenous Peoples' Intercultural Healing Learning Gatherings in the NE Australia area in 1993 to mark the end of the Indigenous Peoples year. There are at least two associated sites in NE Australia that can be developed firstly, as continuing healing learning APPENDIX B -74- centres for intercultural Unique and Indigenous people's of Earth. After the Gatherings next year, those intercultural Unique and Indigenous people who want to, can stay on live and share learning healing in the rainforest. Look forward to receiving the 1992-93 funding documentation and your feedback on the Progress Report. Yours sincerely Les Spencer -75- SECTION B TRANSCRIPT OF A SEGMENT OF GEOF GUEST'S WORK WITH THE YOUTH AT THE PETFORD ABORIGINAL TRAINING FARM IN NORTH EAST AUSTRALIA DURING JULY 1992'So the fellow that put his earnings from Petford into a land investment ended up married and owning his own home. The other fellow spent all of his money on buying alcohol and drinking it with his friends. The first fellow and his wife and children liked living in their own home. The other fellow had none of his Petford earnings left. Who was the smartest?' (Geof leaves the question hanging in the air unanswered.) 'Now here's a smart young fellow.' (Geof selects, walks towards, and stands in front of a youth who prides himself on being smart.) 'When you get married (pause) would you like one, two or three children?' 'Two' 'And would you like a brick house or a wood one?' 'A brick house.' -76- SECTION B 'And who would bring up the children - you or your wife?' 'My wife.' 'Would you have any say in what they did?'. 'We both would have a say.' 'Good (Geof mentions youth's name)! You know what you want!' (Geof repeats this form of questioning with two other youths.) 'And you know (pause) brains are marvelous things (pause) and we can recall good things and imagine marvelous things and change ourselves with our brains and (Geof moves in front of a youth who had been in some trouble the day before) (mentions youth's name) have you ever had something happen that was not very good?' (The youth nods and is very pensive) (Geof walks over and addresses another youth.) 'And when you came off the horse yesterday that was not very good was it?' (Geof is very gentle and caring as he says this. The boy looks uncomfortable and embarrassed and shakes his head in negative agreement.) -77- SECTION B (A dog barks and begins to tussle with another dog not far from Geof.) 'And even dogs don't always get on with one another, do they?. Get outside both of you (pause) please.' (Geof chases the two dogs outside.) 'And (pause) thinking back on these times can make us feel miserable, right? (pause) and we can (pause) feel real low.' (As he says the last three words Geof moves his body so that he is hunched up and hung over with eyes caste down to the right. He looks miserable. All the boys are looking at him.) (Les is behind the bench helping Norma (Geof's wife) make the breakfast toast. Les is also watching and listening to Geof as well. Geof stands up straight and looks towards Les.) 'And Les (pause) there's been times in your life when (pause) you have been (pause) very sad, right?' (Geof knows that Les' wife committed suicide by lying in front off a train on Saint Valentines day in February 1992. Les is caught unawares by Geof's remark and says with wavering voice 'I sure have!') -78- SECTION B ''And thinking about that (pause) upsets you now (pause) doesn't it, Les?' (Geof is very gentle as he says this. Les, face has become ashen. His body shrinks and he nods in agreement.) 'And (pause) there has been a time (pause) that you can go to right now (pause) when you feel really good (pause) right? (pause) and you can (pause) go there NOW (pause) right?' (Les' face lights up, his body lengthens, he takes a deep breath and his whole demeanor changes immediately and Les says the following: 'Yes! Making toast for Norma!' (Geof points to Les' and addresses the boys.) 'Did you notice how Les changed then, first he was sad and then a moment later he was happy again and (pause) your brain can (pause) do that any time you want (pause) and that's marvelous isn't it.' -79- SECTION B THERAPY MODELLING - A MICRO-PROCESS ANALYSIS OF THE GEOF GUEST TRANSCRIPTThe following is a bit-by-bit analysis of the preceding transcript. The transcript segments are printed in capitals. Typically, Geof uses many therapy process in every sentence. Most of these processes, or variations of them, are well documented in the psycho-linguistic modelling literature and have been demonstrated to lead to behaviour change. It is problematic that any of the particular micro-processors mentioned in these notes WILL have a specific outcome. As Geof has his therapy sessions with the Petford youth every day, Geof notes the unfolding outcomes he is getting and works on a specific issue until that issue IS resolved. 'SO THE FELLOW THAT PUT HIS EARNINGS FROM PETFORD INTO A LAND INVESTMENT ENDED UP MARRIED AND OWNING HIS OWN HOME. THE OTHER FELLOW SPENT ALL OF HIS MONEY ON BUYING ALCOHOL AND DRINKING IT WITH HIS FRIENDS. THE FIRST FELLOW AND HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN LIKED LIVING IN THEIR OWN HOME. THE OTHER FELLOW HAD NONE OF HIS PETFORD EARNINGS LEFT. WHO WAS THE SMARTEST?' (GEOF LEAVES THE QUESTION HANGING IN THE AIR UNANSWERED.) Geof uses his own past experience as a source of stories. Often Geof makes stories up on the spot and says something like 'A friend of mine knew a bloke who ...' Milton Erickson called this the 'my friend John' process. -80- SECTION B The above story fits the pattern mentioned previously. Ideas, behaviours and emotions are interwoven. Geof tends to start sentences with conjunctions or 'joining' words. William O'Hanlon in his book 'Taproots' analyses many of the therapeutic micro-processes that effective therapists have used throughout the ages. O'Hanlon calls this pattern of therapeutically using conjunctions 'Linking' ('linking', O'Hanlon, Page 127, 1987). In the above segment Geof started with 'SO'. This pattern links the sentence to the one before it. Other joining words and expressions are 'And', 'So that', 'Because'. The brain tends to chunk things together when they are linked with these joining words. A more advanced 'joining' pattern that Geof uses is:
What tends to happen is that the listener lumps everything together as true and the suggestion is accepted along with what has gone before. There is an example of this pattern later in the above transcript. Can you find it? 'NOW HERE'S A SMART YOUNG FELLOW.' (GEOF SELECTS, WALKS TOWARDS, AND STANDS IN FRONT OF A YOUTH WHO PRIDES HIMSELF ON BEING SMART.) All of the youths listening to this story had 'being smart' as something they valued highly. They could easily identify with 'being smart'. It is possible that the youths could less easily identify with the idea of 'being married.' -81- SECTION B Geof's non-verbal behaviours signal to the boy that he will be involved. Geof is totally 'congruent' about getting the boy's cooperation. That is, every aspect of Geof's verbal and nonverbal behaviour supports Geof's implied presupposition that the boy will cooperate ('presupposition', O'Hanlon, Pages 87-90, 121-122, 143, 1987). This tends to be irresistible. Note that there is an implied presupposition of cooperation. Being totally congruent about what he does is a vitally important part of Geof's work. In this he mirrors Christ healing. In talking about Jesus, someone said words to effect 'We haven't heard anyone speak like him before!'' It is likely that an important aspect of what this person was talking about was Christ's congruence. Every aspect of Christ's speaking body would be totally consistent. Jesus on one occasion said to a person who could not walk: 'Pick up your bed and Walk!' Notice that these are two simple direct commands joined by a conjunction ('Direct commands', O'Hanlon, Pages 151, 1987). Jesus would have said these commands in a way that presupposed (presupposition) and implied ('Implication', O'Hanlon, Pages 87-94, 139, 1987) that the person would definitely be able to pick up his bed and walk. Geof also makes use of the same processes in his healing work, namely:
-82- SECTION B 'NOW HERE'S A....' In the story Geof has placed the youths in a story reality in a 'past' time. He then placed them in 'non-specific' time where they could personally identify with a 'smart' role model. Geof now reorients everyone back to the present time by starting the next sentence with the word 'now'. Geof is continually reorienting the youth in past, present and future time to get specific therapeutic outcomes ('reorientation in time', O'Hanlon, Page 137 - 138, 1987) 'NOW HERE'S A ...' The word 'here's' is a phonetic ambiguity ('ambiguity', O'Hanlon, Page 103 - 108 & 142, 1987). The expression 'hears' and 'here's' sound identical. Research shows that the brain is constantly making 'meaning searches' as we listen to speech. We consciously pick up the most likely meaning of an expression from the context of what's going on. However at a brain function level we do pick-up other meanings. These other meanings can be used therapeutically. In the above sentence the alternative meaning 'Now HEARS a smart young fellow.' implies 'Pay attention.' This second meaning fits Geof's presupposition of cooperation. 'A SMART YOUNG FELLOW' Geof invariably gives a simple compliment prior to asking for cooperation. For example, on another occasion before asking Les to use his watch to time a boy climbing over a rafter in the roof, Geof said, 'Now whose got good eyesight? Les! Will you help us?' After that introduction/implication, Les, who wears bifocals couldn't refuse! -83- SECTION B Note that in the story he had just finished Geof had highlighted 'being smart'. Geof selected a person who:
This belief about being a smart person:
The number of these links is also likely to be too many to be consciously processed by the boy. This limits resistance ('Overload - Confusion', O'Hanlon, Pages 51, 104-8, 112, 125, 135, 1987). (GEOF SELECTS, WALKS TOWARDS, AND STANDS IN FRONT OF A YOUTH WHO PRIDES HIMSELF ON BEING SMART.) Geof's non-verbals all support the above linguistic processes. 'WHEN YOU GET MARRIED (PAUSE) WOULD YOU LIKE ONE, TWO OR THREE CHILDREN?' Geof uses reference to time as one pattern to set up 'presuppositions'. In this case Geof uses the word 'When' to set up the presupposition that the boy 'IS going to get married'. Other references to time that can be used to set up presuppositions are:
-84- SECTION B Geof pauses to have the youth settle into a future time frame in his imagination - a frame in which the youth is married. Geof gives the boy three choices each of which again imply that the boy will have some children ('Illusion of alternatives', O'Hanlon, Pages 90, 1987). This is another pre-supposition pattern based on making a choice from a number of presupposed items. For example, 'Would you like one or two eggs in your milk-shake?' presupposes you will have at least one egg in it. 'TWO' From his tone the youth appeared quite definite about wanting two children; that is, he was not saying something just to please Geof. 'AND WOULD YOU LIKE A BRICK HOUSE OR A WOOD ONE?' 'A BRICK HOUSE.' 'AND WHO WOULD BRING UP THE CHILDREN - YOU OR YOUR WIFE?' 'MY WIFE.' 'WOULD YOU HAVE ANY SAY IN WHAT THEY DID?' 'WE BOTH WOULD HAVE A SAY.' Again Geof uses the 'choice' or 'illusion of alternatives' pattern - by using the word 'or' - to set up the presuppositions of 'owning a home' and 'that his children would be cared for'. -85- SECTION B 'GOOD (GEOF MENTIONS YOUTH'S NAME)! YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WANT!' Geof gives recognition and sincere compliments continually in his work and the youth love it. Often spontaneous remarks are not remembered by the person who makes them. Geof, in drawing the youth's attention to what the youth had just said, increases the likelihood that the 'possible futures' that the youth had just described - of being married, owning a brick home and jointly caring for two children while caring for two children will be remembered. (GEOF REPEATS THIS FORM OF QUESTIONING WITH TWO OTHER YOUTHS.) Having this first boy as a cooperative role model sets the scene for others to also cooperate. 'AND YOU KNOW (PAUSE) BRAINS ARE MARVELOUS THINGS (PAUSE)' Geof starts with a conjunction linking the new topic to what has just been happening. 'AND YOU KNOW (PAUSE)' Here Geof implies that they already know what he is about to say. Hence the idea he is about to introduce is readily accepted. The pause can arouse curiosity and interest in what is to come - both ideal learning states. -86- SECTION B 'AND YOU KNOW (PAUSE) BRAINS ARE MARVELOUS THINGS (PAUSE)' Geof uses 'generalisations' in many ways to obtain therapeutic effect ('generalisations', O'Hanlon, Pages 97, 141, 1987). Here describing brains as 'marvelous things' does not tell us what he is getting at. The following pause invokes further curiosity. Geof is very adept at creating and changing 'states' in others. Examples of states are:
'AND YOU KNOW (PAUSE) BRAINS ARE MARVELOUS THINGS (PAUSE) AND WE CAN RECALL GOOD THINGS...' Geof uses a conjunction to link up the next piece. 'AND WE CAN RECALL GOOD THINGS AND IMAGINE MARVELOUS THINGS' Geof here uses a pattern that Milton Erickson also used, that of the 'embedded comman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||