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Introspective Group Work

(Estimated reading time: 1 min, 42 sec)

How can an introspective group work provide tools for everyday life to face practical problems, such as personal relationship, family, or work issues?

We are well aware of the malaise that often affects us all. We may not know how to define or explain it, but none of us can ignore the driving force that makes us look for someone or something to make it disappear or diminish.

Maybe you can’t even understand what’s going on inside you. But you may want to get out of the inner chaos and achieve a state of emotional well-being.

Why Join an Inner Research Group?

Introspective Group Work in Calceranica (Italy).
Group work in Calceranica (Italy).

In such a state of despair and restlessness, it may seem absurd to join a group, to work on difficulties, and to search together for answers to inner questions. It may be difficult for you to see how processing your experiences could be helpful.

This is the FIRST HURDLE that we cross when we set out on a path of inner exploration, and we follow it in a group.

We should accept this hurdle because it is created by inner resistances, such as the fear of showing hidden parts of our personality (e.g., moods, shyness, reluctance to open up to others).

 What is the Benefit of Processing Experiences?

Another obstacle is the today’s widespread tendency to seek solutions that are superficial, sometimes only temporary but, what is important, quick, and immediate.

We are told that shortcuts are the only way to reach our goal. They fascinate and attract us, and we continue along this path, even if the results are unsatisfactory.

If you think about participating in a self-awareness group, where you can process your experiences among strangers, without getting real and immediate solutions… what will be the use of it?

Is it an unnecessary waste of time?

Someone might find it better to resort to some kind of external solution, less tiring and, above all, quick and painless.

What Do We Gain through a Self-Awareness Group?

Is it better to look for someone to tell us how to solve a problem, or to gain knowledge of how to achieve autonomous management of our lives?

The first would be a reductive and misleading interpretation of what we mean by introspective groups.

Group work can be effective in gaining self-awareness. You get the opportunity to have real conversations. So, you get a deeper knowledge of others, and you get better relationships with them.

Self-awareness groups have therefore become a motor of our research, and many discussions have clarified and deepened their potential and effectiveness.

On another page, I will mention some studies on this topic and explain the introspective perspective of the groups I lead.

Antonella Giannini