The Power of Presence:
Deepening Your Connection with Yourself and Others
with
Deborah Bacon and Robert Dilts
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines presence as a “a quality of poise and effectiveness that enables a performer to achieve a close relationship with his or her audience.” The abilities to be poised, effective and achieve a close connection to those with whom we are interacting are important resources for coaches, trainers, managers and professional communicators of all types.
As the definition above implies, charisma and personal power come from the capacity to be present, centered in yourself and in relationship with those around you. The quality of presence is frequently the “difference that makes the difference” in our ability to enjoy life, collaborate generatively and contribute to the growth and transformation of others. Presence is associated with feelings of aliveness, connection, creativity, satisfaction and flow. When we are not present and are disconnected from ourselves and others, we feel empty, out of control, distant and unavailable.
This workshop will explore the “power of presence” in our lives. Participants will learn skills and methods for being present in the body, holding and sponsoring difficult feelings and developing a more rich and full quality of life and work.
Transformational teacher Richard Moss points out that the distance between ourselves and others is precisely the distance between ourselves and ourselves. This implies that the way we relate to others and to the world around us is a mirror for how we relate to ourselves. It is from this fundamental relationship with ourselves that our relationships with others and the external world emerge. This self-to-self relationship is frequently limited by those feelings that we don’t know how to meet, accept, hold and love in ourselves. This is a key area to be addressed by this program.
When two people are each connected to themselves and present with each other, the natural feelings that emerge are compassion, empathy, genuine interest in each other, spontaneity, authenticity and joy. These feelings are the foundation for all effective personal and professional relationships.
This experiential program will present a number of tools and strategies for staying in the present, connecting more fully with yourself and building close and effective relationships with others including:
• Practicing Presence -- Exercises for grounding in the present in your body and developing a felt sense of connection with yourself.
• Richard Moss’ Mandala of BeingTM -- Exploring how we leave the present and how to return.
• Energetic Embrace -- Experiencing a felt sense of the “field” generated between yourself and others.
• Gabrielle Roth’s 5 RhythmsTM -- Deep patterns for connecting with yourself and others.
• Skills of Sponsorship and Conscious Communication -- Developing the ability to accept and hold faults without judgment and to recognize and create a space for potential without expectation.
Benefits of the program include:
• Becoming more available to and connecting more fully with yourself and others
• Improving both personal and professional relationships
• Being better able to handle difficult situations with more elegance and ease
• Increasing energy, creativity, generativity and flow
• Building a solid foundation for improvement and success in all areas of your life
• Deepening your capacity for genuine empathy and compassion
• Experiencing more richness, gratitude and fullness in your life and relationships
Deborah Bacon is a trainer in Psychosynthesis, Relaxation Therapy, Holotropic BreathworkTM, Gabrielle Roth’s 5 RhythmsTM and Richard Moss’ transformational and spiritual work. She lives in France where she has also worked as a professional interpreter for trainers and teachers in the personal growth field for over 16 years.
Deborah is the author of a number of articles (in French) including, The sweat-lodge ritual – connecting with life, The earth – place of connection, Gabrielle Roth’s 5 RhythmsTM, and a chapter on Richard Moss’ Mandala of BeingTM in a book on transpersonal psychotherapy (publication planned 2006). Her work focuses on the body-mind connection and conscious relationship.
Robert Dilts has been a developer, author, trainer and consultant in the field of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) since 1975. In addition to spearheading the applications of NLP to health, learning, creativity and organizational development, his personal contributions to the field of NLP include much of the seminal work on the NLP techniques of Strategies and Belief Systems, and the development of what has become known as “Systemic NLP.” Some of his techniques and models include: Reimprinting, Integration of Conflicting Beliefs, Sleight of Mouth Patterns, The Spelling Strategy, The Allergy Technique and Neuro-Logical Levels.
He is the principal author of Neuro-Linguistic Programming Vol. I, and has authored numerous other books on NLP including Changing Belief Systems with NLP, Beliefs: Pathways to Health and Well Being, Tools for Dreamers, Skills for the Future, Visionary Leadership Skills, Tools of the Spirit and The Encyclopedia of Systemic NLP. His most recent work From Coach to Awakener provides a road map and set of toolboxes for coaches to help clients to achieve goals on a number of different levels of learning and change.
The mission of Robert’s life work is to help “create a world to which people want to belong.”