The Wheel

The Workshop Programme

In order for you to make the most of the workshop there is a little preparation beforehand
The workshop is spread over two consecutive Sundays. This allows time for you to do some simple tasks between day one and day two and to assimilate the various new processes.

Day One

Opening the day
About The Frog and The Wheel – we briefly examine the roots of the workshop, why we created the workshop and a few metaphors to illustrate your journey over the two days

A short exercise to help you notice all the things you do as part of your routine in life – why do you do all this? What turned you on and what didn’t. (This is based on the day one preparation).

Into The Wheel

The South – Emotions

We will begin with an introduction to the South of The Wheel: the emotions. You will explore the world of emotions, why do you have emotional reactions to your experiences? What is happening to our Frog at this point!

We look at your familiar moods and how they move and change – getting to the bottom of these really grows insight. Once you understand your moods and how they show up/dissipate you can really gain power over yourself

Personal Boundaries – a look at when these need to be flexible and when they need to be solid and sure. Typically we get this wrong some of the time - we become rigid when we need to flex or too much of a pushover when we need to stand our ground. In this phase of the South we introduce some key tools to increase awareness and how to make your boundaries stronger or more flexible, quickly.

We will look at anger and what purpose it serves in your life. We will look at ‘stockpiled’ anger and at how you handle anger in the here and now.

Self Soothing – A look at the things you do to sooth, contain and calm yourself when you feel like you are’ in trouble’. You will find out what really helps you and what actually reduces your potential and acts against you.

The West – The Body

We look at the role of the body in your journey around The Wheel. We take a look at what has happened to our friend the Frog. It looks like out Frog is experiencing a type of burnout.

We look at the fight and flight seesaw. What happens to your body over time if you always have the throttle open full and approach life at maximum velocity 24/7?

You begin to piece together how your body stores and releases stress, how it stacks up during our weekly routines. In this cycle at the bottom end you probably feel really calm and relaxed, at the top end you may feel at your wits' end...this is really useful information – now we see how you can use it.

You will team up and play the ‘it’s all in the name’ game. You will look at how the labels you place on your body reactions to situations can be useful or not. Eg excitement is very close to nervous.

As a group we will go back to basics and look at the core way our body can dissipate anxiety and pressure: you will look at movement, the use of the breath and sound. What happens when you employ one or a combination of these consciously to a difficult situation?

You will spend a short time focusing on an external sound. This creates the alpha state - a state present when you partake in sports, reading, music, arts and meditation

Fast Tracking Change – Group Hypnosis Session

The facilitator leads the group through a hypnosis session. We have a quick chat beforehand about the process and handle some of the urban myths surrounding hypnosis.

Preparation for Day Two – The Emotional Bank Balance and The Passion Object.

Closing the workshop for day one.

Day Two

Opening talk and group input – what has changed for you and what has been working?

How did your account balance out? (Preparation from day one)

The North – The Mind

We take a look at the part your mind plays in your Wheel’s balance – what has happened to our Frog friend and why? Sometimes your thoughts mislead or torment you – they can be a real pest!

You begin cultivating the observer position. This idea - called meta-cognition – is drawn from the latest techniques in cognitive-behavioural therapy and helps us to test out thoughts against reality – identifying those thoughts that are red-herrings that can masquerade as truths!

You will then take this a step further. You get an opportunity to see that thoughts in the mind trick the body into thinking what is it is experiencing is ‘reality’. This might be funny, if it wasn’t for the fact that the body then actually responds to these thoughts as though they are real.

At the core of some of these thoughts are your beliefs. You will spend some time looking at the unhelpful beliefs that you may have hidden away. These can drive difficult behaviour and odd moods which get you off centre and make your path bumpier. We will unpack these negative beliefs and forge new positive ones.

We will then...

Fast Track Change – Out with the Old in with the New (Beliefs) – Group Hypnosis Session

Now we take these new positive beliefs and drive them into your unconscious mind. This process of assisted change will begin to deliver new attitudes, actions and momentum in your life almost immediately.

We look at your concerns in life and what happens when these concerns cycle around and around. What can you do to help yourself?

Sometimes your concerns can get out of hand – we create the disaster movie. You get to work on an issue which you have exaggerated unknowingly into a disaster. We take this to a humorous finale.

The East – Connection, Spirit and Meaning

This is the big stuff of life. We look at our Frog in the East and how being out of balance here is really getting him down.

You get a chance to work out what connects you, what is meaningful to you and what is your definition of spirit? How will you know when your easterly direction is balanced?

You then move this awareness into a team exercise where you pool all the things – little and small – that you know help you to ‘connect’and bring a passionate energy to life. What do you see that you could do more of? Is there anything you see your team mates doing that you could adopt? We examine the passion object.

Turning the Wheel

By now you will have much greater awareness of your style at each of the four directions. From this position you can begin consciously to turn the wheel – from the centre.

If all the other directions are harmonious the East can catalyse centring.

Here’s a metaphor; have you ever seen someone make a fire?

In order to reach the final crescendo, the flame, we have a great deal to accomplish first. We need the mind to recollect the experience of measuring and assessing how much tinder to use, how much wind to allow? You will need some mastery of the emotions - some patience, some persistence, knowing that the task what's possible. Mastery of the body – consistent and systematic movements - creating friction and assisting the steady build up of heat eventually leading to smouldering wood or a spark that ignites. The ignition is the place of the East. That ignition can lead to creativity, connection and a sense of inclusion and wonder in life.

You will use this metaphor to analyse creative things you do or would like to do. This is a way for you to use the wheel to map the ecology of creativity – what are the micro ingredients that relight the fire of creativity?

The final exercise is called Time Tunnel. You create a five year plan (that you can finish over the coming weeks). You will then experience walking forward in time through your plan and discover where you are heading.

Closing The Wheel

We will then re-group and begin to look at our journey over the past week. How are you left? What has happened? Where can you affect your personal Wheel when things get tricky? What creative process helps you thrive and manage yourself effectively? We spend some time sharing your experience of your journey and how life will be different.