Podcast and Post-Launch Reflections, Part 1
5 years AGO | by Steve Hoskinson, MA, MAT
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”It’s ethically questionable at this point to use trauma as a focus for work or traumatic sensations or focus on traumatic emotions. There is a better way. There is a more humane way and integrating way. That’s what I am trying to get across to therapy…”
I was talking with Nicole Lemaster here. Her delightful interviewing style really set me at ease, and hopefully I was not too blunt!
I am finding myself with the time to organize my thoughts and actions so much more clearly with the completion of the initial start-up madness with the Organic Intelligence® launch — and divorce, and simultaneous firing for “disloyalty” via “Granpa Peter” and the SE™ Institute…
The OI infrastructure includes not only the beautiful and intuitive website, trainings going internationally, etc., but also a technically ground-breaking online learning platform, the OI Virtual Classroom. I really should write you about that whole process — both the inner process and the practical of starting what is now a leading international resiliency training organization.
In any case, I mention all of this because I hope a couple of things become really clear in this Podcast interview:
First, the Organic Intelligence approach is groundbreaking not because of the theory so much. Lots of people theorize about their approaches, often as a justification (obfuscation?), an attempt to legitimize things. I was trained in clinical psychology and fully adopted the “scientist-practitioner” model. Clinical practice and theory has to be scientifically sound and mutually informing — this means that there is empirical guidance on what to do. However, in the end our work is about efficacy and outcome — achieving, not talking about achieving.
I remind my students repeatedly of the risks of “negative reinforcement” which means that a session that is over threshold will actually feel good to many clients — and sometimes the further over threshold, the better it will feel. Achieving success, instead, must be measured in the improved quality of a client’s life. Criteria include improved relationships, better living environments, greater empathy, better boundaries, more congruent communication, greater range of easily experienced emotions, etc, etc.
My sessions get consistent and solid feedback that clients’ lives are improving. Last week an email saying after a single session, the next day a text alert because the person’s HRV (heart rate variability) score had improved 22%. Plus the subjective report of greater ease. Results.
My students get better results now because of the format for training, which includes massive resources like monthly online contact with me, a true (not just lip-service) Mentoring model for career development, and a large and growing video library — which is automatically included for all OI members. This latter is really key because the subtlety of observation skills needed can really be speeded up. What I’ve found necessary is the reinforcement from my talks and demonstration videos which I debrief extensively. Video is used in most high level performance practices, like athletes, including dancers: “…For dancers, it’s become an incredibly useful tool for honing their craft.” It’s a necessity for an art as complex as affecting humans’ biological foundations, supporting organismic self-organization.
Secondly, I’ve become very concerned to see an epidemic of lack and lapse of ethics. Not only at the political or government level, but also how commercial and selfish interests seem to trump, even corrupt, basic decency. In the training world this shows up most glaringly in the failure to cite sources, and to credit one’s forebears — to take credit where credit is not due! I’ll continue to speak more on this, but for now I just want to say that the practice at Organic Intelligence is inclusion and grateful acknowledgment of our forbears. And we will seek the same of our partners and colleagues — and our forbears!
Generosity of spirit is its own reward, and if we are to be truly happy and satisfied, we need to find ways to renew and cultivate our conscience. One step is to include in our inner circle those who will support our sense of morals, ethics, empathy, and fairness. As a part of my own emergence from the “fog of startup,” I am reaching out to people whose moral sense I have come to trust, and am spending time reflecting and sharing honestly, seeking wise counsel.
With mentoring OI reinforces the theme my teams hear repeatedly: teaching means modeling. This means that each of us at Organic Intelligence are committed to our own path, and supporting one another’s path of personal development, to deepen in a more contemplative, wholesome and compassionate lifestyle. A little known fact is that the flagship OI training is the HEARTraining® — the Human Empowerment And Resiliency Training. I named it that because this epoch for me personally — which I would like to share with you — will be with the intention to deepen in life lived in greater heartful engagement. I am not mainly CEO, but CCO at Organic Intelligence: Chief Compassion Officer. As CCO I am warmed in finding gratitude and forgiveness to be a constant compass back to natural kindness.
I hope you’ll find support for your own heartfulness by deepening with our little compassion enterprise, and we look forward to sharing more gratefully, and heartfully, in partnership with you.
Thank you, Nicole Lemaster for your generosity and sharing.
And thank you too for reading these words, and taking the time to feel more Organic Intelligence. I hope you enjoy the interview.
Warmly,
Steve
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