Elise Hawthorne
Our world seems to be full of never-ending conflicts in one way or another, which is surprising to me as history should have taught humans to behave in a more loving and positive manner towards each other.
Maybe if we all learnt to practise the Lewis method of Deep Democracy, we could inch closer towards, “imagine all the people living life in peace,” as John Lennon asked us to do so many years ago.
What exactly is Lewis Deep Democracy, who created it and why?
Lewis Deep Democracy is a practical five-step approach for working with groups and individuals. It is “democratic” because it emphasises that every voice matters and that decisions are wisest when majority and minority voices are both valued.
It is “deep” because it extends communication between people beyond a rational discussion of ideas to work also with emotions, intuitions, attachments and patterns, supporting self-development and engagement processes that build community and connection.
Lewis Deep Democracy is based on Arnold Mindell’s Process Oriented Psychology. An American physicist and Jungian analyst, Mindell pioneered a highly innovative approach for understanding and working with individual and group dynamics, enabling powerful transformations to take place in a relatively short time.
In the early 1990s two of Mindell’s students, Sydney based Myrna Lewis and her late husband, Greg, began translating Mindell’s teachings for use in organisations within South Africa.
“The strengths of Lewis Deep Democracy is that it sprang from the transition period of apartheid to democracy in South Africa. It has a message to many different cultures around the globe. To invent a method like this takes wisdom, courage and empathy,” said Poul Erik Christoffersen, Director of SP – The National Innovative Centre for General Education (Denmark).
Based in process-oriented psychology and developed in the tension-ridden context of post-apartheid South Africa, Lewis Deep Democracy has been evolving and adapting to meet some of the most common challenges faced in any modern organisational or personal life. Its many applications are used today by leaders, managers, consultants, facilitators, coaches, family members, teachers and community activists.
The method is distinguished from most other approaches for working with groups and individuals by its orientation towards tension and conflict. It recognises that when different voices come into conversation with each other, there will inevitably be differences of opinion. This is the gift of diversity and its challenge. Lewis Deep Democracy provides a structured way of leading people into tension and engaging with conflict, knowing that innovative solutions, sustainable decisions, wisdom and transformational growth lie in their exploration.
Lewis Deep Democracy is used in over 40 countries and has been used in the socio-political realm in regards to the Irish and Middle East conflicts as well as at the United Nations.
For more information visit: www.deep-democracy.net
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