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In Temagami, nobody knows your real name, family history or occupation. You use a pseudonym to reinforce what you are working on. By remaining anonymous, you are given the extraordinary opportunity to break away from your own preconceptions or others’ expectations of you. Anonymity is absolutely essential to the success of the program. It has been compared to ‘riding the bus.’ There are no consequences. You are free. Since the others can’t affect your salary, position or reputation, you risk more, get naked (vulnerable) and open your soul.
Past participants talk . . . about anonymity and what it meant to them:
Workshop pseudonyms have been used
to respect participants' confidentiality.
"Anonymity gave me the freedom to explore the person I wanted to be. It was one of the greatest gifts they gave us at Temagami." Seven Senses
"Anonymity allowed me to be free from intimidation. I’m a college dropout with only potential to offer, and at the time of the workshop I was unemployed. My support group included a Doctorate from Harvard, a Treasurer from another Ivy League College and a famous midwife who has delivered almost 1,000 babies. Talk about intimidating! But that didn’t come into play. I dealt with each individual on the level I was able to see, not on the level of the persona projected by what we do. I felt free to give my opinion and felt it had validity." Running Bear
"The feedback we received was pure. It was based only on the other participants’ and facilitators’ experiences of you throughout the workshop – on how you handled certain situations, your behavior and what you said. It was not based on what you did for a living or what your role was. These levels of contamination were removed." Kabril
"Professionally, I peg people. I say things to myself like: ‘Oh, he’s got a lot of money.’ This blocks my ability to connect with people as people." Journey
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Most people have never been part of a really wonderful community or a great team. In its 25 years running, T.E. has never failed to create a cohesive, effective community (cohesive relationship based on trust, support and respect with the capacity to work together effectively). It is very unusual for offices to build such communities because the office environment is more likely to be one of competitiveness. Although the environment in Temagami is not the same as an office environment, there are similarities. People ask: ‘Can I trust the others to be there when I need them? Will my ideas be accepted? Am I an equal? What is the distribution of power? How do we make decisions? Will I be ridiculed? What does it take to be a member here? Do we have the same goals? When you are together in true community the best of human kind can happen. You are in a safe place.
Past participants talk . . . about community building:
"Throughout the entire program I had a number of people tell me they like the way I am. This shocked me. Usually people don’t get genuine feedback about how they make others feel – especially from people they hardly know. These people had no agenda. They just needed to tell me. It felt great." Running Bear
"I wanted to get feedback from people. But one day, about seven people gave me feedback and it wasn’t what I wanted to hear. The message was that I wasn’t listening to people. They felt I had a mask and an agenda and that I was trying to force something on the group to serve myself. I was able to take the feedback without running away. I still continued to feel safe even when I got the hard feedback. I took it in because people were being honest and fair. People trusted me enough to give me that feedback." Journey
"I experienced a magic moment during one of the community building activities. The group needed to make a decision. I remember disagreeing so strongly with the direction the group was going in that I would have said anything to protect what I believed. I found my voice that night; it was important that I use it to speak what was true for me. I have found it easier to speak the truth – to speak from the heart – since. I never doubted that the group would allow me to be me. That’s rare for me (rare to be me, and rare to trust)." Seven Senses
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Community meetings are an opportunity for people to talk about things they may never have otherwise talked about. The witness and help of the community are important. In this climate of trust and support you show deep parts of the inner you not known in the real world. The meetings are a place to let these be seen and to get feedback. Community members listen deeply and learn from your journey. The meetings are also a chance for you to process what you have experienced or learned during the various activities.
Past participants talk . . . about the community meetings:
"I experienced the community meetings as supportive, caring and absolutely essential to what I was working on. They caused me to reflect in a way that I wouldn’t have on my own. They provided opportunity for real dialogue like most of us don’t get – a whole group dialogue. It’s by talking with one another you recognize what you’re learning/experiencing." Heartful
"During the first couple of meetings I was uncomfortable and paralyzed. I had never thought about the fact that I might have to sit in a circle and talk. In situations like that I get a lump in my throat and if somebody calls on me to speak I get tongue-tied. The atmosphere I had lived in for ten years had been one of repression. At first, the community represented 15 negative opinions of me. When I looked at the faces in the meeting I wondered how I would ever be able to relate to these people in such a short time. Eventually, however, I knew that I could trust them." Infinity
"I found it amazing to watch people unfold, develop and grow during the meetings. What I thought was so incredible was the physical miracles/transformations that took place. I watched people change physically before my eyes as they dealt with stuff. One woman who seemed meek and mild (head down, tiny voice) literally grew when she gained emotional strength. The lines on one woman’s face went away when she released some tension." Seven Senses
Wednesday, August 22 to Friday, August 31, 2007
Workshop Leaders | Activities | Ritual and Ceremony | What People Have Learned | Registration