Intention

We gather together in a circle to consciously create a vessel of support. We trust in the transformative process of deeply listening and directly expressing the truth of our experience in the moment. When we open ourselves to be seen by others, we learn to accept ourselves exactly as we are.

Group Agreement

• Whatever is shared in this space is confidential and shouldn’t be discussed with others. This supports our sense of personal safety.

• We agree to share from this moment’s felt experience. Instead of speaking about events from the past or from future projections, we chose to speak from what is most immediate in our present experience.

• The person speaking has the floor. Our role is to listen and receive. We don’t interrupt others during their sharing time. We listen from a place of compassion, noticing and releasing any critical or judgmental thoughts that might arise. We hold space for the speaker by resting with our own breath and sensations. 

• You are permitted to reference what another group member has shared in the first round as long you are speaking from a personal perspective in order to communicate your own felt experience. We are not here to fix each other or to give each other advice. We trust each person’s capacity to grow and evolve.

• Presence Circle is an anti-sexist, anti-racist, anti-homophobic space that is committed to embracing the entirety of this world’s beautiful spectrum of subjectivities.

• Presence Circle is not a replacement for psychotherapy or other mental health services. The facilitators are not acting as psychotherapists. We agree to consult with the facilitators and to remove ourselves from the group if we find that we do not currently have the capacity to meet the emotional and psychological demands of the group.