Elsa Henderson - Thoughts on process & its structure

Elsa Henderson 2

In 2017 I traveled to Australia for the first time to teach a 10-day workshop at Metavision alongside one of my mentors Salome Schwartz. So much of what I know about process work I learned from Salome. She taught me about designing exercises and working with subtle experiences and altered states at the essence level, among many other things. As a therapist and teacher, she modeled depth and lightness, humor, and empathy.

Last month Salome passed away from this realm and on to another. She was an incredible processworker, mystic, and therapist. She once told me that process following process is a kind of divination, a way to discover more of what is present as well as connect with what is trying to emerge. Over the years these words have stuck with me. Remembering that process can reveal more of what is present helps me stay close to the magic that a process-oriented approach can offer, namely the reminder that in each moment there is a background intelligence moving through reality. In each moment, a process is knocking at the edges of our awareness and inviting us to learn and grow. When we learn to follow the breadcrumbs of information that arise at the threshold of our awareness we can enter into a closer relationship with the inherent creativity of life itself.

Even as Salome transitions form, her presence and gifts live on. As I continue on into my fifth year of teaching at Metavision I am grateful for all the things I learned from Salome and my other teachers.

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Over the past several years of teaching, I’ve found continual inspiration in supporting students to understand more of what it means for them to follow a process. We can understand process broadly as the moment-to-moment flow of experience through the sensory channels of experience.

The thing is that we each experience process in a slightly different way and our experience shapes how we work with others. As a teacher, I am continually learning as each student brings a unique perspective to the work. Connecting with students, in turn, expands my own understanding of what it means to ‘follow a process.’

For those of us coming from cultures that are more linear or goal-oriented, learning to follow processes, invites us to unlearn some of what we know. Working in a process-oriented way often asks us to step out of what we know and be open to the unexpected. In many ways, it is a paradigm shift and a journey that continually asks us to recalibrate our attention and awareness moment by moment

Process work is an approach for cultivating our awareness and working with the different layers of experience. As an awareness-based practice, process work offers a structure and orientation for working with a broad range of human experiences. Through working with the process structure we can map patterns and themes as they unfold over time and deepen our sense of meaning with ourselves and our clients.

With all the challenges moving through the world being able to travel alongside cohorts through the learning journey of Metavision gives me great hope. Each year I get to see the wisdom that each student brings to the program. Their engagement with the material, insights, and feedback always help to create something new and refresh the material.

Outside of my work at Metavision I work in private practice, where I see clients and offer supervision on bringing a process-oriented approach to work with clients. I teach classes and love designing and guiding learning experiences that invite people back in touch with their creativity and inner knowing.

I am also a facilitator at a consultant at the Converge Network where I work with Impact Networks around the world, focusing on topics such as refugee and migrant rights, impact investing, agriculture and education. As part of my work at Converge, I also support network leaders through training and advising.

Currently, I am pursuing my Ph.D. through the University of the West of England. My research is focused on ‘mind’ as an emergent phenomenon, and how notions of mind may influence understandings of mindset and capacity building.

When I’m not working I love trail running, listening to music, reading about consciousness studies, creating altar spaces, and spending time with my family and friends.

If you are curious about Altered States and would like to work with Elsa, she is running a 3 x part series in September called Traversing the Rainbow More course info

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