Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts in Process Work, ProcessWork Institute, Portland, Oregon, February 2013
Local notes
http://www.processwork.org/files/Finalprojects/Gronda_H_February_2013.pdf
Introduction
Adventures in the edge field
For some reason, edges, boundaries, borders, surfaces and limits have always interested me. Why do I have a skin that limits my shape in space and time? Why does my life have a start and an end? Why am I some one in particular, with a unique history and body? By thinking about these questions I feel, sometimes, an ecstatic answer just beyond my reach, and it gives me a sense of both peace and excitement. This paper, Growing, dying and relating, is an exploration and deepening of the Process Work concept of ‘the edge’ and the principles behind the practice of ‘edgework.’ In psychological terms, I can define an edge as the experience of a limit to what we can say or do or feel in any given moment, while remaining comfortable with who we know ourselves to be. I have come to believe that concept of ‘the edge’ may be one of Process Work’s most significant contributions to psychological understanding and to the study of personal and social change. I originally called this project Adventures in the edge field because I found myself profoundly challenged by edges in my Process Work practice and training. I decided I should have an adventure rather than just feeling overwhelmed and defeated by the challenge. I still find myself consistently, personally challenged by my own edges and those of other people and my culture. And an important part of what I want to say in this project is that this sense of being challenged, sometimes to the very core of my being, is an essential and inherent characteristic of the edge phenomenon.
Introduction
Adventures in the edge field
For some reason, edges, boundaries, borders, surfaces and limits have always interested me. Why do I have a skin that limits my shape in space and time? Why does my life have a start and an end? Why am I some one in particular, with a unique history and body? By thinking about these questions I feel, sometimes, an ecstatic answer just beyond my reach, and it gives me a sense of both peace and excitement. This paper, Growing, dying and relating, is an exploration and deepening of the Process Work concept of ‘the edge’ and the principles behind the practice of ‘edgework.’ In psychological terms, I can define an edge as the experience of a limit to what we can say or do or feel in any given moment, while remaining comfortable with who we know ourselves to be. I have come to believe that concept of ‘the edge’ may be one of Process Work’s most significant contributions to psychological understanding and to the study of personal and social change. I originally called this project Adventures in the edge field because I found myself profoundly challenged by edges in my Process Work practice and training. I decided I should have an adventure rather than just feeling overwhelmed and defeated by the challenge. I still find myself consistently, personally challenged by my own edges and those of other people and my culture. And an important part of what I want to say in this project is that this sense of being challenged, sometimes to the very core of my being, is an essential and inherent characteristic of the edge phenomenon.