The New York workshop.

I haven't posted for ages, because things have been going at 100 miles an hour. We left for the USA for a long trip on 22nd September ( which turned out to be the trip of a lifetime!) and got back a few days ago.

Now I can say " I have done a workshop in New York"! It almost didn't happen. In the end we made it free of charge and Monica who arranged it for me worked hard to get me some people. After all there were 8 of us altogether, rattling round in spacious offices in Madison Avenue. One person brought his guitar because he was off to the recording studios that afternoon (that felt like a real NYC moment) ; two had come overnight and hadn't slept or eaten; one had flown in from Virginia and arrived at her friend's house at 3am. Not for the first time, I was amazed at the energy and commitment that was expressed in simply getting there.

Once again, I witnessed the glorious moments that occur when wombtwin survivors get together. There is a kind of healing energy that pervades the whole space. When we went for coffee, I found a huge social space, where we could move about. At once I persuaded/ managed? organised? the group into each doing a "personal space" exercise. It goes like this: you stretch out your arms as far as they will go, facing your palms outwards. That delineates your personal space - the tiny bit of the world over which you have dominion. Then you say "This is my personal space: it is mine. No one can take it away or make it larger. I claim it as my own." Then still with arms outstretched, the individual spins around, claiming their own space in 3D.

It was VERY hard for some, easy for others, while there were some who tried to claim more space than they truly could own. A profound experience for at least one, who has emailed me since about it.

Then it was time for the presentation: still text-heavy because I have yet to buy licences for the images, most of which are scientific and not in the public domain. This time I realised that a quick tour of fertilization, embryogenesis and fetal development will have to be included in the presentation so people can understand how twinning can happen. The work with wombtwin survivors is extending now into chimerism, and the exchange of undifferentiated embryonic cells, which largely lies outside the realm of science, so we must keep to what is known, lest we get carried away into conjecture.

Clearly, as I do workshops and show the presentation again and again, it will provide the chance to refine these ideas, as I venture into creating the Book of the Project (of which more in 2009, probably ad nauseam.)

So then we had lunch and the guitarist left, but not after we had each given him a parting gift of some kind of positive reflection on his personality. It is interesting that by truthfully showing someone their gifts (not simple flattery) in a way you give their gifts to them, because once we become aware of our giftedness then we are more likely to practice those gifts. He liked that and it helped him, he told me later.

Then I asked what everyone wanted to do? In small group this is possible. Almost everyone wanted to know about the healing process, and also about the Alpha and the Beta.

At once it was clear: we had two rooms to use, one a bland, gray and white area with a long meeting table, the PowerPoint technology etc, the other a smaller room with red walls and floor, and a round, white table. We spend the morning in the white room and went into the red room after lunch. I asked what purpose this red room was used for - it was for high-level meetings and decision making - this was the Alpha space!

At the doorway there was a threshold between the red carpet of the Alpha room and the grey of the Beta room. We then did an exercise about our personal Black Hole. As each person reflected, it became clear that most of the feelings in the Black Hole ( which is the pre-birth memory of the loss of the twin) related to the Beta space.

The healing path involves a movement from living too much of one's life in the Beta space (as the little lost twin) towards living in the Alpha space (as the living survivor) most, if not all, of the time.

So I suggested/lead/persuaded some of the participants to step into the Beta room ( which I darkened) and talk about that kept him/her there, and what it would take for them to move over the threshold and forward into the light of the Alpha space. For some it was SO difficult!

All in all, a wonderful, profound experience. I stepped out into the dark, busy streets of Manhattan with a great sense of gratitude. Thanks to you all if you are reading this - you know who you are. Thanks for coming. Keep in touch.

The next event is a meeting in St Albans on 25th October. Do come! More here.

I tell you more about that next week.