What is a Mutuality Circle and What Can it Do for You?Jul 30, 2022
Mutuality circles offer an opportunity for deep sharing in a facilitated space. You can talk about whatever you want as long as you are respectful of others. Shares are timed and you can ask for reflection or not from the other participants. Importantly, we do not offer advice or suggestions even though that's the hardest thing to avoid! We all want to help each other of course. Consider that allowing a person to speak and be fully heard and received means they can process their thoughts clearly and get a better perspective without hearing anyone else's take. Reflection can be something like a clarifying question, for example "what did you mean by the phrase…" and leading questions are not allowed. The facilitator takes charge of all of this so that people can relax. No one hogs the space because each share is timed. At the end of each sharing we take three breaths and send each other positive energy. This is called "holding'.
What are people saying about the experience of participating in a mutuality circle? "This is the only place I can really be myself" and "I'm so thankful to have the opportunity to participate with others in this very open and accepting environment, knowing I won't be contradicted, straightened out or spoken down to." People say that sharing inside this deep container makes it possible to really go deeply themselves. Note that this is not group therapy, rather it is facilitated sharing.