The Spiral Path Blog
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:
As of March 12, 2024, we have moved our blog over to Substack (where we also host our new podcast).
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Here are our older posts…
Holding liminal space
“I’m holding space for you.” That phrase has become more and more common in our vernacular lately, and there’s a part of me that delights in hearing it and a part of me that sometimes cringes. The part that cringes is the part that hears the cliché that that phrase...
What’s the opposite of holding space?
During an interview for a podcast, not long after my post on how to hold space went viral, I was asked “what’s the opposite of holding space?” That was the first time I'd been asked that question. As is typically the case for me, the right question can crack open...
Four kinds of fear (what the self-help books might be missing)
Fear. It shows up in nearly every coaching conversation I have. Sometimes it’s bold and in-your-face and can’t be denied, and sometimes it’s sneaky and disguised as anger or laziness and has to be coaxed out into the light. Fear fills a lot of pages in self-help...
Holding space for the unspeakable
In May of 2017, I stood in front of a large group of therapists, school counsellors, and youth workers in Broward County, Florida, teaching a full day workshop on how to hold space for grief and trauma. The next day, I taught many of the same people in two smaller...
Sometimes holding space feels like doing nothing
Sometimes the hardest thing about holding space is it can feel and look a lot like doing nothing. When we’re holding space well, we’re keeping our ego out of it, not controlling the outcome, not giving unsolicited advice, and not taking people’s power away. That can...
On holding space when there is an imbalance in power or privilege
“…whenever I dehumanize another, I necessarily dehumanize all that is human—including myself.” – from the book Anatomy of Peace This week, I’ve been thinking about how we hold space when there is an imbalance in power or privilege. This has been a long-time inquiry...
Blog Post Categories
Many years ago, a friend sent me Heather’s essay, What It Means To “Hold Space” For People, Plus Eight Tips On How To Do It Well. She thought this was “right up my alley” … it was! I had recently finished a certification program on line and was feeling empty. The program was solid, the tools were solid, my fellow graduates were energetically designing websites, writing business plans, setting monetary goals …. all valid – but I couldn’t find the heart. And then – poof! Heather
-How to Hold Space Foundation Program Participant
