158 Listening, Non-doing and Appreciative Attention • Alice Whieldon

Medicine is a curious business. The “agreement” is that the patient has a problem and we as practitioners are going to fix it. It’s not an unreasonable expectation in our fee for service world. And after all, we are the experts that are supposed to know how to resolve a medical condition.

But what often gets left out of the conversation is the question of “what is healing?” Along with “who” is responsible for that and “what” is to be done?

Healing is a curious business. And while patient and practitioner both play a role, more often than not, it’s an inside job.

In this conversation with Alice Whieldon we explore what is helpful, the invitation that arises from dropping expectation and agenda, and the connective resonance that arises from simply seeing how it is for another.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• The World of Sei-Ki
• Looking for the experience of deep change
• Clearing practices
• Sei-Ki Soho, guidance and harmony
• Kishi's background and brilliance
• The relief of being in a safe, expanse and solid presence
• What are we when we stop applying theories?
• Connecting clearly and well
• The prison of diagnosis
• What is help?
• The medical model is a trap
• Dropping expectation and agenda so as to “just see”
• “I see how it is for you…”
• The power of appreciation
• You don’t have to be a fulltime xxx patients
• We have to unfix ourselves
• Letting it be
• Intention vs Agenda

Things are never quite what you think they are.  So the discipline of remaining open to your client and listening acutely to how it is for them, is crucial. Diagnosis, naming the condition, works against this and should be approached with caution.

Alice Whieldon MA PhD SFHEA, worked with Kishi from 1997 until his death in 2012.  Together they collaborated on a book, Sei-ki: Life in Resonance, the Secret Art of Shiatsu 2011 Kishi & Whieldon, Singing Dragon, London, with the assistance of his wife, Kyoko.  Alice offers Sei-ki workshops and sessions internationally. 

In addition, since the 1980s, she has been involved with the work of Charles Berner and Lawrence Noyes in Clearing and the Enlightenment Intensive workshop – a fusion of the zen sesshin and western communication techniques – see Mind Clearing: the key to mindfulness mastery 2016, Whieldon, Singing Dragon, London.  Alice was Senior Faculty Manager in Arts for the Open University and remains an Associate Lecturer in Arts and Humanities.  She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and Chair of the Shiatsu Society (UK) 2016-18 during which time she oversaw a major restructuring and renewal.  With degrees in philosophy and religious studies, Alice is adept at offering the explanations often welcomed in learning Sei-ki.

Links and Resources

Visit Alice's personal website 
For more about Living in Resonance 

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