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Processing with Emergent Knowledge

Gaining Client Focus

Throughout this work remember that any thought, any word or any term can be represented in clay. Anything can be so demonstrated if you work at it.

The facilitator finds an area the client requires to be healed, or establish what the client wants to achieve or do, or where the client sincerely wants to improve, get smarter or become more able, and she uses this.

  • “What are you trying to do in life?”
  • “What are you willing to talk to me about?”
  • “What would you like to work on?”

An examination of previous sessions may provide goals that have often been repeated. The facilitator may take up these earlier session goals if the client still wants to and does not have one at hand in which he is more interested. The facilitator needs to be aware that when the client uses a particular wording, you use exactly that wording.

Represent that in Clay

Once the client has originated what it is they would like to work on, the facilitator provides the client with an instruction like:

  • “Do it in clay,” or
  • “Represent that in clay,”

It has been mentioned a few times already that the facilitator must have no influence here on the client. The colours chosen, the shapes made etc. are all the clients choice. Allow the client the time and space to access the information they require to perform this task.

Exploring The Clients Inner Landscape

The facilitator is tasked with aiding the client in developing and exploring their inner world through the Emergent Modelling processes. This is done with a simple set of questions taken and expanded from the Clean Language canon:

  • “And what kind of is that ?”
  • “And does that have a size or shape?”
  • “And is there anything else about that?”
  • “And what is inside that?”
  • “And what is around that?”
  • “And what is in between that?”

The facilitator allows the client to muse and consider how they can represent their issue in clay – at some point she will become aware that the client has completed their cycle of action, which the facilitator will recognise as the 'Response' phase of the Cycle of Communication. At this point the client is acknowledged, and a new cycle begins, by having the client answer one of the questions above.

Judgement or intuition is used to best determine what question and where the clients attention will be directed. The client may answer this question verbally first and if so this is acknowledged; then the following instruction is given, “Okay, and now represent all of that in clay.“

During this journey of discovery by multiple iterations of these developing questions, the client will begin to open up deeper and deeper areas of the secondary world associated with this issue. This only really begins to happen once all the 'already known' and conscious aspects of the issue have been represented in clay and given their location in relationship to everything else.

At this moment and going forward, the client will begin accessing the sub-conscious symbols, metaphors, words and phrases from the 'locked and secure' world. It is these words etc. that are the signs and beacons to locating the keys and unlocking the life force held up in this secondary world. It should be noted that emotions and physical/somatic feelings (like aches and pains) should also be recognised as similar signs towards cracking the client's case and re-accessing this hidden world.

Finishing the Process

At the moment of 'cracking the case', the client will experience a noticeable positive change in their well being, this could also be accompanied with an exclamation of “It's gone!” or similar; other times the client may simply have a deep sense of relief and feel the weight of their problem has dissipated.

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