Personal Growth
Personal Growth is a broad term used to imply any experience, form or practice that enhances one’s well-being – physical, emotional, mental or spiritual. It might be reading a book that gives you a new insight, it might be a regular spiritual practice, it might be personal/group therapy, or it might be going on a vision quest – the list is endless. Essentially, it is creating more of what you want in your life, in terms of the quality of your experience, day-to-day, moment-to-moment.
The reason we use Personal Growth is because it is a relatively generic term and thus isn’t exclusive about what may be meaningful to different people. ELP is not interested in defining what people ‘should’ do; rather, we are here to support participants in becoming more fully themselves. It is also an important distinction because ELP is not a group therapy program. We do not have licensed therapists or psychiatrists on-site.
The Ecological Living Project presents various tools and perspectives for personal growth with the intention of helping participants create more of what they want in their lives. There is no dogma or belief system required, nor any experience that participants may not opt out of. Some examples specific to ELP include conscious communication (or non-violent communication), group sharing circles and the sweat lodge.
A perspective that is important to ELP is the inter-connectedness of personal growth with the larger social and environmental context. To try and heal in isolation leaves out a large part of ourselves, that part which is embedded in the land and the people in our lives. To be fully present is to be present not only to what is going on within, but to what is happening around us.
There are many people and modalities that claim a monopoly on the best/quickest/right method – this is dangerous as no two people are alike and we each have a unique path to walk. It is important that people feel empowered and in control of their own process, and able to discern between what feels right and what works. There is no one right way!