Authentic Connection Group

Dates

First Wednesday of the month

18:00 – 21:0

Event info

When: monthly on the first Wednesday of the month, 6 – 9 pm. Check Eventbrite or The Salisbury Centre website for details.

How to attend: please book via Eventbrite here. I can’t guarantee there will be a space for you if you just show up on the day. If the event is booked out, join the waiting list and you’ll be notified when a spot becomes available.

The group is open to everyone, both regular members and one-off visitors. If you have a question, email Chris at christopherpanks@hotmail.co.uk

Room: Art Room, occasionally in the Studio.

Suggested donation: £10 – £20. Please refer to the “note on donations” below before you decide on your contribution.

Accessibility: Art Room is located on the ground floor, and it is fully accessible. The Studio is not fully accessible. The Salisbury Centre’s kitchen door and toilet are now wheelchair accessible. The Garden can also be accessed by wheelchairs via a movable ramp via the Art Room Annex.

Refunds: Automatic refunds will be issued up to 3 days before the event. After that, I can’t issue refunds.

What the Authentic Connection Group is about

The Authentic Connection Group, is an experimental community space where we practice the art of conscious relating. We do it through playing Authentic Relating games, learning about consent, Circling, and exploring other practices that bring us closer to ourselves and each other.

Our two keywords are “Authentic” and “Connection”.

Authentic, because we believe in staying true to your experience and expressing it in a skilful way to others, rather than pretending you’re feeling / thinking something else.

Connection, because we value staying in connection with ourselves and others, no matter what our experience is at any point.

We draw a lot on Authentic Relating games, inspired by Sara Ness and the work of Authentic Revolution. We’re also open to other practices that support connection, open communication, and healthy relationships. Each session is different and unique. However, we do have our roots in foundational practices such as The Noticing Game and Circling.

Our informal motto is this quote from Fred Rodgers, an American TV host and author:

“Anything that’s human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable. When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary. The people we trust with that important talk can help us know that we are not alone.”

Agreements

Our agreements are signposts for the group’s culture. They help us know what to expect in the group (both from ourselves and others) and through that, create a space in which we can feel safer to explore edgy relational territory.

We always revisit the agreements at the beginning of the session. You can read through them out here at any time.

Here’s the short version:

Honour Yourself

Confidentiality by Request

Stay Present

Own Your Experience & Check Your