Finke River Retreat Participant Comments

When I describe the wonderous camp and your style of helping us write, words can't cover the territory you led us into.

I thank you for keeping the pen moving experience. It helped me rise above my desire to slam myself and gave me freedom to let go and just write.

I thank you for clear direction and masterful handling of the group. You allowed us to find courage and read our work in a very safe environment.

Also, for taking us into the Finke River, a pure space for realising one's centre. I have brought the calm earth home with me and am aware of its impact.

My writing has moved forward. It is expressive and brave now. I read an impromptu piece out in last Monday's class (strangely he gave us a provocation for the first time) and felt worthy in what I had written and how I read it out.

I feel positive and excited about writing rather than tongue tied and hesitant. Who could believe that a week could be so powerful.

From my heart, I thank you Bridget
- Participant 2008

I just wish I could be back there in that caring circle and nurturing environment where I actually put pen to paper consistently and could breathe in that wonderful clear air. I want to thank you once again for facilitating such an amazing experience from which I benefited more than I can articulate.
- Participant 2008

I am taking back immense renewal, looseness, inspiration and freshness in my writing: a sense of flow and power. Also a sense of expansion and encouragement to zoom in close when necessary and a new relishing of texture. I've also found the sharp clear language and rhythms that I was seeking.
- Participant 2007

I have enjoyed letting go of so many things: barriers, impediments to writing and living alike. I have enjoyed allowing my stories to tell themselves, rising unbidden from the depths of my souls. I was surprised by the fact that such a disparate group of strangers with a vast age range could bond so movingly in compassion and love with story the weaver of the silken threads of connection.

I feel restored in every cell of my body, fibre of my being. I know I am a better writer, more courageous, more open to new ways of entering into story through silence and the senses.

I didn't just write easy stories. I've heard rich and tapestried stories of other's lives, roads they have travelled, choices they have made, relationships, pain, loss, love.
- Participant 2007

I have reconnected with this earth, taken time to be close, watched, listened, learned from place and people.
- Participant 2006

I arrived at the Larapinta River without a story in my mind and no idea whether I would actually be able to write anything. I have never had any confidence about writing and this was my first experience of putting my stories onto paper. The week was full of insights, friendship, grace and fun. Thinking about what made it possible for me to get so much out of it. Here are some thoughts.

The written hints we were given (eg the Basic Prinicples/ Seven Rules//Haiku guidelines) were sufficient to give practical help and to set a tone of freedom without being prescriptive (ie that there was a "correct" way to write and a benchmark to achieve).

No activity went for too long - most of the exercises were quite short in duration and I had a sense that even if I wasn't sure I was "on task" it didn't matter as the time spent doing it was limited and the next task would come along shortly. I didn't have time to "get stuck".

The reading back to the group was great - it gave me a sense of each person's uniqueness and that there were a lot of different ways of approaching a task - all of which were valid and which, therefore, validated my own voice/expression.

The fact that it was compulsory to read aloud was important - it helped to know that you "could run but you couldn't hide"(as it were). At some point you had to put into voice the words written on the page.

I did find that once my secrets became stories they were set free. There was an alchemy that took place. The stories still belonged to me but they didn't have the same grip on me as before. They became things to respect as the experiences that had shaped me and I didn't feel scared that people would judge me.

Telling my stories allowed my light to shine. Active listening was important - you knew that at the end of your reading there would be comments which kept me grounded in the experience (not able to quickly slam the book and pretend it had never happened).

Working with metaphor was really useful. It was helpful to step outside my own reality and to use the language of "tree/landscape/nature" to write more evocatively. It allowed me to experiment with language and to look at sitautions from a different perspective.

The process of rewriting the "hard" situation using the language of the landscape was particularly helpful. It changed the language and tone of the story completely and that was a revelation to me.

The process of drawing the life scheme (rapids/billabongs/flowing) was very useful. To then take a "chapter" and break it down into "moments" made it easy to approach the story. It also allowed me to see how rich each of those "chapters" was and that there was a wealth of material for stories. I felt proud of my life when I thought of it like that - such a rich life!!

The consistency around the time keeping was good. Knowing that there was a set time to complete a task and that we would be kept to that made it possible to concentrate on the task at hand - your instruction to "find a way to finish the sentence" meant that the task didn't "bleed" into the time available.

The clarity of instructions and permission to take the task wherever it wanted to go. It meant there was both structure and freedom.

Bridget’s mangement of the "subtle"level to the group was masterful. Especially on the morning that Paul left - you brought us back to a a more centred space. You did this by naming the tension that was in the group and by asking us to renew our commitment to the process.

Having all the logistics taken care of was fantastic - it freed me to concentrate on the tasks at hand - no distractions and no rushing to ensure that I was on time for tasks - I was free to chill out and follow my own thoughts.
~ Participant 2005

"Having my story listened to has touched me deeply - there is a quality of listening that a written story evokes that is not present when it is simply told. Listening to other’s stories opens my heart. There is a deep appreciation for the extraordinary experiences and challenges that we have as well as gratitude for my own path through life."

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Last Modified: January 14, 2009