What is Biography Work?
Biography Work – a task of our time
We live in a time in which conventional socio-biographical
relationships and values systems are increasingly unravelling.
The downside of the growing biographical freedom is often
the feeling of loss of meaning, of vital relationships and
of the will to live.
Concealed behind this is the longing for a new level of
consciousness, through which one may learn to re-define
one's own identity from the inside out with increasing independence.
In the search for one's own life-reality, there is a close
relationship between the striving after knowledge, therapy
and the development of the individual. Biographical counselling
works at these frontiers. It can help people to learn how
to read the language of their own life-story. The application
of universal laws and principles of biographical development
helps to expand one's vision and often makes the themes
of one's life clearly apprehensible for the first time.
The purpose of Biography Work is to find and to actively
develop further the threads of one's life, again and again.
Work on one's own biography, embracing the past, present
and future (whereby past and future are understood to extend
beyond the span of the current life) can lead to a deeper
understanding of one's destiny. When a person overcomes
the influences of the past and acknowledges the seeds of
the future working inside, then he or she becomes freer
to creatively mould the present. Thus it is intended that
one learns to become more objective in relation to one's
own life. Insights which are gained release energy for the
creative answering and resolving of one's own life questions.
This is a way which leads from the human being who is created,
to the humen being who, out of experience and in actively
developing his or her own individuality, becomes a co-creator
in the further process of Creation of Humanity.
The "mythology" of the superordinate themes of
humanity which come to expression in individual biographies
as tasks of the the times, can be both recognised as a personal
responsibility and individualised. Forces which are gained
through a strengthened experience of the I may be freely
contributed to the power of the development of humanity.
An overall goal of Biography Work is to transform one's
own life, with its very special themes, into a work of art,
which can inspire other human beings, whilst bringing one's
own biography into a living relationship with the greater
biography of humanity.
Anita Charton, Dip. Psychologist, Biographical Counsellor
and Psychotherapist
and Albert Schmalhofer, Biographical Counsellor
English translation by Christopher Bee April
2004
How does Biography Work take place?
Biographical seminars, course and workshops
facilitate intensive immersion in themes of Biography Work
(eg. biographical rhythms), through conversation and artistic
exercises, enrichening one's own ways of perceiving in the
encounter with general biographical perspectives and the
sharing of experience with other participants.
Individual biographical counselling
Fundamental with individual counselling are the questions
of life: questions about the past, or arising our of acute
biographical crisis, or concerning developments for the
future. Artistic exercises can support the course of conversation
and thereby help to discover creative resources for the
further development of one's life. The duration of biographical
counselling is individually agreed; both short and long
term support is possible.
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