[Ailist] AI and Feelings

[Brenda Turnbull]

Yes I'm very interested in this discussion too.

It was thrown into high relief for me last week when I was working with
a group along AI principles (context was re-energising self in an
academic environment), and had some very vehement responses along the
lines of 'but this is positivity, and there's anything BUT reasons to be
positive in this environment'.

The best way I could struggle at the time to explain it, is that it's
really not about positivity at all....it's about
life-bouyancy.....seeing that what I'm/you're experiencing and where
I'm/you're 'at' right now is valuable and provides the guide to the next
shift.  So with people experiencing any of the feelings of grief, how I
see it is that wherever they're 'at' is totally valuable, and if I can
be with them exactly there, embracing (not colluding), and explore,
feel, understand that space with them, then that's A.I.(or whatever else
we want to call it....A.I.will do)....I see it as an attitudinal thing
that's about using everything as an opportunity for living, I
suppose....everyting has a value....buoyancy in life....not about
plastering over life with some false sense of 'always look to the bright
side' etc etc.

So with the people last week, we started to really explore their
feelings of hopelessness, cynicism, pain, and as we did, started to get
underneath that to the unrealised hopes, dreams, passions etc etc, and
then that created further shifts etc

Anyway that's how I'm understanding it at the moment.

Brenda Turnbull