What Can Geese Teach Us About Support Group? (part 1) April 12, 2010

I need to start with an apology to those of you who have regularly attended Central Area Support Group’s monthly meetings and may have heard the content of this month’s article during a sharing and caring session.  Go ahead and read the article anyway…you never know when something I say might make more sense than it did the last time you heard it.

 Several years ago I read an excerpt from a presentation given by Angeles Arrien, based on the work of Milton Olson.  If memory serves, the presentation was given to business leaders with the intent to help them build healthier companies.  However, I immediately related Arrien’s goose analogies to building a healthier brain injury support group.

 I think we all would agree that we are smarter creatures than geese, right?  While we may be smarter, there are several things geese can teach us about how to build a more well-rounded and beneficial brain injury support group.  The following are a few interesting facts about geese and how they relate to brain injury support group philosophy.  I will do the first two this month, and the last three will be reviewed during the May article.

 A goose flying in formation can extend it’s range by 71% as compared with a goose flying alone.

One of the most common concerns I hear from both survivors and caregivers is that they feel lonely in their journey.  There are many facets of life following brain injury that in no way relate to any other kind of injury or illness; therefore, it is difficult to find others who truly understand what the survivor and family are going through.  Even when connections with other survivors and family members are made, their experiences may be vastly different due to the variation in injury type, deficit type, severity, level of recovery, etc. 

 First and foremost, participating in a brain injury support group is the single best way to connect with others who have had similar experiences.  The support group not only allows you to connect with others, but also helps you link to information that is difficult to locate on your own.  The typical support group meeting consists of survivors, family members, caregivers, and professionals.  Each of these brings their own unique perspectives and insights.  Think of your local support group as your “flock” and extend the range of your knowledge, insight, and connection to others by 71%.

 When a goose falls out of formation, it immediately experiences drag and has to work much harder.

Part of my job as a sharing and caring facilitator is to help the survivor group move in a positive direction.  This is not to say that survivors are not allowed to complain or talk about the negative aspects of their life after brain injury, it simply means that these more negative statements need to be viewed in the context of what they teach us about how to handle similar situations in the future.  I am fortunate to have several consistent attendees who possess an uncanny ability to respond to negative statements with positive ones.  These are the survivors who help keep the “flock” moving forward and help the more negative survivors feel the drag that moves them back in a more positive direction.

 Thanks for listening.  I hope to see you on Sunday, the 18^th of April for a sharing and caring meeting.  Come and experience what CASG has to offer.

DA