Men in Bali Feedback

MEN IN BALI FEEDBACK

Here are some of the comments from men who have attended our previous MEN IN BALI Retreats.

Did the Retreat meet your expectations?

• The Retreat experience went way beyond any of my expectations, delivering for me a space where I was able to be in true integrity with myself amongst good men, opening my heart to them and feeling safe and honoured throughout the week. The atmosphere was perfect for connecting with the other men and being able to share some rich and deep aspects of myself with them and not feel judged in any way – Brendan

• Yes very much so – I did not have any huge expectations but was simply open to the experience and wanted to spend some time with Wes. The structure of the programme was difficult as there were a number of different thinkers in the group so no one predetermined process was going to survive. I enjoyed the free flow that arose and the ability of Wes to hold space and also to lead the group when required. It was a safe environment to have our challenges arise and we could have abandoned the book much earlier – which Wes did (perhaps reluctantly) eventually anyway. To some extent in this instance the book might have got in the way if Wes had persisted. It may not have helped that I had not read the book previous. I found it hard to tune into someone reading a book to me – I tend to need to read text myself if I want to access the meaning – otherwise it can be words drifting past me and not concepts or resonances struck within me. I think there could have been a bit more time spent in group work rather than touring and shopping but it’s a hard balance to strike. Some of the sessions run by Wes were inspired and there were heaps of good tools for me to learn from e.g. my concern for X is…and my wish for him is…It was shame we ran out of time and I was conscious of leaving early which may not have been very useful as we did not have a final night together to conclude as a group.- Murray

• Most certainly. You guys rock and the retreat rocked and it was great! – Andrew

• I went prepared to do more work, in hindsight felt like I’d been let off the hook. Would have liked to do more work on myself – relevance to me. – Tony B

• Yes, a definite positive here – Rick

• Yes – I was very pleased with scope and handling.- Ken Mc

• Yes and more – Griff

• Exceeded them!!! – Denis

• Didn’t have ‘expectations’ as such, if I did have unexplored ones then they were met –Tony W

• Totally – very valuable personally. Probably more so as I had great people around me that I already knew. This may have helped with feeling comfortable sharing my demons from the start. – Dan

• Yes – or exceeded.- Graham

• Yes it did. I came with little expectation and so it exceeded my expectations.- Peter P

• Following my need by Day 2 to revisit and redefine my expectations, yes. – Tony R

• Yes – Tony R

• Yes – Mark

• Exceeded them – Ron

• Yes absolutely, in fact beyond my expectations. I arrived in Bali thinking that I had explored so much about myself. I found through the peacefulness of the retreat, the feeling of again letting go, the wonderful expertise of the facilitation allowed me to open up to new ways of being still with myself. The result was I returned home with a real sense of my purpose again, it was a great opportunity to reconnect with myself again. Roger E

• Exceeded expectations I cant put into words the feeling of knowing I was in a safe place no matter how things went for me. – Mick

What part was most valuable for you?

• The group work sessions and some of the discussions around the seasons and changes in a man’s life. – Andrew

• Working with you two blokes – it was an honour – Tony B

• Group work, a bit of a challenge and I stayed with it – Rick

• There was no pressure to be any way other than myself. I disclosed some parts of my life and myself that I have not shared with anyone before and it gave me an opportunity to be with this part of myself and to really explore and share it with other guys who really knew what I was talking about. There was no shame attached or judgement. The post lunchtime naps at ‘Christa’s House were also pretty special – Brendan

• Best times were at the work space – doing men’s work: listening and sharing our experiences. The dinners were all well chosen and in great tasting venues. – Murray

• Knowing that the support was so readily available from many other men. And getting the sense that I was pretty tuned in and ready to be supportive of others. – Ken Mc

• The Castle without Walls – Athol

• Group Work among other men – Ross

• Group W/shop & role playing – Griff

• The 8 days of pure indulgence to focus on one’s own journey free from distraction from the outside world, in the process, learning more about myself. A rare opportunity to go into another personal space where I could value myself. – Denis

• The individual work done with me by Wes and certainly the symbolism in many of the processes conducted. The sharing with like men. The concerted time with men in similar quandaries in their life. – Peter P

• Just the time away from the rest of my life. The result was a completion of the shift that began end of last year with Benn’s death – and I guess earlier than that with passing of Don – stepping into ‘being it’ when it comes to age/Eldering – Tony W

• ‘Throwing away’ the part of me that I don’t need and which has been holding me back. The way in which this was done with the temple and steps leading down to the spot we threw the items away to the sea was so powerful to me. I can’t express the feelings I had walking down the steps – it was as if finally I was going to be able to get rid of it. – Dan

• Acknowledgement of my normality and the strong male bonding dynamic created. Great learning and growth environment – Jim

• The day of preparation for “letting go “ the things that would hold us back from moving more fully into Elderhood. I thought that sleeping with the package of “stuff” suspended over the bed, and the stones in the bed, were particularly powerful symbols with strong psychic energy. – Graham

• Letting go. – Tony R

• Having the freedom to articulate some of my most guarded issues and having them supported by the group – Mick

• Time spent with Men.- Mark

• The openness of the sharing.-Rick

• The group work sessions – Ron

• I guess the whole experience of the peace at Pondok, being in the company of men really wanting to share real stuff, and the re-introduction to ritual which I miss from my life.–Roger E

Did we provide value for money?

• BEYOND value for money. – Andrew

• Absobloodyrootly. – Tony B

• Yes – Rick

• What? It is hard to place a monetary value on this sort of experience. All the money in the world cannot buy this stuff. Well done and just keep doing it. If blokes really knew how good it was they’d be knocking your doors down – Brendan

• Awesome value for money – great food, accommodation, trips and hosts. Felt very well cared for and well organised. – Murray

• Yes – Ken Mc

• I would consider the fees and air fares combined to be very expensive.  Taking the air fares out of the equation, I would say it is good value for money. – Athol

• Without doubt – Ross

• In my other Executive management role, we would have paid at least $5000 for such a program! Peter L

• Definitely – Griff

• Exceptionally!!!! – Denis

• Yes – Tony W

• Absolutely – worth every cent. The way in which we were taken care of personally by the staff as well as by Geoff & Wes was fantastic. To be cared for like we were and to be made to feel very safe in the midst of a very emotional period of self-work was very comforting. – Dan

• Absolutely, “Yes”!   This only became apparent to me as the course progressed and I realised the many “extras” which were covered by the course fee. – Graham

• Excellent value in every respect – Jim

• Definitely – a great location, well planned, a gentle leading.– Tony R

• Yes. And if you decide to shorten the length of the programme I don’t think the price should change.- Peter P

• Absolutely – Mark

• Yes – Ron

• Yes in fact “the value for money” is a hard question I find it difficult to weigh the value for money against the gift I received. – Roger E