More than 250 people came from more than 30 countries for the 2011 WorldWork International Conference, held this week in Denver.
The conference focused on conflict resolution using the deep-democracy technique pioneered by Arny and Amy Mindell in the 1980s. The issues addressed this week included immigration, racism, the Israel-Palestine conflict, the Japanese disaster and energy politics.
“It’s like problem-solving on the spot,” said Waynelle Wilder of Denver, who first learned the deep-democracy technique in 1983 from the Mindells, who also participated in the conference.
Arny Mindell, a physicist and Jungian analyst, coined the deep-democracy term officially in 1988. Its use in conflict resolution involves listening to all voices in the conflict — those of the majority and of those who are marginalized.
“You take in all voices around the particular issue, and get a deep sense of how connected they are beneath the conflict,” said Joan Edmunds of Denver, who attended the conference for the first time. “It creates a shift in your position on major issues.”
The technique helps ordinary people learn to navigate such sudden conflicts as an unexpectedly fierce dinner-table argument over the Israeli-Palestine conflict.
“It’s about resolving conflict both internally and in the world,” Edmunds said. “It uses emotions, feelings and honesty to look at world issues.”
At the conference, a Palestinian man was able to talk deeply with several Israelis.
“They were able to dialogue in a very deep way about their pain and trauma around these issues,” Wilder said. “They ended up with a very emotional resolution around their new friendship, and will take that back to their home countries.”
Colleen O’Connor: 303-954-1083 or coconnor@denverpost.com
