Feature image above published by the Inverloch RSL:
Members of the Inverloch RSL participating in the new
“Ocean /Art Mindfulness” wellbeing program for veterans,
proudly funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Are you a Wonder Worker?
I was chatting with my cousin Jeremy the other day. He is studying a “Master of Disaster” and was telling me about an equation that is used to determine the ripple effects in people’s lives of disasters such as plane crashes. Here’s an example. If 500 people perish in a plane crash, their death affects an average of 260 people who know them personally. This figure can be dived by 1.6 because some of those people know more than one person in the crash. This means the lives of 81,260 people are directly affected by the plane crash disaster. This figure can also be multiplied by 260 then divided by 1.6, because of the ripple effect the disaster has into the lives of people who know the people whose lives were lost in the crash. The new figure is 13,203,125 people who are significantly affected by the disaster that took 500 lives.
The reason I am sharing this is because I would like you to imagine the opposite of disaster. I have pondered on this and am suggesting that “wonder” might be the opposite of disaster. For example, there can be natural disasters, and also natural wonders, as well as human-made disasters, or human-made wonders.
I believe that Creative and Experiential Therapists are “WONDER WORKERS”. As shown in my research, we work with people to create opportunities for people to have experiences of wonder – experiences that are life enhancing because they are enabling, interesting, joyful and meaningful.
Imagine if we used the ripple effect formula to gain some insight into the importance of this work.
Last week, I worked with a group of nine war veterans and their family members. You can see them in the picture above that was published by the Inverloch RSL. These are certainly all people who have been affected by disaster. During our half day “Ocean / Art Wellbeing Program”, we gathered together around a fire in a beautiful outdoor environment by the ocean. We engaged in some gentle mindfulness practices and creative processes. We had the opportunity to kayak on the water with the sun shining and then have an exhilarating cold plunge. We returned to our meeting place together around the fire, to have a nurturing warm drink and reflect on our experiencing. Every single person present reported feeling calmer, more relaxed, more connected to each other, and more joyful – it was WONDER-FULL.
What if, the wonder-full experiences of these nine people had a flow on ripple effect into the lives of 260 people who they know, divided by 1.6, then multiplied again by 260 and divided by 1.6?
The potential reach is a ripple effect of WONDER into the lives of 237,636 people!
Is this a far-fetched idea? Maybe. Maybe not. Now that I live in a small country town, I have a good understanding about the grape vine and how it works. Ideas spread quickly, news travels fast. I know that these nine people will be telling others about their experiences and sharing some of the practices with their loved ones.
Even if the lives that are touched by small wonders don’t quite reach as many as a disaster would, the ripple effect is a powerful and hopeful perspective that can give depth and meaning to the work we do with individuals, groups and communities.
I hope this perspective might help you reflect on the number of lives that have been touched by your own work, and that you might feel energised by the idea of being a WONDER WORKER.
Come and connect with others
who work creative wonders
at the 2024
Creative Mental Health Forum
WE WELCOME
CREATIVE THERAPISTS,
ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
AND EDUCATORS WHO:
want to learn more about creative mental health,
be inspired by holistic and diverse workshops and presenters,
connect with like minded practitioners,
and “refill your well” with time in a beautiful nurturing environment and space for self care.
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