The Buzz - Open Space Generated Projects

2005-08-11T17:01:00.000-07:00

Open Space Notes

FGNA Conference
Purdue , IN
8.03.05

facilitated by Michael Herman mherman@globalchicago.net

Well, this is what happens when you get 100+ feldies (something about 100 monkeys comes to mind*) in a room and give them a day to self-organize their activities around what are their curiosities and passions.

We really didn’t know what to expect, and we were all pleasantly surprised at the level of discussion, inquiry and yes, even some genuine Ingenium ……all in all, we generated 21 distinct conversations over the day, grouped together under 3 main sub-headings. What follows are the actual notes taken in these groups, if any of these ideas grab you, please send me a post or even contact those in the group that are listed…let’s see what can happen now!

-Dwight Pargee

Public Relations & Marketing

2005-08-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

Developing / cultivating relationships w. local press
E-mail, newsletters, press releases, personal contact, sufficient head-time, follow-up, *networking
Develop professional materials that are immediately available (press kit) and articles, brochures
Work with professional P.R. consultants / paid placements
Grass roots efforts, letters to editors. columnists (responding to columns) local radio, t.v., follow-up, follow through
Apply the Method to your own constraints
Develop sound bites - rehearse and practice brevity / common language come for your own / students’ story- rehearse - stay on message - know your audience / listener
Do the work for the media person.
Sophisticated Public Relations / Marketing

Dianne Fecteau / Virginia Picken / Deborah Lotus / Gwendolyn Schwinke / Deborah Elizabeth Lotus / Allegra / DLF
(2 others with illegible letters)

Communicating Our Distinction in the World

2005-08-11T16:59:00.000-07:00

Michael Purcell, Laura McMurray, Jane Ella, Keith Johnson, Bruce Poritzky, Dianne Fecteau, Pat Buchanan, Dave Arneson

broad category----Somatic Education
/
more refined (narrow) category-----------Feldenkrais Method-------communication
accept use of language (S.E.)
(even if “imperfect”)

Next ACTions:

Common category- Somatic Education (work from Broad toward narrow)
Concerted effort to add “Somatic Education to the Yellow Pages
Use term/ phrase “Feldenkrais Method of Somatic Education” often and everywhere (branding)
Web presence for S.E. and therefore FM (strategic synonym use)
-----think Google directory------
Power of a 1000+ people saying the same thing

the 100th monkey
e.g. google, googled it, etc.
the RC PR kit

Communicating our Distinction to the World
Jane Ellen Mathews/ Keith Johnson/ Larry Murray/ Pat Buchanan/ Michael Purcell

Creation of Feldenkrais Tipping Point

2005-08-11T16:58:00.000-07:00

Dwight Pargee

Tipping Internally

Recognizing practitioners who do creative/ nice things in community

Commonality of language and use of brand

Share advertising Successes

Tipping Externally

Creating a buzz personally

“We meet you where you are”- we sell an experience

Building links to connectors

make Feldenkrais a household name

Marketing

media stories

trade shows

white pages

workshop for professions needing CEUs

“product” placement- Tony Soprano’s Feldenkrais “Fix”

Tipping Point Points

What are the components of a “social epidemic” ?
Ideas spread like viruses

social contagions

Three Rules of Epidemics

The Law of the Few

The Stickiness Factor

The Power of Context

Connectors, Mavens, Salesman
The Stickiness Factor: Is it memorable? Can it spur someone to action?
Context- the role groups play (small groups<>
Social channel capacity- social networks
How do we create a Feldenkrais “Tipping Point”?

Dwight Pargee, Dan Luethy, Karen Dold, Irene Gutheridge, Denise Kordie, Rich Goldsand

Gain Greater Awareness for Public through Film

2005-08-11T16:57:00.000-07:00

Thoughts of Bruce—

Get a documentary at Sundance Festival(place where bigger film people are looking for new idea)
Documentary Film makers need ideas & seed money
Moshe’s story is compelling and sexy.

Moshe’ Gump Forrest Feldenkrais.

Create Demand For what we do through Greater Awareness of What We Do, aka Movie about Feldenkrais and work Bruce Puritzky

Journey to Vitality / ATM Chewing / Swallowing Model

2005-08-11T16:56:00.000-07:00

Rosemary Hausherr Phyllis Herman, Osa, Marcia Hutchinson

Group/ Dialogue

Content- choosing to grow authenticity
Intention- ID a dream that lights you up
Personal Authority (Realization)
Self inventory of habits- facts/ judgment
Expanding your expressions of self nourishment (decisions/ choose)
FM- fit- learning/ gentle/ discovery

Phyllis Herman 703/ 522-2619 p.herman25@verizon.net
Mary Lou Tromanhauser 208- 386- 9238 detroman@aol.com
Osajackson@hotmail.com 248-922-9234
Awareness Through Chewing FM- access to health/ well being
Osa / Phyllis Herman/ Rodney/ Mary Lou T./ Jessica Roseman/ Julie Connery/ Anitta

Universal Brand Recognition

2005-08-11T16:55:00.000-07:00

(leaving the Medical Model)
Distinction and appreciation
Tim/ Joan/ Betsy Brainstorm

Allow some compromise- “ok- put me into the yoga section for the cont. ed. brochure.”
Use the word Feldenkrais
Allow other identities to over lay: *music *dance *OT/PT
“Medicine” may mean the wrong thing so use “health” or “developmental medicine”
Using your passion/ Emotional Liveliness to generate words for recognition- (big bang idea! critical mass= tipping point= next big thing)
Being with a person
Gentle, skillful handling
Innovation
Listening/ Input from client
Going with the grain to find the kernel.
Listening and developing a region- specific language from how our client puts “it”!
Truck driver : “What are you touching me there for???!- I said it was my “f-ing knee.” Five sessions later, he uses his language to tell other truck drivers.

Feldenkrais: turn yourself around
Universal Brand Recognition/ Distinction and Loyalty
Betsy Cook/ Tim Sobie

Ordinary People/ Ordinary Places

2005-08-11T16:54:00.000-07:00

Betsy Craig Cook with Matt Evans and Marg Bartosek

Brainstorm:

Public

Read ATM’s just right out.
Teach some FI tools in classes.
Public workshops

Function

Ask participants how they will apply ATM/ FI.
Take them into the functional settings and allow group interaction/ problem solving.

Develop idea of self- authority/ use of dev. of self-image to create trust in the presence of dissenting opinions or value conflicts.

Use this rather than “over-wording” to create interest…

Two Vessels

public the ordinary)> pour out to serve in “the native tongue”
growing body of knowledge> receive from this to develop skill
And they feed each other.

Connecting Ordinary People in Ordinary Places to “the Method”
Betsy Craig Cook

2005-08-11T16:53:00.000-07:00

Feldenkrais Method with Specific Populations

In Theatre
Problem: Not well known, recognized or understood.
Alex. Technique more well known- the two are not mutually exclusive

Opportunities: Connect with their other organizations: ATHE, VASTA conferences- make sure Feld. workshops are offered (or at least proposed)

Connections to other professionals: Linklater, Rodenberg?

Action: Develop list of those of us working in theatre(also singing voice teachers?) Gwendolyn will do this
More concentrated group effort to have workshops at conferences- people on list will do this if they see fit.
How do we grow recognition and develop usefulness of F.M. w/ in the North American Theatre?

Gwendolyn Schwinke/ Anastasi/ unknown initials

FM- growing health and vitality

2005-08-11T16:52:00.000-07:00

Possibility of new relationship to yourself and hiatal hernia (community / agreement / coaching)

What is the pliability of you and your diaphragm
Are you willing to learn new ways to breathe, swallow, bend and twist
Are you willing to be the boss of yourself
Purple pill or ATM on a purple mat
Are you willing to release “suck it up” as a coping response
Are you willing to:

explore laughing/ crying

make room for all responses

community support

kinesthetic comfort (nurture) (Euro vs. N. America models)

Touch as expression of support

FM- Grow your own Vitality/ Health Recovering from Hiatal Hernia #Problem in US Meds
Osa Jackson Schulte/ OSA

2005-08-11T16:51:00.001-07:00

Ideas for within our community

2006: Annual Conference at Omega N.Y.

Convener: Anastasi Siotas
Attendees: Trainee, Carla Rock (Oct. 04), Allegra, Sissel Rhyme
Theme: “Defining Success and Framing the Future”

Trainee only event- social aspect and presentations.
More obvious marketing of conference at training programs

First year graduates

conf.- creates opportunity for these people to meet and enter our community- ‘put faces to names’
Welcome event- general and regional
Panel of opportunity for new grad’s experiences on becoming a practitioner- successes and not.
Distribute or Make known the mission statement for the annual conference
Workshops pertinent to all generations of prax- new 5, 10 and 20 years exp.
Weekend format for public and daily events
Price points for Pre, 1 day, 2 day, and 3 day attendance
Outreach to Omega Staff
Theme-specific tracks for presentations like ATMS (as in past)
Some Folks hate Omega- Don’t feel we are being supported- rural setting marginalizes vs.
Annual Conference 2006 at Omega N.Y.

Rodney/ Allegra/ Anastasi Siotas

Developing ATM that are sports specific

2005-08-11T16:51:00.000-07:00

Moderator- Rich Goldsand

Individual Reference Points
Core Lessons
Make Universal Lesson
Bring ATM into Breaks of Practice
Shorter/ More Relevance
Coop down- simple proximal lessons
Share ATM to specific sports
Share ATM/ per uploading to guild web site
E-mail Eccen- Family Chart of Lessons

Convener: Rich Goldsand/ Irene Gutteridege/ Anastasi Siotas/ Sissel S. Rhyme/ Keith Johnson/ Sue Conley/ Denise Kordie/ Joanie French

Develop ATM’s that are sports specific

How can we have training policy we are happy making and having?

2005-08-11T16:50:00.001-07:00

(The notes below reflect comments of individuals, and not conclusions of the group.)

Vibrant community participation. How?
Embodies what we know as the FM
Consistent with our community values
Easily changed
Easy process, speedy process
Allows for innovation

Challenges

International structure
different needs internationally
policy vs. procedure (having to have governing bodies approve all the details)
more importance given to the training process (accredit training programs) vs. valuing the development of the individual
competency based

Should we have policy programs and if so how can be have training policy we are happy making and having?

This group met throughout the day, with different participants at various times. The following were present for part of the time: Andrea Wiener (convenor), Kathy James, Allegra Heidelinde, Ned Dwelle, George Krutz, Anastasi Siotas, Yvan Joly, Lynette Reid, Ralph Strauch, Gwendolyn Schwinke, Lester Loops, David Webber, Steve Duke, Elinor Silverstein, Phyllis Eveleigh, and a few “butterflies”

Should we have training policy?

2005-08-11T16:50:00.000-07:00

(The notes below reflect comments of individuals, and not conclusions of the group.)

No: Moshe left a legacy of ideas that should be allowed to organically evolve
Need another way to determine how we belong together- as a community

Yes: But not the way we do it NOW

Need a line of transmission of Moshe’s legacy
Policy kept us together / keeps us talking and this keeps method viable
If not the method would have disappeared or disintegrated
But it can over guard/ crush creativity

Yes, if it means a process of reflection, communicate experimentation, learning, articulation of these

Yes, to have a particular way to orient the teachers and trainees.

Facilitate Personal/ Professional Development Through Research

2005-08-11T16:49:00.000-07:00

facilitator : Pat Buchanan
participants: Laura McMurray, Dianne Fecteau, Peter M. Jenkins, Virginia Picken, Deborah Lotus, Ann Harman, Timothy Sobie

History of Research Symp. and what is going on currently (E. Thelen Fon. NCCAM Etc)
Reasons for Research: efficacy question

underlying mechanism being better understood to create better practitioners.
Personal intellectual satisfaction (and personal affirmation)
important in Marketing

Action: create resources for us to include:

clearing house for grants
useful web sites
books ect. re: design of research studies (basic research 101)
Guides for standardized tests

Guide/ examples etc. for documentation and case studies.

Facilitate professional and personal development thru research

Pat Buchanan/ DCF/ Anastasi/ Deborah Elizabeth Lotus/ Lyeka _/one unidentified initials

Continued Learning

2005-08-11T16:48:00.000-07:00

Embedded in Training

Structure of Relationships between Trainees/ Pracs. in Area. (Establish Culture)
Key: Become Part of Training Plan

Community of Pracs of multiple levels interacting/ sharing.

To establish a Learning Culture
Key - Training Initiates the loop between Training/ Community/ Learning Culture

TAB Required???.....or Community Initiated!

Continue Learning after Trainings
David Webber/ Julie Connery- Smith/ L.A.

Support for and the contribution of the elders in the community

2005-08-11T16:45:00.000-07:00

Note: this went in two directions
Mary Lou Tromanhauser

Issue: How to enable full participation of people of all ages and abilities both within our practitioner community and in our classes.
convener: Mary Lou Tromanhauser
Participants: Marg Bartosek, Liz McNab, Ann Guhman, Martha Gramss

Summary: Our Feldenkrais community is getting older (as is society) and we need to encourage adaptations in ATM to enable everyone to feel included. Teachers need specific info and strategies to help students protect themselves from injury (e.g. osteoporosis, jt. replacement).

Next steps: Future conference workshop- parallel lessons, articles etc.

Issue: Keeping and passing on the Feld. community “family history”
convener: Mary Lou T
Participants: See list

Summary: Frequently stories are an important way we learn. Newer pract. feel part of the family thru the stories. And we don’t want to lose the stories of Moshe, early trainers and trainings.

Community supporting growing Trainers & AT future

2005-08-11T16:44:00.000-07:00

Alternate Sites
Map educational Plan (Practitioner/ AT/T Development Academy)

Training programs
Training criteria (1-15/ vs. 1-30)

Guided study groups

Mentor groups (Low fee clinic)
Give FIs at Trainings -$ extra
Trainer/ AT Re- Certification
European Model- Roger Russell

I. AT/ TR Academy
(see if learn/ Guy)
*competency manuals
OSA> Academy to grow content competency

Irene Gutteridge Whistler, BC 604-932-1224
Leslie Schwatzma/ Susan Conley Peoria/ Kathy James

Community Support

2005-08-11T16:40:00.000-07:00

Convener: Robin Eisen
Participants: Daniel DeLorenzo, Martha Gramss, Paulette Dolin, Robin Sterling, Julie Connery-Smith, Phyllis Herman, Leslie Schwartzman, Petra Riedel- Williams, Myra Ping, Soewn- Doh, Anastasi Siotas

Summary: We need a multilevel approach to foster a culture of community support, student- practitioner and practitioner- practitioner, that begins within a training program.

Graduation should be seen as a transition into the wider community. Structures currently in place can provide some support to this approach:

The Guild can revise grad packets to reflect these values
Each regional structure might help organize encounters among students, new graduates, and practitioners, or serve as a resource for local peer groups organizing FI clinics.
Training programs can foster relationships between practitioners and their students.
Community Support for New graduates as well as experiences practitioners

Robin Eisen
Anastasi/ Phyllis Herman/ SMR/ DD/ Petra/ Leslie S. / Jac-S

Inherent Contradiction Between empowering personal responsibility and idolizing Moshe

2005-08-11T16:30:00.000-07:00

Ralph Strauch - suggester
Participants- Dianne Fecteau, Ann Harman, Laura McMurray, Matt Evans, Yvan Joly, Lester Loops, Sissel Rhyme, Denise Deig, Marilynn Anderson, Michael Purcess

Is an inherent contradiction with no clear solution so it must be managed

Guru model (cult) is one problem. Moshe as icon leads to abdicating responsibility
Idolizing M.F. devalues his works
Important to see ourselves as part of a larger field with unique generative principals.
Problem of identifying and transmitting those principals without being able to fully articulate them.
Differences between first generation and later practitioners (Indirect experience with Moshe)

Later practitioners expected to learn from the modeling without enough explicit instruction (some aspects)

Training process needs rethinking
Imitation vs. Building on Foundation

No clear distinction

Is ATM process or a recorded body of work
Is mechanism for determining the FM

See an inherent conflict....
Ralph Strauck/ Larry

Zero sum and generative thinking

2005-08-11T16:20:00.000-07:00

George Krutz, Tom Landini, Pat Buchanan, Diane Arneson, Nancy Agnew, Denise Kordie, Elinor Silverstein, Keith Johnson, Lester Loops, Ryan Nagy, Liz McNab, Phyllis Herman, Anastasi Siotas, Deborah Lotus

When your ideas get too widely disseminated, have a new idea.
“I help people learn to get out of their own way.”
Does the size of our pie stay fixed?
Is short term gain anti- thetical to long term integrity

Zero sum vs. Generative Thinking
George Krutz/ Kathy James/ Kathy Johnson/ Phyllis Herman/ Pat Buchanan/ Richard Elazubelle Cotue

Volunteering Within the Feldenkrais Community

2005-08-11T16:10:00.000-07:00

Possibilities: “Dating Service” to match volunteers with jobs

staffed position?
computer data base?

Carla Rock
My Passion: Finding where I can direct my abilities in the larger Feldenkrais community
Carla Rock / Allegra

* Footnote: Infinite Monkey Theorem

2005-08-11T16:00:00.000-07:00

According to the second Borel-Cantelli lemma, given enough time, a chimpanzee like this one typing at random will eventually type out a copy of one of Shakespeare's plays.

The infinite monkey theorem1 states that a monkey hitting keys at random on a typewriter keyboard will almost surely (i.e. with probability equal to 1) eventually type every book in France's Bibliothèque nationale de France (National Library). In the restatement of the theorem most popular among English speakers, the monkeys eventually type out the collected works of William Shakespeare; others replace the National Library with the British Museum or the Library of Congress.

The name is a popular misnomer for an idea from Émile Borel's book on probability, published in 1909, which introduced the concept of "dactylographic2 monkeys". These "monkeys" are not actual monkeys, and need not behave like real monkeys; rather, they are a memorable metaphor for an abstract machine that produces a random sequence of letters.

A popular statement of the theorem is that an infinite number of monkeys typing for an infinite amount of time will produce a given text. To insist on both infinities, however, is excessive. A single immortal monkey who executes infinitely many keystrokes will eventually type out any given text, and an infinite number of monkeys will begin producing all possible texts immediately, with no wait. In fact, in both cases, the text will be produced an infinite number of times.

Infinite monkey experiments
"The Monkey Shakespeare Simulator" website, launched on July 1, 2003, contains a Java applet that simulates a large population of monkeys typing randomly, with the stated intention of seeing how long it takes the virtual monkeys to produce a complete Shakespearean play from beginning to end. As of January 3, 2005, matches as long as 24 consecutive letters, four words have been recorded ("RUMOUR. Open your ears; 9r"5j5&?OWTY Z0d "B-nEoF.vjSqj[..." from Henry VI, part 2). Due to processing power limitations, the program uses a probabilistic model (by using a random number generator) instead of actually generating random text and comparing it to Shakespeare. When the simulator "detects a match" (that is, the RNG generates a certain value or a value within a certain range), the simulator simulates the match by generating matched text.

In 2003, scientists at Paignton Zoo and the University of Plymouth, in Devon in England reported that they had left a computer keyboard in the enclosure of six Sulawesi Crested Macaques for a month; not only did the monkeys produce nothing but five pages (PDF) consisting largely of the letter S, they started by attacking the keyboard with a stone, and continued by urinating and defecating on it.

The 100th Monkey
A story about social change.

By Ken Keyes Jr.

The Japanese monkey, Macaca Fuscata, had been observed in the wild for a period of over 30 years.

In 1952, on the island of Koshima, scientists were providing monkeys with sweet potatoes dropped in the sand. The monkey liked the taste of the raw sweet potatoes, but they found the dirt unpleasant.

An 18-month-old female named Imo found she could solve the problem by washing the potatoes in a nearby stream. She taught this trick to her mother. Her playmates also learned this new way and they taught their mothers too.

This cultural innovation was gradually picked up by various monkeys before the eyes of the scientists. Between 1952 and 1958 all the young monkeys learned to wash the sandy sweet potatoes to make them more palatable. Only the adults who imitated their children learned this social improvement. Other adults kept eating the dirty sweet potatoes.

Then something startling took place. In the autumn of 1958, a certain number of Koshima monkeys were washing sweet potatoes -- the exact number is not known. Let us suppose that when the sun rose one morning there were 99 monkeys on Koshima Island who had learned to wash their sweet potatoes. Let's further suppose that later that morning, the hundredth monkey learned to wash potatoes.

THEN IT HAPPENED!

By that evening almost everyone in the tribe was washing sweet potatoes before eating them. The added energy of this hundredth monkey somehow created an ideological breakthrough!

But notice: A most surprising thing observed by these scientists was that the habit of washing sweet potatoes then jumped over the sea...Colonies of monkeys on other islands and the mainland troop of monkeys at Takasakiyama began washing their sweet potatoes.

Thus, when a certain critical number achieves an awareness, this new awareness may be communicated from mind to mind.

Although the exact number may vary, this Hundredth Monkey Phenomenon means that when only a limited number of people know of a new way, it may remain the conscious property of these people.

But there is a point at which if only one more person tunes-in to a new awareness, a field is strengthened so that this awareness is picked up by almost everyone!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Hundredth Monkey Revisited
by Elaine Myers

Is there some magic key that provides a short cut to cultural transformation?

THE STORY OF "The Hundredth Monkey" has recently become popular in our culture as a strategy for social change. Lyall Watson first told it in Lifetide (pp147- 148), but its most widely known version is the opening to the book The Hundredth Monkey, by Ken Keyes. (See below.) The story is based on research with monkeys on a northern Japanese Island, and its central idea is that when enough individuals in a population adopt a new idea or behavior, there occurs an ideological breakthrough that allows this new awareness to be communicated directly from mind to mind without the connection of external experience and then all individuals in the population spontaneously adopt it. "It may be that when enough of us hold something to be true, it becomes true for everyone." (Watson, p148)

I found this to be a very appealing and believable idea. The concept of Jung's collective unconscious, and the biologists' morphogenetic fields (IN CONTEXT #6} offer parallel stories that help strengthen this strand of our imaginations. Archetypes, patterns, or fields that are themselves without mass or energy, could shape the individual manifestations of mass and energy. The more widespread these fields are, the greater their influence on the physical level of reality. We sometimes mention the Hundredth Monkey Phenomenon when we need supporting evidence of the possibility of an optimistic scenario for the future, especially a future based on peace instead of war. If enough of us will just think the right thoughts, then suddenly, almost magically, such ideas will become reality.

However, when I went back to the original research reports cited by Watson, I did not find the same story that he tells. Where he claims to have had to improvise details, the research reports are quite precise, and they do not support the "ideological breakthrough" phenomenon. At first I was disappointed; but as I delved deeper into the research I found a growing appreciation for the lessons the real story of these monkeys has for us. Based on what I have learned from the Japan Monkey Center reports in Primates, vol. 2, vol. 5 and vol. 6, here is how the real story seems to have gone.

Up until 1958, Keyes' description follows the research quite closely, although not all the young monkeys in the troop learned to wash the potatoes. By March, 1958, 15 of the 19 young monkeys (aged two to seven years} and 2 of the 11 adults were washing sweet potatoes. Up to this time, the propagation of the innovative behavior was on an individual basis, along family lines and playmate relationships. Most of the young monkeys began to wash the potatoes when they were one to two and a half years old. Males older than 4 years, who had little contact with the young monkeys, did not acquire the behavior.

By 1959, the sweet potato washing was no longer a new behavior to the group. Monkeys that had acquired the behavior as juveniles were growing up and having their own babies. This new generation of babies learned sweet potato washing behavior through the normal cultural pattern of the young imitating their mothers. By January, 1962, almost all the monkeys in the Koshima troop, excepting those adults born before 1950, were observed to be washing their sweet potatoes. If an individual monkey had not started to wash sweet potatoes by the time he was an adult, he was unlikely to learn it later, regardless of how widespread it became among the younger members of the troop.

In the original reports, there was no mention of the group passing a critical threshold that would impart the idea to the entire troop. The older monkeys remained steadfastly ignorant of the new behavior. Likewise, there was no mention of widespread sweet potato washing in other monkey troops. There was mention of occasional sweet potato washing by individual monkeys in other troops, but I think there are other simpler explanations for such occurrences. If there was an Imo in one troop, there could be other Imo-like monkeys in other troops.

Instead of an example of the spontaneous transmission of ideas, I think the story of the Japanese monkeys is a good example of the propagation of a paradigm shift, as in Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. The truly innovative points of view tend to come from those on the edge between youth and adulthood. The older generation continues to cling to the world view they grew up with. The new idea does not become universal until the older generation withdraws from power, and a younger generation matures within the new point of view.

It is also an example of the way that simple innovations can lead to extensive cultural change. By using the water in connection with their food, the Koshima monkeys began to exploit the sea as a resource in their environment. Sweet potato washing led to wheat washing, and then to bathing behavior and swimming, and the utilization of sea plants and animals for food. "Therefore, provisioned monkeys suffered changes in their attitude and value system and were given foundations on which pre-cultural phenomena developed." (M Kawai, Primates, Vol 6, #1, 1965).

What does this say about morphogenetic fields, and the collective unconscious? Not very much, but the "ideological breakthrough" idea is not what Sheldrake's theory of morphogenetic fields would predict anyway. That theory would recognize that the behavior of the older monkeys (not washing) also is a well-established pattern. There may well be a "critical mass" required to shift a new behavior from being a fragile personal idiosyncrasy to being a well-established alternative, but creating a new alternative does not automatically displace older alternatives. It just provides more choices. It is possible that the washing alternative established by the monkeys on Koshima Island did create a morphogenetic field that made it easier for monkeys on other islands to "discover" the same technique, but the actual research neither supports nor denies that idea. It remains for other cultural experiments and experiences to illuminate this question.

What the research does suggest, however, is that holding positive ideas (as important a step as this is) is not sufficient by itself to change the world. We still need direct communication between individuals, we need to translate our ideas into action, and we need to recognize the freedom of choice of those who choose alternatives different from our own.

from: http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC09/Myers.htm