Debrief
Why do we encourage to do a debrief after an action?
Getting Excited:
There is so much happening in actions that often you are not aware of all that is going on. Having a space to hear other people’s stories from the day can be a total treat. It feels great to listen and be heard.
Learning and development:
As the movement continues to grow it is important to learn from achievements and our mistakes, as individuals and part of a team, within the movement and our environments.
Process emotions and experiences:
Protesting can be emotionally challenging and stressful. After periods of heightened adrenaline people may also have a physical or emotional dip which may leave you feeling unable to communicate, exhausted and experiencing negative thoughts. It is a completely normal bodily response, but can feel unpleasant in the moment.
Having a space to share with people can help to deal with these.
Burn-out is a natural response to a need to slow down and process. This can be supported before an action by preparing physically and mentally with guidelines and briefing sessions which allow you to feel ready and to think about what strategies can help you deal with stress in yourself and others. Good debriefing will create the space to process and reflect on that experience of stress.
Affinity Group Post-Action Check-In
● How am I right now?
● What do I need?
● How are we as a group?
● How can I support the health of this group?
Grounding
You can spend a few moments as a group in silence grounding - starting with a couple of deep slow breaths, noticing the contact of feet on the ground, sitting bones on a chair or the floor, a sense of gravity and body being held by the earth beneath you. Offering a little attention to body sensations, temperature, breath, heart-beat.
Find a Safe Space
Find a safe space - this could be at one of the four wellbeing hubs or another suitably calm/safe-enough environment that’s easily accessible. London has many green spaces - A spot under a tree in a park weather permitting. A cafe where you can find a quiet corner.
Internal Check-In
An invitation to notice ‘what am I with right now?’ ‘What do I need?’ It might be helpful to consider a ‘weather-check’ - am I feeling sunny? Stormy? Cloudy? Foggy? Spend a few moments feeling into all that you are with.
Needs
If there are needs shared (a hug, a cup of tea, some time out in a quiet space) that cannot be met at either buddy or AG level, you may wish to seek further support from
XR-Therapists or your local regenerative cultures group.
Sharing/Active Listening
Each person shares in turn what they are with. The invitation is that only one person speaks at a time, others are ‘active listeners’ - offering their full attention to the speaker with kindness, curiosity and care. During this sharing round stay with your own experience and refrain from commenting or talking about what anyone else has shared.
