ABSTRACT
Sailing and rowing strongly have much in common. The group in both of these modes is travelling into deeper waters and exploring challenging territories. Every group adapts the traditional version to its own unique voice, but the chorus is fairly consistent. In any group that meets regularly, as the PD group does, these fragments join together to form another unique group. Under the surface of the PD group lies the shared, collective emotional environment. Group analytic theory has a concept called “contagion”, which describes a situation in which members “catch” emotions from each other like a virus. Being able to reflect upon what is happening as a group, as well as what is happening as a member, will provide the energy and understanding to drive the boat forwards. The conversation passes from member to member around the group, and the presence of facilitator seems almost an irrelevance.
