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 "Bridging Ritual" designed by Hedy Schleifer.  

 

 

 

The Ritual of Bridging:

  • Sit across from each other, with one partner's knees on the inside, touching the chair of the other partner

  • Sit quietly, and breathe, and hold hands, and make soft eye contact, and just sit across from each other for an eternal "moment."

  • With your eyes, warmly express gratitude for this moment in time, for being alive, for having a wonderful family, for the abundance of life...

  • The "Host" makes the invitation by saying: "I am inviting you to cross the bridge and come to me. I would like to take your hands and visit a neighborhood in my world."

  • The "Visitor" says: "Thank you for the invitation" as if it is an invitation that just arrived in the mail. And then says: "I accept!"

  • The "Visitor" consciously and deliberately crosses the bridge of their imagination, one step at a time, knowing that, as they walk towards their partner, their own world is getting smaller and smaller and disappears in the distance.

  • When the "Visitor" senses that they are now fully present with their partner, in the "here and now," available, curious, and open hearted, they say: "I am here with you and I am ready to hear you."

  • The "Host" speaks in one essential sentence at a time.

  • The "Visitor" listens attentively, knowing that they are learning the language of their partner and allows the words to penetrate

  • After a pause the "Visitor" says: "I hear you say.......Have I got you?"

  • The "Host" says either "Yes" or "Yes, almost" or "Yes, but let me clarify"

  • When the "Host" feels complete, and feels nourished by the encounter, they say: "I feel complete"

  • The "Visitor" then essentializes by saying: "Let me see if I have got the essence of what you told me. I heard you say....... Have I got the essence?"

  • The "Host" says; "Yes, you've got the essence" or "Yes you've almost got the essence, and I also want you to hear....."

  • If there is an addition to the essence, the "Visitor" repeats it and then asks: "Have I got the essence?"

  • The Visit ends with mutual appreciation of both partners: "What I most appreciate about you during this visit is......" which is repeated by both partners.

  • Remain sitting, holding hands and looking at each other to get a sense of the climate in the space-between and describe some qualities of the space-between

  • Thank each other for the visit 

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