Marathon groups

Domain III · Humanistic, existential & experiential · George R. Bach, Frederick H. Stoller · 1966

What it is

Group size, leader–member ratio and fees are not stated in the sources used. A workable size is 8–14 members with two co-leaders.

Format

• Format options (name the one you run):
• Group size, leader–member ratio and fees are not stated in the sources used. A workable size is 8–14 members with two co-leaders.

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• How do you and the practitioner understand what is happening, in spiritual or cultural terms? Is that a source of comfort, worry, or both?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• long silences that turn persecutory, and dominant members. Use the leader's limit-setting.
• sub-groups turning into cliques. Working: quieter members bring something back to the large group.
• rote compliance in formula language. Working: the emotional tone becomes more alive and less accusing.
• members using the rules to police each other ('you're breaking the honesty rule'). Bring it back to choice.
• the Stanford finding that intense groups gave peak experiences but lowered self-esteem afterwards. Ask about both.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.