Listening Posts

OPUS Listening Posts offer a way to explore unconscious processes in wider society.

The underlying idea is that, when a group of people gather, they bring what’s going on for them as individuals, and also a reflection of what’s going on in wider society.

This understanding also lies at the heart of social dreaming, where dreams are assumed to have meaning for the wider system as well as for the individual dreamer.

OPUS has developed a pattern of Listening Posts in various parts of the world, and their collated findings appear in Organisational and Social Dynamics. The regular Listening Posts in London take place quarterly, and are usually attended by 15–20 people. The normal format is:

7.00 – 8.00: The sharing of preoccupations and experiences
8.00 – 8.30: Identification of underlying themes and pattern
8.30 – 9.30: Analysis and hypothesis formation
9.30: End

Occasionally there are additional events that expand on this to engage with specific issues — in recent years these have included one looking at reactions to ISIS, and another at reactions to the EU referendum and the election of Donald Trump.