Martin Snoddon uses Clean in his post-conflict reconciliation work in some of the world’s toughest hot-spots - Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Serbia.

He said: “The darkness of the violence that engulfed Belfast and surrounding districts has been reported in the media for many, many years.  The legacy of that violence is something that we have been wrestling with for many years also.

“Since training in Clean last year (2005) I have applied Clean Language in many contexts. Let me give you some examples.

“Facilitating a group of angry residents immediately after serious rioting on their streets, the Clean approach allowed them to explore their issues, offloading their emotions. Initially the group were stuck in an angry state, but as the anger abated I was able to move them through to what they would like to have happen, and what needed to happen for that to happen. I worked with this group for 6 sessions that culminated with a strategic plan based on what they would like to have happen.

“Another group that have benefited from a Clean approach has been a group of ex-combatants, both military (British Army) and paramilitary (Republican and Loyalist).  I have found that asking Clean questions has contributed to developing trust to explore more contentious issues.

“My ongoing work with those victims of the Northern Ireland conflict who have lost loved ones has been ‘Cleaned up’, and it has also been my pleasure to introduce Clean thinking into mediation contexts, particularly during the story telling phase. 

“Helping people to communicate their thoughts and feelings through the ‘Clean’ process so that they receive acknowledgement has been a tremendous asset.”

This entry was posted on Thursday 7 August 2008 and is filed under Applications of Clean.

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