dalin
01-22-2009, 04:08 PM
Question: Does NA have an official description of what exactly
constitutes cross-talk?
Answer: No. There is no rule in N.A. against "cross talk" though it
avoided as a matter of strong custom in many areas.
Typically "cross talk" refers to people speaking out of turn,
interrupting someone while they are speaking or giving direct advice
to someone in a meeting. There is a custom in many areas to speak
only from one's own experience and to avoid giving direct advice or
lecturing a group or individual.
How it is accepted and dealt with varies from group to group and
region to region. In some groups members frequently interrupt one
another for joking comments, in other places you might be asked to be
quiet or leave for doing the same. In many places outside The North America the
idea of "cross talk" being detrimental doesn't exist.
The ultimate arbiter of the subject is the individual group which is
free to follow its own customs. What is considered quite proper in
one meeting may cause quite a stir in another, but there is no
rulebook for it.
So the whole idea of "cross talk" came in to NA from outside theraputic
groups. The idea of "cross talk" being discouraged is not evident
in the book but something that started later.
Prohibition of "cross talk" is a common practice in clinical group
therapy and this has perhaps become an influence on N.A. Many people
first encounter this custom in a rehab setting and often have no
reason to consider that it might be different in N.A. which is not
intended to be form of group therapy.
constitutes cross-talk?
Answer: No. There is no rule in N.A. against "cross talk" though it
avoided as a matter of strong custom in many areas.
Typically "cross talk" refers to people speaking out of turn,
interrupting someone while they are speaking or giving direct advice
to someone in a meeting. There is a custom in many areas to speak
only from one's own experience and to avoid giving direct advice or
lecturing a group or individual.
How it is accepted and dealt with varies from group to group and
region to region. In some groups members frequently interrupt one
another for joking comments, in other places you might be asked to be
quiet or leave for doing the same. In many places outside The North America the
idea of "cross talk" being detrimental doesn't exist.
The ultimate arbiter of the subject is the individual group which is
free to follow its own customs. What is considered quite proper in
one meeting may cause quite a stir in another, but there is no
rulebook for it.
So the whole idea of "cross talk" came in to NA from outside theraputic
groups. The idea of "cross talk" being discouraged is not evident
in the book but something that started later.
Prohibition of "cross talk" is a common practice in clinical group
therapy and this has perhaps become an influence on N.A. Many people
first encounter this custom in a rehab setting and often have no
reason to consider that it might be different in N.A. which is not
intended to be form of group therapy.