A response for those moments when you don’t know what to do
A journey about roles in a systemic play
An Unsolicited Witness: [witnessing] is a person who accidentally enters a relational ecology where one or more persons are hostile/offending to an other.
In life we can all become an ‘unsolicited witness’. When we accidentally pass by, see or hear something, and realise we’ve been dragged into an unwilling situation. What happens next is mostly unpredictable for our conscious mind: We shout, shock, intervene, forget to help, hurry on or freeze and get anxious.
All these behaviors are understandable. Yet, we’d love to have some control!
The phenomenon of bystander behavior raised my interest when I realized it can happen to anyone. In every situation. At coffee corners, elevators, sidewalks, close relationships or family dinners.
I took a deep dive into the theme from an academic perspective. Did field research, read papers, explored profound findings from the sixties and hopped right into the 21st century.
Only one thing I missed: There are very few embodied exercises and applied go-to’s. About how to move. How to respond. How to be seen and acknowledge a unique place in the field. Not as a by-stander, but as an unsolicited witness who is part of the situation.
I decided to create these answers myself. On this website, and in a small online course. The process? That’s on you. Live life. Be kind.
Annette Dölle
I grew up in the North of the Netherlands (Lemmer) in a region called Friesland. The community atmosphere and familiarities in the villages taught me a feeling of belonging. Later on in life I felt the same way in Groningen and Amsterdam: Cities in which you could become part of the whole.
I completed my training as a primary school teacher, followed by studies at two theatre schools in Amsterdam (1999–2004). I also studied drama therapy, counseling and mediation (2004-2006). Because I love studying so much, I attended sociology on the University of Amsterdam (2007-2011).
I worked as a teacher in primary schools (children with special needs) (2000-2006) and secondary schools (2011-2017). I was a behavioral specialist/therapist at a centre for formerly incarcerated young people (leaving custody) (2006-2011).
I have been self-employed since 2012. I guide people, teams and organizations in transitional developments. Alongside this, I organise annual creative community projects for large organizations with complex themes.
Live life. Be kind.