Ingelin Rössland interviewed by Thor Udenæs
at Acem’s communication course

Ingelin RøsslandThe landscape of Ingelin Rössland’s childhood was a farm on the west coast of Norway, with cows, sheep, a cat, a dog, and a large family. Now she lives in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, where she works as an author, translator and journalist. She is 35 years old and still has the eagerness to learn that she developed as a child. This year she came to the Acem communication course to explore possibilities for personal growth.

When asked about important experiences from her early life, she points to one that made her into a committed reader and writer: “The time spent reading at my grandmother’s kitchen table.” She has written a number of novels about finding one’s place in a chaotic world.

Ingelin RøsslandFree to express myself
What was it like to participate in the communication course?

“So much experience, competence and care lies behind this course! It is well structured, and I always felt secure. It was good to be able to show some of my less perfect sides. Everybody is there to work with themselves. I felt free to express myself, without holding back. It was a bit difficult at the beginning, but I left the course with a strong and positive impression.”

Ingelin’s most important experience was getting to know her fellow participants. She found it a remarkably interesting group, and learned a lot from all the other members.

Ingelin RösslandTriggered by others
“Encounters with others are also encounters with yourself. It is always interesting to see what others trigger in you. What I find irritating in somebody else often reflects a part of me that I can’t come to terms with. The communication group made this exceptionally clear.”

Powerful energy
What new insights came to you during the course?

“I got in close contact with a powerful energy in myself. This energy is very positive when I use it to good purpose, but if not it may also have negative effects. Since the course, it has always remained present in my meditations. I now know how to determine the direction of this energy so that it doesn’t cause any harm. That feels good.” Ingelin adds a little saying for us to ponder: “It’s better to ride the horse than to be stuck with one foot in the stirrup!”

The communication course has made her more reflective: “I have learned that it may be good to take a moment before I act or speak, in order to ask myself: ‘What is it in me that makes me respond to you in this way?’”

Anything more you want to add?

“The vegetarian food at Halvorsbøle is just fantastic!”

Translated by Anne Grete Hersoug

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