The first paragraph of this post is a little misleading. I'm not sure why that is. De-railed by various circumstances. Looking for another track to jump on. Self-scrutiny as a stated purpose seems to have a negligibly positive effect on the group process itself.
Study inevitably interrupts the flow of action.
From the standpoint of unimpeded flow of list 'action', group self-study will always be an 'interruption'. From the standpoint of learning, both study and action are needed, and work especially well when they are mixed. I can't be sure from the context what would count for Sarah as a positive effect, or a non-negligibly positive one. I count learning, and believe our group self-study has added greatly to our opportunities for learning on ND, especially about our unconscious processes. Making and sharing discoveries about something of mutual interest is always exciting and fun.