The impulse to share the healing experience — to help others face what we have faced — is built into the human psyche.
As Rachel Naomi Remen puts it,
We heal in community.
Healing circles help us step out of ordinary time into a safe and accepting environment in which we can explore our healing. Together, we explore ways of deepening our capacity to heal, alleviating our suffering, and finding meaning in both challenge and joy.
So for whatever is on your heart today, we invite you to join an online circle. Our circles are small, confidential, and free of charge.
An old proverb reminds us that sharing joy with others doubles that joy and sharing sorrow halves that sorrow. Scientific research is starting to confirm what people have long known to be true: Those with positive social support have fewer heart attacks, live longer, experience less dementia, recover from illness more quickly, and are generally happier. But many don’t have the support they need.
Healing Circles is a non-profit whose vision is to provide positive social support to anyone who asks for it. This takes place in small circles built on a framework that brings out the best in people. It encourages participants to treat one another with kindness and respect, hold one another’s stories in confidence, withhold judgment, and honor one another’s unique path to healing without advising, fixing, or rescuing.
Circle participants work together to explore the best ways to remove obstacles to healing, alleviate suffering, and deepen their capacity to heal. They also access their own inner guidance to determine where the greatest healing—physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual—can occur.
The Healing Circles learning community is growing and includes centers in Canada, the U.S., and Israel with new centers taking root in India, Switzerland, Thailand, and among groups of professionals, such as healthcare professionals and chaplains. Our online global programs are already reaching out across the U.S. and Canada to Europe, Asia, South America, and the Middle East.
The deepest work of a healing circle is
to allow each one of us to be fully and completely ourselves.
Being fully seen and listened to in a circle
has the potential to heal deep hurts,
be it a physical pain or a deep sorrow of the heart.
When we are received by others
who have the capacity to hold our pain
with a loving, non-judgmental acceptance,
we can start to believe that we are whole,
that we have something to give,
that our contribution to life
doesn’t depend on us being healthy
or even being of sound mind.
A circle member can offer a genuine presence
that can be deeply healing and helpful to another person.
… Janie Brown
Executive Director and Co-Founder of Callanish
In profound ways, the global pandemic is teaching us about our need for refuge and deep healing. It’s next to impossible to do this alone. We need the loving accompaniment of others and the experience of how profoundly interdependent we are as human beings. Healing Circles is a safe place to bear witness to it all. And now, we can join circles from anywhere, healing ourselves and our planet.
Healing Circles help us explore ways of deepening our capacity to heal, alleviating our suffering, and finding meaning in both challenge and joy. Healing circles are a safe and supportive space to walk with each other through our experiences. Each circle is a blend of sharing and silence, compassion and curiosity. Agreements ensure acceptance and confidentiality. We honor our own unique paths to healing and respect the choices of others.
You are welcome to join online circles from anywhere in the globe, or to join an online training to learn how to host a circle in your own community.
HeART of Body: A Compassionate Self-Care Practice Circle
It can be transformative to hold our intention of compassionate self-care by engaging in the simple practices of easy movement, breathing, self-massage, and meditation.
With each practice—which encompasses body, heart, and mind—we learn to relax deeply, become more resilient, and shift our lives into better overall health. When we practice in community, we learn from one another, and we feel held. More info
Every Tuesday from January 2 to February 6 at 7:30 am Pacific Time
Look up your time zone or Register
Ubuntu: The Black Women’s Circle of Joy and Light
This healing circle is a sanctuary in which women of African descent come together like ancient threads that intertwine to create a powerful tapestry of support. Our purpose is to cultivate a nurturing environment in which every woman is encouraged to embrace her unique identity and foster self-discovery, acceptance, and inner strength. As we navigate our lives, roles, careers, relationships, and the world, we’ll learn through collective wisdom to emerge into the light, joyful and unbroken. More info
Second and fourth Sundays from January 8 to February 26 at noon Pacific Time
Grieving Together 26: A New Year Circle
The holiday season can be especially difficult for those who have lost a loved one. This single New Year’s circle gives those who are in grief an opportunity to reflect on where they are in their grief journeys as they move into the new year. Newcomers and returners all welcome. More info
Monday, January 22 at 11 am Eastern Standard Time
Look up your time zone or Register
Grieving Together 27: A Six-Session Series
In this series, we hold space for reflection on the loss of loved ones. We follow a thread between a set of themes, so we invite you to join us for the whole series if possible. Newcomers and returners are welcome. More info
Every Wednesday from February 7 to March 13 at 2 PM Eastern Standard Time
Look up your time zone or Register
Als Eltern sehnen wir uns oft nach authentischem Austausch. Gerade in der Anfangszeit ist jedoch häufig wenig Raum, in dem sich Eltern offen und ungestört begegnen können. Dieser Circle richtet sich an Eltern mit Kindern bis zu 5 Jahren. Wichtig ist, dass in diesem Raum keine Tipps und Ratschläge gegeben werden. Wir halten füreinander den Raum und hören mit einem offenem Herzen zu.Wir treffen uns auf Zoom. Mach es dir gerne gemütlich mit einem heißen Getränk, einer Kerze und einer kuscheligen Decke. Beide Elternteile, sowohl Alleinerziehende mit kleinen Kindern sind willkommen. Mehr info
Jeden Mittwoch von 20 bis 22 Uhr Europäische Zentralzeit
Leben mit Krebs: Zusammen heilen
Wir treffen uns im Healing Circle, um Erfahrungen nach einer Krebsdiagnose oder der eines Angehörigen zu teilen. Sorgen und Hoffnungen, Erlebnisse, die uns bedrücken oder Mut machen, alles, was uns beschäftigt, kann Platz finden. Mehr Info
Jeden 1. und 3. Montag von 18 bis 19:30 Uhr Europäische Zentralzeit
Regional training grad meet-ups
The following gatherings provide an opportunity for HCG training graduates who are located in specific regions to get to know fellow grads and learn how they’re using healing circles. (These gatherings focus on forging regional connections and aren’t an extension of HCG training, supervision, or support.)
- Hello UK Thursday, Feb 1, from 6 to 7 pm GMT Register
- Hello UK Wednesday, May 8, from 6 to 7 pm BST Register
- Hello Europe and Africa, January 4 and March 7 from 6 to 7 pm CET Register for both
- Hello Asian and Oceania February 9 and April 12 from 2 to 3 pm VST Register for both
Petra | Healing Circles Global
[email protected]
Commonweal
P.O. Box 316
Bolinas, CA 94924
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