Due to the physical proximity restrictions because of Covid-19, earlier this year my choice very quickly became either waiting out Coronavirus (with all of the unknowns around when there will be enough safety for a group of us to sit just a few feet apart in a room again) or getting creative and adapting to the unforeseen collective trauma we are now in.
As we spent the first few weeks of the shelter-in-place order adjusting to this unfamiliar way of living, I was reminded daily that the resource of connection is essential to health. Cultivating it remains the priority, and the medium used to do so has proven secondary.
In late April, 14 of us shared an evening of grounding through the practices of IP virtually. Trauma’s impact is a dysregulation of one’s experience in a myriad of ways. This experience we are in, can be and has been, particularly triggering for folks with difficult and painful histories. We held together that we were not there to “make this better”, but to be with whatever our experiences are and to invite presence together. I heard from several folks after that evening that it was the first time in many weeks they had felt truly present.
Writing this, I am 3 weeks into facilitating a 6-week adaptation of our traditional 12-week group series. It is a full group, comprised of brave folks like always, seeking connection and resourcing through this difficult time.
Some things are not the same of course, yet so many things still are. Folks are getting to know bits of each others’ stories, and connecting around similar experiences in the world, including for many, months of very limited contact with others. It is a place to be with the grief of how the current environment has narrowed our typical levels of functioning. We are working to hold compassion for the reality of all that is just true right now.
