"I feel like a great weight has been lifted from me," said my friend, with a soft smile.

She'd been trying to manage her emotional pain for decades. She'd held it privately, confidentially. Afraid to reveal too many details because it felt shameful. She thought she was responsible for what had happened.

In the end, she didn't even need to say much.

She just needed to open her heart.

The rest was the magic of community. We gave her the space to speak, and listened to her quietly without judgement.

And then we danced the pain away.

This is something I eventually came to realize on my own journey of healing.

The herbs sure helped. The exercises did too. But it wasn't until I was admitted into a shared community, where we were encouraged to speak from the heart, that I realized a significant part of my illness was simply the pain of feeling unheard.

So much goes on in our lives. Comedies and tragedies abound, every single day. But we've become so busy and so isolated, we rarely get the chance to speak about them in depth.

It's hard to take the time to slow down, have a seat, and really listen to one another.

But I'm convinced that this is the medicine we need. It's the medicine all chronic illness sufferers need access to in order to fully heal.

It's the medicine that's been missing.

We had a beautiful time at our Women's Circle gathering yesterday. We will meet again in a month. Come join us!

Image: Franz Stuck, public domain.