Adapted to the Healing of Trauma from its Many Causes
Sharing the Stress, the Pain, the Traumas, the Fatigue–Support Groups for First Responders and Health Care Workers; For Social Justice, Black Lives Matter, the traumas of racism, misogyny, and poverty; For Covid 19 trauma and loss, the difficulties of confinement and abuse
Goal: To Create Sharing Groups–Contexts for Emotional Expression, Relief, Exploration, Coping Strategies through Listening and Interacting with Each Other
Format
Size: 6-10 group members
Leadership: 2 therapists
Duration: 6 weekly sessions, with option to continue–at discretion of therapists to continue their participation; or may continue as a leaderless group.
A Closed Group with members committing to all 6 sessions.
Duration of Sessions: 1 and ½ to 2 hours
No Charge to Participants
KRF Supports
Location: On zoom with participants coming from all corners. Or, Institutional arrangements
Languages: English, Spanish, and others as participants enter the program from different backgrounds; and different countries
Leadership
Psychotherapists, Clergy, others–vetted for experience by the Committee of the Working Group. (Standards to be determined, Experience with groups…Not necessarily licensed in mental health)
Volunteers and We reach out through PR, working group affiliates, the net, invitation, etc.
Support: KRF Funds accumulated through active fundraising for this project.
Proposed Remuneration:
1) Recruitment and Screening of Group Members $50/enrollee.
2) $100 per therapist/session=$600 per group of 6 sessions/therapist.
3) Three month support for Zoom PRO subscription for each therapist. (investigation for insurance potential TBD)
Ongoing Consultation with Core Group of Facilitators– Consultant fees TBD
Leaders have the responsibility for forming group composition attending to balance between expressive and quiet members.
Leaders may have a member leave the group if there is significant disruption of the group’s process.
These are not psychotherapy groups though great self understanding will occur. Leaders are facilitators.
Suggested Group Process
Essential rules for group safety and cohesion
Stay for duration of group
No violence or destruction of property in personal settings
No interruption
Agree to follow leaders’ instructions involving sharing and interaction
Courteous, awakened speech in interaction
Refrain from telling, blaming, proselytizing, and blocking
Commitment to active listening
Members are encouraged to take accountability for their own experiences and reactions
Begin and end with 5 minute guided meditations–breath focus to begin sessions
Tenets of indras net groups–shared at the beginning of each meeting as feelings
The essence of our being is love and compassion
Health and wellness are supported by inner peace and loving kindness towards ourselves and others.
Healing is supported by expressing and letting go of fear.
We are able to put our traumas in the past and live our lives in the here and now–informed by what we have experienced and learned.
We are students and teachers to each other.
We can experience our prejudices and judgements, examine them and put them aside.
We can practice responsibility for our actions and forgiveness.
We can recognize differences between each of us and practice tolerance.
We all suffer and we can reduce and alleviate that suffering.
We can choose to follow the path of sharing, love and connection.
In-group procedures
We begin with a person by person sharing–listening and not cross-talking. Moderator: everyone has up to 5 minutes for sharing.
At the conclusion of the sharing, leaders open the group for interaction
Leaders conclude the meeting–summarizing, setting the stage for the next meeting, handling any residuals.
End with a guided meditation.
Procedures For Forming The Group
Initiation of contact—in person or zoom
phone intake: screening and inclusion/exclusion
send intake and informed consent
assessments and screening tools- tbd–minimized in number–in discussion
well being assessment before and after–could be only one
And/or/or not:
posttraumatic growth inventory (ptgi)
pcl
ham-anxiety
phq-9?
bdi
and initial evaluative measures such as the ace and the resilience.
Phone intake session 15-30 minutes. Leaders discuss and form the group
Evaluation at termination: follow-up measures tbd
What Indra’s Net Participants are Saying
This experience felt like a timely antidote to the isolation so many of us experienced during the height of the pandemic. Meeting together, in the formation of a healing circle, was like an anchor in turbulent waters. Being with others in this way was so meaningful and helped me to digest a lot of what was going on in my life at that time. I cherish the experience to this day.
-Jacob
A perquisite to healing is safety, and safety is established through connection. While participating in Indra’s Net, I felt seen and heard in a way that brought deep healing during a challenging time.
-Daniel
Melissa believes in the power of community and collective sacred dreaming. She is honored to be part of the Indra’s Neta community and the ongoing reciprocity of sharing, giving and receiving.
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