A Message from our Director
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Dear Friends,
- Dr. Bessel Van der Kolk, considered by many to be the world’s leading trauma expert, expounds upon the critical components of recovery in his 2015 book, The Body Keeps the Score:
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Creating a deeper understanding and appreciation of self;
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Developing skills to maintain calm and focus especially when triggered; and
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Being engaged in community.
This is what we promote at The Healing WELL. Our programming is designed to help participants build capacity and self-awareness so they can better cope with the stress in their lives. It is through relationship that healing and wellness occurs. Thus, in all we do, we seek to forge connections within our community.
I think of “Peter,” who readily said “yes” to Carla as she sought someone to care for her dog while she worked her grave-yard shift. And “Marcus,” who accompanied one of our participants when she was unable to make it back to her room by herself. And "Claude," who affirmed Seline’s writing ability by asking to hear her story a second time. And the simple yet powerful gesture of “Mary Ann,” who comforted a struggling participant by reminding her that they shared the same name.
As this holiday season begins, we re-dedicate ourselves to noting and celebrating the daily occurrences of kindness and support here at The Healing WELL. We are supported by you, too. Thank you for being a part of our community. Please remember our doors are open; come and join us.
Sincerely,
Kathy
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I started going to the
Healing WELL
, because it bothered me to watch people be so self-destructive at the shelter. I needed a break from that. I had never meditated, but it seemed to work. In her introduction, Hatt [the meditation teacher] said, “It’s OK. I messed up too.” So I knew, “OK, she is one of us; she understands how I’m feeling.”
At first I approached meditation very scientifically. I read a lot about breathing techniques. But with Hatt, I would just sit there and, as best as I could, actually meditated. Read Ken’s
Story Behind the Fog
here.
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Kitties in the corner, monkeys shrieking and birds calling, waterfalls and robots... What a boisterous, active and fun Improv session. Thank you so much, Gigi, for leading our community in this session. It’s striking how the very people who were quietly meditating at 9:00 in the morning were running around and laughing at 2:00 in the afternoon!
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Featured Event & Volunteer
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Courage, Hope, and Endurance
a Special Event
with Helen Farkas
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Holocaust survivor, Helen Farkas, will share her story of “Courage, Hope and Endurance” at The Healing WELL on Monday, December 4, from 4:00 - 5:30. To RSVP, please call: 415-500-2099, or email: support@healingwellsf.org.
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Volunteer of the Month: Jaeyon
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"In Meditation, I see the intention and awareness of how to live life—including how I speak in a stressful interaction with a colleague, how I chew food, how I listen to others... In that sense, meditation helps me set (and reset) the tone of my life. Since I started volunteering at The Healing WELL on the first day of the week, I have no more Monday blues!" -Jaeyon
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Chrisitine Rodgers co-facilitates our Poetry Circle. She is recovering from a major surgery, and sent us this Thanksgiving Song. In reflecting on Chris' poem in class, we joined her in celebrating life.
Thanksgiving Song
To be awake and alert –
to be, in fact, alive.
To feel my breath
filling my body –
the magic of oxygen
bringing me everything
I need. To walk,
however slowly, on
my own two feet –
when so many are
confined. The sheer
miracle of moving
about – standing under
the green majesty of
a neighborhood tree –
the morning light
igniting every leaf.
To notice these things
and give thanks.
Christine
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A dear friend and artist donated these small square easels, and participant N painted these heart-shaped flowers during our Friday afternoon art workshop. Talent abounds at The Healing WELL.
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Donations by check, addressed to "The Healing WELL," are also welcome. Please mail them directly to:
The Healing WELL
c/o Community Initiatives
354 Pine Street, Suite 700
San Francisco, CA 94104
ALL DONATIONS ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE.
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The Healing WELL is a fiscally-sponsored project of Community Initiatives
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