Sanctuary
"All things aspire to weightlessness, some place beyond the lip of language, Some silence, some zone of grace."
-Charles Wright
Sanctuary is a safe space for therapeutic conversation, art and healing geared towards those suffering from fresh trauma, grief, loss or merely needing connection.
Grief is a process. It takes its time and dissipates in waves. Grief needs witness and consistency. It needs patience and non judgemental presence. Grief needs space.
Most of us carrying trauma or grief are debilitated in our daily lives, and it is extremely hard to behave normally around others. Grief requires witness, validation and a safe place to comfortably feel through the emotion, sometimes with assistance or tools.
When it is fresh, grief eats at you from the inside out. Untended, it can start to manifest as physical symptoms in our bodies, suppressing your immune system and impairing sleep at the very least, and causing chronic health issues in the long term.
Moreover, it takes a toll on one to pretend to be functional and positive for the benefit of the rest of the world. It can drive you to the point of exhaustion. Pretending to be okay when you're barely holding yourself together is overwhelming. We don’t have the freedom to be ourselves in grief, therefore we are forced to be inauthentic- we are not allowed to unabashedly feel what we feel and encouraged to 'get over it'. We constantly feel the need to glaze over, doctor or overexplain ourselves. We are constantly reminded to be happy. To smile. To forget. Even if we don’t feel like it inside.
Loneliness is the scourge of our times. Our fascination with technology & urbanisation, disconnect with nature and nuclear lifestyles have led to a global epidemic of loneliness. Loneliness is as toxic to us as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, and is said to lead to cognitive decline.
The current share of people living alone is unprecedented in history. 1 in 3 people are lonely today. While we are more connected with social media virtually, but the opposite is true in reality. We are lonelier than ever, and depression and anxiety are commonplace. Recent immigration to a new country adds another layer to the disconnect. One can suffer from large scale alienation within a new culture unless proactive in making connections.
50% people in Paris and 60% people in Stockholm live alone, and 1 person households in the UK has almost doubled since the 1960s to 31%. In the first world, close to 75% of the aging population lives alone, and many haven't spoken to a friend or relative in over a month.
In the busyness of urban life, it is common for us to feel alone and unheard. The average number of people with NO close friends has tripled to become the most common state. In such a state, it is common to seek connection. In striving to be independent, we forgot to be interdependent. We are all anthropologically meant to exist in tribes. Our very survival depends on it. We yearn for community, for empathy, for connection. We want to exchange stories, ideas and opinions. we all want to have a voice.
Sanctuary is a space where compassion, empathy and creativity come together to help resolve grief, trauma and depression, or simply to facilitate connection. There is no advice or judgement, but only presence. It is a place where you will be seen and heard unhindered. Whether reconciling with a lost job or divorce, single parenting or postpartum, bereavement or being caregiver to a terminal loved one, or simply dealing with the alienation of a recent immigration, there is a place for you here.
There is a poignant connection between art and being able to access your innermost feelings. We utilise art therapy if needed, in order to acquaint you with yourself mindfully.
Sanctuary operates one on one, or in a small group. We employ a combination of counselling, mindfulness exercises, therapeutic storytelling, art therapy, and energy work for healing and self-empowerment.