Linda: Women’s Group Healing – Chesterfield and Surrounding Areas

A safe space for connection and healing without words - for women who feel isolated and alone in their struggle with unresolved trauma from childhood.

An inspiring story about making a positive difference to the wellbeing of others by harnessing your own skills, talents and traumatic life experiences. 

With support and funding from the Feeling Connected Project, Linda progressed from a successful pilot, to create an accessible 6-week low-cost group healing experience for women in Chesterfield and surrounding areas who feel isolated and alone in their struggle with unresolved trauma from childhood.

Through personalised guidance and multiple opportunities to forge positive relationships with others in the Feeling Connected Family, Linda found her voice to speak about her ideas, built momentum and gained the confidence to plan for the future. 

This enabled her to develop her ideas and take action to sustain the significant impact she has made in the lives of her group participants.

Linda not only created a safe space for healing but also a place for connection.  Fuelled by her own past traumatic experience, Linda began her personal mission and set out to harness her talents and skills to improve women’s physical and mental wellbeing and help them feel less alone.

“My passion lies with being a survivor of childhood abuse.  I know the impact such trauma has and how difficult it is to reach out for help.  Not knowing where to turn for support is a real struggle – and even if you do know, it’s about having trust and finding the right fit.

I understand these struggles can make people feel isolated in what they’re having to deal with.”

Linda explained that the adult survivors of childhood abuse that came to her healing group don’t want to talk about the trauma they experienced.  She went on to add that her sessions are not talking therapy; her healing programme is an alternative to that, which makes it accessible. The women who participate are not expressing anything verbally – they are having an unspoken, common experience.

“Connection doesn’t always have to come from talking or making friends”

Before the women take part, they don’t have to disclose anything in terms of their trauma.  In fact, they don’t have to disclose anything at all.  Many participants are referred by a Social Prescriber, who will have already gone through their history. Women can then come to healing non-verbally. The sessions are intentionally small in the calming venue at Eyres Chapel on Newbold Road, Chesterfield. 

The non-disclosure and anonymity aspect of the healing group is what is so important and really helps women feel safe.  It’s a safe space where they don’t feel alone”

Participants have also benefited by

• Experiencing extraordinary healing energy through collective mindfulness and visualisations to heal their individual needs and each other.

  
  

• Harnessing the cumulative improvements to emotional, mental, physical and spiritual well-being and noticing the effects radiating beyond the sessions.

  
  

• Finding connection, togetherness, support and an unspoken understanding from others with lived experiences of abuse or trauma.

Linda shared examples of the powerful impact the connections participants made with each other have made.

For one woman it was “By bringing confidence and ease in connecting with anyone. It has enabled her to express herself openly without fear of ridicule”.

For another, “She will reflect on the times within the group. She shared her experiences of visualisations and was curious about other women’s experiences too. At the last session in the pilot, she made little cakes that were shared with the group”.

And for another it was “By remembering the words and the hugs will stay with her. She has never had so many hugs in such a short space of time. She felt that the other women were going through turmoil, making her feel like she had people around her who understood her difficulties”.

And as one participant said, “I felt connected to other women and recognised I’m helping other women to heal through that connection”

Funding and Support from the Feeling Connected Project

Following the successful pilot, Linda spoke to the Feeling Connected Team again and applied for an additional grant.  She went on to create a 6-week women’s only group healing experience, specifically for women in mid-life who have been abused in childhood. 

“From a practical point of view, I’ve learned about what support is out there. Gina and the team have been really helpful.  Learning that there’s money available and how to apply for it”

With this further funding and tailored guidance from the Feeling Connected Project, Linda was able to continue to volunteer her time and keep the group accessible and low cost.  It also gave Linda the confidence to plan ahead and take the next steps to develop her ideas.

“It’s all added to the momentum of it. It’s helped me going forward. It’s really helped with running costs, especially venue hire and given me confidence to carry on next year”

Getting the right support at the right time has been particularly important to Linda in her journey so far as a community-based volunteer organiser.

The workshops and socials have formed an important part of the ongoing support Linda has received from the Feeling Connected Project, providing multiple opportunities to forge valuable connections with others. 

“It’s been nice to do more than one workshop because I was in different places at different times.  The ongoing support means can have the right conversation at the right time and build the relationships that I need”

Linda has also attended several Feeling Connected Socials, which offer a more informal setting.  These regular and relaxed events are open to the wider Feeling Connected Family, a supportive and inclusive network of people from across the region, all with a passion for local action to reduce loneliness and isolation. 

“The Socials enable me to rediscover people again and have follow up conversations with people I didn’t get chance to connect with before.

There are different venues and different people come to each one, which allows the opportunity to meet someone who can help with an idea. We can open up or share information or I just help build confidence for others”

 The opportunities to connect face to face has been particularly valuable to Linda, whether that’s a conversation about collaboration, taking a referral or helping to answer questions.

“I prefer in-person and the energy vibe I get matters.  I pick up on that by meeting people, so talking to people at a workshop or a social helps to forge positive relationships”

And Linda appreciates the communication from the Feeling Connected Team too

“We get useful emails letting us know about what’s coming up, raising awareness of the support that’s out there and planting seeds.  I’ve already recommended Feeling Connected to others who are thinking of setting up their own group”

But its more than an email – it’s accessible and it’s about forging positive relationships.  You help people be part of Derbyshire Voluntary Action and Feeling Connected rather than just sending an email”.

The workshops and socials have also had a significant impact for Linda in terms of having the confidence to bringing her ideas to life, take action and invite people to join her healing programme.

“What I offer is not the norm – being able to practice speaking about it in a place where it is accepted, listened to and encouraged has really helped.  I’ve found my voice to speak confidently about my idea and from that I can take major action.

It’s ok having an idea but to actually speak to people about it, that used to be harder than it is now. 

 The whole concept of Feeling Connected makes it feel doable and accessible. I went from thinking, ‘how do you even take the first steps?’ to making it happen.”