From Isolation to Relation

Depression and anxiety are big burdens to carry, especially if you are trying to do it alone. Healing Well’s “Light in the Darkness” group creates a safe place for people to work through these struggles together.

For Clare, who is a regular participant, the group offers a type of support she can’t get elsewhere. “I’ve struggled with depression for many years and have tried a lot of different things. I came to the group because I was looking for ways to supplement meds and therapy. With a therapist you’re talking about you, and it’s so easy to get involved in your struggles and not see others. But a group brings out more perspectives. It helps me see other people’s struggles and not just my own.”

Doug Inwards, the group facilitator says, “Struggling with depression/anxiety can be incredibly difficult and often a natural and understandable reaction is to feel alone and to then isolate or to feel ashamed and then avoid sharing. Avoiding is a very normal human condition but we all know we end up feeling even more discouraged and hopeless when we do.”

Clare agrees. “I can slip into isolation really easily, and this group helps me stay connected. The longer you stay in a group the more relationships you form, and for me it’s the relationships that help me pull out of myself.”

Part of the value of being in a group is that everyone’s experience is a little different. Doug says, “This group attempts to provide everyone with the opportunity, wherever they are on this journey, to safely share about their struggles without condemnation, to gain insight into how life might be different and to encourage others with similar struggles.”

For Clare, the diversity of experiences is a key part of what makes the group work. “I’m more of a listener. Listening to how other people have worked through their struggles helps me with mine. Somebody will say something and it will tug on me, ‘Oh yeah, I see that.’ And listening to people whose struggles are different from mine has helped broaden my acceptance of other people. For example, I don’t struggle with addiction, but listening to people who were struggling to stay sober was really helpful to me.”

Doug says, “God is at work in all of us in this group, and I find myself learning from each person who is present. When life gets us down we are reminded each week that Jesus is our hope. Don’t we all need to hear that truth? ”

Yes, we all need to hear the truth that Jesus is our hope! Thanks for the reminder, Clare and Doug. If you’re interested in joining Light in the Darkness, learn more here.