Today I’d like to highlight some of our programs and the amazing people who facilitate them. The strength of this healing community is the community itself—all the people who participate, lead, and bring warmth to this space. As Alex Kraemer said in his interview with CBS News about our Canopy Conversations program, “When you’re talking to someone that you know is actually listening to you and caring it makes a world of difference and can really set you up for the rest of your day.” We invite you to try out something new and to add your own power and care to this community, both for your own healing and for the resiliency and growth of all. Fabiola Perrone, who has participated in many 10.27 Healing Partnership programs, says, “My favorite thing about participating in the programs is the opportunity to spend time with folks from different generations. The times we’ve shared, whether it is in drum circles or Refaeinu, have allowed me to learn from elders’ experiences, thus broadening my perspective. I’m thankful to the 10.27 Healing Partnership for bringing us together. Healing in community is food for the heart.”
At drum circles we shed some of the stresses, inhibitions, and disconnectedness that we may feel and come together to play with sound! Drum circles are led by Stephanie and Bob Miller who are co-owners of Music for Life. Stephanie Miller, CMP, VAHTP, also works at the JCC as a music specialist for Early Childhood, and she and Bob Miller, MS, MT-BC, integrate music throughout their lives (Bob just won 2nd place in the National Hammered Dulcimer Championship)! In her interview with the Jewish Chronicle, Stephanie Miller says, “We just create a space where people can come and express how they’re feeling in the moment….as trained drum circle facilitators, both Bob and I are there to help, guide and facilitate, but really we’re not telling people what to do. We’re just there to help deepen the experience and get feedback from everyone attending what they want to get out of it. Sometimes people are more in a meditative, relaxing state. Other times [people] need to just let off some steam.” Forest Bathing
We hold our forest bathing program on every Thursday morning in March in collaboration with the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy at the Frick Environmental Center. Facilitators invite us to participate in mindfulness and connecting activities and sharing while taking a gentle stroll through the woods, and we come together at the end for some shared tea and snacks. When we walk in nature with care, it can help us grow in resiliency and heal from old wounds. Being in nature can bring both physical health benefits and greater psychological peace. As participant Deane Root said in our guest column in the Jewish Chronicle, “To be out there in G-d’s medium is wonderful, with the sun and the sky and the animals and plants, and to be in a space where I can just interact with the trees and the grasses and the butterflies and other people in a gentle, humane and thoughtful way.” Refaeinu
Refaeinu is a bimonthly healing circle led by Sara Stock Mayo, a spiritual leader, trained drama therapist, musician, and poet. The space will be open to anyone who seeks to create a community in shared healing rituals, Jewish texts and music, art making, and embodied wellness practices. Cecilia Rothschild, a frequent participant in the program, says: “Last session, we focused on trees in honor of Tu BiShvat. We moved, we shared thoughts about trees, and honored what trees mean to us and to the larger world. Most important for me is that it is a safe environment, and each person can actively participate to his/her own level. It is to Sara’s credit and sensitivity that she honors each person as an individual.”
There are many events in life that can reactivate the experience and impact of past and ongoing trauma – a smell, a picture, a holiday, a trial, or a song. In order to better prepare for such reactivators, this workshop will review the definition of trauma, its impact on a person and all aspects of life, and how to navigate the reactivation in an empowered, compassionate way. There will be conversation, education, varied tips and tricks, and time to ask any important or specific questions you may have with experienced trauma and art therapist Megan Cook, MA, ATR-BC, LPC.
At 9am on March 31st, the 10.27 Healing Partnership, in collaboration with the Jewish Federation and with therapists from the Village Center for Holistic Therapy, invites all community members who are Jewish professionals or staff members of Jewish organizations (including, but not limited to, synagogues, day schools, secular Jewish organizations, religious institutions, JFed and the JCC) to join us in warm community to discuss our experiences.
We recognize that staff of Jewish organizations bear a lot of the emotional weight around fear of antisemitism, complicated feelings about the upcoming April trial, navigating discussions and emotions around the Oct. 27th synagogue shooting, and other difficult topics. These can be especially difficult to navigate while taking care of your own emotions and mental health. Therapists Kristy Weidner and Nicole Gemperle of the Village Center for Holistic Therapy will help to organize an empathetic sharing circle, followed by discussion around commonly held issues and reactivation trauma cues.
Wellness Wednesdays will begin again in May! The 10.27 Healing Partnership hosts a rotating series of wellness practitioners from 6:30pm-8pm on the first Wednesday of the month. Our practitioners include somatic healing, reiki-infused sound bathing, acupuncture, and more. Wellness Wednesdays are about more than just the practitioners—we hope participants will get to know one another, hold meaningful conversations, and build community in our space.
In Solidarity,
MaggieFeinstein Director 10.27 Healing Partnership
