Read to Heal: Book Club
About three months ago, Mamatha Pendyala and I decided to experiment with an idea that was very close to our hearts. We have always loved reading and loved discussing them for hours! having facilitated bibliotherapy groups before, we wanted to build something gentle and intentional, a space we called ‘𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥’.
True to form, I was the skeptic in the room. I said,
“𝘓𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘯𝘰 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, there is no dearth for safe spaces.” I am a realist, and I firmly don’t think I should re-invent anything that exists beautifully. Thankfully, Mamatha finds a way to push me to test my skepticism. We decided to give this venture a try and also chose to keep it paid; this group helps support some of our pro bono work at Being Balanced and is therefore very close to my heart. And so it happened, Readers gathered, shared stories, found comfort and in the quiet of those moments, healing happened, and my skepticism began to fade.
And so, we began with 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐃𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐥 𝐑𝐮𝐢𝐳. Everyone in our group was so taken by The Four Agreements—in days following the sessions, we started noticing that we worried less, questioned our assumptions more, felt liberated suddenly from the need to accept labels gifted to us. My usual mantra, “Let’s not personalise, opinions are not facts,” became a grounding quote for a few of us on the harder days. It’s one thing to believe and other to see the magic you believe unfold in the lives of others.
But it was when we began reading ‘𝐌𝐚𝐧’𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠’ 𝐛𝐲 𝐕𝐢𝐤𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐥 that I truly realised how powerful this space had become. People joined from hospital beds, from blackout zones in the midst of war tensions. One person, stuck at a life crossroads, messaged us to say the session helped them pause and reflect. Someone else wrote, “We couldn’t have chosen a better book during this war tension, we need to ask what life wants from us, not what we want from life.”
These moments, what I call humbling experiences, leave me teary. The skeptic in me had no idea when we started this experiment that it would heal us. Just like reading has always healed me held me, anchored me through life’s toughest chapters.
As we step into a new month, we are choosing 𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐁 𝐛𝐲 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐥 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐝𝐚𝐦 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭, a book about courage, resilience, and building life around what remains. We are opening this space to those who would like to join us in the journey of Reading to Heal. (Yes, I am formally announcing it!!!!)
If it speaks to you, hop on. We promise you a space to reflect, connect, and heal. DM me or Mamatha Pendyala for details.
You can also visit our page to read more https://lnkd.in/guTKb4rM and join