Epiphanies

  • What, from previous sessions, has come back around to speak to you?
  • Which of the homework exercises have had an unexpected impact on your outlook?
  • Where is this path leading you?

Permissions

  • You are invited to engage at whatever distance feels right today
  • You are not required to speak, share, or explain anything
  • Noticing is enough — meaning can come later
  • Silence, confusion, and resistance are valid participation
  • Take what is useful and leave the rest
  • The Questions for Discernment and Homework are optional and meant to serve you, not pressure you. Do as much or as little as feels right.

Video Presentation

https://www.ted.com/talks/shane_koyczan_to_this_day_for_the_bullied_and_beautiful

https://www.ted.com/talks/stacey_kramer_the_best_gift_i_ever_survived

Questions for Discernment

  • What does brokenness mean to you beyond pain or recovery? How does being broken relate to compassion and connection?
  • In what ways have you found meaning alongside pain, without needing to call the pain a ‘gift’?

Homework Exercises

  • Journal about the most formative challenge you’ve faced and what you learned about empathy or resilience without sharing specific traumatic details.

  • Reflect on how brokenness has shaped your capacity for compassion.

  • Create a ‘spiritual chart’ of your life to date. When has your spirit been on a high? When has it been low? Label the highs and lows with what events were happening in your life at that time.

Side Trails

https://www.ted.com/talks/kitra_cahana_my_father_locked_in_his_body_but_soaring_free