How women’s healing circles support well-being in a safe and gentle space without judgment
- Women’s healing circles are a time-tested method of wellness that offer participants a safe group space to connect, share, reflect and empower each other
- While some sessions are cathartic, others can get intense as women are encouraged to flush out bottled-up feelings, which triggers healing
Women’s healing circles are sprouting up everywhere. Also called “lean-in circles”, “sacred womb collectives” or “support sororities”, these sisterhood gatherings offer women a safe and inclusive space to connect, share, reflect and empower each other.
Meeting regularly in groups helps people connect through shared experiences, experts say. Peer mentorship, skill-building and inspiration are other motives.
The concept is not a new one. In ancient cultures, women gathered in groups to talk and pass down knowledge to the next generation. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco), oral traditions are an intangible cultural heritage and play a pivotal role in keeping cultures alive.
Today an increasing number of women are reverting to this time-tested method of wellness in a bid to form genuine connections.
Women nourish themselves by congregating to share experiences, stories, prayers and worries, which greatly contributes to their well-being, research says.
A study published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior suggests social connections are a pillar of lifestyle medicine.
