HEALING AND TRANSFORMATION THROUGH GROUP THERAPY

Weeks 6 and 7 of Sumedha Sadhana were devoted to Group Therapy. There were three 90- minutes sessions each day for nine days.

In Group therapy participants had the opportunity for further healing and transformation, building on the experiences of the previous five weeks.

In the atmosphere of freedom, caring and trust that the group provided, participants were helped to face their emotional brokenness and their fears, their dysfunctional defences and their unhelpful patterns of living and relating, and to move toward greater healing and wholeness by adopting and practising healthier attitudes and behaviours.

Dr. Jose Parappully SDB, Dr. Johny Padinjar and Sr. Maria Goretti Kanakarathinam FMM facilitated the group process.

Participants found the therapeutic processes followed very helpful. Some comments:

“Group therapy helped me to walk bravely into the unknown and discover my dysfunctional behaviour and realise my own strength too.”

“Group therapy helped me to reflect and find out the dark areas of my life. It helped me especially to understand and deal more effectively with my feelings.”

“It has brought me out of shame and has given me respect, dignity. I no longer feel I am a victim, but a survivor”

“It was useful to understand my life and how to improve it. It gave me clear insight as to what I have to do to live life joyfully.”

The day following the conclusion of the Group Therapy, the participants had a day to relax together as they went on picnic to three of the major lake areas around Nainital – Naukuchiatal, Bhimtal and Sattal.

27th SUMEDHA SADHANA - An Introduction

Sumedha Sadhana is a programme of inner journeying together with fellow seekers in quest of greater healing and wholeness, so that we can live our lives in more fulfilling and satisfying ways and be more effective in our service to others. A variety of approaches and techniques are used to reach these objectives.

We begin from where we are, looking at what is happening in our lives at this juncture on our psycho-spiritual journey. We try to discern what God might be telling us through all that is happening in our lives. Jose Parappully helps us explore these current realities, as also our spirituality in the context of changing paradigms.

A major portion of the programme is devoted to the exploration of the psychological dynamics affecting our spiritual journey. We look at our early childhood developmental experiences, and more especially our midlife dynamics of identity (who we are), intimacy (the role of affectivity and sexuality in our lives) generativity (how we work and nurture future generations), and integrity (how we make sense of the whole of our life). Jose Parappully uses insights from various psychological theories, as well as tools and techniques from Psychosynthesis and Expressive Arts to help us explore these issues.

Working from a Jungian perspective Ajoy Fernandes helps us explore especially our identity and understand our personality type and its implications for our spiritual journey, and helps us move toward greater personal integration by exploring and owning our persona, shadow and animus/anima.

Sexuality has a profound impact on personality development as well as our spiritual journey. Often our sexuality has been wounded by wrong attitudes and negative life experiences. Joe Mannath helps us explore and understand human sexuality and affectivity and their healthy integration within our celibate lifestyle. Jose Parappully explores the prevalence and effects of Sexual Abuse and suggests healing remedies.

Jose Kuttianimattathil helps us experience Core Transformation by exploring and examining our least liked behaviours, feelings and responses to move toward the wellspring within us (Core State) which radiates peace, love and harmony.

In “Feminist& Women’s Spiritualities” Shalini Mulackal explores the meaning and scope of feminist spiritualities and looks at certain salient characteristics of spirituality from women’s perspective. She helps us look critically at some of the popular images of traditional Christian spirituality, the process of masculinisation of women’s spirituality, and religion’s subjugation of women.

We are provided opportunity for healing and transformation through group therapy. In the atmosphere of freedom, caring and trust that the group provides, we are helped to face our brokenness and our fears, our defences and our unhelpful patterns of living and relating, and to move toward greater healing and wholeness by adopting and practising healthier attitudes and behaviours. Jose Parappully and Maria Goretti K.  facilitate this process.

We conclude our Sumedha Sadhana with a spiritual retreat in which we are able to bring together and integrate all our experiences up to then in prayer and reflection around the Word of God. Jose Parappully facilitates this process.

Sumedha Sadhana provides theoretical input as well as opportunities for us to reflect on our experiences and to share them with one another and for personal and common prayer. It is hoped that through this four-fold dynamics of Input, Introspection, Interaction, and Intercession we gain a deeper feel for the psychological dynamics operating on our spiritual journey and integrate these to develop a healthier self so that we can experience greater serenity, wholeness and fruitfulness as we continue our journey into the Mystery that we know and experience as our Triune God.

There are 14 participants coming from four different countries.

SUMEDHANS PICNIC AT THE LAKES

It is customary for participants of the Sumedha Sadhana (Psychospritual Wholeness Journey) to go on a picnic to the Lakes (Bhimtal, Naukuciatal and Sat-tal) the day after completion of Group Therapy and before beginning the Spiritual Retreat.

Group therapy, facilitated by Jose Parappully and Maria Goretti K, concluded yesterday (25/6/14). Today we went for the picnic and had a great time together.

After a day of rest tomorrow, on 28th we begin the Spiritual Retreat, facilitated by Jose Parappully, that brings the Sumedha Sadhana to its conclusion.