What was life like for you before doing the course?
I attended the course at a time when I was feeling quite lost – I had just graduated and I had very little sense of what I might do with my life. I had also just broken up with my girlfriend and was quite cut up by that – I did not understand what had happened in that relationship.
Why did you decide to do the course?
I decided to do the course because I had a sense that it might help me to make sense of what had happened to me. I knew that a lot of what had gone wrong in my relationship had something to do with my childhood and my inability to protect myself and have boundaries. I also saw the difference that being around this kind of work was making to my friends. The course was compelling and the vision that it presented of a future where I might be able to make better choices was very attractive.
What was your experience of the course?
The course had a profound impact upon my life. It certainly delivered in helping me to understand and accept myself. I became better able to process my feelings, noticing habits that I would fall into and patterns of thinking that were destructive. Above all else, I found that the course facilitator was able to hold a safe space in which I felt known, understood and accepted for who I was. It was an intense experience – I learnt more about myself in one weekend than I had in the three years of being at university.
What difference did the course make?
I am now better able to have relationships with people. The course deepened my friendships and allowed me to feel less anxious about moving on from my ex-girlfriend. I became much better at establishing boundaries with members of my family and feel like I understood why I had made some of the choices I had made in the past. I also feel the course allowed me to develop a sense of purpose, leading directly to my chosen profession (I am now a teacher) and helping me to make some of the biggest decisions in life (for example, choosing to get married and have children). The course profoundly altered the trajectory of my life, helping me to overcome many painful experiences and to live a life that is more fulfilled.
