COLLAPSE: Witnessing the Long Dark
An online Witnessing Group Exploring Grief and Compassion for the Collapse Aware
COLLAPSE: Witnessing the Long Dark
Exploring Grief and Compassion in Collapse
We’re living in evolutionary and troubled times. It’s hard to process what’s actually unfolding while holding compassion for ourselves and others. When we have an understanding of the climate crisis + late stage capitalism + oppressive systems (+++), how do we hold ourselves and others with care while we grieve the accelerated losses we’re all experiencing? This online 5-week witnessing group builds a container for each of us to explore compassion, grief, and everything else that comes up for those of us who are collapse aware.
Details
Basic Format
We will be meeting online five times as a group for 75 minutes each session. Members are asked to schedule 15 minutes after for integration and self care. We will use Zoom for group meetings and communicate through Holly’s Mighty Network.
Each week we will share poetry, explore a writing prompt, and introduce a skill building practice. Each member of the group will have time to share and witness others. This will be a small intimate group of 4 - 8 total participants.
Week 1: Introductions & Community Building
In Week 1 we will get to know each other and make agreements, particularly around power-sharing and equity. We will talk about the overall format, do personal introductions, and talk about the needs of the group. We will begin to build intimacy and shared language. We will also introduce a shuttling prompt (writing practice) and compassion exercise.
Week 2: Compassion Collapse & Shared Grief
Week 2 we will talk about psychological numbing and the intersection of personal and collective grief. Each member will check-in about how they’re doing and share a piece of their writing shuttle assigned the week before. We will talk about the practices that have helped us hold grief and gratitude in these transitional times.
Week 3: Relationships & Community in Collapse
In week 3 we will explore questions such as: How do we talk to the people in our lives about collapse? How has collapse impacted our relationships and community? What impacts are we experiencing regarding collapse and our communities? Each member will have time to share and a shuttle practice will be introduced.
Week 4: Self Compassion
Week 4 will revolve around self compassion, including what to do with the shame and guilt some of us feel as collapse unfolds. We will introduce a compassion practice and share writing. Each member will have the opportunity to share how they struggle with compassion and what grief (and gratitude) they are holding in their lives right now.
Week 5: Carrying Compassion Forward
As we close our time together, we will talk about what it looks like to cultivate compassion and hold grief in our daily lives. We will share how the group has impacted each of us and discuss how we want to move forward as a group and individuals.
Current Facilitator
Holly Truhlar, JD, MA
Pronouns: she/they
Holly Truhlar is a lawyer, grief therapist, and community builder. Her work lies at the convergence of ancestral grief, collective trauma, conscious collapse, and social justice. She’s currently practicing and researching social technologies, such as ritual and Deep Democracy work, that foster large-scale trauma resolution and collective nervous system regulation. She's been called to help hold grief in these troubled and transitional times, so she lives with her heart broken open and soul on display.
To apply for the next cohort please email us at CollapsePsychology@gmail.com or click one of the application buttons above. We aim to make this group accessible to people of all backgrounds and abilities, please connect with us about pricing, scholarships, and one-on-one support considering your needs. We acknowledge that the facilitator of this group occupies the stolen, ancestral lands of the Arapaho, Ute, and Cheyenne tribes.