Beloved Clients,
I’ve been thinking of you all with warmth and care during this anxiety-provoking time.
I have some important updates to share with you all.
As most of you are aware, I have been taking the past couple of months on hiatus from holding space together to travel, engage in some rich educational opportunities, and take care of myself. I returned to town and ended this time with a week of silence and meditation on retreat, finishing a few days ago.
During my travels, I had lot of time to sink into what I really need and desire in my near future.
It came as a surprise to me when that quiet inner voice—the one that comes out in solitude and space—came to tell me that I need to put holding space together into hibernation sooner than I expected to. Heeding that voice from inside me, it is with both sadness and hope that I announce to you all: I’ve decided to close this rendition of holding space together.
Some of you know that I am pursuing a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling concurrently with running holding space together. In closing, I hope to focus more wholeheartedly on my somatic counseling education. I also hope to leave the holding space together platform open for offering home funeral resources for our local community—a service toward which I am feeling a continuously deeper pull.
Upon coming into this decision, my intention was to remain open for sessions for another couple of months, phasing out my time with you all, and giving due attention to goodbyes.
And yet, like all of us, I’m tumbling along in uncertainty with regard to COVID-19, and the past few days, I’ve been questioning how to move forward with my intentions around holding space together in the safest, kindest, and most ethical fashion. A sense of stuckness arises in me: in my work, I’ve learned to deeply value attending to thoughtful goodbye processes, and yet, caution concerning safety, especially for those most vulnerable to the effects of COVID-19, is my utmost concern. I’ve come to the conclusion that instead of offering a couple of months of phase-out time, I will close holding space together now.
As we continue to see what happens with COVID-19 in our region—including how the lengthiness of this community process aligns with the events and obligations of my own life—I will assess to see if it will be possible in the future to offer these “goodbye sessions” to those who may be interested.
For many of us, this is a scary and uncertain and confusing time—perhaps, especially, for those with pre-existing physical or mental health concerns. Please, be gentle with yourselves. I hold you all with care in my awareness and heart.
And, may you each know the depth of my gratitude for your granting me the privilege of joining you in healing space through the venue of holding space together. Whether it was for one session or many, I have been humbled and grown so much by knowing each of you.
Sincerely, and with many thanks,
Sarah/holding space together
Sarah smiles broadly at camera, with hands in a “thank you”/prayer position towards the viewer. She’s against a plain brick wall and wears professional clothes and makeup.
A muted and beautiful scene of a rainy empty road, with pine trees surrounding it. The road extends straight from the camera, like the viewer is traveling on the road themself.