Stories Between Us- A Lived Experience Listening

About The Event

This World Mental Health Day, Innerheal Therapy is creating a small and intimate space for real conversations, lived experiences and the simple act of listening.

We hear a lot about mental health through social media, books, workshops and professionals. But sometimes what stays with us most is hearing another person say, "I have felt that too" or "I thought I was the only one."

Stories Between Us is a two-hour in-person gathering where a small group of people will come together over a beverage and snacks to talk, listen and connect through real lived experiences of mental health.

This is not a workshop, lecture or therapy session. There will be no presentation, no teaching and no pressure to share anything personal.

You do not need a diagnosis. You do not need to have been in therapy. You do not need to have a dramatic story. You do not even need to know what you want to say.

You can simply come and listen.

The conversations may include experiences of anxiety, stress, grief, loneliness, burnout, relationships, asking for help, therapy, recovery, feeling misunderstood, struggling quietly, finding support, starting again, or anything else that has been meaningful in your mental health journey.

WHAT TO EXPECT

We will begin gently with a welcome and simple introductions so everyone has time to settle into the space.

The facilitators will explain a few group agreements around confidentiality, privacy, choice and respectful listening.

We will then move into a guided conversation using simple prompts around lived experiences of mental health.

You may choose to share something from your own experience, respond to a prompt, listen to someone else, or simply remain present.

There is no requirement for everyone to speak.

Some of the conversations may explore questions such as:

What is something about mental health you wish people understood better?

What has asking for help felt like for you?

What has genuinely helped you during a difficult phase?

What have people said with good intentions that did not feel helpful?

What is something you wish your family, friends, workplace or community understood?

What has recovery or healing actually looked like for you?

What is something you have learned about yourself through a difficult experience?

The prompts are simply invitations. You do not have to answer any question that does not feel comfortable.

WHY THIS GATHERING

Sometimes when someone shares something difficult, our first response is to give advice, offer solutions or try to make them feel better.

But not every experience needs to be immediately fixed.

Sometimes people first need to feel heard.

The intention of this gathering is to create a space where we can listen to one another without rushing to solve, diagnose, compare or judge.

Hearing another person`s experience may help us understand mental health beyond labels and information.

You may recognise something of yourself in another person`s story.

You may realise that an experience you have carried quietly is shared by others.

You may understand someone in your own life with greater compassion.

You may find words for something you have struggled to explain.

Or you may simply enjoy spending two hours having honest and meaningful conversations with other people.

There is no promised outcome.

Sometimes connection itself is meaningful.

WHO CAN JOIN

This gathering is open to adults aged 18 years and above.

You may join if you have a lived experience you would like to share or you want to be heard.

You may join if you are still figuring things out.

You may join if you want to understand other people`s experiences.

You may join if you support someone who struggles with their mental health.

You may join if you simply want to become a better listener.

And you may join even if you do not want to share anything about yourself.

Listening is participation too.

YOU DO NOT NEED TO PREPARE ANYTHING

There is nothing you need to bring or prepare before the gathering.

You do not need to write your story.

You do not have to decide beforehand whether you will speak.

You do not have to be emotionally articulate or have the right words.

You can arrive, settle into the space and decide what feels comfortable in the moment.

Sharing is always a choice.

SAFETY, PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY

We want everyone attending to feel respected and as safe as possible within the space.

What is shared in the circle is expected to remain within the circle.

Participants are requested not to repeat another person`s story, identity or personal information outside the gathering.

Sharing something in this room does not mean someone has agreed to share it publicly.

There will be no photography, audio recording or video recording during the sharing circle.

Any photographs taken before or after the gathering will only be taken with consent.

Participants are welcome to speak, pass, pause, remain silent or step outside at any point.

No explanation is required.

We request everyone to listen without diagnosing, analysing or giving unsolicited advice.

Instead of telling another person what they should do, we encourage participants to simply listen and acknowledge their experience.

We also encourage everyone to speak from their own experience rather than making assumptions about another person`s journey.

Different experiences are allowed to exist together.

There is no need to compare pain or decide whose experience was harder.

Participants are requested to avoid sharing very graphic details of trauma, abuse, self-harm, violence or other experiences that may be distressing for others in the room.

If at any point a conversation feels emotionally overwhelming, you are welcome to take a break, step outside, get some water or speak privately with one of the facilitators.

ABOUT THE FACILITATION

The gathering will be gently facilitated by mental health professionals from Innerheal Therapy.

The role of the facilitators is not to analyse participants or turn the gathering into therapy.

They will help create the structure of the conversation, introduce prompts, maintain group boundaries, support respectful listening and ensure that no one feels pressured to participate.

This is a community listening space and not group therapy, psychological treatment, diagnosis or crisis intervention.

If you are currently experiencing an acute mental health crisis or require immediate professional support, this gathering may not be the appropriate space for those needs.

THE ATMOSPHERE

We want the gathering to feel warm, personal and unhurried.

A small circle of people.

Comfortable seating.

A beverage.

Some snacks.

Real conversations.

There may be serious moments.

There may also be laughter.

There may be pauses and silence.

Nobody needs to fill every quiet moment.

You do not have to perform vulnerability or share something deeply personal simply because you are attending a mental health event.