This group has different rules than the rest of my life, and politeness is not one of them.

The invitation is: say what you think, when you think it and how you think it.

Usually I censor. Hold back. That's my instinct.

The group is like, "Please please tell us what you're thinking and feeling," especially about one another.

It's less about my life story, and more about how I'm experiencing others and hearing how that made them feel.

The connection I felt with people happened so quickly and enlivened me so much.

It taught me how to speak from a raw place, which feels more like myself so there's more for others to connect to.

That's what the group is like. 

It's weird. It's so uncomfortable. 

I have recommended it to people, and I'm like “You feel so uncomfortable you'll be like, ‘I can't believe she recommended this.’ You won't want to continue.”

I'm sweating so much after each group.

My body's like, "What is happening?" And then I feel like I went into a cold shower.

I had the best cup of coffee of my life.

And I walk back out into the world.

–Vanessa Caruso, Spiritual Director + Supervisor