Compared silent meditation apps to group listening circles for supporting silenced folks and the winner was obvious

I spent about 4 months trying out silent meditation apps like Calm to help me process stories from people who can't speak freely in my community. It helped me personally calm down, sure, but it never taught me anything about how to actually support anyone else. Then a friend dragged me to a local listening circle at the library downtown where we just sat and heard recordings from people in prison sharing their experiences. The difference was night and day. In one session I learned more about what incarcerated folks actually need (like better mail policies) than I did in months of solo app use. The circle also gave us a direct action plan, like writing letters to the parole board, that made me feel useful instead of just mindful. Has anyone else found that group settings beat solo tools for turning awareness into real support?

2 comments

2 Comments

claire_hayes3528d ago

Did the circle give you any framework for not getting overwhelmed by the heavy stories...

alices1628d ago

The part about "framework for not getting overwhelmed" really hits home for me. It's like we're all trying to build our own little rules for how much we can hold without breaking. I've noticed this pattern everywhere - people making up their own systems for dealing with the news, family drama, work stress... it's like we're all just guessing and hoping it sticks. The circle stuff probably helps, but honestly, I think most of us are just making it up as we go along and calling it a day.