The Soul Makes Its Way To Times Square
Sarah, Karen, and Cassie meet up in Vermont
The Soul Care Team had a wonderful adventure in August. Cassie Kelly decided to drive from her home in Columbus, Ohio to Connecticut for a Soul Care Retreat. Sarah and Cassie took a road trip to Montpelier, Vermont where Sarah was a keynote speaker for Facing Suicide Together through Stories of Hope & Healing. Not only was the event powerful and inspiring but Cassie got to meet Soul Care Team member Karen Carreira for the first time in person.
From there Sarah and Cassie spent a night in the lovely town of Woodstock, Vermont. It’s hard to say what was better: Soul Care, waking up by the river, or the lovely hike at the Marsh-Billings National Park.
For those of you who have seen Soul Exhaustion & Soul Care presentations, you know that Sarah has interviewed experts in mental health and suicide prevention around the world about the Soul. But Sarah & Cassie decided that it was time to hear from everyday people. The very people that Soul Exhaustion & Soul Care is intended for! They went to the wonderful town of Northampton, Massachusetts, where they wandered around, drank lattes, and interviewed everyday people about the Soul.
Sarah and Marsha at Times Square
Next they were off to New York City to meet up with another glorious team member, Marsha Oss, who had travelled from Fairbanks, Alaska for a Corrections Conference. And this is where it got VERY interesting. Sarah, Cassie, and Marsha spent the afternoon interviewing everyday people in Times Square and Union Square about the Soul, Soul Exhaustion, and Soul Care.
We learned mostly what we already knew, which is that everyone understands the Soul a little bit differently but at the end of the day, people overwhelmingly believe that it exists and that it is their deeper self. We also found a very validating consistency in what people viewed as Soul Care (thank goodness because we just finished a workbook on it!) We also learned that even in these times, we are surrounded by beautiful Souls whether in the tiny towns of Vermont or the bustling streets of New York. Sadness surrounds us but so does goodness and taking the time to see that is Soul Care!
In Other News:
The Soul Exhaustion & Soul Care workbook is getting even closer to beginning its pilot program. We are now actively seeking 60 participants for the pilot program. Our goal is to determine if the Soul Exhaustion & Soul Care workbook is an effective tool to assist those grieved by suicide loss. We hope that participants will also find healing for themselves by using the workbook and participating in the pilot program.
Researchers at UMass Chan Medical School, led by Dr. Lourah Kelly, PhD will be evaluating the Soul Exhaustion & Soul Care Workbook developed by Sarah Gaer & Cassie Kelly et al. You can learn more about the concept at SoulExhaustion.care.
You are eligible to take part in this program if you:
If you identify as a Suicide Loss Survivor (anyone who has felt deeply impacted by a suicide death/loss)
If it has been 3+ years since your loss
If you feel that you can commit to the 8-week, self-paced and guided pilot program
Are aged 18+
Participation involves:
Surveys/interviews conducted at pre-program and at 4, 8, and 12 weeks. If at any time, you opt out of the program, we will send you an exit survey to learn more about what worked and didn’t work for you.
Personal access to the virtual Soul Exhaustion & Soul Care workbook
If you are interested in hearing more about this program, please complete our interest form to see if you are eligible and provide your contact information. We will be reaching out to interested and eligible people in the coming weeks when we are ready to start the pilot program.
Participation in this program is voluntary, which means it is your choice to participate or not. If you have any questions for the team or to learn more about Soul Exhaustion and Soul Care, please visit SoulExhaustion.care or reach out to Sarah Gaer (sarah@sarahgaer.com).
