Town Rituals Red Tent Gathering: Recent Episodes
Rev Stephanie Town
A group of women from my community and I will share stories, experiences and thoughts on the idea of Red Tents as a gathering place.
Episode 5 and 6 bring season 2 to a close with a discussion that begins with mourning and closes who and what is missing in our lives. All the guests share their experience with loss, mourning what no longer is, and their path to living their lives fully, with intentional acts. This episode focuses on the fall out, the consequences and the lessons learned through grief and the absence of people in our lives.
Both episodes have mentions of abuse, addiction, estrangment, death, grief and mourning.
Canada Toronto Distress Centres: 416 408-4357
Assaulted Women's Helpline: 416 863-0511; Toll-free: 1 866 863-0511 Other resource pages for
Ontario: https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/crisis-resources British Columbia: https://cmha.bc.ca/mental-health/find-help/ Quebec: https://amiquebec.org/crisis/
Australia Beyondblue.org 24 hour free counselling call Lifeline at 13 11 14
United States https://www.mentalhealth.gov/get-help/immediate-help https://www.mhanational.org/get-involved/contact-us Mental Health America 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, or text MHA to 741741 at the Crisis Text Line.
Episode 5 and 6 bring season 2 to a close with a discussion that begins with mourning and closes who and what is missing in our lives. All the guests share their experience with loss, mourning what no longer is, and their path to living their lives fully, with intentional acts.
Both episodes have mentions of abuse, addiction, estrangment, death, grief and mourning.
Canada Toronto Distress Centres: 416 408-4357
Assaulted Women's Helpline: 416 863-0511; Toll-free: 1 866 863-0511 Other resource pages for
Ontario: https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/crisis-resources British Columbia: https://cmha.bc.ca/mental-health/find-help/ Quebec: https://amiquebec.org/crisis/
Australia Beyondblue.org 24 hour free counselling call Lifeline at 13 11 14
United States https://www.mentalhealth.gov/get-help/immediate-help https://www.mhanational.org/get-involved/contact-us Mental Health America 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, or text MHA to 741741 at the Crisis Text Line.
Building on season 2, episode 3, we further delve into Mother Daughter relationships.
Canada Toronto Distress Centres: 416 408-4357
Assaulted Women's Helpline: 416 863-0511; Toll-free: 1 866 863-0511 Other resource pages for
Ontario: https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/crisis-resources British Columbia: https://cmha.bc.ca/mental-health/find-help/ Quebec: https://amiquebec.org/crisis/
Australia Beyondblue.org 24 hour free counselling call Lifeline at 13 11 14
United States https://www.mentalhealth.gov/get-help/immediate-help https://www.mhanational.org/get-involved/contact-us Mental Health America 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, or text MHA to 741741 at the Crisis Text Line.
A reflection on our upbringings, our mothers lives, the pain we carry as their daughters and the compassion we have for them as mothers, and how they have shaped us as women and in some cases mothers or caregivers.
References
Family estrangement (no date) Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers. Available at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/family-dynamics/family-estrangement (Accessed: November 9, 2022).
Yoffe, E. (2013, February 18). The Debt. Slate Magazine. https://slate.com/human-interest/2013/02/abusive-parents-what-do-grown-children-owe-the-mothers-and-fathers-who-made-their-childhood-a-living-hell.html
Canada Toronto Distress Centres: 416 408-4357
Assaulted Women's Helpline: 416 863-0511; Toll-free: 1 866 863-0511 Other resource pages for
Ontario: https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/crisis-resources British Columbia: https://cmha.bc.ca/mental-health/find-help/ Quebec: https://amiquebec.org/crisis/
Australia Beyondblue.org 24 hour free counselling call Lifeline at 13 11 14
United States https://www.mentalhealth.gov/get-help/immediate-help https://www.mhanational.org/get-involved/contact-us Mental Health America 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, or text MHA to 741741 at the Crisis Text Line.
The conversation continues with guests from season 2, episode one, making babies. Listen along as women discuss their journey as care givers and nurturer's. Not many parents can point to that one specific moment that moved them to parenthood. A choice was made, a journey began. We don't often discuss what people learn about their self or how unbelievably unprepared we are for the realities of a small human.
https://grovefamilycare.com/ - Guest Rebecca Grove Postpartum Doula Services.
Canada Toronto Distress Centres: 416 408-4357
Assaulted Women's Helpline: 416 863-0511; Toll-free: 1 866 863-0511 Other resource pages for
Ontario: https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/crisis-resources British Columbia: https://cmha.bc.ca/mental-health/find-help/ Quebec: https://amiquebec.org/crisis/
Australia Beyondblue.org 24 hour free counselling call Lifeline at 13 11 14
United States https://www.mentalhealth.gov/get-help/immediate-help https://www.mhanational.org/get-involved/contact-us Mental Health America 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, or text MHA to 741741 at the Crisis Text Line.
The choice to raise children comes with any number of possibilities and outcomes when reality sets in. In this episode, guests reflecton the the desire to have children, choice to get pregnant, and the reality of the journey to motherhood.
https://grovefamilycare.com/ - Guest Rebecca Grove Postpartum Doula Services.
Canada Toronto Distress Centres: 416 408-4357
Assaulted Women's Helpline: 416 863-0511; Toll-free: 1 866 863-0511 Other resource pages for
Ontario: https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/crisis-resources British Columbia: https://cmha.bc.ca/mental-health/find-help/ Quebec: https://amiquebec.org/crisis/
Australia Beyondblue.org 24 hour free counselling call Lifeline at 13 11 14
United States https://www.mentalhealth.gov/get-help/immediate-help https://www.mhanational.org/get-involved/contact-us Mental Health America 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, or text MHA to 741741 at the Crisis Text Line.
Memories and Moments, those events in life that stick with us for the long term. The guests explore their memories, how time and experience can shed new light on what we thought we knew and how memory can trick is, carry forward through life times or keep us stuck in a loop of misunderstanding.
CanadaToronto Distress Centres: 416 408-4357
Assaulted Women's Helpline: 416 863-0511; Toll-free: 1 866 863-0511
Other resource pages for
Ontario: https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/crisis-resources
British Columbia: https://cmha.bc.ca/mental-health/find-help/
Quebec: https://amiquebec.org/crisis/
Australia *Beyondblue.org
24 hour free counselling call Lifeline at 13 11 14*United Stateshttps://www.mentalhealth.gov/get-help/immediate-help
https://www.mhanational.org/get-involved/contact-usMental Health America1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, or text MHA to 741741 at the Crisis Text Line.
Audra Simmons of https://www.thedarksidestudio.com/, and two of her students discuss the power of movement, its potential as moving meditation and opportunities created for healing, pushing boundaries and getting lost in our bodies. As part of the second segment, Amy of https://www.hoopersonic.com/ and I discuss the joys of dancing, building community and setting dance props on fire.
Photo of Audra Simmons by Amy Senecal
https://twitter.com/amysenecalphoto
Meet your Dream Maker discusses the power of dreams to heal, release, explore and provide a glimpse of things to come through prophetic dreams. Guests explore what dreams say about the individual, the terrifying experience of sleep paralysis and what tools can help strengthen a deeper relationship to dreaming, dream recall and the ability to slip in to lucid dreaming.
You can connect with Stacie @the.mermaid.oracle on IG for tarot and dream inspired dance at
https://www.instagram.com/the.mermaid.oracle/?hl=en
Celine Spooky Boo Myers - referenced in podcast regarding sleepwalking videos
https://www.instagram.com/celinaspookyboo/?hl=en
Trigger and Content Warning: This episodes contains mentions of mental illness, suicide and depression. Also mentioned are the use of medication, alcohol and marijuana. Please take a moment to consider your wellness before clicking play. Some of these topics may be distressing.
Listen in as guests share their journeys with mental health and mental illness, and the life long endeavour they embark upon to maintain mental health and decent mental wellness tool box.
If you are someone you know are in crisis and in need of support, please make use of the information below. If you are feeling vulnerable, do not hesitate to reach out and ask for help.
CanadaToronto Distress Centres: 416 408-4357Assaulted Women's Helpline: 416 863-0511; Toll-free: 1 866 863-0511
Ontario: https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/crisis-resources
British Columbia: https://cmha.bc.ca/mental-health/find-help/
Quebec: https://amiquebec.org/crisis/
AustraliaBeyondblue.org
24 hour free counselling call Lifeline at 13 11 14
https://www.lifeline.org.au/United Stateshttps://www.mentalhealth.gov/get-help/immediate-help
https://www.mhanational.org/get-involved/contact-usMental Health America1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, or text MHA to 741741 at the Crisis Text Line
What Fresh Hell is This? the title of Heather Corinna's book about menopause, captures the real questioning and curioustiy happening for many women entering to perimenopause. Listen in as a group of women discuss what they are discovering about their bodies, the lack of support and real understanding from the medical system and the options available to ease our symptoms as our menstruation comes to an end. And night sweats.
Perimenopause - Baroness von Sketch
https://youtu.be/t17sJAY1vro
What Fresh Hell is this? by Heather Corinna
https://www.menopause.org/for-women/book-reviews/i-what-fresh-hell-is-this-i
A group of women share stories, experiences and thoughts on the idea of Red Tents as community; there will be a brief history lesson and a little myth and and misconceptions as we break down what it means to gather and support each other. We’ll dive into our experiences with community: when we felt the most supported, and maybe even when we felt the most let down.