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Eleven Reasons Why Mutual Support Groups Work

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Written by Anne-Marie Zanzal

May 16, 2022

Q

I came out as a later in life lesbian in 2016.  In the years before I worked as a hospice chaplain and a grief counselor.  Before that I worked for Girl Scouts of America as an Adult Development and Education Manager.  Because of these two careers,  I have facilitated all kinds of mutual and education groups. I also believe that the universe prepared me for the work I would do with the LGBTQIA+ community. 

I became a business owner in 2018 when I decided to provide individual and group support for my community. I work with cisgender and trans women plus non binary folks comfortable in these spaces who are coming out later in life.  For years I did both individual coaching and support groups. In 2021 I combined what I love to do with both individuals and groups into my Signature Lotus Group Coaching Program.  

I had a lot to learn as a new business owner and one of the things is how to communicate information that is second nature to me.  Since the late 1990’s I have seen the power of mutual support groups work again and again.  There are so many reasons why they provide more breakthroughs and help transform our lives quicker and with more power than individual coaching. 

I also noticed that some of us are hesitant to join in a group format.  We are often not sure what to expect or what is the purpose?  We think that we are introverts and it might be hard to fit in.  However, there is such a great value in meeting with others who are sharing the same transitional experiences as we are.  A well run support group can make the most introverted person feel welcome and heard.

If we are sitting on the fence about joining a support group, I would like to offer some very good reasons why WE SHOULD!

1. Safety – This is a safe space created to help us drop into painful feelings that they may not have had the safety to feel in our day-to-day life. Once we connect with these feelings and have the support to work through them in a positive, healing way, this can allow huge growth and progress in our life. This kind of progress can take YEARS for people to achieve if they are only working individually.

2. The Group Amplifies Our Experience Having a group of like-minded, growth-oriented people journeying with us amplifies our experience. When I  first started to attend group coaching with my business coach, what surprised me so much was how much I learned from the other participants! Some of my biggest breakthroughs came from watching someone else work through an issue that mirrored my own.

3. Powerful Breakthrough Techniques and Processes Learning tools and processes can help us have breakthroughs. These are also tools that we can take home and continue to use in our day-to-day life. 

4. The High Vibration of the Group Helps Make Change Easier At our group there is a shared intention to heal and have a major breakthrough. At this higher vibration, synchronicity begins to happen to accelerate the growth of participants. Also our own insights and awareness will be heightened in this higher vibration. A transformative insight will more easily come to us in this higher vibration.

5. The Presence of Divine Orchestration Each group I have participated in and conducted has this magical element of bringing the exact people together to help each other heal. I have seen these healing connections happen over and over.

6. Being Inspired by Others’ Growth – There will be people in the group who will inspire others in their willingness to grow. We are able to  witness the possibilities of a new way of living by seeing someone else’s progress and how they live their life. This will motivate us in a way that nothing else will.

7. Being Away From Our Regular Routine Being away from our regular day-to-day life can provide the time to open up to feelings that would not be possible in our daily experiences. The bit of distance can also allow participants to see our lives more clearly. It allows us to get a fresh perspective on our life to help make positive changes that can transform our life.

8. Making Lifelong Friendships One of the things that I love so much is the fabulous connections people make in my groups. I have lists of friendships that were sparked out of attendance together at a group or workshop I have conducted. These healing and supportive friendships have been priceless and contribute to the long-lasting positive changes that people who attend my groups make.

9. Having an Experience of Being Fully in Our Authentic Selves Because of the support, safety and transformational processes, participants will more easily move into our authentic selves. You will feel the love, joy, and beauty of who we really are. We are finally reconnecting with who we really are and we really GET what that feels like. Once they have this experience it will allow us to move into this space more consistently in their lives.

10. Having More Fun than they Have Ever Had in Their Lives Can you believe that the healing process can be fun? I have found that people transform and change in an environment of lightness and fun. Deep healing at times has its serious moments but as the weight of the dense energy of pain and old patterns of the conditioned self releases, what is left is the lightness and joy of our authentic self. And the authentic self LOVES to play and have fun.

11. Having Knowledgeable, Insightful Support – Support and insightful feedback can make a huge difference in having an amazing breakthrough that propels people forward.

I have three new one day workshops coming up in June and July!  I would love to have you join!  You can see what it feels like to be in a mutual support group and experience both connection and transformation.

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