Dear Fellow Caretakers,

Caretaking is a very tender place for many of us. We value taking care of the people we love, and at the same time, caretaking can be very hard on the psyche and the body. 

It often involves emergency medical situations and fear of something happening to a loved one. With that fear of loss, people naturally begin to sacrifice parts of themselves so that they can stay present with the person for whom they're caring. 

Caretaking for others is such a strong internal value of many people, but they don't get much support for their care work from the world outside of them–a caretaking ordeal can leave a person feeling separated from the world. Like they have to keep most of their feelings quite private. 

They may be considered saintly, or they may be considered foolish, but they're generally not considered fully human, as someone with complicated feelings. They may struggle to open up or trust someone with their feelings unless they know that person gets it. Because the experience is so intense, it can feel like it’s not shareable in a normal public forum. 

Like sitting with someone you love who is dying of cancer… That can really bring down a dinner party.

So they end up not saying anything, but they have all the feelings, and they have to continue to make sense of their lives and who they are, even as pieces of themselves seem to slip away in the labour of love. 

Caretaking requires a different kind of recovery because you are recovering from something that is precious, sacred, and positive. Caretaking is necessary, even as it becomes all encompassing in a way that can be destructive to the individual caretaker. 

Recovering from a prolonged period of providing intense care to others can bring anyone (even the strongest women) to their knees.

Providing the right type of recovery space for women who have been through a major caretaking ordeal is one reason why I developed the Whole Body Recovery Program. 

This program honors the sacred bond that people have with those they care for, as well as the conflicted and sometimes tormented feelings that women have after a prolonged experience of continually putting oneself aside. 

This is a space where women who find themselves feeling separate from the world, and/or from themselves, can find the support they need to recover. 

This group is not for everyone. 

It's for women who know they want to work deeply on themselves and move forwards in their lives. It's a big investment. 

And, it's a big commitment to working on yourself. 

So you need to be able to show up the way you have showed up for the other people you have been caretaking in your life. 

You might be a parent, a partner, an adult child caring for your parents, or a friend who is caring for someone you dearly love. You might be a professional therapist, nurse, doctor, manager, or teacher.

But you know caretaking has pulled you away from yourself and your vitality and you want to reclaim your joy, your passion, and your belief that good things happen when you can be fully present. 

If this group calls to you, book a discovery call 

With Love, Respect, and Gratitude for your Caring,

Margery