Why do gathering, playing and feeling create healing?

Short Answer: Experiences are good for brains.

The Longer Version:

Brains can be helped, hurt or healed by experiences. Pleasure, play, feeling and gathering experiences that encourage us to think about sensitive social and emotional topics and care for each other, teach and help our brains grow stronger and heal. Our ancestors already knew that. To Indy, With Love’s role is to find fresh ways to help us remember. This social health functioning impacts emotional health of the community deeply.

In Mishara’s Own Words:

A decade ago, I became a therapist to understand the neuroscience behind the recreation and adventure experiences I created as a child to reduce stress and later with my peers who too experiencced traumas. I was curious about why our brains allow us to become more vulnerable, intimate and trusting during recreation.

I learned: Fun thoughtful recreation, can re-wire traumatized and chronically stressed brains. I wondered if even in social trauma (such as oppression) people could pause “surviving responses” to use “thriving responses” while still remaining stay safe.

I FOUND OUT WE CAN. Especially if we remember our ancestral group traditions and use this wisdom to our mental health advantage.