The need for resilience skills has never been more critical.

Research indicates that 75 per cent of Australians will experience a traumatic event in their lives, with 12 per cent grappling with post-traumatic stress injuries which causes them to have flashbacks, nightmares and other severe reactions to things that remind them of the traumatic event. 

The recent deluge of catastrophic bushfires, floods, a pandemic, all of which have heightened people’s distress levels, emphasising the importance of cultivating resilience skills that enable us to cope and heal.

There are the usual things that cause distress and upset, being depression, anxiety, burnout, loss, grief, divorce (or any relationship breakdown), illness, chronic pain, sleep issues, and many other of life’s dramas. 

Six years ago, when I was going through a myriad of issues that surround relationship breakdowns that lead to divorce, my head was in a state of turmoil. I embarked on a journey of self-discovery which took two years and a fair bit of investment to get through the hurt, anger, pain, insomnia, fear and grief to heal myself. I wish I had known about Quest for Life Foundation, the healing and learning centre in Bundanoon. It would have been a shorter journey to heal my wounds and get back to good mental and physical health.

By invitation, I attended a five-day residential course at Quest entitled Healing Your Life. The immersive experience begins with a comprehensive orientation, fostering a safe environment for 22 participants to share their deeply personal stories, safe in the knowledge that secrets and personal details would be kept 100 percent confidential. 

As an empath, I found myself on the verge of tears hearing their brutally honest, sad and distressing stories. The main issues were around loss and grief (family members dying: spouse, sibling, baby), people diagnosed with a terminal illness needing to navigate the way forward, people abused in childhood continuing to suffer from that trauma with severe depression and anxiety, people in chronic pain and the debilitating effect that has on their lives, young men confused about how to be a man in today’s society and suffering huge anxiety, victims of domestic violence with deep-rooted self-esteem issues, and so on. 

An important understanding in the group was that we would all listen 100 percent and not interrupt or divert to our internal mind chatter. We learned to accept and support all the group members and stay with our feelings, leaving out criticism and judgement. It was powerful - and confronting. 

Over the course of the week, we learned how to get more restful sleep, how to meditate to calm the mind and body, how to exercise, breathe and stretch to wake up the body, as well as improve our diets with a majority of wholesome fresh unprocessed foods. There was a lot of useful content, too much to list here, but in essence the program aims to empower individuals to regain control of their lives, fostering a renewed commitment to living, which includes refocusing on our priorities and this can often mean learning to forgive ourselves and others. 

Of particular interest to the author, was becoming aware of the power of language and the way we express ourselves, highlighting the words that keep us habitually bound to the past. So from now on, I am removing the words can’t, should, try, but, never/always, if only, impossible and good/bad from my repertoire - after all language gives voice to our beliefs so if you declare that you can’t or it’s impossible then that’s true. I would prefer to entertain the idea that I can and that there are always possibilities!

It was evident in the group by the end of the week when the smiles and obvious lighter mood took over from the nervousness and fear that each person arrived with. 

Here is a wonderful endorsement by actor/comedian Magda Szubanski, that says it all, “Last year was a brutal one for me (featuring) the death of my mother, chronic health issues…  I participated in the Healing your Life program at Quest and it was, without reservation, one of the most helpful, healing, transformational things I’ve ever done.  

“I’ve been to many health retreats, but Quest is in a league of its own. The people at Quest are on point. They were empathetic and extremely skilful. But beyond that, they are brave enough to go places most people would never dare. There were some people in my group with terminal illnesses and the staff had the empathy, courage and skills to help these terrified people to face their own death, to hold their hands and walk with them.

“I saw people completely transform in the space of one week, going from utter despair to the strength, courage and joyous optimism to face whatever comes. And also, to make the most of their lives. 

“That one week helped me get through a very tough year.”

If you or anyone you know could benefit from a life-changing (life-saving) course at Quest, you can visit their website for more information: www.QuestForLife.org.au