In January 2022, Frankie Abralind gifted me a session with an artist to create a poem. Frankie is the Executive Director of The Good Listening Project.
The Good Listening Project believes that listening cultivates healing. They provide three services:
- Listener Poet sessions
- Workshops and talks for healthcare conferences and leadership development events
- The Certified Listener Poet course to become a Listener Poet
Listener Poets hold space for people in healthcare communities to share whatever is on their minds in one-on-one listening sessions. They then write each person a custom poem.
They use listening and poetry to facilitate meaningful group conversations among colleagues, strengthening the social fabric within healthcare systems and contributing to a culture where people care about each other’s wellbeing.
I’m proud to present the poem I created with Jenny Hegland.
Healing the Healer
I was only a child
When trauma crushed my spirit
From then on
My strategy was
To be perfect
So that everything
Outside was perfect,
At home
In medical school
As a resident,
And as the physician
Who tried to fix
Others’ brokenness
Inside I was broken,
Shattered into
Shards of shame
And self blame.
Letting go of the belief
That I was bad
And they were good
Was long and arduous,
I had to see
What I did not want to see:
The love and respect
I missed and deserved.
I mended my
Broken heart
When I learned
To cherish
The child I was
And the adult I am,
When I trusted
My intuition,
When I finally believed
I am worthy
Of my love and respect.