Holding Space

I’ve always thought of myself as a good listener. You know, knowing to show I’m invested in the conversation and to try and make the other person with whom I’m conversing feel comfortable. Listening to the lovely people who shared their stories with us was a feeling of listening that I’d never experienced before. A really powerful feeling. Through our practice with one another, conducting our “interviews” about the lives of our peers, we learned techniques for holding space as a listener. To think of that concept of holding space with someone as they talk to you is one thing, but to really feel it is completely different. Feeling that I held a safe space for someone in a moment of vulnerability was such a new and interesting feeling. In a way, I didn’t have to make sure they knew I was listening, I wasn’t there to comment on their story or chime in with my similar experiences. It was a way for another human being to be vulnerable and trust that I would hold space for their words. That is a feeling I hope to have again.