Houses of Healing
Incarcerated women are often ill equipped to successfully cope with mainstream life. A substantial number are victims of poverty, abuse, and/or neglect. Most are perpetrators of victimless crimes committed to support drug/alcohol habits acquired as a result of having inadequate coping mechanisms. They are often caught in a cycle of addiction and failure. This cycle is difficult to break but a growing amount of research has shown it can be interrupted and the likelihood of recidivism reduced via a woman’s participation in spiritually-based programs.
Houses of Healing is a 13-week program in emotional literacy, based on the book, Houses of Healing, a Prisoner’s Guide to Inner Power and Freedom, by Robin Casarjian. Since 2004, this intense program in emotional literacy has served over 250 women at York Correctional Institution. The Houses of Healing program helps inmates to identify, express and manage their feelings. It fosters self-understanding, emotional and spiritual growth along with encouraging responsibility and accountability toward one’s self and others. This evidence-based program uses mindfulness-based practices and research driven approaches for supporting participants in law-abiding and accountable behaviors, emotional and spiritual maturity, and tools and resources to make positive changes for transition back into the community
The Houses of Healing Program is based on the belief of the intrinsic dignity and worth of each person. Participants work toward healing experiences of trauma and grief, focus on managing anger, and learn emotional regulation practices such as relaxation and meditation.
The curriculum draws the participants in by speaking clearly and directly to the situations and feelings with which incarcerated men and women struggle. It guides and supports prisoners in confronting issues such as childhood wounding, grieving, facing the impact of crime, and taking ultimate responsibility for themselves and their actions. The heart of the program addresses, in depth, the necessity of self-forgiveness and forgiveness of others – subjects that are essential to the cultivation of empathy and emotional and spiritual maturity.
The fundamentals of cultivating dignity are woven into every aspect of every class. Each class offers an accepting, respectful, and non-judgmental context in which participants are safe to learn, feel, and tell the truth.
Testimonials From Women at York CI who have completed the program
“The stories in the HOH book brought insight and helped me to look at things, how I look at myself and my core-self, loss, anger, and forgiveness all bind together. HOH helped me to look at loss in a different way, not just death of people. This class blended with codependency, coping skills, the 12 Steps, and everything I have been working on. HOH was the meat and potatoes of the healing process because it helped me to look at the inside of me”.
“HOH was by far the most beneficial class for me here at York. It has opened my eyes to a form of change that helps understanding why things happen to our core selves as well as our feelings and impact on others. To see others from a different perspective, I have learned to communicate more effectively as well as compassionately. I have gained inner peace and tranquility, something I had longed for. I can see with a level mind which helps me to set healthy boundaries. I know that my life will ultimately be what I make and choose of it. I can forgive with help, and understand that we all have a light to shine”.
“What surprised me was how much I really wanted to learn and change myself for the better. I really got inspired from this group and it opened my eyes to change for the better”.
“One of the most valuable lessons was to not let my past, my mistakes; my behaviors hold me back from change and a positive tomorrow. It is so easy to beat myself up especially here in jail. I am around such sad, angry, and hurting people. I need to remind myself constantly to rely on my own inner feelings and not let the negativity around me consume me. I also learned about true forgiveness and how freeing it really is – to forgive others and myself. I can work on self-improvement much easier when I am not so hard on myself”.
“I didn’t even know I wanted to change until I started to do this work”.
“What strengthened in me is finding who I am as a person and dealing with my anger in a better way. It also helped me to find my inner strength through meditation”.
“What deepened within me is finding love again for myself and being able to forgive myself for my past mistakes.
Incarcerated women are often ill equipped to successfully cope with mainstream life. A substantial number are victims of poverty, abuse, and/or neglect. Most are perpetrators of victimless crimes committed to support drug/alcohol habits acquired as a result of having inadequate coping mechanisms. They are often caught in a cycle of addiction and failure. This cycle is difficult to break but a growing amount of research has shown it can be interrupted and the likelihood of recidivism reduced via a woman’s participation in spiritually-based programs.
Houses of Healing is a 13-week program in emotional literacy, based on the book, Houses of Healing, a Prisoner’s Guide to Inner Power and Freedom, by Robin Casarjian. Since 2004, this intense program in emotional literacy has served over 250 women at York Correctional Institution. The Houses of Healing program helps inmates to identify, express and manage their feelings. It fosters self-understanding, emotional and spiritual growth along with encouraging responsibility and accountability toward one’s self and others. This evidence-based program uses mindfulness-based practices and research driven approaches for supporting participants in law-abiding and accountable behaviors, emotional and spiritual maturity, and tools and resources to make positive changes for transition back into the community
The Houses of Healing Program is based on the belief of the intrinsic dignity and worth of each person. Participants work toward healing experiences of trauma and grief, focus on managing anger, and learn emotional regulation practices such as relaxation and meditation.
The curriculum draws the participants in by speaking clearly and directly to the situations and feelings with which incarcerated men and women struggle. It guides and supports prisoners in confronting issues such as childhood wounding, grieving, facing the impact of crime, and taking ultimate responsibility for themselves and their actions. The heart of the program addresses, in depth, the necessity of self-forgiveness and forgiveness of others – subjects that are essential to the cultivation of empathy and emotional and spiritual maturity.
The fundamentals of cultivating dignity are woven into every aspect of every class. Each class offers an accepting, respectful, and non-judgmental context in which participants are safe to learn, feel, and tell the truth.
Testimonials From Women at York CI who have completed the program
“The stories in the HOH book brought insight and helped me to look at things, how I look at myself and my core-self, loss, anger, and forgiveness all bind together. HOH helped me to look at loss in a different way, not just death of people. This class blended with codependency, coping skills, the 12 Steps, and everything I have been working on. HOH was the meat and potatoes of the healing process because it helped me to look at the inside of me”.
“HOH was by far the most beneficial class for me here at York. It has opened my eyes to a form of change that helps understanding why things happen to our core selves as well as our feelings and impact on others. To see others from a different perspective, I have learned to communicate more effectively as well as compassionately. I have gained inner peace and tranquility, something I had longed for. I can see with a level mind which helps me to set healthy boundaries. I know that my life will ultimately be what I make and choose of it. I can forgive with help, and understand that we all have a light to shine”.
“What surprised me was how much I really wanted to learn and change myself for the better. I really got inspired from this group and it opened my eyes to change for the better”.
“One of the most valuable lessons was to not let my past, my mistakes; my behaviors hold me back from change and a positive tomorrow. It is so easy to beat myself up especially here in jail. I am around such sad, angry, and hurting people. I need to remind myself constantly to rely on my own inner feelings and not let the negativity around me consume me. I also learned about true forgiveness and how freeing it really is – to forgive others and myself. I can work on self-improvement much easier when I am not so hard on myself”.
“I didn’t even know I wanted to change until I started to do this work”.
“What strengthened in me is finding who I am as a person and dealing with my anger in a better way. It also helped me to find my inner strength through meditation”.
“What deepened within me is finding love again for myself and being able to forgive myself for my past mistakes.