We do this by
- Fostering an environment where members feel seen, soothed, safe and secure
- Listening, attuning and containing each other’s stories with heartfelt responses
- Embracing vulnerability
- Growing in receptivity to love from others
- Practicing repair after rupture
People in every walk of life are longing to be known. The work of being known is not just a handful of good ideas, nor is it for any one of us to do alone. Rather, it is about joining our Creator in living an abundant life, one that must be lived together with people who are vulnerably practicing loving well.
Where the rupture of shame has sought to disintegrate a person or a system, the repair and restoration that our work brings can be realized, transforming what was once broken into beautiful, creative endeavors. We agree that every gathering is that of the body of Christ, in the presence, guidance and power of the Holy Spirit, and that our interactions are embodied acts of prayer.
We have experienced becoming authentically known through deep relationships within our Confessional Communities, and with it a closer connection with God and others. We hope you will come join us.
What can I expect?
Co-create a community
Come co-create a Confessional Community with 5–8 others.
Tell your story
Come willing to tell your story using the Storytelling Liturgy. Structured storytelling sessions allow members to share and reflect on personal experiences in a supportive setting.
Grow
As you move from “talking about” to “being with,” you learn how to offer an attuned, integrated, emotion-based response. Regular emotional and spiritual practices such as guided meditations, prayer and emotional check-ins help members be fully present with one another.
Be known
By engaging deeply with structured reflection questions from Curt Thompson’s The Soul of Desire and related resources, members experience a deeper sense of being known.
Navigate rupture and repair
Come open to navigating real-time rupture and repair. This means committing not to leave the room and using the story liturgy as a model for repair.
Turn challenges into opportunities
The unexpected challenges of deep interpersonal relationships become opportunities for growth and deeper community bonding.
Be transformed
Members often experience becoming authentically known through deep relationships, cultivating a closer connection with God. Feeling seen, soothed, safe and secure contributes to profound spiritual and emotional growth.
What would be expected of me?
Confidentiality
What happens inside the group stays in the group. Members are asked to strictly guard the confidentiality of personal stories, reinforcing trust and safety.
Conduct
Members are asked to keep communication outside the group to a minimum, such as scheduling and other administrative tasks. Communication between only a few members outside the group can disrupt the group’s cohesion and growth. If a member feels dysregulated in response to the liturgy, they are encouraged to share that with the group or bring it into the group as a story to be told.
Commitment
Members commit to the community weekly for a minimum of 24 weeks to ensure relationship stability and continuity. More than two consecutive absences, or more than four absences in total, can hinder the continuity of storytelling and relational development of the group. Inconsistent participation would merit group discussion about continued involvement, or choosing to engage in the liturgy of departure.
Confessional Communities meet for 90-minute gatherings that begin and end on time.
Preparation
Members are expected to have engaged with at least three of the following resources, by reading, listening or both:
- Anatomy of the Soul
- The Soul of Shame
- The Soul of Desire
- The Deepest Place
- Any season of the Being Known Podcast, especially Season 7, which focuses on Confessional Communities
These materials help participants arrive prepared and ready to apply foundational principles in their personal and community interactions.
Behavioral guardrails
Possessed by community members:
- Ability to regulate affect. Managing the range of emotions from numbness to panic, and remaining within a moderate arousal state. This skill is crucial for being fully present in your community, navigating stress and staying resilient as you are impacted by one another’s stories and your own.
- Commitment to flourishing (absence of self-harm intentions).
- Absence of actively disintegrating addictions.
- Curiosity instead of condemnation, toward oneself and others.
- Willingness to commit and submit to the Confessional Community process.
If leaving a Confessional Community becomes necessary, members are encouraged to give as much notice as possible. At least one week gives the group the opportunity to engage the liturgy of departure for the person leaving.
What’s next?
- Cohorts begin each January and continue through June.
- All Confessional Community participants are CBK members. Join CBK
- Each Confessional Community has two co-facilitators who protect the space (not direct it) as active participants. Interested in facilitating? Email Contactus@thecbk.org to request a Facilitator Candidate Survey.
- Most Confessional Communities meet on Zoom, with the hope of more in-person groups as CBK grows.
Peer facilitated, not group therapy
Confessional Communities at the Center for Being Known are peer-facilitated support groups, not group therapy. Would you prefer a therapist-led group? Contact New Story Behavioral Health.
Join the next cohort
Cohorts begin each January and meet weekly through June, mostly on Zoom. CBK membership is required to take part.