Nr. 14 - The Power of Community – When Strangers Become Friends

Healing doesn't happen in isolation. It happens in connection.

We experienced this once again at Body Voices Basic #2 in Tübingen. Nearly 30 participants arrived as strangers – and left the weekend as a community. As friends. As people who felt seen, understood, and supported.

Stronger Together – The Power of the Group

Sexual violence isolates. It makes us believe we are alone. That no one understands what we've been through. That we must hide our pain.

But during this weekend, something became visible that is much stronger than any wound: the power of community. The participants encouraged each other. They held each other when emotions rose. They breathed, danced, and voiced together – and felt: I am not alone. We are many. And together we are strong.

What Remains After the Weekend

The connection doesn't end after three days. The participants continue to exchange messages in their group chat, meet privately, and support each other on their individual paths. A workshop group has become a true community.

And that is the heart of Body Voices: A space where survivors no longer have to be solo fighters. Where they experience that healing happens in connection. That they are part of something greater.

The Farewell: A Moment That Stays

At the end of the weekend, we danced together. All of us. It was a moment full of energy, joy, and deep connection. We witnessed how 30 individuals had become one unit. How cautious exploration had turned into genuine friendship. How pain and courage had given birth to something new: the power that emerges when people truly meet each other.

It was touching. It was powerful. It was a sign that healing is possible – and that it becomes even stronger when shared.

An Artwork That Connects – Across Borders

Part of Body Voices #2 is writing a letter: to oneself, to one's own healing, to the future.

These letters will become part of a collaborative artwork by Eva Michielin, artist and founder of Body Voices, together with letters from a future Body Voices group. This creates a connection that extends beyond the single weekend – a community that grows, that carries, and that shows: You are not alone, not here, not now, not anywhere in the world.

Healing Is Not a Lonely Path

Body Voices shows: Healing doesn't need isolation, but connection. Not shame, but courage. Not loneliness, but community. And that's exactly what the participants in Tübingen experienced. They felt what becomes possible when people dare to heal together.

We are grateful for every single moment. For every tear, every dance, every laugh. For the power that emerges when people truly meet each other.

Thank you to everyone who is part of this community.

In the next post, we'll take you into the time after Body Voices #2: How the follow-up meetings continue to accompany participants – and why continuous support is so important.

Until then: Stay connected.