The following is an excerpt from "The Importance of Communication" by Enzo Dal Verme, Diamond Approach student in the UK1 group, who interviewed the students in his group around the theme of communication:
Joy Isaacs, 79, retired psychotherapist, UK1 group
"I had been married for 45 years when, sadly, my husband died of cancer. We had been living in our family home for a long time and bringing up our three children. I made the decision that I couldn’t remain there. It was an end of an era for me. It was a difficult decision, and to move and make a new home just for myself was difficult too. I had never lived on my own before. My children were very supportive, and so were my six small grandchildren, whom I love passionately and see regularly. As I struggled through these changes, a colleague suggested that the Ridhwan School’s approach might be of interest to me. It was. I joined the community and it has been very nourishing. The teachings supported me to let go of things from the past, to live more fully in the present, and to be more available to new experiences as they come into my life. Recently, at a week’s retreat, we had to explore in detail our relationship with our mother and how that way of relating has shaped and influenced our present behavior. That exploration helped me to find out things that years of psychotherapy never touched in the same way. I feel much freer as a result. All these explorations, lectures, meditations, and twice yearly week-long retreats had a deep impact on me. For instance, I feel that my ability to relate to others is changing and yet I enjoy very much spending a lot of time on my own. I take pleasure in small things and doing simple ordinary tasks because I have discovered an inner peace where I can abide more joyfully in myself than I did before. I can BE more fully myself."