I am deeply grateful for having had the opportunity to participate in the healing of memories facilitator training course with Healing of Memories Luxembourg. This experience was much more than just a training course; it was a true inner journey. The inspiring presence of Father Michael Lapsley added a unique dimension to our learning. His powerful testimony and wisdom resonated with me, reminding me of the importance of memory in our healing process. I discovered invaluable tools for accompanying others on their journey, while at the same time reconnecting with my own wounds and learning to transform them into strength. The Institute, with its transformative and holistic approach, created a caring environment where everyone felt safe to explore their emotions.

This training opened my eyes to the potential of collective and individual healing. I was touched by the kindness and support of all the participants. The practical exercises and enriching discussions nourished my passion for accompanying others. I came away from this experience not only with new skills, but also with a deep conviction that healing of memories is essential to moving forward towards a more serene future. I highly recommend this training to anyone wishing to make a difference in the lives of others and in their own. The Institute for Healing of Memories truly provides an inspiring and eye-opening framework for anyone seeking to grow and to heal.

The healing of memories advanced training session, held in Grand Popo from 24 to 29 July 2024, was the crowning moment in our training. It was a very special experience for me.

Before this session, I was bubbling with anticipation to see what new things we would learn. I appreciated it all the more because it was very practical and enabled the trainee facilitators to experience healing of memories first-hand. I also found the feedback and collaboration between facilitators during the workshop very useful.

As for my role in the workshop in Grand Popo, it was not at all easy to lead the debriefing session that followed the sharing of life stories in small groups. We had to get the participants to express and describe their feelings and then to say what healing of memories was all about. For me, it was a comprehensive exercise that summed up the whole training. I felt like I was in the shoes of Father Michael, Javier, Loret, Patrick and Fatima, and I certainly felt the apprehension they must have experienced when they started this work.

I’ve learned a lot, and I’m now in a position – with a few small adjustments, as we never finish learning – to help my fellow human beings heal from their wounds, while at the same time walking the path of my own personal healing. Thank you to HOM for such a moving programme, which taught us that we all have our own internal wounds, and which we can only really understand through personal experience of the training!

From 12 to 22 July, 26 people from nine French-speaking African countries attended a basic training course to begin their journey towards becoming facilitators. Ten intensive days of in-depth conversations about our individual and collective wounds, work on our stereotypes and prejudices, development of our empathetic listening skills, reflection on the role of facilitator and also role-playing. These were enriching encounters with people who are very involved in their own countries in work with vulnerable people, refugees, prisoners and others.

From 24 to 29 July, 14 people from seven French-speaking African countries began their advanced training. They are aiming to become “lead facilitators”. Once again, there were rich conversations and the joy of creating a community that wishes to contribute to greater justice, peace and healing in countries often afflicted by conflict and various types of violence.

The CSJR (Restorative Justice Centre) was privileged to be able to take part in this training, which enabled us to connect with courageous and inspiring people. We are proud to belong to a dynamic and constructive international network, and grateful to have been able to benefit from the presence of Michael Lapsley, founder of the Institute for Healing of Memories, and members of his South African team, as well as the Luxembourg team led by Patrick Byrne and Javier García Alves.

This invitation to Africa opened up new horizons for us in terms of running healing of memories workshops in Quebec, the importance of taking due account of cultural differences, and how to train new people in facilitation. We are grateful for all these valuable experiences.

Read Estelle’s full article (CSJR website – Quebec)

The healing of memories facilitator training was an opportunity for introspection and learning. Very quickly, given the number of countries that had gathered, I realised that it was going to be a moment for sharing, and that is what it turned out to be. Taking part again in a healing of memories workshop helped me to further heal the wounds I had begun to work on during my previous workshop. The facilitator workshop enabled me to improve my active listening skills and acquire other tools that help me in my interpersonal relationships. We walked along the Slaves’ Route, stopping at various sites commemorating the slave trade in this region of Benin. It was an emotional experience, reminding me of the darkest hours in our collective history.

I learned a lot about myself and from the others during the workshop. First of all from Father Michael Lapsley, who shared with us his life journey and the personal healing process he continues to follow, and from the participants who opened up and agreed to entrust us with part of their lives, laying themselves bare in order to accept healing but also to heal us. But above all I learned about myself, as the journey to becoming a facilitator forces us to look inside ourselves, to become aware of who we are, with our strengths and weaknesses, so that we can be at peace with ourselves and open up to others.

I look forward to continuing my journey on this path. Thank you to the Institute for Healing of Memories.

It is already three years since this project began in French-speaking Africa, so I had heard a lot about the wonderful encounters and highlights of the first session and the workshops that followed. This time, 26 participants from nine countries were invited: Benin, Togo, Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, DRC, Niger and Rwanda. This was a first for me, having never been to any of these countries before.

When I joined the team of trainers from South Africa, Canada, Switzerland and Luxembourg, I was really struck by the diversity of backgrounds and the ease with which each of us was able to find our place in the team. We were all able to draw on each other’s experience and to savour the profoundly human connection to which the healing of memories invites us.

But what really struck me were all the life stories that were shared in the intimacy of the small ‘story-telling’ groups. I didn’t know any of these countries before the trip, and I felt that I was discovering them in an intimate way. During these ten days, the participants really immersed themselves sincerely in the exercises they took part in. For some, it was their first time on a plane, or seeing the sea. But the common feeling was really one of fraternal solidarity, of being united in our humanity. I’ll never forget the joy we all felt on the bus back to Cotonou, as we sang, laughed and reminisced with enthusiasm about our ten days together.

None of this would have been possible without the preparatory work and the discreet, effective presence of the ACAT Benin team throughout the ten days! Many thanks to Pascal, Pacome and Nonye for their professionalism and commitment to promoting healing of memories. I sincerely hope that the training will now bear fruit in all these French-speaking African countries!