From Survival to Expression: Reclaiming Self Beyond Illness

This workshop is free to attend, fully funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.
Something we've been quietly building is finally here.
This month, Akanji Studio Wellness C.I.C. and My Friend Jen are hosting a therapeutic reflection workshop for people living with chronic illness, sickle cell, hidden disabilities, and chronic pain.
Many people living with long-term health conditions have never accessed emotional or psychological support, not because they didn't need it, but because of cost, cultural barriers, stigma, or simply not knowing where to start.
This workshop is a first step that feels human, safe, and accessible.
WHAT TO EXPECT
This is not a lecture. Not a clinical setting. A guided, trauma-informed experience where you can gain the tools and insight for your next step in healing.
Over two hours, you will:
→ Explore what's been invisible, the emotional weight of living with a long-term condition that rarely gets spoken about
→ Learn the difference between surviving and living
→ Take part in a guided creative expression exercise, you choose the medium: art, writing, or storytelling
→ Access tools to regulate your nervous system, adapted for pain and fatigue
→ Leave with something real, a personal takeaway and clarity on your next step
Soft arrival, music, and light refreshments are included. There is no pressure to share anything you are not ready to.
FACILITATED BY
Lydia Puricelli
Transcultural Trauma-Informed Transpersonal Psychotherapist & Executive Coach
Lydia brings a culturally conscious, deeply relational approach, holding space for the systemic realities of race, health inequity, and medical bias alongside the personal and emotional experience of chronic illness.
Akanji Studio Wellness C.I.C. in partnership with My Friend Jen.
Akanji Studio delivers free creative wellness workshops and events for people living with long-term health conditions and their carers across Greater London, funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
· This workshop is completely free, no payment is required at any point
· Places are strictly limited to 15 people
· Please only register if you intend to attend, your place could go to someone who needs it
· Designed for people living with chronic illness, hidden disabilities, sickle cell or chronic pain, and their carers
· The space is trauma-informed and consent-led, you will never be pressured to share or participate in anything you are not comfortable with
· Light refreshments are included
For access needs or questions before attending, please contact: [email protected]

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Host or Publisher Akanji Studio Wellness C.I.C