“Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.”
Amy Poehler
Oxytocin Weekly Group
Who really nourishes and supports you?
Who really gets you and that you can laugh and cry with?
Wouldn’t you love to have more of those magical people in your life?
Why would I want to join Oxytocin?
As we get older, we can find ourselves with so many commitments and responsibilities that we fail to nourish and support ourselves. Over the months and years, we cut corners off our self-care, as “something has to give”. Add Covid and global crises, and it can feel like we have nothing left for ourselves.
This group is a meaningful and sustaining remedy to that diminishing trend. It’s an opportunity to prioritise yourself for an hour a week and to feel connected and supported. You deserve to be validated and your stories heard. Gift yourself the happiness of regular connection.
What is Oxytocin?
Oxytocin is an intimate, closed weekly group that empowers individuals through nourishing community and sustained connection. It is ongoing and online with a focus on intimacy and relationships, in their broadest sense.
Together, each week, we explore and try out new ideas and techniques about cultivating connection. This can include an extract from a podcast, such as Esther Perel’s “Where should we begin?“, or an article or TED talk, such as Margaret Heffernan’s “Dare to disagree“. We might reflect on our attachment style, Love Languages, or try out some mindfulness or positive psychology activities.
Every week, we discuss and practice at least one technique, such as expressing boundaries, asking for what you need, or starting difficult conversations.
Within this small, stable community, you’ll really enjoy being encouraged and supported to be more of your authentic self. You’ll gain confidence through practising and improving practical relationship skills.
Why is it called Oxytocin?
When I was contemplating a name for the group, I wanted something inclusive, relational, and gender-neutral. The name came from a colleague’s article for International Women’s Day.
Oxytocin is known as the “feelgood”, “love”, or “bonding” hormone and neurotransmitter. As Billie Eilish succinctly explains in her song Oxytocin, “you’re gonna wanna get involved”.
We all produce oxytocin and it feels yummy. It has physical and psychological effects that tend to make us trust and connect with people. It can also balance cortisol, the stress hormone.
Oxytocin is best known for its role in childbirth and breastfeeding, although research shows it also impacts many other areas of life from our social interactions to multiple orgasms.
We can increase our Oxytocin levels by spending quality time doing relaxing things we enjoy and being with people we love and trust. So being in this group will almost certainly increase your oxytocin levels!
Is Oxytocin only for women?
No, it’s not. Just as the hormone Oxytocin is most typically associated with women and childbirth, so too is talking about emotions and relationships.
However, this group is for people who are fascinated by, and passionate about, feelings, behaviours, and experiences relating to intimacy, connections, sex, and relationships.
The aim of the group is to move beyond the gender – and other – binaries and reclaim these topics as important for everyone.
So no, your assigned gender at birth and your genitalia are not entrance criteria for joining this group. Nor will you be asked to disclose these at any point. (I’m a therapist not a gynaecologist!)
If you’re not sure what that means, it might help to think that this group is held in English. So your level of English must be proficient enough to be able to express yourself satisfactorily and understand other people in conversation. It doesn’t mean you have to be a native English speaker.
How can I join?
As this is a closed group, the first step is to get in touch with me.
If we’ve not worked together before, we’ll need to have a free 20-minute call to see if you’d be a good fit for the group. Please use the button below to book in.
If we have worked together, please drop me an email.
You can join at any time and I ask that people commit for at least 3 months to allow trust and continuity within the group.