Healing Wounds on the Stage
From my own experience of getting up on stage and sharing deeply vulnerable stories, I know how terrifying it can feel. Stories laced with so much shame that I never thought I would speak them aloud, stories I feared might cost me love, connection, or belonging if people saw the flawed, messy, wounded parts of me.
Shame is such a driver for secrecy. It festers under the masks we wear, gaining more power the more we push it away. And yet, shame is part of being human. Most of us have done things we’re not proud of. What I discovered, through speaking those stories again and again as I rehearsed, wrote, and read them aloud, was that each time the ickiness inside grew softer. Eventually, it quieted down. I began to see myself with more compassion, even to understand the protective mechanisms that had led to some of my shameful actions.
By the time I stepped onto the stage, I wasn’t trying to be perfect anymore. I was tired of hiding behind who I thought others wanted me to be. And what I found was that showing these parts of myself wasn’t just healing for me, it was a gift to others. Because we all carry shame. We all have moments where our inner children rear up, stressed or unskilled, and we do things we wish we hadn’t.
The same has been true with grief. Our culture has pushed grief into silence, hidden behind closed doors, when it used to be witnessed and supported in community. Sharing my grief in a raw and unfiltered way on stage was one of the most healing experiences of my life. Each rehearsal, my body shook, tears streaming. But I kept going, because I could feel how much this process was moving me through.
When wounds are spoken, whether in friendship, in community, or on the OUTSPOKEN stage, they loosen their grip. They soften. They become easier to hold. OUTSPOKEN has been such a powerful container for this, not just for me but for so many others. Healing ripples through the room, for the one speaking, and for those listening who quietly whisper, “me too.”
Photo credit: @hmerlfoto