The Gratitude Circle
Creative practice for noticing what supports you
The Gratitude Circle offers four weeks of steady study of the experiences, places, and relationships that sustain you. The circle is experiential and grounded. It brings together creative exploration, embodied awareness, and dialogue to look at what helps you stay oriented in daily life. The intention is to pay attention to what makes a difference for you, how your body responds, and how this shapes how you meet the world around you. You will also have access to The Awareness Lab to continue the reflection between circles.
Why Gratitude in This Way
Across neuroscience and psychology, gratitude is understood as a shift in attention. The autonomic nervous system is always scanning for cues that the environment is safe or stressful. Moments of connection, familiarity, or ease can register as supportive cues. These moments help the system settle and shape how people relate to themselves and others.
Research also shows that gratitude strengthens relational connection. Reflecting on the contributions of others activates neural pathways linked to affiliation and prosocial behaviour. Creative processes reinforce this recognition by engaging sensory and emotional memory systems. When people turn an experience into colour, shape, or image, it becomes easier to recall and integrate.
The Gratitude Circle draws from this research in a grounded way. It focuses on lived experience and the everyday cues that help people orient toward support.
What to Expect
You do not need artistic experience. Curiosity and willingness to engage with the process are enough.
By the end of the four weeks, you will have created something that brings together what you’ve been paying attention to and gained a clearer sense of what helps you feel more engaged in your life.
What Is Expected
- Bring the suggested materials
- Engage with the weekly prompts
- Participate in small-group conversations
- Arrive with openness
There is no requirement to share anything personal. You set your own pace.
Payment and Practicalities
DATES
Sunday 1st February
6.00pm – 7.30pm UK and Ireland time
GROUP SIZE
LOCATION
Details sent on registration
PAYMENT
This circle is offered for free and donations are welcome. Donations support the facilitation and help make future community spaces accessible.
FAQ
Who is the circle for?
Adults of all backgrounds are welcome. The group is mixed audience, and no previous experience with creativity, somatic work, or reflective practice is needed.
What actually happens in the sessions?
Each session includes creative tasks, somatic inquiries, and structured dialogue in small groups. The focus is on paying attention to what supports you and how these experiences register in the body and in relationship. You are not expected to produce anything polished. The work centres on awareness and reflection rather than performance.
Is this a journaling group?
No. While you can write if that feels helpful, the circle is not based on journaling. The work uses creative exploration, embodied awareness, and dialogue. The aim is to look at how supportive experiences show themselves in your life rather than generating written output. You will create something across the four weeks, but the form is entirely your own.
How deep does the work go?
The Gratitude Circle offers depth in a grounded and accessible way. The work is experiential and relational. The focus is on how supportive experiences register in the body and how they shape everyday interactions. The depth comes from paying close attention, being witnessed, and staying with the inquiry across the four weeks rather than from intensity or personal disclosure.
How is the circle structured?
All sessions take place online. They are not recorded, which supports privacy and presence. Attending all four weeks is encouraged so you can stay with the thread of the work, but it is fine to join even if you know there is a week you cannot attend.
What materials will I need?
Basic art materials such as paper, markers, crayons, paint, and a few magazines for collage. You can use whatever you already have at home. Artistic skill is not required.
What support is offered between sessions?
The circle is supported by The Awareness Lab, an online learning environment that holds the material and the ongoing connection between meetings. Participants have access to:
- Weekly prompts and instructions
- Downloadable resources
- A space to ask questions as they arise
- Community interaction if desired
- Opportunities to stay connected between live circles
Do I need to share personal material?
No. You choose your level of participation. You are welcome to share if it feels useful, and it is also fine to take part more quietly.
How does the donation system work?
The Gratitude Circle is offered on a donation basis. The registration system requires a minimum payment of £1 GBP, and you can enter whatever contribution is possible for you in the “custom amount” box at checkout. Donations support the facilitation and help keep future community spaces accessible.
Is this therapy?
No. It is a reflective and creative space informed by embodied and relational principles, not a therapeutic group. You can take part whether or not you are currently in therapy.
Registration is now open
The Gratitude Circle offers a creative, embodied, and relational space for adults who want to explore what supports them in daily life. The work is gentle and engaging. It uses creative tasks, somatic inquiries, and dialogue to bring awareness to how supportive experiences show themselves in the body and in relationship.
The circle is suitable for anyone who can participate in shared online reflection and group dialogue. There is no requirement for artistic experience, and you set your own level of participation.
When you register below, you will receive the practical details for joining the circle and accessing The Awareness Lab. You will also receive a separate link where you can choose to make a voluntary contribution, if that feels appropriate for you.
If you are unable to use the registration form for any reason, please get in touch.