Winter Editor’s letter

What is winter for? If we live with the seasons then we accept that there is a time for preparation and a time for abundance, a time for play and a time for rest. Winter is rest. A glance outside at the natural world confirms that this is the time for respite: trees are dormant, animals hibernate, plants pause rather than bloom. We should take this as a sign to do the same.

In this issue, we have decided to explore the stillness offered by winter – the short days and long nights – and see what healing can be found there. In a fast-paced world it is easy to be distracted, to ignore the signals that our minds and bodies may be trying to tell us. When we slow down, when we are still and silent, we can finally listen.

I recently read a beautiful book titled Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life, that has stayed with me ever since. In it, the author asks us to question our tightly held beliefs – ones that may be harming us – and asks who would we be without them. This idea of challenging ourselves to do the work of looking inside and questioning what we find there is something that runs throughout this issue.

Writer Katie Scott explores how to live in the silence – a space many of us are unfamiliar with – noting that it is ‘an art form – a skill – that requires practice’ while author and psychotherapist Suzy Reading asks if we, like our friends in the animal kingdom, should adopt a sort of hibernation mode. After another long and taxing year perhaps it is just the thing our bodies are crying out for.

We also look at how triggers – often maligned – can actually be a blessing, shining a light on areas we need to explore and investigate the traditional stages of grief and look at practical ways to move forward through the journey.

We know that trauma – which can arrive in many forms – can affect attachment bonds, particularly for the young. In this issue we speak with parenting expert Emma Johnson about how to ensure secure attachment in the face of difficulty, while our columnist Kintsugi’s own Dr Asma Naheed asks if it is possible to move on from childhood trauma once we have reached adulthood. With many years of clinic experience, Dr Naheed’s has invaluable advice for anyone who needs to heal a wounded inner child.

Finally, one of my favourite writers, Beth Kempton, explores the idea of loneliness and the need for connection. At a time of year when many are feeling festive and celebratory, how do you cope when you don’t.

For me, silence is a space of self-awareness and growth, it allows our inner voice – often drowned out by louder, more pressing ones – to be truly heard.
In this issue we challenge you to let the silence in and see what you find there.

Editor’s Picks for Winter