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Online, for 12 weeks, starting on Friday 17 April, 7-8.30pm BST
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Email to register, spaces limited to 8 participants
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£300 total investment
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(Price includes a private WhatsApp group and a coaching call)
Those interested can learn more and register here
For many people who attended boarding school, the experience does not simply stay in childhood. The patterns developed to cope with early separation and institutional life can continue to shape adulthood in ways that are often difficult to recognise or explain.
Many former boarders describe learning very early to suppress emotions, hide vulnerability and become highly self-reliant in order to survive the environment they were placed in. While these strategies may have helped them adapt at school, they can later lead to challenges such as difficulty with relationships, workaholism, emotional disconnection or feeling unable to ask for support.
Increasingly, survivors and therapists are recognising that healing often happens not only through individual therapy, but also through shared spaces with others who understand the experience.
This is the idea behind Boarding School Circles, offered by Garden of Eadon.
A 12-Week Course Beginning in April
Garden of Eadon offers structured closed circles, which run as a 12-week programme with a consistent group of participants.
Each week focuses on a different theme related to the boarding school experience, including:
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Memories before boarding
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The first days of separation
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Sleeping and eating at school
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Friendships and teachers
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Home and school relationships
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Career and adult life
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Family and relationships
Working through these themes over several weeks allows participants to explore how their early experiences may still influence their lives today — and to begin developing healthier ways of relating to themselves and others.
The next Garden of Eadon course begins in April, and places are limited to ensure a safe and supportive group environment.
Those interested can learn more and register here:
https://www.gardenofeadontherapy.com/boarding-school-circles
Why Circles Matter
For many ex-boarders, a powerful part of healing is realising that their experiences are not unique or isolated.
Group spaces can help normalise feelings that people may have carried privately for years — sometimes decades. Hearing others describe similar experiences can bring relief, insight and compassion, both for others and for oneself.
In a circle setting, participants gather in a structured and supportive environment where everyone has the opportunity to speak, listen and reflect. The intention is not to judge, fix or analyse each other, but to create a safe space for honest sharing and understanding.
For those who spent formative years in environments where emotional expression was discouraged or punished, this can be profoundly meaningful.
How the Circles Work
The Garden of Eadon circles combine grounding, structured sharing and reflection.
Typically, sessions include:
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A settling and grounding exercise
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A check-in round where participants can share how they are feeling
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One or two rounds of deeper sharing on a chosen theme
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A closing process to bring the group safely to the end of the session
Participants often find that simply being heard — and hearing others — can begin to soften some of the protective strategies developed in childhood.
Group work can help individuals feel less alone in their experiences, while offering a supportive community where growth and insight can emerge.
Healing Through Connection
One of the most painful aspects of the boarding school experience can be the sense of isolation it creates — both during childhood and long afterwards.
Spaces like Boarding School Circles offer something many former pupils never had at school: a place where emotions are welcomed, stories are respected, and people can begin to reconnect with parts of themselves that had to be hidden in order to cope.
Sometimes the simple act of sitting in a circle with others who truly understand can be the beginning of profound healing.
