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by Carol Suder
 Group therapy is great. It has even become entertainment as we get to watch multi-faceted celebs attend their “group” sessions in made for television gawking. Closer to home, we create our own help sessions by seeking out those who can commiserate with our experiences. By “venting” our daily stories we are creating a community or a safe-haven where we know we have support and reassurances that we are not alone, nor are we crazy.
One place where I have found the best kind of group therapy is with the 5:15 a.m. running crew. There have been up to seven of us who have participated in this group over the last 4 years. There are no interruptions from children or husbands. If you happen to wear an outfit that doesn’t match, it is usually dark, so nobody is the wiser.
There is hardly any traffic whizzing by spewing exhaust in our direction, and aside from the occasional skunk or deer that we spot in the shadows of pre-dawn mornings, we pretty much have the streets of our neighborhood to ourselves.
We usually get in four miles of jogging. For those who find it difficult to get to an organized fitness class during the day, it is the best way to fit in some exercise. It is not only therapy, it is also an endorphin inducing, sanity affirming, social, and dare I say, fun way to start the day. Believe me, if Ali and Suzy were not going to be waiting for me on the corner, I would not even consider that hour habitable.
These morning runs have become my group therapy. It happens to be a great time to talk. Not everyone loves to carry on a conversation while jogging, but I happen to be the opposite. If there is too much quiet time, I just get plain nervous. So maybe it is a purely selfish endeavor to have my own time with friends who I have shared my sorrows and my joys with. Sometimes after I get inside to a still- quiet house, I kick myself and promise that I am going to make a real effort to be the listener in our next session.
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