A unique trapeze workshop in Laval is helping people find empowerment by facing their fears head-on.
Stephanie Erickson, a clinical social worker, leads the workshop with other qualified trapeze instructors at Trapèze Le Voltigeur.
Erickson started training on the trapeze four years ago, after her dad died.
“I was having a hard time and was just trying to get out of my head,” she said.
“I found this place and have been there ever since.”
While it may seen counter-intuitive to face your fears by jumping off a high platform and hanging onto a small piece of wood, Erickson said the trapeze helps her manage her anxiety.
“I’ve had anxiety my whole life and I never really found anything that worked to help me get through that anxiety,” she said.
“Now, when I’m in a situation where I’m anxious, I remind myself of when I’ve been very uncomfortable, like standing on the platform and I’ve always been able to manage.”
She said she started to look inwards.
“I wanted to keep giving up [on the trapeze.] Then, I realized that if I started changing the language in my head, my body actually followed.”
“It didn’t cure me of anxiety, I still live with it, but I function at a much higher level now.”
Now, through a three-hour workshop, Erickson is helping others work through their own personal struggles.
“We help people pay attention to what they say to themselves and help them work through that,” she said.
The ultimate goal is to give participants new tools for whatever challenge they may face.
“When they leave, they start discovering what is blocking them in their life and ways to get through it,” Erickson said.