Another meaningful psychological group therapy session was held at Hanganak Charity NGO under the guidance of psychologist Dr. Anahit Lalayan. This time, participants were invited to reflect on a seemingly simple, yet deeply personal question: “I cannot imagine my life without…”
Each participant received a sheet of paper with this phrase placed inside a large circle at the center. From the circle, several lines extended outward like rays, inviting participants to complete the thought in as many different ways as they wished.
The exercise opened a space for thoughtful self-reflection. Participants filled the pages with diverse and often touching answers, identifying the people, relationships, values, memories, everyday activities, and other things that give meaning to their lives and that they find difficult to imagine living without.
What made the exercise particularly valuable was that there were no right or wrong answers. Each response reflected something deeply individual – what a person values, what gives them strength, what brings comfort or joy, and what remains important despite the many changes and challenges they have experienced.
At the end of the session, all of the completed sheets were collected and carefully kept. The group decided that the same exercise would be repeated at a later stage. It will be interesting to revisit these reflections after some time and compare the answers—seeing what has remained unchanged, what may have acquired new meaning, and whether new sources of connection, hope, or joy have entered participants’ lives.
The meeting was made even more special by the presence of Mariam and Sona Sulakyan, volunteers visiting from the United States and longtime friends of Hanganak. In previous years, they regularly visited Hanganak’s beneficiaries during their summer trips to Armenia and organized various activities and gatherings for them. Their last visit had been in 2019, making this reunion after several years especially warm and emotional.
For both the volunteers and our older participants, it was a joyful opportunity to meet again, reconnect, and remember the relationships built over the years.
As is often the case at Hanganak, the gathering did not end when the therapy session was over. Around a table with tea and coffee, participants, volunteers, and staff continued their warm conversations, sharing memories, news, smiles, and the simple pleasure of being together again.
Sometimes one short sentence – “I cannot imagine my life without…” – can reveal how much we cherish, what keeps us connected to life, and where we find our strength.
At Hanganak, these weekly psychological sessions continue to create a safe and welcoming space for reflection, emotional expression, connection, and mutual support among displaced older adults from Artsakh.
