Zen Men

Photo by Zac Durrant

Zen Men

A group for men who want to connect over a shared interest in spirituality (not necessarily religion) and have an interest in personal growth.

At some point in 2022, I saw an advert on Facebook for a meeting to connect to nature, via a new moon. The advert drew my attention as I have a strong interest in earth based spirituality and like to follow the rhythms and cycles of the year, in my own quiet way. “Great” I thought, a group that I could attend! On closer inspection, I found that the group was for women only.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against there being women only groups, I totally get why they are so valuable. However, I couldn’t avoid the disappointment I felt and noticed my craving for something along these lines. As a man who is far more interested in relationships, connection and spirituality, I know how hard it can be to find a place to meet other guys with similar interests. Football and sports, just don’t do it for me!

Some time after this, I was facilitating some training for fellow counsellors and mentioned to a colleague my disappointment. We discovered that we both felt that men too needed a place where they could meet to connect with themselves, one another and to explore their own understanding of spirituality. We decided to do something about it and so Kim Cooper and I created Zen Men.

The idea is, we feel, a bit different. It is a group for men, but is facilitated by a man and a woman. Why? You may ask. Well western culture has a tendency to divide and separate, and we want this group to be an opportunity for connection and wholeness and believe the experience of the group will be richer for having both male and female energy facilitating, witnessing and holding the space. We believe that in order for this to be effective, a woman should be present to offer a female perspective on things. Kim is a therapist with a wealth of experience in developing authentic relationships and shares the same passion for men’s mental health and personal growth that I do. She also has a keen interest in Shamanism and earth based spirituality.

I bring my experience as a therapist and interest in spirituality which spans my whole 50 years of life. I am keen to help men connect with one another and find a place to make meaningful connections with others as well as find out about themselves in the process.

In my work with men I notice how isolated, lonely and depressed guys can be and believe that in part, this can be due to a lack of meaningful connection and so Zen Men is perhaps a small step towards meeting the needs of men that sadly appear to go largely unmet. Zen Men is not a mental health support group or for men who are contemplating suicide, there are already groups who provide that service and do so very well. Having said that, Zen Men will undoubtedly contribute to you enjoying a greater sense of wellbeing which we hope will arise from what we create and share together.

So, if you are interested in joining us, then feel free to come along to one of our meetings, which are based in Plymouth. You will be very welcome.