Healing Is More Than Surviving: Moving Beyond Survival Mode

This session would explore the critical difference between coping and truly recovering.

Many people mistake survival for healing, celebrating making it through a crisis without addressing what happens next. This workshop will examine how survival responses can linger long after danger has passed, how these patterns impact relationships, creativity, and daily life, and how to begin moving toward a life that is genuinely lived rather than merely endured. Through reflection, discussion, and practical exercises, attendees will gain tools to recognize survival mode and take meaningful steps toward true healing.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

Identify characteristics of survival mode.

Recognize signs that healing has—or has not—begun.

Understand how survival strategies can become obstacles after a crisis has passed.

Develop practices that support long-term healing.

Create a personal plan for moving from surviving to thriving.

About the teacher:

Kali Meister received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee and an MFA in creative writing from Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont. She is also an established writer, public speaker, academic and actress. Her writing has been featured in several lit reviews, newspapers and magazines including 34 Orchard, Caduceus, Pitkin Review, Low Explosions, and Knoxville Metro Pulse. She was the 2008-2009 John C. Hodges Writer in Residence for the University of Tennessee Knoxville Libraries.

She is the founder of She Wonder Production, a film production company that focuses on the female experience and narrative. Her short films have been selected for numerous regional film festivals including the Knoxville 54 Hour Film Festival, The Knoxville Film Festival, The Chattanooga Horror Film Festival and The Knoxville Horror Film Festival and have won awards for best screenplay, best performance, and best overall short film