“I would keep quiet about things that hurt me and then get upset when it all became too much. In our sessions, we worked on putting those feelings into words. I started writing down what I wanted to say before having a difficult conversation. It hasn’t made everything easy, but I’m able to speak more …

“I told Ilakkiya that day, ‘I haven’t laughed like this in 22 years.’ Once we started painting, I forgot everything for a while. Paint on my hands, laughing with the others… I felt like a little girl again. I didn’t know I had missed this feeling so much. Thank you soooo much for that afternoon. …

“I used to finish work and still keep checking messages all evening. Even when I was with my family, my mind was somewhere else. With Ilakkiya, I started small–setting a time to stop work and practising how to say I couldn’t take on something extra. I still slip sometimes, but I don’t feel guilty about …