From May 19 to 21, 2026, the Daughters of the Holy Spirit from the vice-province of CAMEROON participated in a psychology session at the “Renée BUREL” reception center in Maroua.
This session was led by Sister Marie Madeleine, who came from Douala, a clinical psychologist of the congregation of the Little Servants of Mary and focused on: “Emotions, relationships and missions: psychological dynamics, affective regulation and building well-being in a community context.” The objective of this session was to help each sister to get to know herself better, to do a personal introspection in order to be more fulfilled in her community life and in her mission.
The work began with an exercise of individual choice of images followed by their explanation, thus allowing each one to express her inner experience. Every evening, relaxation exercises were also offered to promote calming and inner well-being. In her teachings, Mary Magdalene made us understand that the dualistic conception, the model of religious formation and certain cultures often present emotions as enemies, even though they are an integral part of the human person. Then she spoke about the consequences of emotional repression, including relational difficulties, psychological tensions, warnings and compensatory behaviors that occur in our lives. The sisters were invited to ask themselves essential questions: why do I behave this way? Why do I commit such and such acts? Why do I exhibit certain compensatory behaviors? Where are my dependencies located? … and she invited us to cultivate more humility, discipline, and work on ourselves in order to listen to and accept ourselves. The Psychologist recalled that emotions such as fear, sadness, anger, disgust, joy and surprise are true “inner compasses”. Finally, some tools of emotional regulation were presented, including the “STOP” techniques: to stop, to take a breath, to observe and to continue in an adjusted way.
The session ended with an invitation made to each person to identify the dominant emotions in their life in order to better understand and regulate them.
Christine MAIDOKLE, DHS, community of Touroua. Published on 2 June 2026
