The Ancestry Club meets every Wednesday morning at the Village Clinic in Tsawwassen where participants discuss their family history and relationships by sharing their stories with each other.
Host Jill Fischer said the premise is to create a structure where everybody can gather together and share their struggles and insights.
"Through conversation, stories just arise," she said. "One person might share something that reminds another person of a story, which is integral to the conversation."
She said the brain can create long-lasting anxiety from unresolved family experiences in the past, resulting in separation behaviours. By unearthing their history through conversations, a person can be healed and have an optimistic look in the future.
"Anxiety hijacks your brain, so to be free from the past is to actually look and resolve it, whatever the conversation is to a neutral place and then you're free to live," she said.
Marlene Lochkrin, 45, has attended the club on two occasions. She still considers herself new after living in Tsawwassen for six years and was excited when she heard about the meetings. She said she loves hearing stories from others and inspires her to have a meaningful life in sharing information to her kids.
"To come here and dive into each other's ancestry, like learning about the war and what they did, is just good for the betterment of mankind," she said.
John Miller is an 89-year-old who has attended four meetings.
"The association is nice, having to talk to these people and discuss some of their things," he said. "It's just nice to get together and talk about it."
The club's meetings run from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. every Wednesday. Sessions are $10 each. Call 778-434-3072 for more information.
