‘Transfer all the anger, the pain, the hurt, the betrayal, the guilt and the sadness you are feeling into the rock,’ Tom shouted into the wind. ‘Feel it grow heavier in your hands as you become lighter. Transfer all your negative emotions into that rock: all the things you’ve talked to me about and all the things you haven’t. And when you’re done, hurl it into the sea and scream. Throw it as far away from you as you can. Let it go!’

Jenna stared at the rock in her hands and she imagined all the dark threads that were wound around her heart – her mother’s confession, her father’s true identity, her sister’s apathy, her ex-boyfriend’s infidelity and her own feelings of listlessness, worthlessness and loss – slowly unfurling. She felt them journey across her chest, down her arms, out of her fingertips and into the rock. It grew hot and heavy in her hands – the sharp edges pricking at her skin as though her emotions were trying to escape – and she hurled it away. Several of the others launched their rocks at the same time, their screams filling the air as the rocks soared up into the pale blue sky and then dropped, hurtling towards the sea, disappearing from view.

Alan, beside her, bounced on the spot, one fist in the air, shouting with glee. Alison, on her left, sobbed with emotion, Erica dropped to her knees, Bessie hugged herself as she stared up at the sky, Tim rocked back and forth on his heels. Everywhere she looked there was emotion – relief, jubilation and joy – but when she looked inside herself, all the old painful feelings were still there.

‘Okay everyone!’ Tom shouts now. ‘We’re going into the sweat lodge.’

Jenna’s nerves build as Tom leads them out of the marquee and across the small stretch of waste ground to the sweat lodge. Standing at the entrance is Kate, her long hair twisted into a bun on the top of her head, a bowl of burning sage in one hand and a bunch of lavender in the other. As Tom approaches she taps him on both shoulders with the lavender then runs it down the length of his dressing gown. He nods at her then disrobes, slips off his flip-flops and crawls inside the flaps of the tent.

One by one, the group follow him until only Alan and Jenna are left. Alan steps forward first.

Kate taps him with the lavender. ‘I cleanse you of negativity.’

Alan undoes his dressing gown and drops it onto the pile at the entrance of the sweat lodge then lifts the flaps and ducks inside.