Wind phones have been installed on walking trails in and around some communities in southeast Labrador.
The concept, borrowed from Japan, allows people to commune with deceased loved ones in a peaceful and serene outdoor location.
It’s been introduced in Chalottetown, Port Hope Simpson, St. Lewis and Mary’s Harbour through a partnership between Mental Health and Addictions Counsellor with NL Health Services in the Labrador-Grenfell zone, Grace Polina-Reyes, and local RCMP.
Reyes says she was aware of the wind phones, which were installed on nature trails in Japan in the wake of some devastating earthquakes, and she thought it might be a way to help people who have suffered loss to express themselves openly and honestly while in nature.
The phones are not connected to anything, and Reyes admits some were a bit skeptical when she first introduced the idea, but she says it soon started to catch on.
She says the first wind phone was installed just outside the personal care home in Mary’s Harbour last year and they decided to install similar “phones” in other communities.
“Everybody was very receptive…and they understand now the need of it.”
Polina-Reyes, who has been working in the area for the last five years, says she’s noticed that some of the stigma surrounding mental health appears to be lifting, and people are far more open to discussing their feelings and struggles more openly.
“People are now coming to seek services…like counselling and it’s becoming a regular thing for them.”
