“Subway Therapy”: the space in the New York subway where anyone can stop and share thoughts or emotions on post-it notes

Matthew Chavez started the “Subway Therapy” project in the New York subway, a space where you can write thoughts and emotions on post-it notes stuck on the walls of the station

Matthew Chavez he created an oasis of I listen in an unusual place: the New York subway. Known as the “subway therapist”, Chavez started the project in 2016 “Subway Therapy” to provide a space where anyone can stop by share thoughts or emotions.

His project invites passersby to express their thoughts on colorful post-its who then come stuck on the walls of the stationcreating a mosaic of voices and experiences that testify to hopes, pains and dreams. Starting as a simple social experiment, Subway Therapy quickly evolved into a collective and powerful movement.

Chavez started with a table and a few chairs, not knowing if anyone would actually feel the need to stop and open up. However, the project found immediate resonance and today the walls of post-it notes are attractive thousands of people every yeargiving shape to a temporary refuge where you can feel less alone.

Chavez also founded the Listening Lab

Social media amplified the project, bringing the initiative to global attention and allowing Chavez to expand it to other citiessuch as Berlin and Kyoto. The success of Subway Therapy encouraged Chavez to found the Listening Laba nonprofit committed to promoting active listening and human connection.

Initiatives like the Listening Lab show the importance of human contact in frenetic urban contextswhere people often go unnoticed and anonymous. With workshops and collaborations with schools and youth communities, the project educates people, especially young people, in the art ofempathetic listening.

Chavez believes that even a simple exchanging words between strangers can improve the quality of life and foster a sense of communityrare values ​​in large and busy cities. Chavez’s approach is based on a simple principle: listening is goodboth to the speaker and to the listener.

The messages that appear on the post-its are the most disparate: they range from love to sufferingup to themes such as change and hope. This dialogue between strangers has created an informal but powerful support network, a refuge for those seeking to feel seen and understood. Thus, Chavez reminds us that, even in the chaos of urban life, there is room for slow down e For open up to others.