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I received a beautiful bouquet of flowers a month ago. It was every color of the rainbow - so vibrant and bright, I literally squealed with delight when I saw it. π Every week since then, Iβve watched the flowers transform - from a state of blooming & expansion, to eventual shrinking & contraction as they completed their cycle of life on earth. The change of color, texture, and size of the flowers was fascinating to observe. Every few days, I would enjoy trimming the flowers, adjusting the leaves, and rearranging the bouquet, to make it look as lovely as possible. Once the flowers started dying, I continued to tend to them. Once all of them had died, I use my hands to gently crush up the dried flowers and send them back into the earth. β In this way, nature is medicine for my nervous system (and maybe for yours, too). Being in contact with nature β whether it is a bouquet of flowers or an entire forest - reminds me what aliveness feels like. It reminds me that pleasure, play, and joy are available to us. It reminds me that we donβt have to wait for permission in order to be who we are. The flower doesnβt wait for permission in order to bloom. It simply blooms. It exists, unapologetically. You and I and everyone elseβ¦ are as much a part of nature as the flowers. Let nature remind you to take care of yourself - unapologetically. π With care, P.S. Know someone who needs to hear this? Forward it along. New readers can subscribe βhereβ. P.P.S. If youβre interested in working together, Iβd love to support you. π» For folks who are overwhelmed & burnt out, but too busy for weekly therapy, I offer Nervous System Healing Intensivesβ β three 90-minute sessions, using brain-body modalities (Brainspotting, IFS, EMDR) that go deeper than talk therapy & help you feel better, sooner.
Intensives are a type of short-term, accelerated therapy β for folks who prefer a hyper-focused approach to healing; who need longer than 50-min sessions to warm up & process deeply. ππ½ If you want to get an Intensive on the books, click here to book an intro call. I help highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults heal their nervous systems & connect with their authentic selves. π Need a nervous system reset? β> Join me for a Calm Place meditation. |
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Iβm three weeks into a memoir writing course, taught by the brilliant Stephanie Foo β author of What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma. Itβs surreal (and seriously such a gift) to learn about writing from one of my favorite authors. Plus, my nervous system appreciates the care with which sensitive topics are handled in the course. For example: after reviewing excerpts from a number of best-selling memoirs - all of which covered intense topics, like trauma & oppression -...
What does it mean to be human? Years ago, I watched an episode of Black Mirror (a science fiction show) that made me sit with this question in a new way. The episode is called San Junipero. Hereβs the premise: π San Junipero is a town on the beach, where people play, dance, meet with friends & lovers, and live their best lives. The only catch? San Junipero doesnβt actually exist in the physical world. Itβs a simulated, digital reality. The people who hang out in San Junipero are: living...
A couple newsletters ago, I mentioned that I recently moved to Oregon. (You can read that newsletter here if you missed it!) Since then, Iβve been observing & connecting with the nature around me - which is the land of the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla; Clackamas; Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde; and Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. (Which I learned through this helpful & important website.) A few things catch my attention when I meander through the forest in my backyard. π¦ the...