The body awakens.

As we pivot from a collective Death cycle to a Rebirth cycle, our bodies, like the earth, awaken from hibernation. Following recent advances in neuropsychological research, our understanding of how trauma impacts the body and nervous system leaves no doubt that traditional talk-based therapies are, in many cases, not enough to change how we feel. Read for more about why somatic (body based) therapies are on the rise.

What makes shame the Master Emotion?

Often shame is referred to as the ‘Master Emotion,’ but why? (Hint: it has to do with how shame interacts with all other emotions) While shamework is the most important work we’ll ever do, there is a potent antidote that can counteract the toxicity of shame. In addition to taking a deep look at shame, March’s missive also invites us to reconsider our relationship with the liminal spaces of life.

Re-defining self care.

I believe Self Care is taking responsibility for meeting our own needs. In order to do that, we need to define what our needs are in any given moment. Practicing nervous system-informed Self Care is perhaps the most potent and autonomous way to nourish ourselves. Includes a fun exercise to do at home, reflections on identifying what our nervous system needs, and an introduction to the Healing Network!

When safety doesn’t feel safe.

The mid-winter festival of Imbolc prepares us for longer, lighter days. At this time of year it’s important to remember that for those of us who have spent years in survival mode, feeling unsafe or living with chronic stress, it can be extremely difficult to switch into states of calm and rest when things seem to be going better. Our nervous systems can become hypervigilant without allowing ourselves to transition slowly with profound self-compassion.

Gaining control of our emotions.

What does emotional freedom look like? As long we repress or suppress our uncomfortable emotions, they’re in control. They make us reactive, easily manipulated, and set us up to be overwhelmed by our feelings at the slightest inconvenience. By integrating and processing our emotions we gain control over them. When we allow our feelings to live on the surface in a healthy way, we become their master, not the other way around.

The alchemy of rest & recovery.

Aligning with nature’s rhythm means honoring our body’s need to rest during the winter season. Slowing down and resting is challenging for many of us, especially those who have trauma in their history or who are accustomed to a fast-paced lifestyle. In these cases, what we need isn’t so much rest as it is recovery. When we allow ourselves to recover when nature intends, a profound form of inner alchemy occurs.

Becoming better listeners.

There is no better way to show empathy than to listen. Truly listen and hold space for another’s experience and feelings without trying to fix their problem and without inserting ourselves into the story. Most of us would call ourselves good listeners, yet most of us would probably be wrong. Conversation is a dance, not a battle and listening is as much an art as it is a skill set.

Normalizing shame.

What is shame? Shame is a dangerous core belief that many of us possess despite doing our best to avoid acknowledging it. Shame is taught to us; it’s a social construct. I use the term shamework to describe the process I use in my practice to identify our shame, consider where we learned that something about us is shameful, and ultimately to unlearn our shame and break the chains that bind us.

Becoming a discerning consumer of ‘wellness.’

As the veil thins on the sacred festival of Samhain, beware of toxic spirituality! Many of us are drawn to wellness by our devotion to personal expansion, but many are looking for quick fixes for our pain. While therapy is a well-regulated market, unfortunately the same can’t be said for other types of ‘wellness.’ As consumers, we need to discern between practitioners who are safe and properly qualified and those who are capitalizing on our wounds.

Healing is a non-linear process.

Anyone who has ever been on a healing, transformation, or recovery journey knows that on some days we move forwards and on other days we move sideways or backwards. Welcoming the spiralic nature of transformation is as valuable to the process as the big shifts are! This month we look at how to embrace living in an intuitive, non-linear way while showing ourselves deep compassion through the ups and downs.

Welcoming a Death cycle.

At the Autumn Equinox we initiate a collective Death cycle during which we release and heal. Despite the deep medicine found in Death cycles, many of us still fear their potency because we haven’t yet made our peace with non-linear living and the fact that Death cycles prepare us for one thing - to be reborn.

Finding our Soul Tribe.

There are friends and there are Soul Tribes. As spirits having a human experience, we need a community in which we can feel safe being vulnerable and authentic. We need a Soul Tribe that assists on our personal evolution journey. Solitude is an important part of the journey as well, but we are tribal creatures. Our sisterhoods and brotherhoods are the families our soul chooses for us and they deserve more from us.

Unapologetic authenticity.

What is the intrinsic link between authenticity and shame? Vulnerability. What is the most trustworthy quality a person can embody? Authenticity. This month we look at why authenticity is the ultimate reclamation work, why it makes us shine brigher than the sun, and how we can use EFT to clear the blockages between us and our authentic selves.

Harvesting & composting our lives.

The sacred festival of Lughnasadh heralds the beginning of harvest season! We’re invited to take stock of what is working in our lives and what is no longer in alignment. How can we enjoy the bounties of our labor while composting what no longer serves us and that which perhaps we’ve outgrown?

Choosing change.

To choose change is to reclaim our personal power. When we initiate internal shifts, intuitively we know that these changes will spur external shifts as well. This knowing can be both desirable and terrifying enough to drive us to unconsciously self-sabotage. So how can we mitigate the emotional turbulence that comes when we stand on a threshold between our comfort zone and the wild, sublime unknown?

Shifting from surviving to thriving.

The Solstice initiates us into a new season and cycle of light and life during which we are invited to thrive! Our nervous systems spend so much time in survival mode due to stress, disharmonious relationships, and unresolved trauma that it can feel jarring to suddenly shift from surviving to thriving. A glorious Tarot card steps forward to teach us how to make this shift more easeful and a powerful EFT exercise is included to help clear the baggage that no longer serves us!

Living a Soul-led life.

What does it mean to let the Soul lead? To make decisions based on the yearning of our Soul or our Higher Self? How can we silence the fears and stories that the thinking mind tells us about how we’ll be unsafe, how we’ll fail, how we’re disappointing everyone around us? Peek inside for ways that EFT and Tarot for Healing can be great allies on our Soul-led journey.

Nourishing the self.

What is the difference between nourishment and numbing? How can we resource ourselves sufficiently as we do the inner work on our Underworld Journeys? A simple yet heartfelt Tarot card steps forward to teach us how to nourish our vessels.

The vulnerability of hope.

As Beltane marks the peak of our Rebirth Cycle in the Northern Hemisphere, we are naturally confronted with the invitation to be hopeful. Few things make us more vulnerable than hope though, which is why our nervous systems often reject the threat of hope out of self-preservation. In this missive we focus on how detaching from outcomes can make hope feel safe again.

Reparenting our Inner Child.

April is a time of rebirth, frivolity, and lightness which means that our Inner Children are chomping at the bit to play! But what do we do if our Inner Child struggles to play and feel safe because they still carry the burdens of their childhood? Including a profound exercise for communicating with our Inner Child and a seriously playful Tarot messenger!

Welcoming a rebirth.

We welcome a Rebirth Cycle at the Spring Equinox and plant our seeds of intention! In the spirit of rebirth we look at how the shift from reacting to responding can be the single most impactful change we ever make.

Getting comfortable in the void.

Not every season of life is one for progression or activity; we spend considerable time in liminal states - in the void - where we integrate and grow like seeds. The times of uncertainty, transition, and feeling like we’re just drifting through life can be challenging and convince our nervous systems that we’re unsafe. The month of March often feels like a liminal state so in this missive, two Tarot cards appear to guide us and we look at the healing opportunities of these in-between seasons.

Why vulnerability is the ultimate strength.

What does it mean to live with an open heart? This month we consider how vulnerability is the one true strength and do an exercise to process emotions by actually feeling them in our body. The Strength card in Tarot steps forward to teach us what we stand to gain by laying down our defenses in the face of discomfort.

The emergence.

The Celtic festival of Imbolc hovers over the threshold between a Death and a Rebirth cycle. To observe this sacred turning point, we dive into what it feels like to emerge from an Underworld Journey after doing the healing work and how to integrate our newly evolved selves into a world that isn’t on the same page.

The lesson of unlearning.

To initiate a new year and new cycle, we look at how the self-work process isn’t about learning anything, it’s about UNlearning. We focus on how the biological phenomenon of neuroplasticity enables us to actually reprogram our brains and The Hierophant steps forward as our Tarot teacher for this journey of reclaiming our self-sovereignty.

Finding liberation in Death Cycles.

The Winter Solstice initiates us into the second part of a seasonal Death Cycle during which we’re invited to rest, recover, and heal. In this special missive we look at our beliefs around our worthiness of rest and the elegance of death energy.

Embracing our ups and downs.

Healing, like nature and life, is not a linear process. We have breakthroughs and setbacks constantly and the journey is unpredictable. This missive focuses on the spiralic nature of transformation and recovery, and includes a great little tapping exercise for pre-flight anxiety!

Healing: Our forever job.

What is a Healer? Is there a difference between a Healer and a Therapist? Are we making honorable decisions? This missive is all about doing the deep, reflective work and why I prefer the term ‘Healer.’

Finding our spiritual connection.

Samhain is one of the most sacred festivals of the year during which we honor our guiding spirits. Read for musings on the correlation between spirituality and mental health; developing our personal spiritual practice; and why connecting with our ancestral lineage can be hugely medicinal.

The one true love.

The theme for October is SELF LOVE! What does self love look like? Why is it so elusive? Includes a powerful exercise for garnering self love and an unexpected Tarot card that stepped forward as a teacher for this journey.

Shedding our skins.

The Autumn Equinox initiates us into a Death Cycle when we prepare to shed, release, and reflect on what no longer serves us. Read for info on how to work with Death Cycles, why they’re to be welcomed not feared, and what our Tarot teacher for this festival is.

Harvesting our lives.

September is the threshold between a Life and a Death Cycle, so we consider what it means to go through a personal harvest season and discern between what isn’t worth taking with us any further, and what deserves our devotion.

Healing seasonally.

In honor of the harvest festival of Lughnasadh we look at what it means to ‘heal seasonally’ and how Tarot reminds us to live for the simple pleasures. We share a basic tapping exercise to improve our breathing, and we introduce ourselves to the Wheel of the Year festivals as a way to better align with the cycles of nature and healing!

The descent.

Our inaugural newsletter on YTIH’s first anniversary! This issue includes missives about Underworld Journeys; EFT for beginners; and what it means to use Tarot for Healing.