Mindful Connections Therapy

11/26/2025

Let’s be real- the holidays come with a lot of baggage for many of us. History, memories, pressure, expectations, and hopes and longings that are unfulfilled. During these more challenging times the good stuff of life slips through our hands and heart. It misses the landing strip and moves through us, as stress consumes occupancy inside.

As we begin our descent of the year, the invitation is to *look for* the lighter, more pleasant moments of life. Let the LIGHT in. Let the positive moments sink into your autonomic nervous system. While the hard stuff is there….might you make some space for the laughter, the joy, the lightness- even if it is temporary (because it is) Grab those moments with tenacity. Breathe them into your body, give them life and the aliveness they deserve.

🌟Examples to grab a hold of in the moment🌟👀

Music- let your body move and groove like it wants to
The sounds of birds chirping (ahhhhh)
Laughter- however it comes
A tender feeling watching your child or grandchild play
The aromas bursting in the kitchen. Stop, savor, and be with them

10/30/2025

Healing with ourselves is one of the paths towards wholeness. Relational healing is another. The transformation of traumatic pain that stems from mistreatment from others (relational trauma) involves healing on a relational level. You may find yourself being more compassionate with others and less judgmental as you are learning to do with yourself. You are communicating with more *precision* and skillfulness. Look at you!
Likely you are becoming intentional with who you spend your time with and how. You are practicing embodiment of love, care, & support that is available to you now. This is a somatic practice- to take in, bit by bit, the ways others show up for you. Let your nervous system sink into the delight of being cared about, remembering you are on the path NOW!

10/15/2025

*Signs you are healing*

✔ You feel more comfortable asserting your boundaries- because you are clear about what they are.

✔ You recognize your emotional and relational needs and do not diminish them

✔ You are less likely to default to self judgment when life events happen

✔ You share your feelings with more ease with others you trust

✔ You know wholeheartedly that your value is NOT tied to what you do for others, nor is it dependent upon the opinion of others

✔ You are grounded at your core- mind, body, spirit. You walk in the world feeling more rooted even when life is a bit shaky.

10/13/2025

It's important to bring in laughter to our healing.

09/25/2025

The fall equinox reminds us to turn inward this season and honor the cycles of life. It is a time of harvest and balance. Use this energy to examine where in your life balance is being asked for. It is a time for introspection and connecting with nature to hear what needs to be heard and to feel what needs to be felt. The trees are shedding and perhaps there is a shedding within you that is also necessary. This moment, day, week, season is a NEW one. Choose to come back to YOU- even if it feels shaky and unfamiliar. Begin again.

07/23/2025

We, humans are complex and have a rich inner world with parts of the psyche. Our parts- think the inner critic, rationalizer and perfectionist- are common ones. But they are not YOU. They interfere and take over from time to time which clouds the real YOU. With deep curiosity YOU can begin to build a trusting relationship with these parts who live in you. They are not going anywhere- so why not have a *new* relationship with them. You might begin with an inquiry asking an identified part what their positive intention is for you. This simple inquiry communicated with compassion and curiosity is a *big* step towards greater understanding.

07/09/2025

Does guilt interfere with your ability to experience the FULLNESS of joy, fun, pleasure? DO you have an inner critic part that says you are irresponsible, selfish or wasting time if you do? Healing from trauma not only involves resolving core emotional/physical/spiritual wounds- it also involves reclaiming one’s relationship with positive emotions.

As a child you may have been punished or shames for having too much fun, laughing too loudly or expressing your enthusiasm. If so, this impulse to express joy could have been thwarted. Is it time to reclaim all of you- the pleasurable emotions, laughter, play, joy, feelings of awe and wonder. No need to stay stuck in your head any longer. A somatic therapy approach can be one way to help you return back to your body, feel more ease with these emotions and impulses and expand upon them!

06/20/2025

How can therapy at midlife help you?

Are you in the middle stage of life, aka “midlife”? How ya doing? If you are like many men and women at this stage of life, you may be facing a range of emotions, questions, and thoughts- such as “Is this what I’m suppose to be doing with my life? “Do I really know myself, […]

06/12/2025

We all have shadow parts. Each. One. Of. Us. When do you notice the shadow parts of you show up? For instance, when you are emotionally activated or withdrawn or have a very strong reaction to someone/something. A lot of energy goes into masking the shadow parts of one’s self- though deeply unconscious, it takes up a lot of internal space to repress our authenticity. AND we don’t even know what the shadow consists of….until we get REALLY curious and face the shame that keeps these parts hidden.

Shadow parts can be made up more difficult aspects of the self, such as, rage, greed, selfishness, and envy. While we might rather not examine these shameful behaviors, doing so frees us. On the lighter side, shadow parts can hold disowned aspects, such as, our hidden strengths and gifts.

Revealing the whole of one’s self through doing shadow work exploration leads to reduction in inner conflict and ambivalence, less self-sabotaging and improved relationships (think less projection, less irritability with others). Greater wholeness awaits. Grab that courage.....and enter a new chapter of YOU.

06/06/2025

06/04/2025

Somatic and Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy are beautiful adjuncts to deepen the traditional talk therapy process. Both work cohesively to drop down into the body and out of the thinking mind that so very often gets us trapped and stuck. We get stuck in old beliefs and patterns/behaviors that leave us depleted, confused, living inauthentically. Then, we judge ourselves up for not knowing or doing “better”.

The “somatic narrative” includes gestures, posture, non-verbal language, movement, and eye gaze. When processing a stressful situation or event, the body has a language of its own. It has a lifetime of memories stored implicitly- without verbal words. Somatic expressions communicate beyond words and bring a rich meaning to the transformation process. The body’s language is nuanced and can take time to get familiar with this way of being – slow, steady, curious, allowing.

Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy works to bypass the Default Mode Network in the brain so one can have an *experience* that is free from the grips of anxiety, trauma, depression. It’s like taking a time out and taking the foot off of the gas pedal. With this bypassing, one can see, feel, and sense with greater clarity what needs to be experienced for one’s unique personal journey of life.

05/30/2025

Are you facing an upcoming stage of life change such as entering into a new commitment in a relationship, retirement, career change, move to a new city, becoming an empty nester? Changes like these, while wanted can still bring with it ambivalence and inner tension. You are leaving part of the “old “behind. What might this mean to you?
Perhaps you are moving in together with your partner and solidifying a commitment, there is part of you that may feel anxious, uncertain and shaky about this decision. Your past will creep in about those previous relationships....and then the self doubt rises up. It is important to digest all your thoughts and feelings. To clear the energy, to enter into the change with ease and flow and grieve what you are leaving behind. Yes, stress and worry may still be in the background….but they are quieter and less intense because you have given all aspects of you time to release and process.