TOGETHER WE’LL EXPLORE YOUR GOALS, REMOVE THE BLOCKS TO ACHIEVING THEM AND HELP YOU BECOME THE PERSON YOU NEED TO BE TO MAKE THOSE VISIONS A REALITY.
Are you ready to step into a new way of being?
Do you experience anxiety and overwhelm that limits your full potential. Feeling like you can’t meet others expectations or perhaps worse you can’t meet your own. Do you feel like if you don’t have it all figured out, if you can’t handle it all, then you are somehow less than or not of value? That you’re not enough to receive the love and care you most desire. Not even from yourself let alone anyone else. I’ve certainly been there. It can be heartbreaking to feel so stuck.
You're not broken.
There is a way out. I’ll help you notice the stories in your own head that keep you stuck, we’ll increase your self compassion and sense of self worth. I’lll help you notice the small wins as we progress towards your stated goals and desires. We’ll notice the places where you find joy.
At the same time we’ll give permission for all of you. Not just the pretty parts. It’s ok to be scared sometimes and to not have it all figured out. Because the truth is none of us have it all figured out but we don’t have to beat ourselves up for that. It’s ok to not know how or the perfect way. It’s safe to share your feelings and to not have to put on a mask. We’ll create safety to share your true authentic self.
Creating a safe space where all of you is welcome and you are welcoming yourself, even the uncomfortable and messy parts that you’d rather push away. That permission is ultimately something you’ll learn to give to yourself.
DESIRE EXPLORATION: We start with exploring your desires for yourself. What is the most meaningful change you want to see. What is the biggest issue you are facing and what is the ripple effect in your relationships (family, friends, romance) your career, your physical, mental, spiritual and emotional well being. As we get clarity on what is most important to you where have a map of where you want to go. As you gain more awareness, you’ll learn how to implement real world change that shifts that awareness or breakthrough into transformation and a new way of being. A new sense of who you are and a trust in what you are capable of.
PERMISSION TO BE YOUR FULL SELF: Do you ever feel you need to act a certain way, to be a certain way in order to be loved, accepted and have connection or to be approved off. When you feel it’s not ok to be your full self you can feel disempowered, depressed, anxious and not in control. You feel disconnected and unfulfilled in your relationships including that most important of relationships with yourself. Whether with friends, in your careers or with family, these are lessons instilled in us from the time we are children. And we carry the vestiges of that into our adult lives. Walking around with a sense of needing to have it all figured out lest we be perceived as less than or not enough. But what if we had permission to be our full messy and awe inspiring, wonderful selves. In this stage we’ll explore the internal stories that hold you back. Some of these you may be fully aware of and others may be hidden from your view. As we reduce the energy it takes to hide those vulnerable or uncomfortable parts of yourself, sometimes even from yourself, we make room for more empowered choices that serve your goals. The more you give yourself permission to be your full self, the richer life becomes, the more fulfilling relationships are and the more joy you feel.
PRACTICE SELF COMPASSION: This is my super power. Having studied and practiced it extensively, I see the difference it has made in my life and I’m passionate about supporting you to practice more compassion towards yourself. If you are like a lot of my clients you’ve had experiences in your life that created a pattern of self judgement and a lack of self compassion. To minimize beating yourself up and be able to cheer for yourself in ways that increase your energy physically, mentally and emotionally to engage with life.Without self compassion we remain stuck in negative self judgement. As you already know that doesn’t take us anywhere good. In this step you’ll learn practices to witness yourself without judgement. Self compassion is key to moving out of feeling stuck.
EFT TAPPING: We’ll make liberal use of EFT Tapping. EFT or Emotional Freedom Technique is a powerful healing practice to regulate your nervous system, eliminate anxiety and overwhelm and reduce or eliminate past traumas stored in your body and your brain. As I lead you through physically tapping on acupressure points we’ll turn down the dial on the sympathetic or fight/flight/freeze response in your nervous system. Thus making it exceptional at reducing anxiety and bringing you greater calm and ease. EFT Tapping also has lots of physical implications like reducing cortisol, improving immune function, etc. (Click here for more info on tapping.)
PERSONAL STRATEGIES AND TECHNIQUES TOOLBOX: Over the last 30 years with my background as a coach, an Registered Nurse and a wilderness expedition leader, I’ve learned a powerful array of tools and techniques to help relieve anxiety, get grounded to the earth and out of your head. These include and are not limited to nature connection, meditation, nonviolent communication, parts work, self talk and more. We’ll use these tools as needed and customize them for what works best for your nervous system and your situation. And we’ll explore the resources you already have (even if you are not aware of them) and build upon those so you have your own personal toolbox that works for you.
CELEBRATE SAMLL WINS: Of course we’ll celebrate the big wins too, but the small wins often get overlooked and it can feel that they didn’t even happen at all. We are often blind to our own progress till we shift the patterns that keep us from seeing and celebrating our wins. Together we’ll work to build that skill which starts with me tracking your progress, celebrating your shifts and even pausing us in the moment to acknowledge where you are right now. We’ll also create perspective shifts that allows you to reframe what might have seemed like another opportunity to beat yourself up to explicitly naming the places where you can joyfully celebrate yourself. (If thinking about celebrating your progress feels weird, foreign, uncomfortable, impossible or even toxic, then this program is definitely for you!)
HUMOUR: Yes, humour, because self development and growth does not have to be a slogfest. Laughter changes your internal chemistry and activates the brain’s reward centers allowing the lessons to stick. Yes there will be times that growth and change will be uncomfortable for sure. That is a natural part of the process. And that is ok. At the same time, where appropriate we’ll infuse a sense of joy and play to make the therapeutic work not only more effective but also fun.
It’s a process to carve a new path, to dissolve the unhelpful patterns and create new more empowering patterns to take their place. That’s why I work with my clients for six months, a year or more. You won’t have to wait that long though to see the benefits. Similar to exercise, you’ll see the results of increased resilience, self compassion and self love along with the mental shifts that get you there within the first few sessions.
As you gain more awarenesses, you’ll learn how to implement real world change that shifts those realizations or breakthroughs into transformation and a new sense of who you are and trust in what you are capable of.
