I have been beside my mom, who has been dealing with a terminal cancer diagnosis for almost two years.

I spent the first sixteen months doing what my nervous systems love to do when under stress.

I kept pushing forward and fixing everything possible.

I went to a silent retreat to regroup and realized that even while I teach people how to navigate their nervous systems and sit in silence daily to work on my own, I had fallen into old patterns without awareness.

I could have shamed myself after I gained this awareness, and indeed I did cry a lot, but then I recognized what a lovely gift the spiritual retreat was and was now grounded again and could see more clearly where the veil of my behavior had taken root.

We all have deeply entrenched ways of behaving, thinking, and telling our stories, which are mostly not positive.

Somatic work allows us to reach these habitual places one layer at a time.

I knew how to manage my fix-it strategy when dealing with the stress of daily life, but when challenged with something I had never bumped up against, I had no new tools.

Living close to my mother, helping with appointments and meals, and watching her face her fears profoundly affected me, and all my current skills were not enough.

I must learn how to accept complete surrender and helplessness as a caregiver.

I will navigate this path through somatic work, silence, and allowing complex emotions to come up.

I am so grateful for my skill and my knowledge of how my nervous systems respond because I have no doubt I will be okay.

Please reach out if you are facing something challenging and want new skills to manage it.

You are stronger than you know.

Consultations in person or online are always free.