being human

Claiming Your Story

We are all so much alike, far more alike than different; yet many of us feel alone, isolated, unique in our stories. We are in pain or we haven’t processed the depths of our past experiences. We don’t know how to heal and we get stuck in patterns, often sabotaging ourselves in the process. That was my story. It still is on my bad days, but I’m human and I hold space for myself on those days now. I am not lacking, or less than, or a failure (believe me, those are some of the stories I told myself for a long time!)

Story connects us. It enlivens us and we learn from hearing and reading other’s stories. There are many avenues for telling these stories these days and we don’t need to be experts to do so. We only need to have courage — to have a deep desire to speak something greater into existence.

Chances are, if you’re here today reading this, you’ve been through struggle; you’ve endured suffering. Yes, we kindred spirits tend to find each other.

Maybe you’re still in pain and looking for a way to heal. Maybe you don’t know where to start. Maybe you’re not sure you CAN start. Maybe you feel stuck. Whatever your experience; kindness, self love, gentleness and baby steps are called for. No, you don’t have to ‘go for the gusto,’ or be ‘in it to win it.’ You only need to breathe and desire change, a shift, healing.

For a moment, take a step back. Acknowledge that you are here. Celebrate that you’ve gotten to this point in your life. Know that your’e not alone and that you CAN create. You can create something new, positive, brave; something uniquely YOU.

You can be your own storyteller. You can find your voice and use it. You can claim your body, your mind, and your past through story. You can also choose the future of that story, just by telling it, by speaking/writing it into existence. No, we can’t change the past, but we can learn from it, and we can choose how it informs the future.

By telling/writing your story, you might heal and you might help others heal.

A little story of my own:

During the whole of 2017 and 2018, I was in massive pain, the depths of the darkness of my soul, a true ‘dark night of the soul.’ I didn’t know who I was or where I was going. I slipped into deep depression. I seeked out people and practices who could help me heal. It was a long road, and in the middle of it, I wasn’t sure I’d make it out alive, but I did, and the one practice I consistently chose and practiced was writing my way through it. Had I not done so, I know I wouldn’t be where I am today. You can read many details of this time on both my blog and on Medium.

Writing is my life. I make sense of my experience through writing and journaling. Whether you believe yourself to be a writer or not, claiming and writing your story can be a true catalyst for change.

In the coming months, I’ll be offering 1:1 and small group sessions, leading people down this path … I am incorporating journaling, embodiment practices, nature and more into these classes and sessions, to help you on your own healing path. In the meantime, I hope you’ll start putting pen to paper and watch what happens.