The topic of trauma is a big one, a personal one, and a challenging one, so before exploring this big, personal, challenging topic, let’s create a secure mental space – an observational place where we can feel safe while learning about this complex topic together.

There is healing power in learning about how our brains and bodies work, and how what happens to us impacts what is currently happening to us. The goal of this article is to demystify trauma and provide you with a complete, non-triggering overview on:

·        What trauma means

·        Types of trauma

·        Symptoms of trauma

·        The impact of trauma

·        Healing trauma

There is much I could say about the shadowy parts that live within each of us. My healing passport has many stamps from the shadowlands – or the ‘dark pit’ as I sometimes call it. I learned so much while traversing the untamed wilderness of my inner landscape and uncovered many deep truths about my life’s hardships.

The further I explored the shadows, the more my inner light was revealed, and I discovered that many parts of who I was were hiding within and behind the darkness – feeding me lies about who I was and my place in the world. I HAD to face those shadow parts, because they had no idea who I am today. I had to teach them, and I still teach them. I consciously choose over and over again to live from the truth of my Soul and not the lies of my Shadow.

Getting to know the unconscious parts of yourself requires digging deep. Sometimes that digging can be emotionally painful, but there is a reward hiding within Shadow Work…
Light. Truth. The you-est ¬you.

With that said, this overview will explore the powerful role of Shadow Work in the healing process.

There comes a point in the healing process where everything changes. Everything.

Absolutely nothing is as it used to be. You’re not like you used to be. And you question everything you thought you knew. In the midst of all the confusion, you begin to realize that the old you – the you who started the healing journey – is no longer who you are today.

Friends… this is often the most painful part of healing.

So, what do you do when you’re no longer a caterpillar, but not yet a butterfly? What do you do when you feel stuck in the transformational middle between death and rebirth? What do you do when everything you are feels like a pile of goo wrapped in a thin, fragile chrysalis and your exposed, sensitive heart is full of uncertainty?

Healing can be messy. ‘Doing the work’ is hard. Therapy/Coaching can be emotionally draining.

These are true statements, but friends, we need to talk. There are way too many myths and half-truths circulating about therapy and coaching and not enough clarity around what it means to ‘do the work.’ As a Licensed Therapist (LISW-CP), Certified Adult Chair Master Life Coach, and also someone who has personally participated in therapy and coaching, I want to dispel some of these myths and answer common questions about what it really means to ‘do the work.’

Most humans will muse over existential questions at some point in their life, and while we cannot provide perfectly satisfying answers to these tough questions, we can absolutely search our own hearts, reflect on our personal life experiences, and produce a potential solution to what many call, the ‘problem of pain.’

How do you feel when you think about the holidays? Does the mere mention of the festive season fill you with hopeful anticipation for glad tidings with great joy? Or does it trigger an eyeroll and a deep sigh of pre-holiday stress?

If the life season you are currently experiencing vibes well with the holiday season, that’s great! But if your emotional calendar is not syncing up with the holiday calendar – completely understandable! From seasonal joy to seasonal anxiety, the holidays can cause an array of complex emotions. Doing and being everything for everyone can be overwhelming, and around the holidays it can be easy to let self-care fall to the bottom of the to-do list. However, as you search for the perfect gift for everyone else, please remember to give yourself the precious gift of self-care.


“You are too emotional” and “stop being so emotional” are two phrases I deeply dislike. Emotions often get a bad reputation, and many people tend to treat emotions like unwelcome guests or something to be suppressed and ignored rather than embraced and valued. While emotions may appear inconvenient, I want you to know you are not ‘too much,’ and your emotions matter. They matter very much.