Somewhere along the way, I started relating to myself compassionately. And it shows.

An Invitation

I walk in the shoes of others’ wisdom—lyrics my heart recognizes, but cannot presently find words for. One song at a time, circulation is being restored.

The teachers who have shaped me invited me — whether explicitly or in the way they uniquely inhabited their life and calling — to engage with my soul.

Finding fluency in my body’s signals doesn’t mean life is easy or that I’m perfect, it means that I am learning. The learning has happened little by little in the tiniest of increments that I’ve savored the heck out of.

Do you ever go from calm to “losing it,” and wonder what in the world happened? Suddenly you have no connection to your thinking mind. What is your self-talk like after these moments? Are you hard on yourself?

I’m always on the look out for ways to be with people more skillfully and artfully. Dr. Ham has some wonderful videos that break complex concepts into simple explanations that make sense to me.

Dr. Shannon Michael Pater’s trauma-informed perspective is helping me look upon my experiences of dysregulation with greater compassion.

This lovely meditation by Dr. Hillary McBride invites us to visit this place John O’Donohue wrote about in the quote above.

If you’re missing hymns because you no longer find life in lyrics that once felt comforting, you might find joy in this offering.

There’s spaciousness here when you’re ready. Dr. Hillary is a trustworthy guide in the podcast about spiritual trauma and healing.

Have you noticed the concept of trauma coming up more in the past few years? You are not alone. What do people mean when they use the word trauma in this rapidly-changing landscape?

“You’re able to begin to notice that God speaks to us, God comes to us in our experience, that God becomes known; God becomes flesh in our everyday experience.” - Jonathan Merritt

These are some of the threads I’ve been following related to the topic of trauma. May curiosity and resonance be your guides as you explore this collection.

When someone sees and welcomes us with lovingkindness consistently, it makes space for us to see and welcome ourselves. 

In trauma-informed spiritual direction, we seek to recover and deepen a direct connection with wisdom.

This 8-minute video is the best resource I’ve found to simply explain how residues of our overwhelming experiences shape our felt sense of safety in the present. The awareness can be a lens for compassion and curiosity for ourselves and others.

If you’re weary of trying harder, trauma therapist Aundi Kolber suggests an alternative— trying softer.