Dec 25/Jan26 Aspire Magazine FULL Issue | Page 77

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scene of the crime is where other humans first hurt you and betrayed your trust. Other humans hold both the darkness and the light. Your fierce alliance with self must be balanced by your vulnerability with others.

Actionable steps:

• Journaling. Journaling offers a simple yet powerful way to cultivate a relationship with yourself. You are an experiencing self, and you are an observing self. The two must be in good communication and journaling offers you the opportunity to use your own wisdom and awareness to reflect on your everyday experiencing self.
• Set aside time to downshift your nervous system. This may be very challenging at first and even make you feel temporarily worse. This is because nervous system release must be cultivated, courted and cajoled. Patterns of tension go deep. Through the process of softening these ingrained holding patterns you establish a loving relationship with your organic self.
• Cultivate supportive relationships. Consider getting into therapy or joining a support group. 12-step groups offer structured, supportive community of like-minded people. You can’ t do this work alone and that is good news. It is through relationship that you heal, and untold wonders unfold in the company of others.
HEALTH & WELLNESS
MELISSA GRABAU, PHD – Melissa Grabau, PhD received her doctorate degree in clinical psychology from Duquesne University in 1998. She has been working in private practice in Northern California since 2002. She is a certified yoga teacher and integrates mind-body techniques into her work with clients. More recently she has broadened her understanding of consciousness and completed trainings in psychedelic therapy and ketamine therapy. Visit her at www. melissagrabau. com.

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