Written by our Licensed Professional Counselor, Jody Cecil

When sharing their goals with me in session, clients often express their longing for peace. Perhaps they seek respite from symptoms of anxiety or depression. Or they long to feel safe and secure in a world that feels unstable. Many of us believe we’ll experience peace when all stressors are removed, when all problems are solved. However, the reality is that peace comes from within and can be cultivated even in the presence of challenges.

Feeling peaceful means experiencing a state of calm and tranquility, where the mind and body are at ease. It involves a sense of inner harmony and balance, free from stress, anxiety, and disturbances. When we feel peaceful, we can think clearly, make decisions with a calm mind, and manage our emotions effectively. How is it possible to experience peace when we have no control of events or environment around us?

The Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute has developed a resource called the Peace Protocol, a five step guide to modulating emotional and physiological arousal and building resilience. I encourage you to check out their one-page document, but here are the steps:

P – Pause what you are doing to briefly identify bodily signals of unrest

E – Embody a somatic resource that feels supportive in your body in this moment

A – Acknowledge the positive effects of the resource

C – Concentrate your attention on the positive effects of the resource for 15 seconds or more

E – Engage with your environment

What makes this protocol somewhat different from practices such as mindfulness or meditation is the focus on savoring the positive effects of the resource or “A”, acknowledging the positive shift in your body. What does this mean? Imagine yourself in a stressful situation. Your body communicates its distress through tension, shortness of breath and a racing heart. You decide to stand up, feel your feet on the ground and lengthen your spine. You then notice yourself breathing more deeply. Your shoulders have dropped, and you feel your heart slowing down. Linger and truly sense into the positive changes. As you do, you’re deepening the experience of peace.

As you practice the Peace Protocol, remember to be gentle with yourself. New practices take time to develop. If you feel you need additional support in finding peace and resourcing, please contact Jody. As a licensed professional counselor trained in the modalities of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Jody specializes in collaborating with her clients to find peace – emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually. You can find information about Jody at Taking Root Counseling.

As society and culture become more open to the importance of mental health, you may have also noticed the growing interest in trauma. We hear the word so often, don’t we? In our conversations with friends, in the movies we watch, and in the offices of our care providers. What happened to us in the past impacts us in the present. What might it look like if you were interested in working with a licensed professional counselor to address past trauma?

Trauma treatment is a specialized form of therapy designed to help individuals process and heal from traumatic experiences. It focuses on addressing the psychological and physiological impacts of trauma, providing strategies to manage and reduce symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Safe trauma therapy includes five phases: 1) safety and stabilization; 2) deconditioning of traumatic memories and responses; 3) reorganizing and integrating memory; 4) re-establishing secure social connections; and 5) integrating into present life with a new sense of self (Onno Van der hart and Judith Herman).

There are many different methods used to facilitate healing from traumatic events; there is no “one size fits all” approach. However, the phases are key, especially when working with childhood and developmental trauma. Before processing painful memories, a person must develop effective resources that help to regulate the autonomic nervous system and emotions. Past events often leave our bodies in a perpetual state of fight, flight, freeze, and collapse. If dissociation is involved, the treatment involves the development of strategies to cope with the loss of connection to present moment experiences. Our brain and body work well to help us in coping at the time of a traumatic event. Later, these strategies may no longer serve us.

In my practice as a licensed professional counselor, I work closely with the client to develop a treatment plan that involves each of the five phases mentioned earlier. We collaborate and move only as fast as the “slowest part of you”. Three types of therapy can be helpful: 1) Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (https://sensorimotorpsychotherapy.org); 2) Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR, https://www.emdr.com); and 3) Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment (TIST, https://janinafisher.com). As a counselor, I use each of these to support clients in their journey of the creation of internal resources to process trauma, shift out of the prolonged fight-flight-or-freeze reaction of the autonomic nervous system, recognize and self-regulate emotions, and respond calmly and thoughtfully to their world.

If you are interested in learning more about the treatment of trauma, please reach out. You can find me at www.takingrootcounseling.com.

Written by Jody Cecil, Licensed Professional Counselor

As the holiday season ends and we begin a new year, some of us may be feeling a little down or out of sorts. Known as the holiday blues or post-vacation depression, several factors contribute to this phenomenon. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), 64% of people report being affected by holiday depression, and it’s most often triggered by the financial, emotional, and physical stress of the season. But for others, the “blues” occur when we come down from the high of the celebrations and face the inevitable return to our normal routine. While the distress we experience is short-lived, there are simple steps we can take to restore a sense of balance and joy.

How are you feeling right now? Perhaps that’s a place to start even as you read this article. What are you noticing about yourself – physically, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually? Allow yourself some time and space to be curious about yourself without judgment. Most of us can push past distress and “keep on keeping on”. Take a moment and check in with yourself. If you are feeling sadness or exhaustion, know you are not alone. What you are experiencing is normal.

While there are no quick fixes to our emotional and physical states, every small step we take matters. Most of you will read this list and think to yourself, “I know this”. You’re all wise and know your body well. But here’s the thing about the post-holiday blues; your body and brain may decide to “protect” you by shifting into a state of hypo arousal or disconnection. That fatigue and sadness you’re feeling may be part of a survival instinct – one that might not be very helpful for you in the long run. As you look at this list, remember that self-care does not have to be expensive or extravagant. Just like the light from the small candle in the image above, one small activity can help you to shift out of the blues.

• Take care of yourself physically. Of course it’s fun to stay up late and enjoy all the fun food and drink! Now it’s time to resume a schedule that allows for sleep, healthier food choices, hydration, and exercise. Be patient with yourself. Doing less does not make you less.
• Create time for connection with others.
• What sounds fun? Find a way to engage in play and creativity.
• Take a break from technology.
• Spend time in nature. Even five minutes outside can make a difference.
• Meditation and mindfulness practices.
• Clean and organize a small space in your home or office. Again, it’s okay to start small!
• Listen to music . . . or even dance!

If your symptoms persist, consider reaching out to a professional for additional support and treatment. As a licensed professional counselor, Jody might be a good place to start. Contact her at takingrootcounseling.com.

Written by our Counselor, Jody Cecil

The holiday season has arrived, and autumn is quickly shifting into winter with colder temperatures and shorter days. A perfect time for soup! Wait? As the counselor at Flourish, is Jody really going to share a recipe for soup? Yes . . . and no. The recipe I would like to share is for “tear soup.”

I first learned about Tear Soup years ago from a close friend who had lost multiple people in her life due to a tragic car accident. The story helped us both to understand what grief might look like in the moments, days, and years to follow. Written by Pat Schwiebert and her son, Chuck DeKlyen, Tear Soup is a beautifully illustrated story about a woman named Grandy who suffers a big loss in her life. She sets out to make a large pot of soup, complete with salty tears, feelings, memories, friends, and self-care.

The process of grief is much like making soup. While you may have a recipe to follow, you also improvise. Soup making is an art that takes time and patience. So does grief. If we are being honest, most of us would prefer to move through the pain of loss quickly – buy a can of soup, heat it up and eat it in one sitting. Maybe two. The reality is that grief takes longer than anyone wants it to, just like homemade soup. In Tear Soup, Grandy takes her time in making her own pot of soup, even as she realizes that those around her will have their own pot of soup to make. When she’s finished, she puts the soup in the freezer, knowing she can pull it out from time to time for a little taste.

During the holidays, grief can feel more intense because it’s a time heavily focused on family, togetherness, and traditions that highlight the loss of a loved one or any loss. The pressure to be happy and festive can also worsen the feelings of sadness and loneliness. Holiday sights, sounds, and activities trigger memories, often with no warning. If you find yourself grieving this holiday season, I invite you to consider taking the time to make a pot of tear soup. You choose the ingredients. (The book, Tear Soup might be a helpful addition to your soup.) Know that your ingredients can include others as well, including a counselor. If you need more support this holiday season, please reach out. I’d be honored to be a part of your “soup”. You can find me at takingrootcounseling.com.

Written by our Licensed Professional Counselor, Jody Cecil

For many people, this time of year feels more challenging emotionally and physically. Shorter days and the holidays often bring a sense of dysregulation. Individuals may find it more difficult to modulate arousal.

One minute we’re anxious and afraid; the next, we’re in a state of depression.

This year, we experienced an intense and polarizing election. With change on the horizon, the uncertainty may result in heightened stress and anxiety. Or perhaps a sense of profound sadness and hopelessness.

Within each person exists a myriad of resources – strengths and competencies that help us maintain our arousal even in the face of the most difficult circumstances. Utilizing those resources can lead to a greater sense of calm and stability.

Do any of these feel familiar?

• Overdo or keep busy
• Excessive need to excel at school or your job
• Anticipate others’ needs
• Cling to others to feel safe
• Dissociate
• Leave, flee or run away
• Fight, get irritated or angry easily
• Escape into books, art or music
• Isolate or withdraw
• Sleep too much
• Stop “feeling”

These survival resources often fall into the categories of what we know are instinctive ways of surviving – fight, flight, freeze, fawn/collapse, and attach/cry for help.

Please resist the urge to judge yourself for your survival resources. They allow us to cope with adversity, especially as children. Each one of our survival resources helps to modulate arousal and emotion.

Of course, they often also result in a cost to us. If use work and constant activity to cope with distress, it may result in physical and mental health issues. Isolating yourself from others protects you, and it also keeps you from relationships and a sense of belonging.

Consider these nine categories and examples of each:

• Relational – time with close friends and family, support groups, pets, activity groups
• Somatic – exercise, body work, warm baths, rocking chairs
• Emotional – friends, family and pets with whom we can give and receive emotional support, activities that elicit pleasant emotions
• Intellectual – school, classes, crossword puzzles, books, documentaries
• Artistic/Creative – people to share in creative activity, opportunities that allow for creative expression through music, art, dance, poetry, cooking, writing, crafts
• Material – a home, comfortable bed, objects that enhance pleasure in life
• Psychological – therapy, support groups, self-help books
• Spiritual – participation in a spiritual community, meditation, prayer, access to spiritual teachers
• Nature – gardens, lakes, mountains, nature walks or drives, sunrises and sunsets, flowers, wild animals, colorful fall foliage

While we may have access to external resources, we also need to develop the internal ability to engage in them. It takes time to build on our creative resources, but it is possible.

I encourage you to explore and identify your current creative resources. Then choose a few and spend time engaging with them.

Today I leave you with a resource that encompasses multiple creative resources, a poem by Liezel Graham.

As you read it, sit back and allow yourself to breathe more slowly. Read it a few times and allow yourself to really savor it. Imagine yourself sitting with someone who truly cares for you.

May calm and hope wash over you.

“Just for today let me be all the things that your tired heart needs.

sit with me, hold my hand, don’t speak.

we don’t need words everywhere, a future mapped on slate.

if we let it, tomorrow will plant its own tree for us to shelter under.

– just for today, let’s just be.”

If you find you need extra support during this season, please reach out. I offer a no strings attached initial chat to see if working together is a good fit. You can reach me here.