The Liminal Space Counselling and Wellness

thinking of you all today ❣️

“The starting point of discovering who you are, your gifts, your talents, your dreams, is being comfortable with yourself. Spend time alone. Write in a journal. Take long walks in the woods.”

Robin S. Sharma

INTRODUCING: ME! 💁🏻‍♀️ I thought it might be important to share my face on my feed and give a bit of an introduction of who I am in my world. I am a cisgender woman who uses the pronouns of she/her/hers. My ancestral background is Scandinavian & Celtic (Norwegian/Finnish/Scottish/Irish) although I am a third generation Canadian. I live, work, and play on the ancestral and unceded lands of the Semá:th (Sumas) Nation and Màthexwi (Matsqui) Nations (these two Nations are part of the Stó:lō Nation); colonised as Abbotsford, BC. I work in private practice seeing clients both online and virtually. I work part-time with Fraser Health as a clinical counsellor on one of their ICM teams supporting unhoused individuals struggling with addictions and mental health concerns. I work as a psychedelic-assisted counsellor and facilitator with Roots to Thrive on Vancouver Island and Gathering Groups in Abbotsford. In my world outside of work I spend a lot of time outdoors and in nature. I enjoy, especially when in the company of my son’s, to be hiking, out jogging, being near the ocean, cycling, and we’re all learning to skateboard atm. I love being in environments that can support the big energy that we have. To feel held and supported by nature is both a comfort and a necessity for my own wellbeing. Thanks for joining me in my little sliver of social media life and learnings.

You may (or may not) have noticed I paused this account for a while. It’s been a big couple of years for me and it felt important to me to limit non-essential pulls for my energy in order to tend to the changes I was experiencing in my life. These last two years have brought a lot of grief and transitions my way. I found myself in the midst of a divorce and having to navigate a return to my established community. I worked very hard to embody the tools and coping strategies my mind knew. Some days I coped really well and some days the win of the day was feeling like I got through the day. Everyday an invitation to get back onto the path I was trying to dream up. As many of you know, I have moved back to Abbotsford. I’m tending tenderly to my roots and creating systems to support my (and my son’s) growth. Creating the conditions that in time will allow us to bear fruit and thrive once again. I am excited to share my new office with you and reconnect with many of you in-person again after a year of virtual sessions. Wishing you all ease as you navigate your own relationship change and transition as the days become short, the air gets crisp, and there is a pull for deep introspection. It is always with great gratitude that I am able to support others in our shared humanity of heartbreak, joy, grief, pride, and all the emotions in between.

A few words as I travel from the mainland to Vancouver Island. Even before I get to the Hulit Lelum Health Centre on the Snuneymuxw First Nation I feel the whisper of ceremony inside me. The misty sea & snow frosted mountains always invites me to go in and down; towards my own heart.

Today I will hold space for the third & final medicine session for a group of folks participating in Roots to Thrive. It’s an absolute honour to be be invited into individual’s healing and to witness the courage it takes to shift into a new way of relating to self and others.

Even though I don’t imbibe in the medicine, the experience of holding that container lands in my body in such a beautiful way. I find ripples of ceremony lingering for days after and love that I can work in a role that also offers me the beautiful gift of leaning in.

May you be well.
May you be safe.
May you feel love.

“I can do nothing for you but work on myself… you can do nothing for me but work on yourself”. - Ram Dass // This is an invitation for you to check in on your current needs. What might your body, heart, mind, and soul have to say? What does your nervous system need?

A new moon, new year, and new variant looming. I’m not sure about you but the traditional western narrative of new year resolutions feels more offensive than ever. If you’re feeling burnt out, you’re not alone. We’re diving another year deeper into a capitalist system with ever changing goal posts related to a global pandemic. This year my resolve is to treat myself and others with more kindness, to rest a lot (a big F-U to capitalism), and to cultivate more play. I invite you to share below how “new year resolutions“ are landing for you this year..

As the date creeps closer to my son's birthday at the end of November I start to notice the subtle shifts occurring.  They used to take me by surprise but as his fifth birthday approaches I’ve started to expect them.  I was always curious why the joy of his birthday was marred with grief, sadness, and anxiety but then I finally figured it out.  His birth was paired with my cancer diagnosis and despite my best efforts to try and block the latter anniversary out, my body would remember.  And like clockwork, I’ve had two crippling sensations of anxiety and panic show up this week.  I was curious, where’s this coming from, and then I remembered.  The body remembers and holds onto our emotional experiences.  I know this theoretically and yet sometimes it’s hard to maintain the embodied knowing.  I’ve chosen to welcome the discomfort and the fear and lean into it this year.  As a family we are learning to rewrite the story of when I got sick, and together work through the residual trauma that currently ripples underneath the surface of our family.  Five years later and still deep in processing and integrating that time, not only as it relates to me, but as it also weaves into the fabric of my children’s DNA, and through the fibres of my romantic relationship.  BUT this time, from a position of safety.  I am safe.  I am alive.  My body has healed.  AND it’s okay that this is still hard for me and them five years later.

I saw this glorious rainbow while dropping my children off at their evening activity and it took my breath away. I sat in awe and let the beauty sink it. How have you invited beauty in today?