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Each month I post an update called Tuning In on what I'm up to and various content I would like to share with you. Most of the links on this post are informational only, but a few are affiliate links that help me keep up my website. Events: Facilitating:
Publications:
National Days:
National Months:
Dear Valued Community, There is something sacred about the last month of the year, the last month of 2022. What a different world we live in from a year ago and two years ago. This is the first holiday season I will be spending with family since the pandemic began. It doesn't feel completely safe, but it feels safer. Be mindful of the residue left over from the past almost 3 years. People who work with trauma know that we don't move through something like a global pandemic without any reverberations. Be curious about your lack of energy and your sadness. We have a lot to recover from and it doesn't happen overnight. We are on the eve of a new year, a new time, new opportunities. With Gratitude, Kerry  Islandwood Retreat Center, Bainbridge Island, Washington What I'm Reading Related for Therapy: My Inner Sky: On Embracing Day, Night, and All the Times in Between by Mari Andrew "From New York Times bestselling author Mari Andrew, a collection of essays and illustrations, divided into phases of the sky—twilight, golden hour, night, and dawn—that serves as a loyal companion for life's curveballs. A whole, beautiful life is only made possible by the wide spectrum of feelings that exist between joy and sorrow. In this insightful and warm book, writer and illustrator Mari Andrew explores all the emotions that make up a life, in the process offering insights about trauma and healing, the meaning of home and the challenges of loneliness, finding love in the most unexpected of places--from birds nesting on a sculpture to a ride on the subway--and a resounding case for why sometimes you have to put yourself in the path of magic. My Inner Sky empowers us to transform everything that's happened to us into something meaningful, reassurance that even in our darkest times, there's light and beauty to be found." What I'm Reading for Fun: Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan "It is 1985, in an Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal and timber merchant, faces into his busiest season. As he does the rounds, he feels the past rising up to meet him - and encounters the complicit silences of a people controlled by the Church." (I'm a proud member of the sloth reading club, so what I'm reading will not always change monthly) Projects: Self-development book on trauma and worthiness, submitting haiku & poetry, ongoing content for various publications. Considering next steps in career.  Islandwood Retreat Center, Bainbridge Island, Washington Poem: All the Hemispheres by Hafiz Leave the familiar for a while. Let your senses and bodies stretch out Like a welcomed season Onto the meadows and shores and hills. Open up to the Roof. Make a new water-mark on your excitement And love. Like a blooming night flower, Bestow your vital fragrance of happiness And giving Upon our intimate assembly. Change rooms in your mind for a day. All the hemispheres in existence Lie beside an equator In your heart. Greet Yourself In your thousand other forms As you mount the hidden tide and travel Back home. All the hemispheres in heaven Are sitting around a fire Chatting While stitching themselves together Into the Great Circle inside of You.  Scooter on the couch Quote: "Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth...it is the time for home." - Edith Sitwell
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Each month I post an update called Tuning In on what I'm up to and various content I would like to share with you. Most of the links on this post are informational only, but a few are affiliate links that help me keep up my website. Events: Attending:
Facilitating:
Publications:
National Days:
National Months:
Dear Valued Community, Here we go...into the long dark. So now we must prepare for the long cold nights of winter. Both transitions and losing hours of daylight can impact our well-being. Many people have seasonal affective disorder and experience low moods during the winter months. At the height of the pandemic, I learned how important it was to create a living space that I wanted to be in. Before the pandemic, everything exciting or special involved leaving the house. When we weren't able to leave our homes, it became necessary to occupy our time at home. The same thing applies to this time of year. How can you create the environment that you want to spend time in? Low light, candles, and lots of warm blankets are helpful. This is a time to remind ourselves that we are also members of the animal kingdom and like all animals our bodies are deeply connected to the seasons and the daylight. When there is less daylight our bodies will naturally be less active. This is not a failure and there is nothing wrong with us for being less productive or desiring to be home more in the winter. Give yourself permission to slow down. Enjoy a bowl of soup and a snuggle with your pet. With Gratitude, Kerry  Washington State Capitol in Olympia, Washington What I'm Reading Related for Therapy: My Inner Sky: On Embracing Day, Night, and All the Times in Between by Mari Andrew "From New York Times bestselling author Mari Andrew, a collection of essays and illustrations, divided into phases of the sky—twilight, golden hour, night, and dawn—that serves as a loyal companion for life's curveballs. A whole, beautiful life is only made possible by the wide spectrum of feelings that exist between joy and sorrow. In this insightful and warm book, writer and illustrator Mari Andrew explores all the emotions that make up a life, in the process offering insights about trauma and healing, the meaning of home and the challenges of loneliness, finding love in the most unexpected of places--from birds nesting on a sculpture to a ride on the subway--and a resounding case for why sometimes you have to put yourself in the path of magic. My Inner Sky empowers us to transform everything that's happened to us into something meaningful, reassurance that even in our darkest times, there's light and beauty to be found." What I'm Reading for Fun: The Plot: A Novel by Jean Hanff Korelitz "Jacob Finch Bonner was once a promising young novelist with a respectably published first book. Today, he’s teaching in a third-rate MFA program and struggling to maintain what’s left of his self-respect; he hasn’t written―let alone published―anything decent in years. When Evan Parker, his most arrogant student, announces he doesn’t need Jake’s help because the plot of his book in progress is a sure thing, Jake is prepared to dismiss the boast as typical amateur narcissism. But then . . . he hears the plot." (I'm a proud member of the sloth reading club, so what I'm reading will not always change monthly) Projects: Self-development book on trauma and worthiness, submitting haiku & poetry, ongoing content for various publications. Considering next steps in career training: psychedelic assisted therapy, HeartMath training, biblio/poetry therapy training, or yoga teacher training.  Statue in Olympia, Washington Poem: After Awhile by Veronica A. Shoffstall After awhile you learn the subtle difference between holding a hand and chaining a soul, And you learn that love doesn’t mean leaning And company doesn’t mean security. And you being to learn that kisses aren’t contracts And presents aren’t promises, And you begin to accept your defeats With your head up and your eyes open With the grace of a grown up, not the grief of a child, And you learn to build all your roads on today Because tomorrow’s ground is too uncertain for plans And futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight After awhile you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much So you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, Instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers. And you learn That you really can endure, That you really are strong, And that you really do have worth. And you learn and learn With every good-bye you learn.  Port of Olympia, Washington Quote: "If this isn’t nice, what is?" - Kurt Vonnegut Each month I post an update called Tuning In on what I'm up to and various content I would like to share with you. Most of the links on this post are informational only, but a few are affiliate links that help me keep up my website. Events: Facilitating:
Publications:
National Days:
National Months:
Dear Valued Community, Lately, I've been thinking a lot about stuckness and how to move stuckness in the body. Stuckness can show up in a lot of different ways, sadness, overwhelm, and lack of motivation. It's a frustrating feeling and can lead to discomfort in the body. This is a very interesting time in our history. We are possibly starting to feel slightly safer after two years of survival mode. That is a very confusing place for our body to navigate. Like tentative newborns, maybe we are not quite sure what to do with all this input. It's overwhelming, so we may shut down sometimes. That's what the body is designed to do. However, it can feel a lot like stuckness, a lack of motivation, or a lack of forward progress . When it comes to stuckness (and everything else), I don't think we give ourselves enough credit. I think often times we are moving, it's just that the movement is very small or isn't moving us forward quite yet, so we end up feeling stuck. Give yourself credit for the small movements forward, that is what leads to big shifts over time. Perhaps as we settle in to the fall season, start turning inward and slowing down for the winter months ahead. Slowness and stuckness are two very different things. Allow yourself to move slowly and see what happens. With Gratitude, Kerry  Latte Art at Cafe Champagne near Pike Place Market What I'm Reading Related for Therapy: My Inner Sky: On Embracing Day, Night, and All the Times in Between by Mari Andrew "From New York Times bestselling author Mari Andrew, a collection of essays and illustrations, divided into phases of the sky—twilight, golden hour, night, and dawn—that serves as a loyal companion for life's curveballs. A whole, beautiful life is only made possible by the wide spectrum of feelings that exist between joy and sorrow. In this insightful and warm book, writer and illustrator Mari Andrew explores all the emotions that make up a life, in the process offering insights about trauma and healing, the meaning of home and the challenges of loneliness, finding love in the most unexpected of places--from birds nesting on a sculpture to a ride on the subway--and a resounding case for why sometimes you have to put yourself in the path of magic. My Inner Sky empowers us to transform everything that's happened to us into something meaningful, reassurance that even in our darkest times, there's light and beauty to be found." What I'm Reading for Fun: The Plot: A Novel by Jean Hanff Korelitz "Jacob Finch Bonner was once a promising young novelist with a respectably published first book. Today, he’s teaching in a third-rate MFA program and struggling to maintain what’s left of his self-respect; he hasn’t written―let alone published―anything decent in years. When Evan Parker, his most arrogant student, announces he doesn’t need Jake’s help because the plot of his book in progress is a sure thing, Jake is prepared to dismiss the boast as typical amateur narcissism. But then . . . he hears the plot." (I'm a proud member of the sloth reading club, so what I'm reading will not always change monthly) Projects: Self-development book on trauma and worthiness, submitting haiku & poetry, ongoing content for various publications. Considering next steps in career training: psychedelic assisted therapy, HeartMath training, biblio/poetry therapy training, or yoga teacher training.  Fall flowers in a community garden in Greenwood, Seattle Poem: The Only Obligation by Rumi Today a new madness is trying to set us free, tearing open our sacks. Some nameless Bedouin Has bought Joseph again for eighteen coins. A narcissus sprouts through the ground. Our souls, having pastured all night on jasmine, leap up for the dawn. The world is new, and you have been chosen to say this poem, because you are the one with the love bites on you. Your love has brought us to silence, where the only obligation is to walk slowly through a meadow and look.  Sunset at Lowman Beach Park, West Seattle Quote: "Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations." - Unknown |
WelcomeI'm Kerry (She/Her/Hers) and I am a licensed therapist, group facilitator, poet, writer, & speaker. This is a place to acknowledge and validate our suffering and trauma, while also learning how to turn toward aliveness and spaciousness. 
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