KERRY J HECKMAN, LICSW
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Tuning In August 2022

8/1/2022

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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: 
  • Center for Chronic Illness - Web-Based Rare Chronic Illness Support Group Tuesday August 2nd, 2022 at 4pm PST
  • Center for Chronic Illness - Living with Thyroid Eye Disease Support Group Tuesday August 2nd, 2022 at 6pm PST
  • Center for Chronic Illness - Living with Cystinosis Web-Based Support Group, Tuesday August 16th, 2022 at 4pm PST
  • Center for Chronic Illness - Supporting Loved Ones with Cystinosis. Tuesday August 16th, 2022 at 6pm PST

Publications: 
  • 1 of my haiku was published in Mayfly, Summer 2022, Issue 73. 

National Days: 
  • August 7th is National Friendship Day  
  • August 15th is National Relaxation Day 
  • August 26th is National Dog Day 
  • August 30th is National Grief Awareness Day 

National Months:  
  • National Dog Month 
  • International Peace Month 
  • National Wellness Month 

Dear Valued Community, 

Summer in Seattle finally started, as predicted it happened we started to get warmer temperatures and sunshine in mid-July. Even with the fairer weather, the tension of the outside world can be felt at every level. 

This a time when the art of oscillation comes in. As an important part of somatic therapy, oscillation is a helpful tool to use when you feel overwhelmed by the world around you.

To understand oscillation let's use the metaphor of dipping your toe into ice cold water. The first time you dip your toe in the water it is freezing and you yank your toe out, but if you do this a handful of times your toe starts to get used to the temperature of the water and it's not as shocking to your system. This is how oscillation helps the body regulate. 

Our tendency is to either ruminate on unpleasant things or cut them off completely. An alternative is to move in and out of exposure to unpleasant news or processing unpleasant feelings. Try to spend more time in the pleasant experiences around you, while occasionally dipping your toe in to test the waters. Oscillation is how we start to find grounding when things get difficult and it is available to us in every moment. 
​
With Gratitude, 

​Kerry 
Picture
A rose in West Seattle

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: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus 
​

"Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel–prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results. 

But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking (“combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride”) proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo.  

Laugh-out-loud funny, shrewdly observant, and studded with a dazzling cast of supporting characters, Lessons in Chemistry is as original and vibrant as its protagonist."

​
(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. ​
Picture
Scooter taking a nap

Poem: 
​
Split the Sack
by Rumi 

Why does the soul not fly
when it hears the call? 

Why does a fish, gasping on land,
but near the water, 
not move back into the sea? 

What keeps us from joining the dance
the dust particles do? 

Look at their subtle motions 
in sunlight. 

We are out of our cages
with our wings spread,
yet we do not lift off. 

We keep collecting rocks and broken bits
of pottery like children
pretending they are merchants. 

We should split the sack
of this culture
and stick our heads out. 

Look around. 
Leave your childhood. 

Reach your right hand up
and take this book from the air. 
You do know right from left, don’t you? 

A voice speaks to your clarity. 
Move into the moment of your death. 
Consider what you truly want. 

Now call out commands yourself. 
You are the king. Phrase your question, 
and expect the grace of an answer.
Picture
Three little birds in West Seattle

​Quote of the Month: "The more we are willing to dive into the discomfort of life, the more lightness there is." - Lisa Rankin
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    Welcome

    I'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. 

    Kerry J Heckman

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