Tuning In 10.25.2021

Each week I post an update called Tuning In on what I'm up to and ideas for grounding, connection, and discovering vitality in your life. Most of the links on this post are informational only, but a few are affiliate links that help me keep up my website. 

Events:
October 26th is National Pumpkin Day 
October 28th is National Chocolate Day and National First Responders Day 
October 29th is National Cat Day 
October 30th is Candy Corn Day 
October 31st is Halloween 
October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, LGBT History Month, National ADHD Awareness Month, National Book Month, National Bullying Prevention Month, National Domestic Violence Month, and Vegetarian Month 

​Ideas for Grounding: One way to ground is by using your imagination. Call to your mind things that are pleasant and calming for you: falling rain, a blooming flower, a still lake, an open window with a cool breeze, a beloved pet, a waterfall. Notice how long you are able to stay with the image, you will likely move in and out of it. Notice the impact of the image on muscle tension, the breath, and your connection with the ground through your feet or sit bones. 

Ideas for Connection: Halloween is one of the best holidays for connection. We get to dress up and become someone else for a day. It's a day that gives us permission to act out of social norms and feel a little more free. My Halloween plans are simple--sitting on my front porch and watching children grab candy from a bowl on the stoop a safe distance away. This will be the most interaction I've had with my neighbors in many months. I'm looking forward to feeling more connected to the neighborhood. 
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Ideas for Creating Vitality: Why should children have all the fun on Halloween? What are some ways adults can get into the spirit and create vitality? I'll leave that up to you, but the options are unlimited. Personally, I like to eat candy corn (see meme below), go to a pumpkin patch, and watch Ghost Adventures. 

Why grounding, connection, and vitality? Because these are the ways we regulate the nervous system. Spending intentional time in a regulated state allows our nervous system to wire in the direction of safety and aliveness. In other words, it's a big piece of the puzzle of how we repair the survival response of trauma.

Granite Falls in Granite Falls, Washington

What I'm Reading Related for Therapy: What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry, MD, PhD & Oprah Winfrey

"Oprah Winfrey and renowned brain development and trauma expert Dr. Bruce Perry discuss the impact of trauma and adversity and how healing must begin with a shift to asking 'What happened to you?' rather than 'What's wrong with you?'" 

Relational and Body-Centered Practices for Healing Trauma: Lifting the Burdens of the Past by Sharon Stanley 

My Somatic Transformation consultation group is re-reading this book and doing a study group. Every time I pick up this book, I discover something new. 

What I'm Reading for Fun: The Bowl of Light by Hank Wesselman, PhD. 

"Ancestral Wisdom from a Hawaiian Shaman." 

(I'm a proud member of the sloth reading club, so what I'm reading will not change weekly.) ​

TV Show or Movie I'm Watching: Ghost Adventures on Discovery+

Song on Repeat: "Changes" by David Bowie 
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Projects I'm Working On: Self-development book on trauma and worthiness, book of poetry, ongoing content for various publications. Considering next steps in career training—psychedelic assisted therapy, biblio/poetry therapy training, or yoga teacher training. 

Granite Falls in Granite Falls, Washington

Poem: 

A Song on the Water
by Thomas Lovell Beddoes 
​
                      I.
As mad sexton’s bell, tolling
          For earth’s loveliest daughter,
Night’s dumbness breaks rolling
               Ghostily:
   So our boat breaks the water
               Witchingly.
                      II.
As her look the dream troubles
          Of her tearful-eyed lover,
So our sails in the bubbles
               Ghostily
   Are mirrored, and hover
               Moonily.

Meme of the Week:

​Quote of the Week: "Every bit of darkness is only for now. The light always wins." - Stephen Colbert
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​I'd love to hear how you are grounding, connecting, and creating vitality. What is helping you feel calm and alive? Or comment below on what books, podcasts, songs, shows, poetry, or quotes are resonating with you right now.