I am sharing a multi-email mini series on how I have helped Stew and I through an arduous healing journey to help him recover his mental health and our joie de vivre. If you missed the first email, you can find it here.

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Reader, before I continue, I want to send a big thank you for all the responses that came in. I was surprised to read how impactful my first email was.

While I knew that these sorts of experiences exist in many families, reading your own stories of healing just goes to show what can be possible, and perhaps where more support is needed.

And more importantly, I believe the more we speak about it, the more we improve the relationship between the shadow and the light.

It is healing for everyone.

This leads me to email 2, where I share more about how I managed and ultimately grew in the early phases where the rhythm of the day was more often a relentless chaos and less of a lyrical melody.

Back then I didn’t really have time to think about how depleting it all was - I had a husband to support, a household to run, kids to care for, and clients/trainees to teach.

But I did feel a lot, and most of my actions and decisions arose from that subjective, intuitive deep feeling/deep knowing place.

So when I “tuned into” the kinds of people I needed and wanted in my posse, I gravitated toward people who would trust my feeling and deep knowing.

I wanted and needed them to:

1. Meet me where I was at.
2. Listen to me . . . and I mean truly listening.
3. Not give me advice (or even give leading questions), but rather reflect back.
4. Give me the space figure it out.

This posse didn’t come together all at once, and none of them actually know each other. Some are very body-based, others are highly cognitive. A couple I connect with more regularly, the others more occasionally or as needed.

Some have known me and my family for a long time, others are newer. Each person is an awesome human being and all believe that healing is possible.

1. Acupuncturist - she is a superstar and helped me have an enjoyable, uneventful pregnancy and also heal my c-section scar and underlying tissue. She has known me for a long time and was key for helping me reset my system through the most chaotic periods.
2. Osteopath - My kids love this guy. He has been central for them moving through some digestive issues (which I don’t doubt were related to their processing emotions). We see him more seasonally now unless other stuff comes up.
3. Business Mentor - I have worked with him since 2007 and he helped me to keep my business moving forward during a very rocky phase.
4. Psychologist - He is a rock star therapist who is amazing at not giving answers, but reflecting on what was said. I think of him as a coach moreso than a therapist.
5. Ayurveda Doctor - she is the most recent addition. With a background in PTSD, she has been helpful to all of us to clear out excess aggravated dosha and rebalance.

Collectively, I was able to use the skill and talent of this group to clear out distracting or excess energy so I could feel and think clearly.

Because the reality is . . . that even though I had my own yoga, yoga nidra, and breathing practice (which I will share more about in an upcoming email), I needed more support.

My mantra was and is . . . I want to come out better than I went in.

It is my belief that these sorts of crisis phases are “calls to become”, to evolve, transform.

Yes Reader, the journey is difficult (sometimes horrifically so), but so much easier when we have people who walk with us, listen to us, reflect back to us, and share in the joys and the celebrations.

It’s the nourishment I believe is needed for any healing journey.

I hope this has been helpful for you.

If you know someone who this email could help, please pass it along.

Much love,
Susi