I have been consistently aided and even rescued by nature, poetry and dance. And, when the pain I have experienced has defied my ability to put together words about what my body has lived; it is then that poetry has pumped life back into me. I want to take you on a journey through the writing process that I developed as a tool to give voice to the gut of my experience when I thought words had failed me. Informed by the tools I’ve gained as a therapist, we will work our way towards the brightness that can escape our pens as we explore past painful (or joyful) moments. We will do this through: a sensory based understanding of what happened to us, finding images that match feelings, transforming words we are tired of using, exploring the negative beliefs that hang onto our moments of pain, and ultimately giving voice to the parts of us that need to be liberated. When we experience painful events, the confusion of what happened can silence and bind us. Regaining access to expression can move us a step or sometimes a leap toward what it feels like to flourish. I’m so freaking excited to share this process because it has meant so much to me. During this workshop, we will:

• Utilize creative expression through poetry as a way to build a cohesive internal story about something that was painful. Or joyful, because sometimes there aren’t enough words for that either.

• Be exposed to additional resources that can offer a balm to your pain. We will draw on mindful self compassion and parts work as tools for healing.

• Wander the land to find a nature place or being that embodies your past experience. Utilize somatic experiences in nature to find new words and to clarify aspects of your pain.

• Explore the sensory experience of your past memory as a doorway into self expression and transformation.

• Create a poem that powerfully expresses the experience.

• With curiosity and heart, we will share poems and be witness to the power of our words.

• Discover nature mentors in the more than human world who can offer tenderness. Come into sensory contact and relationship with these beings.

• Strengthen this connective nature relationship through guided visualizations and somatic techniques.

• Reclaim our voices. Our experiences.

You do not have to be a ‘good’ writer. Workshop will include the opportunity for personal sharing, writing, and skill building.