Posts by Grace Porter
New Year, New Hope
New Years beckons change and with it, new hope. But how do we make it last?? Transition times, like New Years, are often times of introspection. We take stock of where we are, where we have come and where we want to go. And this self reflection is really important. The more we know about…
Read MoreWhat Else Could Be True Here?
Grace here. This is one of my all time favorite questions. I am going to have to get a little theoretical with you to tell you why, so bear with me for a minute when I get there. But first, a little story. I had an experience when I was about 16 that left…
Read MoreKeep Your Heart Open
NOTE: I wrote this blog post before the death of George Floyd and the resulting heightened awareness of the racial inequalities in our society. While the words of this blog speak specifically to the experience of the pandemic, I encourage you to think about how you are attending to your heart around all of it. …
Read More5 Ways to Build Resilience with Yoga Nidra
Yoga Nidra is a beautiful and easy to do form of guided meditation and one of the best ways that I know to foster resilience. The term Yoga Nidra essentially means Union of Sleep and Consciousness. The practice takes advantage of the body and mind’s natural ability to fall asleep as a way to drop…
Read MoreRest is an Action Verb
Grace here. I am looking out my window at the second largest maple tree in the state of Washington. This beautiful tree serves as my reminder of the ebb and flow of life. Every spring it bursts forth with new leaves and new life. Transforming our yard with color and bringing the whirly-gigs that prick…
Read MoreThe Power of “And”
I recently had a client come to session talking about the power of the word “and”. I’ll be honest and say I’m not sure if those are her words or something I once said that resonated with her. And I don’t suppose it really matters except in my desire to give credit where credit is…
Read MoreKnowing When to Stop
Hello! Grace here. What do you do when you feel done but you also know you could push yourself and do more? How do you know where to draw the line and set the boundary? Many of us have beliefs about ourselves that tell us to push ourselves and always do more so how do…
Read MoreTrading Discomforts
I think most of us have the belief, or maybe the hope, that if we do the right thing everything will feel good. The reality is that while it tends to feel better in the long run, Right Action, at least at first, often means trading one discomfort for another.
Read MoreNote to Self: Keep Breathing!
“Do you know you aren’t breathing?” This is one of the most important questions anyone has ever asked me in my whole life.
Read MoreWhy I Love the Tools
The Seven Tools create a shared vocabulary and a structure to think and talk about the inner process. They sound pretty straight forward when you talk about them so the ideas are easily taught/learned. I can drop a line here and there in therapy without having to do a whole psychoeducational sidebar and the point is conveyed.
The application of The Seven Tools, however, gets you into the same ooey gooey process as therapy. I have found that when I use the Tools with my clients that they are able to actively engage in the therapeutic process more quickly because we have a shared vocabulary and framework for thinking about the work.
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