Understand how to heal YOU while loving those suffering from addiction.
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As with ALL of us…..my journey has not been all dance parties and rainbows……even though I love both. Living around addiction has impacted each and every corner of my life. For a time, it felt like it was completely consuming my life– like it had this strangle-hold on me and I couldn’t see a way to break free.
Feelings like shame, depression, anxiety, and frustration were taking over my entire system. I was exhausted from masking and pretending things were “normal” when I could feel the walls of my life crumbling. In my subconscious, I knew all this was happening in my system, but I had started to numb because it was all too much.
And then numbing stopped working.
My body started to manifest physical symptoms to show what was happening internally. I was chronically ill and felt deeply sick– but no medical professional could find anything “wrong.”
My feelings were literally screaming to be acknowledged and I had ignored them for so long they kept going to more and more extreme lengths to get me to listen. If I was adept at pushing down emotional pain, they were going to show up as physical pain.
I lived in this for a long time. I hated it. I didn’t want to, but it was my reality. Until one day I went to a yoga class, and I felt a shift. I couldn't name it. I didn’t know about Somatic Therapy or body-based healing, yet. But, I felt it.
This was the shift that started my exploration into body-based healing.
Starting this journey that eventually led me to creating my daily practice.
A practice comprised of small, consistent steps. A practice that includes movement to work with and through emotions, even when I’m not sure how or not ready to process them. A practice that uses my body as a tool to heal, rather than a vessel for chronic pain.
QUICKSHIFTS are part of that practice too, don't worry, I share one down below :).
If you have ever heard the AA or AlAnon adage: “It works if you work it” you can apply that exact same principle here.
It. Works. If. You. Work. It.
And I work it every, single day. And my life is immeasurably better for it.
I am so grateful that I have continued to work on these practices. I am so grateful for the healing it has brought to me. I am so grateful for the healing it allows me to pass along to others.
I am forever grateful for body-based healing. So today, I hold space for the gratitude I have for healing. For my journey. For all the good, amidst the challenging times of living around addiction, suffering physically, and the long road of recovery. You know, there is tons of research these days on gratitude and how it affects our overall well being. Gratitude lists, journals, buckets…..the research says it correlates to better sleep, increased creativity, less aggression, better abilities to make decisions, lower blood pressure…you get the point.
Being grateful is an important aspect of our lives. Even thought some days, some situations, some realities of loving those in addiction, makes it REALLY F*ING hard to find the good.
It's easy to miss when life gets really hard. I mean, it felt almost impossible to be grateful when my chaos was swirling and I didn’t know how to heal. So, today I reflect on all the gratitude I have for the healing process. The hard times and the good.
You deserve this healing too. Try this QUICKSHIFT with me, and hold space for all the things you’re grateful for today. Sit in your gratitude, and shift it around and around your entire being with today's practice!
There are many ways to practice gratitude in our daily lives. One of these ways is practicing daily affirmations. OK....WAIT....before you tune out, this was one of the first practices I used when I started to heal and it is super powerful! Think of all the thoughts you have throughout your day.....in particular the ones that surface when living around addiction....yes, those thoughts.
And there might be A LOT of them. Hence why it's so important to start mixing up the messages you are CONTINUOUSLY sending to yourself. Here are a few of my favorite affirmations I used early in my healing, the Louise Hay book I list below is a great resource for more:
I love and accept myself exactly as I am.
I love and accept others exactly as they are.
The world needs the magic inside of me.
Everything is working out in my best intrest.
Daily affirmations have been shown to increase motivation and help people maintain a positive self view.
Another way to practice gratitude is by writing a daily gratitude journal. This has been shown to increase people’s mental health and decrease depression. My approach is a little different here, I ask myself "what have I enjoyed today?" and I write a list of everything that brought me joy, in essenece, another way to find gratitude and see the good. Even amidst the hard.
Lastly, you can also practice gratitude by acknowledging glimmers in your life. Glimmers are micro moments in which everything feels right and almost perfect. These are very subtle moments that shift the nervous system towards calm and safety. Examples of these could be the smell of rain or for me personally the sight of snow gently falling from the sky. Somtimes you have to look hard when the turmoil of addiction is flooding in, so be patient with yourself, this is a practice.
Disclaimer: If at any time these tools feel too much– like you’re actually starting to feel flooded by the emotions and lose regulation, stop the skills and reach out to a professional to help you safely hold space for these tough emotions.
Alright, now that I’ve made it abundantly clear just how grateful I am for these QUICKSHIFTS and my healing journey, let’s get MOVING!
The QUICKSHIFT that I recommend for when you are experiencing gratitude goes like this:
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Notice - this is always the first step, and the most important!!! If you don’t notice what’s happening in your system, it’s impossible to make changes! SO, great job already!
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Pause - take a deep breath directly into your belly. Exhale super slowly.
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Find a comfortable seated position.
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Begin with a tall spine. Abs slightly engaged towards your spine.
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Exhale all the air out of your lungs.
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As you inhale, begin to shift your body to the right and then forwards.
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Move your torso around and over your lower body, still keeping those abs firm.
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Finding a slight arch in your spine as you move your torso forward and around to the left.
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As you complete the half circle, begin to exhale and move your spine backwards.
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Arching your back like a cat, taking your chin to your chest, as you continue moving your torso around to the right side of your body.
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You are going to make a complete circle, moving in the right direction.
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Inhale forward. Exhale backwards.
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Move through in this direction for 3-10 circles. Focusing on all the aspects of your world that you have deep gratitude for.
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Come to center, pause.
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Then continue in the opposite direction for 3-10 circles.
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Again, finding gratitude for your body and how it shows up for you daily. Your mind and how it helps you articulate your needs throughout each day. And your emotions which help to guide you as you navigate relationships and connection throughout each day.
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Remember to stay connected to that deep belly breathing as you move, it’s part of the magic!
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Say hello to all that your grateful for, all that’s present in your life. Yup, you heard me. Talk to it, say hello.
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Move through this QuickShift for 1-3 minutes.
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Stop after you feel complete, notice any shifts in your emotional and physical body.
Keep showing up for yourself. Noticing. Practicing. Healing. Repeating!
NEED RECIPE HERE
1 Orange Wheel (Garnish)
Instructions: Combine all ingredients into shaker, shake and strain over ice in your glass of choice, fill with Sprite to your liking, and garnish with orange twist and cherries!!! ENJOY with friends and loved ones!
RETREAT:
Registration just opened for SUBMERGE 2025 - an immersive breathwork and somatic retreat in Steamboat, CO! Reserve your spot today, space is limited! Sign up here!
ONLINE:
1) The Healing Circle -
Free online monthly somatic healing session (led by Heidi, founder of Life N Flow). Mondays @ 6am MST. Learn more and sign up here.
2) The Heart of Recovery -
A weekly meeting that joins Buddhist meditation and spiritual step work, in order to connect to and engage in a commitment to recovery from addiction, and the everyday addictive behaviors and patterns in our lives. Anyone is invited to participate. Learn more here.
3) Al-Anon Meetings -
Al-Anon is a mutual support group for those that live around addiction. Anyone who's lives have been affected by another person’s addiction is welcome. Online electronic meeting information found here.
Local Laramie Events:
1) Al-Anon Meetings -
This link has all recovery meetings for the area, scroll down to see the Al-Anon meeting times and locations. Click here.
2) The Healing Summit -
Calling all healing professionals, teachers, space holders, providers, healers, and facilitators....a weekend to expereince workshops, healing sessions and networking. June 21-23, 2025. Learn more here.
Additional Resources:
1) Podcast: HOPESTREAM - Hopestream Community™ is the not-for-profit destination for support, education and resources for parents of teens and young adults struggling with substance misuse and mental health challenges.
2) Website: SAMHSA - Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administraion -Resource for Families coping with mental health and substance abuse disorders.
3) Website: RECOVERY RESEARCH INSTITUTE - A Guide for family members.
4)Books: Titles that might help you understand addiction and various forms of healing modalities:
Codependent No More - Melody Beattie
In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts - Gabor Mate, M.D.
You Can Heal Your Life - Louise Hay
The Untethered Soul - Micheal Singer
The Body Keeps the Score - Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D.
What Happened to You - Bruce D, Perry , M.D. Ph.D.
The Dance of Anger - Harriet G. Lerner, Ph.D.
A Monks Guide to Happiness - Gelong Thubten
The Let Them Theory - Mel Robbins
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