 When I was a little girl, one of my best friends was a tree. I used to climb up and sit and talk to her for hours. She was very alive to me, just like a person. My tree friend was a listener, a support, a safe place to be- she was a connection to something older and wiser that kept me grounded even with my feet dangling from her branches. I still love to climb trees. I admire them so, weathered and resolute, patient and tolerant, built to last... This summer I traveled south with my son to revisit my roots. I spent time with my family and realized just how fortunate I am to have a network of support that reaches deep and wide throughout my life. My grandmother, Itala, had nine children which makes her the original super heroine in my books. She lived to be almost 101 years old, and at the end of her life she was as beautiful as a tree- wizened by the wind and rain, strengthened by her principles, gracious in her reach. She was a cult of the Virgin Mary Catholic, and the prayer that lasted longest on her lips was "Thy Will Be Done..." As I am facing my own path through this forest of unknowns I have come to understand the profound power of acceptance. When we are willing to turn towards the shadows of our doubt, disappointment, and despair- we can begin to soften our resistance and cultivate our resilience. In fact, the "dirt" of our lives becomes the rich soil that will anchor our roots and feed our growth. When we begin from a place that embraces what is, then we are able to hope for what will become... Root down. Rise up.  Valarie Samulski
www.sacredv.org
0 Comments
Pleasure as an Antidote to the Pain of Divorce-The answer to pain relief is closer than you think.10/22/2020 Through the healing process of my divorce, it became clear that I was deeply pleasure deprived. While I always had an active sex life my awareness of my own pleasure was offline. I had to learn to reconnect to pleasure so I could have the abundant, exciting, fun, and vibrant life I have today. I want to teach you what I learned so you can connect to your pleasure center. This post is about getting in touch with your sensual pleasure. Before we do, there's a difference between sexual and sensual pleasure. Sexual pleasure refers to the body’s physical response to sexual stimulation. In our society, it is often defined by orgasm. However, once you start exploring sensual pleasure you will notice other ways to experience sexual pleasure. Sensual pleasure refers to your body’s response to input from all your five senses. This includes how your body responds to sounds, sights, textures, smells, and tastes. Many people also experience a sixth sense referred to as intuition. You can also get pleasure from this sense if you are tuned in to it. With sensual pleasure, you are paying attention to and guiding your body towards enjoyment. You are saying “yes” to whatever feels good to you. Notice what you feel like in your body when you read that last sentence. Go back and read it again and write down in a journal what it feels like to consider pursuing your pleasure. You might have some negative thoughts and resistance coming up. I completely expect that because so many of us were told to put our pleasure aside. We learned to think of other people’s pleasure first before our own especially if we are from a marginalized group. Before you can start embracing the value of pleasure you need to challenge some assumptions that might get you stuck. Remember that we all come to our relationships with sensuality in our own way. None of us planned to be resistant or uncomfortable. Accept where you are and consider the possibility of being able to change it slowly. Now, answer the following questions in your journal:
Take some time with these questions. Really examine your relationship to your own pleasure using the journal prompts above. Once you have spent some time writing try these three steps this week to increase your sensations of sensuality:
I can’t wait to hear.  Elizabeth Cohen Ph.D.
http://drelizabethcohen.com/divorcetoolkit |
Guest BloggersMargot Note Archives
August 2024
Categories
|
RSS Feed