Mindfulness
Helping to develop some mindfulness tools is one area that we may explore during our work together. A mindfulness practice can help you notice and pay attention to the present moment with great curiosity and without judgment. Mindfulness is an evidenced-based tool that can help you stay present in your everyday life. It also allows you to build new ways of responding to stressors and situations that feel more workable and steadying in the face of distress. Below are some mindfulness audios that you may find helpful that I often share with clients to help develop their mindfulness tool kit and build new neural pathways
Values
Helping you get in touch with your values is a part of the work that we may do in session. Values help guide our actions when we are feeling stuck or unsure of what to do in a hard moment or during a life transition. Being aware of your values can help sharpen the focus of the direction you want to move in and can clarify how you want to treat yourself, others and the world around you. Download this example of a value checklist, developed by Dr. Russ Harris. We may use a variety of different tools and discussions to help you uncover your values in our work together.
Brainspotting (BSP)
Brainspotting Therapy (BSP) is the newest tool I can now offer in my kit when working with clients.
Brainspotting was developed by Dr. David Grand (Ph.D.) a well renowned and respected Clinical Social Worker, therapist and author who is leading the way of this exciting modality that combines brain-based, body and talk therapy.
Have you ever noticed that where you look can impact how you feel? Ever avert your gaze to feel more comfortable or look out and find a sense of steadiness somewhere in your line of vision? Brainspotting utilizes that natural phenomenon by holding the eye position (what we call the Brainspot) and helping process what the body remembers and what gets stored in our subcortical brain (midbrain).
Brainspotting is considered a brain-body based treatment, which complements other therapies. It uses our eye position, our body awareness and gentle guidance from the therapist to find, process and ultimately release stored memories.
Some people enjoy bilateral sounds during the BSP process. In general, it is known that bilateral sounds, tapping or movement tends to help regulate our nervous system and can be a calming influence.
Find some great free downloads to explore this for yourself on the Brainspotting Canada Resource page or feel free to reach out to me directly to discuss how we can use this on your journey.
Courage, Vulnerability, Perfectionism and Shame
Dr. Brené Brown is a well-known Social Worker and the author and researcher who studies courage, vulnerability, shame and empathy.
Dr. Brown has a Netflix special (The Call to Courage) and a five-part docuseries on HBO (Atlas of the Heart)! Watch the previews to hear her in action. She has a wonderful website with lots of resources. Her downloads can be especially helpful and give you a quick insight into her work before you decide to delve deeper into her writing or podcasts. She is a big influence in my work with clients around perfectionism, parenting, vulnerability and showing up for yourself in a truly authentic way. Check her out!
Self-Compassion
Dr. Kristen Neff is world renowned for her work on the science and practice of self-compassion. Self-compassion in the most simplistic of terms would be to “treat yourself with the same kindness and compassion you would a friend”. An easy idea but something that many of us have a hard time doing in practice. We all deserve to have a supportive inner dialogue and getting in touch with the science and practice of self-compassion can be a starting point. Her webpage is full of excellent resources, a self-compassion scale and a range of self-compassion practices to explore.
Apps
The Fountain of Health is a Canadian Resource out of Dalhousie University that is pioneering the idea and the science and practice of promoting well-being at any age. It’s a helpful resource for anyone looking to set themselves up for success in goal setting and positive change through a free app available through their website.
Insight Timer is a free app with an excellent website with lots of resources and mindfulness exercises for adults (and kids!). A great tool to add to your wellness kit!
