Wild Instincts Therapy

Wild Instincts Therapy Creative and holistic therapy for teens and adults

Art therapy is more nuanced than “here are some art materials, create something”. It’s much more than an art project. It...
03/16/2023

Art therapy is more nuanced than “here are some art materials, create something”. It’s much more than an art project. It’s that magical space between two people, accessing right brain ways of relating, thinking, and feeling. It’s not just the outcome but the magical energy in between. I was always drawn to this process as a child, and loved the way I connected within myself as I created. Art therapy is a sacred art of sharing and this sacred sharing goes beyond images.

I never liked sharing my work all that much. I just gave it away and often wouldn’t even sign my artwork sometimes. This reflects a part of how I move in the world. I love feeling my inner connection and that inner knowing, but get afraid to share that with the world. People project, judge, blame, take from, enmesh with etc etc and I want to protect the gems from that energy. But what good does hiding do?

I keep hearing “no more hiding”. No more “efforting” for connection. I think I found my 2023 goal finally. Step into my being not just when I’m alone or fully feel safe, but do it when in the world.

Don’t hide your goodness from the world, dear one. The world will grow from what you have to offer.

“Everybody wants somebody to hold up the right mirror” - Daisy Jones and the 6Nature is the best mirror. She shows us ho...
11/21/2022

“Everybody wants somebody to hold up the right mirror” - Daisy Jones and the 6

Nature is the best mirror. She shows us how small we are in the grand scheme of life. How ever changing we humans are. We are not a fixed state, yet our minds like to encapsulate others or ourselves into a single moment or fleeting feeling to freeze things in time… good or bad. This leaves no room for evolution.

The truth is.. we are not that. We are like nature.. beautiful, complex, and unique as we are and ever evolving. You don’t look at a place like this and try to change it. You take it in and experience the essence of it in its purest form for what it has to offer. We humans have that beauty too, but we often forget to witness one another or ourselves from this place.

Thank you New Zealand for reminding me.. of the beauty of everything, that nothing is constant and that we are all dynamic beings acting as mirrors to one another.. ever changing and ever shifting and if we’re brave enough to look.. our expansion can soar.

Learning a lot about how I put myself into fixed states and how limiting that is. And how radical it is to accept all the parts. Thankful for all the humans and nature who reflect back to me the mirrors I do and do not wish to see but need to.

We cannot heal shame alone. Shame is a disconnect in the interpersonal bridge. The way back to healing shame is through ...
08/09/2022

We cannot heal shame alone. Shame is a disconnect in the interpersonal bridge. The way back to healing shame is through connection. We cannot access connection unless our pre-frontal cortex (front brain) is online. If we are in fight or flight- we cannot feel the other person or their care.

As Brené Brown says- “It's a defense mechanism—very classic—that we carry in order to protect ourselves from getting hurt. But what it actually does is protect us from being seen.”

Ironic huh? Who knew the key to our freedom and feeling seen would be in bringing our shameful parts out from hiding and letting someone accept us as we are? Then brain can begin to require what safety looks like and the body can slowly begin to tolerate being seen.

I have been noticing- my mind no longer goes to these critical places like they used to- but the body still goes to the automatic freeze or fawning states. It’s patterning. It’s conditioning. I’ve been practicing feeling seen in the presence of a safe other. I watch my body melt.

Since we can’t always access other to practice this with…

Where have you felt safe or accepted? A friend, lover, parent, animal, therapist, nature? Find your way to a memory you felt accepted and notice what happens in the body. Does it shift? Soften? Maybe your breathe changes.

Savor this shift. Come back to it whenever you notice the automatic shame pattern come back. You’re not alone in this. We all need love and acceptance.

Confusion of self and other. Enmeshment. Codependent. CPTSD. For a long time I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t handle...
07/28/2022

Confusion of self and other. Enmeshment. Codependent. CPTSD.

For a long time I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t handle the slightest bit of constructive criticism. I’d crumble. I also couldn’t give feedback because I was afraid of hurting others feelings to the point where I didn’t have needs. Still hard to stand my sacred ground, but I’m learning and I’m finding my voice along with healthy boundaries. (Let’s chat if you don’t know what I’m talking about)

Not being able to take feedback comes from feeling overly responsible for others feelings and for anything gone wrong. If we grew up in a household where we had to “be good” or “behave” so the parents felt good about their own sense of self, we confuse who we are with the outcome and the love given based on our “goodness”. Our sense of self gets wrapped up in their identity and leads to a lot of internalized toxic shame. The message this sends is “be who I want you to be so I feel good about myself” and we do this to stay on the family system, to stay loved and cared for.. at the expense of our own self. Until we can’t anymore.

Dear one. You don’t have to violate yourself to be valued or loved.

When old systems (survival strategies) meet Self energy and new systems of functioning… sometimes there’s an internal ta...
05/05/2022

When old systems (survival strategies) meet Self energy and new systems of functioning… sometimes there’s an internal tantrum that happens 😝

I can feel me. I can feel your presence. And I can feel you feeling my presence. This is The theme of connection has ...
04/19/2022

I can feel me. I can feel your presence. And I can feel you feeling my presence. This is

The theme of connection has been coming a lot for me, for others and I am hearing a lot of thoughts about it. Especially as we move into spring and Covid restrictions lift in most places.

I think we’ve all forgotten what connection feels like. Or maybe that’s just me? Being so tethered to screens- it’s easy to distract and drift off. Easy to disconnect from ourself- and therefore, hard to connect with other.

What comes up for you when you think about feeling your own presence, another’s and feeling them feeling you? Does it feel scary? Grounding? Exciting? Unknown? Whatever comes up is okay. And it might change depending on who you think about connecting with.

All parts are welcome here
03/24/2022

All parts are welcome here

So what does this mean in the context of relationships and emotions? As adults we can KNOW that we are separate from oth...
03/23/2022

So what does this mean in the context of relationships and emotions?

As adults we can KNOW that we are separate from other, that their feelings are not our own and no one is responsible for the other. Separate beings.

But when we are kids, we do not have this capacity. We are developmentally and appropriately self centered. This is how we get our needs met, by being self focused.

When we have a caregiver or experiences in the world where someone does not tolerate our emotions well- or becomes overwhelmed by our needs and feelings- we as children cannot separate “my parent is having a hard time and doesn’t have their resources to support me right now”. The “only” meaning we could conclude to make was “I’m too much” or “I shouldn’t have needs” and in doing so, we keep connection with caregiver. Must keep connection to survive.

These experiences begin to translate into our world around us and get amplified when something triggers this familiar feeling- it only confirms the belief we implicitly carry from childhood. “Not enough” “too much” “don’t have needs”

That young part. It doesn’t know how to differentiate because it is somewhat frozen in a time where it developmentally couldn’t separate. If adult Self you could go back and time and step in- what would it say to you, or to the parents or adults that were overwhelmed?

Imagine you, or someone you really trust entering into that moment and saying “wait a minute, this child needs you to be the adult, to self regulate so they don’t feel so alone right now, can you try that?”

This is a place where that young child can differentiate from themselves and parent. Where they can be fired from taking on their parents emotions and go back to having needs, feelings and taking up space. Because they are a separate being from their parents and they can be updated to the adult you- who can experience differentiation. Self and other. Both people can experience different emotions at the same time.

Becoming naturally more distinct and specialized as you evolve.

Keep the light on.
01/06/2022

Keep the light on.

Hi there. It’s been a minute since I’ve “showed my face” on here. I don’t interact much on Instagram because I find my f...
12/17/2021

Hi there. It’s been a minute since I’ve “showed my face” on here. I don’t interact much on Instagram because I find my focus is on the client interactions… AND I am reminded of the importance of connecting in other ways as well. I’m a person first, therapist second and forget it’s important that people see the human!!!

I am a transpersonal art therapist. I am informed by body based, trauma and relational theories as well.

What all that jargon means is I work with your WHOLE person, creatively and moment to moment. It’s not my job to tell you who you are and what you need, but to help guide you back into your own being, whatever that might look like for you. I will offer perspective or educational tools when needed- and my focus is on the relationship while helping you feel your core self… which does not come from a book 😉

I care deeply about each client I work with and my hope is that you never have a conversation alone in your head with me. That you feel safe enough to express it all, even if it’s hard or uncomfortable. I want to hold it with you and hear you, I mean really hear you. Let’s bring it all of you into the room and allow painful memories, shadow parts and the beautiful joy of being you to be processed, experienced and witnessed with another person. It is your birthright to feel seen, loved, have needs and be cared for- by other and by yourself.

This is the sacred work of therapy and is what I engage in within my own life. I have my struggles too and constantly work with my shadows and light to assist you better. We’re all in this together.

Pay attention to when the growth process becomes bogged down with shoulds, right/wrong and disowning of old parts. When ...
11/11/2021

Pay attention to when the growth process becomes bogged down with shoulds, right/wrong and disowning of old parts. When it doesn’t allow for the acceptance of what has been and what is. We can accept what is, while simultaneously growing into the next layer of the Self.

The emerging self is always in progress and there isn’t one right way with it. Yes, there are approaches and tools that might work better for you than other options. Let’s try not confuse this with it being right though. Trying to get it right, be this or that, healthy or unhealthy, good or bad. These all can have a way of sneaking into the process, create boxes and can perpetuate shame (including here on the gram).

These can also be helpful for some people too. Right/wrong, healthy/unhealthy can offer us a roadmap. It seems people are craving a roadmap now more than ever thanks to the groundlessness of the world the last 18+ months. It’s okay to want a road map, just be aware when the map is telling you who you SHOULD be/ how you should be, instead of allowing for the full expression of yourself to be experienced.

The expression of you is bigger than one right way. You’re an ever evolving human who has the answers within. Trust your process 🤍

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Lahaina, HI
96761

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 6pm
Tuesday 12am - 6pm
Wednesday 10am - 6pm
Thursday 1pm - 6pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+18157034387

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