“Healing happens in community, in connection, in love, in vulnerability, and in the shared understanding that we are not alone.”
—Dr. Caroline Leaf
In 2018, on a quiet new moon night, I sat in my living room journaling:
"I have found my soul family. I feel nourished being in connection with them. We celebrate one another in our quirks, weirdness, eccentricities, gifts, and strengths. I feel so blessed, so lucky to have found them. To be a part of this group."
At the time, it was only a dream. But two years later, while completing my Master’s in Depth Psychology and Somatics, that dream began to take form. For my dissertation, I created a 6-day program, Voices of the Wild, blending yoga, somatics, expressive arts, and psychodrama. For the first time in my life, I was surrounded by people who was interested in this eclectic mix of modalities. They weren’t just curious, they were deeply excited and sincerely interested and earnest in their presence. I never felt so truthful to my essence, with this alchemy of varied practices in a single offering. Prior to this, I was solely teaching yoga, or training on leadership development. There was no merging of these two worlds.
Together, we explored our inner worlds with deep vulnerability and connection. It was as though our souls already knew one another. It was easeful to yield into the depths of intimate connection during the sessions. We joke often, “Remember how I never knew your last name or what you do for a living, but I know the innermost parts of you?”
I was sad when the container came to a close, knowing it was possible we wouldn’t spend such deep immerseive time together in the same way again.
Months later, a simple idea sparked: I asked my friend Ida to co-create a kirtan group. She led with her healing voice and guitar, while I offered embodied meditation. She said ‘Yes!’ and I reached out to the Voices of the Wild group, and some other friends whom I knew would love this experience.
We met for the first time on 27 Feb 2021. This group became a portal of transformation. Weekly, we sang, danced, cried, and held one another in love and celebration. Lost in time when we come together. It was healing in its purest form.
I remember thinking, “I wrote them into my life on that new moon night. Here they are.”
It was so magical – I cherished every moment with them. I never felt so free, to express, for my shadows and my light to be embraced, to be loved and celebrated. We did this for one another. We held each other in the deepest regard of our highest Self, while holding compassionate, empathetic space for the messy, human parts.
This experience taught me the power of community in healing—a lesson I carried into my work as a somatic therapist. Time and again, clients shared how they felt alone on their path, disconnected from their old lives, peers, and friends as they decided to live a life off the beaten path, choosing a more unconventional way of living and sharing their work, or figuring it out. So I began creating offerings to weave together these soul-family connections. My heart cracked wide open when I witnessed the relationships bloomed so naturally, organically, from strangers to soul-friends.
Medicine for the Mother Wound:
A Gentle Guide to Healing Your Inner Child
One of the containers was Medicine for the Mother Wound, which was born from an evening of grieving my own estranged relationship with my family, that inspired me to write an emailer (like this!) to offer a 22-day container whereby we come together to get to know, explore, and learn to love our inner child, reparenting ourselves. It was the most healing experience that I’ve ever done, for myself. I witnessed firsthand, that this deep primal healing came through in community. It was one-thing to process and speak with my therapist for years about my relationship with my family, but it was a powerful, loving experience to heal together as a group. It was the magic of being witnessed, supported, and celebrated.
The healing that emerged was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. It showed me that while personal therapy and self-reflection are vital, there is profound transformation in being witnessed, supported, and celebrated by others.
Today, I am so honored to share the experience of Medicine for the Mother Wound, is live on Amazon. It’s a recreation of the 22 days of journalling, letter-writing, rituals and embodied practices to learn to nourish and love our inner child, while healing our relationship with self-love, self-worth, and self-trust. Learning about ourselves, all over again.My hope is that this book helps you find deeper connection, healing, and peace within yourself.
As we move into the holiday season—a time of joy, reflection, and sometimes tender emotions—this book can be a companion on your journey of self-discovery. It’s also a thoughtful gift for anyone learning to love themselves or walking the path of healing.
I would be so honored if you chose to explore this journey, whether for yourself or for someone you love.
You can find it here: https://amzn.asia/d/a2hKdRF
Align + Clarify:
Your 2025 Visioning Retreat
Speaking of the holiday season and healing in community, I am so excited to invite you to a meaningful, wholesome retreat this holiday season. Join my partner Cara and me in the beautiful Mornington Peninsula Hot Springs, 90 minutes from Melbourne, for an extraordinary end of year experience designed to align your energy with the life you’re dreaming into being.
It is so deeply nourishing to spend the holidays with people we can connect deeply with. My personal intention for this retreat is to connect with a group of beautiful souls, looking for their soul tribe or spirit family. We’ll come together and contemplate on the year that has past, the wisdom we’ve gained through our challenges and growth, as well as to storyboard and visionboard the energies we are calling in four our 2025, through intimate conversations, embodied practices, journalling, and soaking in the healing minerals of the hot springs to close off this year.
Learn more and book your spot here: 2025 Visioning Retreat.
As we move into this season of connection, my heart is with you. Whether through the book, the retreat, or simply this shared moment, may you find the healing and nourishment you need.
With all my love,Stephanie
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