Dear Ones,

We are navigating unusual times filled with uncertainties in the global political landscape. Unfortunately, this can exacerbate existing anxiety and chronic stress. Whether you’re facing challenges, struggling to settle down, dealing with excessive worries, or experiencing generalized anxiety, I aim to share my knowledge to help you.

I am hosting a free workshop focused on anxiety, designed to provide education, teach coping skills, and support emotional regulation, concluding with a meditation to enhance this process.

Join me to explore the science behind anxiety and stress, as well as the complexities of modern human existence. I will share various tools to help you, drawing from somatic experiencing and transformative touch.

Please register for this free workshop and take the first step toward a more serene and joyful life. Ensure you receive your link at least three hours in advance.  This will take place March 31st @5:00 p.m.

https://calendly.com/bluebutterflyhealing12/free-anxiety-workshop

Yours in healing,

Caroldean Jude

Somatic Trauma Therapist

Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner

Transforming Touch® Practitioner

Internal Family Systems® Therapist

1638 Pandosy Street, #11

Kelowna, BC, Canada

I am thrilled to be hosting The Art of Healing:  A Yoga & Meditation series that integrates Trauma-Informed Yoga, Somatic Experiencing®, and a meditation technique utilizing Transforming Touch® therapy. My goal for this series is to equip participants with tools for enhanced body awareness, support nervous system regulation, and create a safe, compassionate environment for self-discovery and empowerment of choice.

What does somatic mean?

The term ‘soma’ originates from Greek, signifying ‘the living body as known from within’ or understood by the Self. This sense of ‘knowing’ represents a state of wholeness. Somatic therapy offers an experiential method for integrating the mind and body. Trauma often leads to pain, overwhelm, and coping mechanisms that disconnect us from feeling at home in our bodies, resulting in an inner split.

What will the classes look like?:

45 minute gentle yoga class through lens of somatic (body) awareness (trauma-informed).

30 minute group healing meditation with Transforming Touch® (this will be intentional touch in supporting nervous system regulation).

15 minute discussion/questions, reflections, education.

Before class I will be emailing students with information to support their experience. I will also be available by email for any questions or concerns that that may come up. 

General Outline

Week One

The practice of  Felt sense, What is it and how do I access it?

Week Two

The “Ceptions”  Introception, Exteroception, Neuroception, Proprioception

How the body takes in information to tell us whether the environment or the people around us are “safe”

Week Three

The cost of doing business – Allostatic Load.  How to lessen the “stress load” on the body.

 Week Four

Connecting to the different parts of us, and the practice of self-compassion.

I hope to see you there!  If you have any questions please feel free to reach out by email to me at caroldean@somatictherapykelowna.ca

Warmly yours,

Caroldean Jude

Somatic Trauma Therapist

Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner

Transforming Touch® Practitioner

Internal Family Systems® Therapist

Dear Ones,

The current political unrest feels overwhelming, especially with the constant influx of information from social media, which can strain an already burdened system.  When chaos surrounds you—whether in your living room, on your phone, or your laptop—and your body starts preparing for danger, how can you support yourself without diving into that chaos? Below is my “go-to” list that I find helpful:

Tools to Support Your Nervous System

1. Tell yourself “STOP” to redirect your focus from negative thoughts.
2. Exhale all your breath, then inhale deeply so your abdomen expands slightly—pause—then exhale with a sigh or perform a lion’s breath (stick out your tongue and roar as you exhale). Ensure your exhale is longer than your inhale, and pause for a few counts after emptying your lungs. Repeat once more.
3. Become aware of your connection to the chair beneath you or your feet on the ground, grounding yourself with the Earth.
4. Use positive affirmations, such as “I am safe right now” or “I am okay.”
5. Cultivate curiosity with one of your senses, like sight. Where do your eyes want to wander? What do you see in your immediate environment? Can you broaden your peripheral vision?
6. Pay attention to what feels good in your body right now and gently explore how to deepen that pleasant sensation.
7. Take a moment to pause and be curious about your bodily sensations, befriending them instead of judging them.

When we are already grappling with chronic stress, anxiety, or panic, these external messages reinforce our system’s instinctual “alarm physiology,” signaling that we are in danger. While these times may feel unsettling, we can practice avoiding the chaos and cultivate our sense of peace in the moment. The practices above aim to enhance our ability to be present with bodily sensations, that might have been shaped by our past and heightened by the message we are receiving regarding the political climate. While we may feel powerless to directly influence the situation, we can support our systems by stepping away from the social media “drama” and creating our own space of tranquility.

I am passionate about equipping individuals with tools to remain present, to view past trauma as a testament to resilience, and to foster greater self-agency, confidence, and vitality.

For more information on how Somatic Therapy can help you on your healing journey please reach out and book a free 20 minute consultation to get more information.    Link:  https://calendly.com/bluebutterflyhealing12/20min

Yours in healing,

Caroldean Jude

Somatic Trauma Therapist

Somatic Experiencing ® Practitioner

Transforming Touch ® Practitioner

Internal Family Systems ® Therapist

Hello Dear Ones,

I know that this is a subject that can be difficult to acknowledge to oneself, let alone talk to others about.  I want this to be a safe space to put into words the difficulties that can arise in life due to the misattunement of our caregivers in early life.  Shame is a byproduct of us taking on the emotional burden/responsibility of our childhood mistreatment, when it is not ours to hold.

Shame’s Burden

You might have wanted to hide your emotional struggles, physical pain that there is no explanation for or even give up and isolate altogether.  Shame might be playing a role (hidden in the background) here.  Our society in general does not offer a lot of credence to intangible pain, emotional or physical, though I feel this is starting to change.  The silent message is that if you cannot see it, it is not real.  There is an old saying that applies here:  “It’s all in your head.”

The shame response that I am referring to is when people feel shame for their supposed “weaknesses” of depression, anxiety and/or chronic physical pain or fatigue.  That somehow your mental or unexplainable physical health struggles are your fault and proof of your inability to will yourself into wellness.  Every human has at some point, has had to live with the above so why is there still a stigma in our medical based world, that unless there is a definitive label/diagnostic criteria, there is a underlying message of “weakness” of character.  This in of itself reaffirms the underlying trauma, and compounds the shame burden.

I have hope that soon there will be more awareness around trauma, that it is more physiological than psychological, and shows up in different ways in the body/mind/spirit.  That there will be more tolerance and support for people during all of their dark days, and for the ways that pain has manifested in their lives.  That we will be living in a world were there is more acceptance,  compassion and access to healing modalities that might not be considered conventional.

Finally, I hope that as individuals we feel free and empowered to seek and receive the help (whatever that is) we need, without the pall of shame.  I feel it coming, even in these uncertain times….

For more information on how Somatic Therapy can aide you on your path towards healing, please book your free call with me.

Yours in healing,

Caroldean Jude,

Somatic Trauma Therapist

Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner

Transforming Touch® Practitioner

Internal Family Systems® Therapist

Happy New Year Dear Ones!

The beginning of a New Year always fills me with hope, the feeling of possibility and a renewed sense of beginning again with renewed vitality.   I tell my clients a calm body is a calm mind, which I have experienced both personally and professionally.  Creating that calmness within begins with starting to practice being with sensations, reactions and emotions that arise within.  It is the practice of making friends with the things that we have pushed away for too long, gently with self compassion instead of judgment and shame.   We are not our trauma though many of us hold onto the burdens of our childhood, like it was our fault.  When examined these burdens are often not ours to carry and do not belong to us at all.

Coming back to Introception and why it is important, it is really a part of the survival mechanisms that have been passed down through our evolutionary mammalian, and reptilian DNA .  In our modern technological world this is often not utilized as often or at all.   This is already laid down for us in our physiology, and it takes some practice to hone into it, and to  be with the body again after trauma.

This an exercise adapted from “The Tao of Trauma”, (go slowly there is no need to rush):

• See if you can remember a time when you felt most like yourself or how you would like to be more yourself.  See yourself being hugged by a loved one, seen through their eyes or embracing a quality or skill that is uniquely you.  Practice bringing awareness to the feeling of being the most like yourself with gentle curiosity.  Take time to arrive in it and savor this feeling.

Once anchored in this resourced state go onto the next practice.

• Now explore a time where you went through some challenges or difficulties.  This could be a time when there was a struggle with circumstances or struggle with self that you successfully negotiated and felt better for having gone through it.  Think of that occasion with curiosity and let yourself explore your state of mind and state of being.

Take your time to feeling your interoceptive experience of a little bit of activation, and as it rises and falls, take in the sensate experience of personal growth that perhaps resulted. If this feels like too much go back to when you felt most like yourself.  Ground yourself through feeling where you are sitting or standing, bringing your awareness to your hips or your feet. 

For more information on how Somatic Therapies can help you in your healing journey and come back home to you, please contact me or book a free call to discuss my services.

Yours in Healing,

Caroldean Jude

Somatic Trauma Therapist

Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner

Transforming Touch® Practitioner

Internal Family Systems® Therapist