A reflection on self healing for collective liberation, and gratitude for this Intentional Community.
Hello all, Dani here.
I have been spending time in reflection of the ways my life and work has shifted since establishing the Intentions Therapy Practice in 2020. This has led to crystallizing some of the most important lessons I have learned in the last 2 years. I want to share the truths I have found in practice and in healing relationships with you.
Here is what I have learned:
WE NEED ONE ANOTHER:
A great deal of our oppression persists when we believe we are alone.
The truth is, you are not alone.
Your experience is unique and significant and happening alongside others.
The truth is that love and connection are easier than hate.
Love and connection are abundant and renewable resources.
Love and connection with self and other is free to practice, easy to access, and sustainable.
Love and connection are healing.
We break cycles of oppression in relationship with one another.
The truth is that we need one another to survive this life.
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WE NEED EMBODIED CONNECTION WITH SELF:
Self care is intersectional and different for all individuals.
There is no 'right' and 'wrong' way to connect with Self.
Connecting with Self is healing, is coming home, is finding ease.
Connecting with Self happens here, in the present, in the body.
Embodiment requires us to pay attention to our body in the present moment.
Embodiment is the state of being in your body.
Embodiment is the union of consciousness and the body.
Embodiment is an expansive and evolving process that changes moment to moment.
Embodiment is experiencing Self in relationship to your body and its environment.
Embodied emotional wellness can be practiced and learned.
It is brave to pay attention to the messages of your body.
It is healing to turn inward with compassion.
Finding ways to love our complex and changing bodies is an act of resistance.
Healing the relationship with self heals the body.
Healing our Self heals our world.
Responsible Self care IS collective care.
for more, read A Queer Therapists Guide to Embodied Emotional Wellness
LOVING AND RESPONSIBLE RELATIONSHIPS ARE MEDICINE FOR SOCIETY
We must understand the truth that we are here for one another,
and that real love breaks down fear,
and that connection with self and other is VITAL to our wellbeing, our survival.
As a queer and trans identified therapist, I know how alienating it can be to believe that we are alone. This myth, that we do not belong and can not find safe and affirming connection simply isn’t true.
We are here together, thoroughly interconnected, and we need loving and living relationships to survive. Taking responsibility to care for Self and owning our impact in relationships with others is how we plant seeds of sustainable community. In supportive and affirming community we can learn to love our shadows and share the light with others.
Hope and community are keys to fighting fear.
Because of this, I plan to launch therapeutic groups to host virtual space for individuals to heal in community with others starting in 2023.
If you are interested in joining this community of people, if you are a queer or neurodivergent cycle-breaker and are looking for community, subscribe to our newsletter to receive our latest updates.
Personal Update and Gratitude for YOU!
As a therapist and clinical social worker, the COVID-19 pandemic shifted the way I reach my clients and the very fabric of therapy work seemingly overnight. As a human with chronic health concerns, the pandemic shrunk my world, and made it more challenging for me to work in crisis care environments and in community spaces. This was devastating for me, as my passion was to serve individuals and communities in these spaces. What I had know of healing thus far was that it happened in person and in connection with other embodied persons. I, like most everyone at the start of the pandemic, felt isolated, scared, burnt out, and marginalized. I struggled to care for my chronically ill body and manage complex health concerns while supporting my clients, and realized I would need to eventually get to a place where I provide therapy virtually from my home. I started Intentions Therapy in late 2020 while working in a treatment center, after years of working 60+ hour weeks in community mental health clinics, shelters, and schools. I had no idea that in less than 2 years I would have a full clinical practice, serving the most beautiful humans (primarily queer and trans individuals healing from complex trauma). My heart is so full of gratitude for the ways Intentions Therapy has grown. Starting this small clinical practice and working virtually from home has given me freedom to continue to work, through self-employment, while living in a body that requires lots of tending, consistent rest, and medical attention. Working from an accessible home office, being in control of my schedule, not having to commute, not having to mask or perform when I have rough health days, having my pets and family around and access to needed accommodations has made it possible for me to continue to work. My work is my lifeline and livelihood.
So this is a message of thanks. To the clients who work with me, to all the neurodivergent queer healers out there, to the people following this blog and @intentionstherapy and anyone who is a working on self-healing for collective liberation. Thank you for your support. Thank you for being here, thank you for existing in relationship with self and others, thank you for your bravery. Thank you for caring for yourself, and working on yourself. Thank you for your healing, as you heal yourself you heal the world.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Take care, love bugs!
Dani Sullivan, MSW
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Intentions Therapy is a queer-affirming and client centered virtual private practice run by Dani Sullivan, LCSW.Specializing in serving LGBTQIA+ individuals and couples, neurodivergent individuals, folks healing from complex or developmental trauma, and anyone struggling to cultivate self-love. Learn more about our services.
If you are a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and seeking healing with an emotionally nurturing small group of peers, apply for our virtual Neuroqueer Group to explore your identity and heal in connection.