We currently live in times where we reserve healing “under the supervision of a trained professional.” And while I wholeheartedly approve of that message, I think these times are weird and bizarre, and require a lot of healing that looks wildly different with many options.
One of my mentors said recently: it’s controversial to offer healing outside of the container of what has been offered as professional training. And yet, so much healing needs to be happening, it’s almost required to offer as many modes and in many different capacities to reach as many people. There are many people without access or it is unavailable for a multitude of reasons.This will require a web of support for us as professionals to ensure we’re providing the best, ethical support and continued opportunities with other professionals or modalities. And, if we hope for change, we must be willing to be flexible in what we perceive as normal, usual, or status quo. And if you’ve been in my Trauma-Informed/Sensitive for Clinical Settings course, you know that I don’t believe good intentions are enough. We need strict moral and ethical compasses with an understanding of physiology and nervous system responses with the lived experience to know what to do when something becomes questionable.
If we want to see change, we have to be flexible to change.
One of the great aspects of this position to consume is that it does require the person to take ownership for their experience in the world. Healing isn’t always easy and it’s definitely not placating. I’ve seen a lot of healing places look like bypassing. I’ve seen a lot of people seeking healing actually looking for soothing. And that’s understandable: you’re seeking healing because you’re feeling pain. And I don’t believe you have to have more pain to experience healing. It’s complicated, messy and definitely not linear.
Sobering.
It’s an unusual experience to take responsibility for your healing in the world. There’s not a lot of places by and large where taking responsibility in the true sense of the notion exists. Many of us take responsibility because of our conditions or our trauma responses. If you feel called out by that, I speak it because I live it myself.
I never want to call out. I’ll always be calling in. A call in for curiosity. A call in for severance of the experience.
My years of witnessing the body and human form in all of its expressions and changes has humbled me to the place of complete release. Release of expectations and simply being present to the current expression. I’ve seen the power of true unfolding by listening, responding, and being really curious.
The next cohort of Body Wisdom & Mother Circle begins in September.
Thanks for being here.
Sara Newberry is a devoted bodyworker, mother, and founder of Somatic Sole Massage in St. Louis, MO, where she blends ancient wisdom with modern nervous system science to support holistic well-being.
Specializing in Mind Body Coaching—a bottom-up approach that centers the body’s intelligence rather than the mind’s agenda—Sara offers a deeply intuitive, trauma-informed space for healing and transformation.
Through barefoot massage, somatic practices, and sacred motherhood care, she guides clients in reconnecting with their body’s natural rhythms and resilience.
