Be there for others without leaving yourself behind.
You feel deeply concerned about the state of our world and prioritize helping others as much as you can. You are a strong, independent person who is successful in what you do. Yet inside you often feel alone, afraid, or “not enough.” You have built some good connections with people, but when you are alone you find it hard to feel your own feelings, or you feel so much you become overwhelmed. You find it difficult to connect to what you want and need, or you feel your needs are “too much” or “selfish.” You end up spending most of your energy focused on others and are often exhausted, burnt out or irritable. You have a sense that something needs to change, but you aren’t sure what.
Sometimes you talk with friends or family about these feelings, but their response always seems to fall short. You know they care about you, but somehow they are always trying to “fix it” or seem to be more interested in having you listen to their problems. You may have even tried therapy, and while it helped to talk to someone, things didn’t really change.
Your personal healing is intimately connected to the healing of others and of society. It is time to care for yourself as much as you care for others & the world.
I'm Caren Ohlson, a Somatic Therapist in Berkeley, CA. You may be asking, “What is a Somatic Therapist?” You have intelligence not only in your mind, but in your body as well. I help my clients learn to listen to their bodies so they can feel safe, centered and connected with themselves & others. Working somatically helps you get more in tune with your own feelings & needs, more confident in what contributions you want to make to the world, and better able to stay focused on what you care about even when life is hard.
If you are ready to start practicing new ways of being that bring more aliveness, confidence and connection, please contact me for a free 20-minute consultation.
Having a positive, supportive relationship with a therapist who listens deeply to you and provides appropriate support can be transformative.
I strongly believe that sharing stories and experiences with a supportive group is necessary for healing. So much trauma and pain is caused in group contexts (family, school, etc). We have the power to create spaces together to heal past wounds and learn new ways of being together.
I have many years of experience helping white people identify and unlearn harmful racist conditioning. I offer consultation for those who need immediate support with a work or personal situation, as well as a consultation group for therapists.