December's Message: Laughter in the Tears

I recently heard someone say something along the lines of, "laughter through tears is my favorite emotion." Mine too, I thought.

It's that feeling of release, the clouds clearing, the sweet chaos of joy sweeping everything clean. It's the gift to keep going and learn to experience life with loss, thrive in absence.

I like to think that my practice is a place with hallow walls,  safety and security to relieve and release. That I am a cemetery groundskeeper for you to lay to rest things that are no longer serving you. That as you undress you get to take off all the masks that are plaguing you. Hopefully you feel this way too! 

You have come to me with your losses and wins. I have seen you carry a baby, get promoted, move, start relationships, and end. I have seen you take daily struggles to walk up the stairs and dance happily on your wedding day. I have seen the struggles of your children and know the joy they bring you. I hear your words of truth resonate through quiet tears and tired muscles. I have felt the toll a death has brought to your body, I have heard your laughter amidst those tears.

I am enamored by your ability to keep going!

In theory, I leave you the moment you step foot out of my office, but in application there is still a piece of you that I carry with me, always. We're taught to master the art of grounding. To protect ourselves from taking on too much of a client. I have gotten good at diving in and out of your tissues, but your story- your life legacy- the body, continues to thrive somewhere within me. As soon as my hands meet your flesh once again I am captivated by the tale of you. My hands recall your muscle memory, what stories your body tells. 

The winter season marks inward reflection,  quiet serenity,  and death. I know this season has not been easy on you.  I know sometimes you barrel through my doors seeking an hour all of your own. I know your plate has been full of errands and to do's. That your life takes so much to manage right now there may not be a lot of room to relax. I know the holidays bring up a lot of feelings.

Perhaps, you thought these damn emotions were laid to rest with the last self-improvement book you read or self-discovery workshop you attended. The smallest smells, experiences, weather- can provoke the most unraveling memory about someone you loved and lost. The holidays are typically a joyful time of celebration, but I have found in the joy you find the root of your pain and vice versa. 

This season may be self-destructing for you, you may experience a loss that devastates you, or be confronted with one that you thought was put to rest. I want you to know the importance of self-care and how liberating relieving trauma psycho-somatically can be. I want you to know that you too can view my walls as sacred, as a place to escape or confront, as a place to release and let go. I hope you all take the time this season to find your flame, to implode/explode, to find laughter in the tears.

I am in the process of updating my website to provide resources to my clients that I find valuable, I hope you enjoy these tools and they help you along your journey. Don't forget that current clients have a $25 credit on their file to use before the end of the year! Thank you for a great year of connecting through touch!

Yours in touch,

Lizzie Johnson