|
I am grateful I . . .
Can feel and talk; think and write; move and explore
Have an education—through books, people, places, experiences
Have had little lifetimes in the world beyond our borders and the world within myself
Have a family full of complexity and dreams
With a smart, strong daughter committed to animal’s joy
A determined, motivated son who follows his heart
An accomplished daughter-in-law committed to community and teaching
A steady, loving, present poet-husband
Old, alive, salt-of-the-earth Yankee parents
Do the work I want and am called to; set my own hours; charge what feels right; choose my work environment
With a partner who inspires and supports
Believe in my own future
Believe in my children’s future
Believe in my clients’ futures
Live in a country where we can disagree and not kill each other over it
Have this body and see through these eyes
Eat good and plentiful food
Can read Hafiz
Sing in the car
Have moments of hiccup-producing laughter
Have old friends
Trust
Donna Roy, LPC, CHT, Administrative and Clinic Director of M.E.T.A., LLC is a licensed professional counselor and certified Hakomi therapist and teacher. She has a private counseling practice, teaches in M.E.T.A.'s professional trainings, is an adjunct instructor in the Portland State University Department of Counselor Education, and provides supervision for registered interns who are seeking licensure from the Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists. For more information about Donna or M.E.T.A., please visit: www.meta-trainings.com.
The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself. -Henry Miller
My gratitude equals my astonishment when I look at the blessings in my life. One such blessing is the richness of being involved in the Hakomi/M.E.T.A. community, with friendships that continue to deepen and grow over the years. There is a miraculous "given" that seems to assure us that "we are seen, we are known, we are part of a movement that is dedicated to liberation of the human heart". How many people can say that in their lives?! Having just been in two amazing audiences this last weekend, Michael Meade's talk on Wisdom and Knowledge, and the Storytellers at the "Tapestry of Tales" festival, I am also deeply moved by the capacity we have to experience wonder, awe, and inspiration in our shared humanity.
Concetta Antonelli CHP/LMT is a Hakomi Practitioner, Massage Therapist, PSYCH-K Facilitator and Storyteller. She can be reached at (503) 349-7038 or by email: newstorycounsel@gmail.com
I am grateful for the life I was given and the love I have received.
Gwenn Cody, LCSW is a therapist, teacher and workshop leader. Her private practice is located in SE Portland. Gwenn works with individuals, couples & groups to move past outdated patterns and expand into new areas of aliveness. She can be reached at: www.gwenncody.com or contacted directly by phone: (503) 230-0518.
This is what I am thankful for…
As I reflect over the past year I am thankful for the people in my life.
- My family of origin
- My children, their spouses, and kids (my Grandkids)
- My friends close by and across the world
- My new M.E.T.A. friends…
- My life is richer, fuller and bigger with you in it.
I am also thankful for this time in my life that I can explore, be curious, learn, and continue to be adventurous spirit that I am. I know I can get to my edge both internally and out in the world and still come home.
Joann W Gadbaw MA, is a work/life coach integrating M.E.T.A. skills into her work with clients. Spent 20 years as a corporate Organization Development consultant and coach. She can be reached at (503) 747-4313 and at jwgadbaw@gmail.com
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” -Albert Einstein
As a newly divorced, single mom of three young children, freshly graduated baby therapist and self-employed for the first time, I choose to say “Thank you” for these things:
For my own moments of “losing it” in the grocery store when my 3-year-old throws a tantrum over a candy bar, I am thankful for raising a daughter who has strength of character, a clear sense of Self, a precise idea of what she wants in life, and my children’s ability to stretch me to my edges and motivate growth in ways nobody else can. And I am thankful for her impeccable sense of taste when she chooses dark chocolate over milk chocolate.
For those days I accidentally leave my iPhone at home, when I am overwhelmed by the momentary feeling of incapacitation, frustration and struggle as I feel disconnected from the world, I am thankful for each moment I can LOL at myself when I have a moment of “OMG this is what true human-to-human connection feels like and I don’t even need a SEND button or 4G connection to make it happen!”
For the pain, heartache, attorneys fees and distress I’ve experienced over the last year as I’ve worked towards finalizing my divorce, I am thankful to my ex-partner for helping me face the raw, ugly and frightened parts of myself and redefine what intimate love for another and for myself is to me.
For the chaotic mound of fishy crackers, Z-Bar wrappers, random pieces of Legos, torn homework pages, stinky socks, melted crayons and the inevitable “I-don’t-know-and-don’t-want-to-know” pile of green and brown goop stuck to the back of my headrest in my car, I am thankful that my three beautiful children are transported home safely with me each night.
For each client who has been courageous enough to tell me I was incorrect, made a mistake or activated something within them that felt uncomfortable, I am thankful for their earnestness and regard for me to hold them securely as we process together toward growth and health.
For every bill that arrives in my mailbox that has a balance due which is greater than the balance in my checking account, I am thankful for the opportunity to work hard doing what I love and was called to do and not feel as if it is “hard work.”
Jennifer D. Samsom, MA, MFT is a M.E.T.A. graduate and holds a Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Portland State University. She has a private practice in SE Portland at the M.E.T.A. Offices on 16th Avenue. She works as M.E.T.A.’s Media Manager and assists in M.E.T.A.’s trainings. More information about her practice and services can be found at www.pdxmindfulmft.com or you can reach her directly at: (503) 341-6393 and jenn@pdxmindfulmft.com
I feel pretty fortunate to be part of a community of people who are committed to growing and loving in equal parts - where love is evidenced as our strongest medicine. I am grateful for the support and encouragement in bringing this forward in my own work with clients. And I am most thankful for, and feel humbled and blessed by the privilege of sharing in the intimacy of each client's unfolding. Wishing everyone Happy Holidays.
Anne-Marie Benjamin, MA, LPC, is a contemplative psychotherapist in private practice at two locations in the South East. She integrates her contemplative education from the Naropa University with the experiential, mindfulness based approaches of M.E.T.A. She currently holds the position of M.E.T.A.’s Alumni Coodinator, and assists in various trainings at the center. For Alumni affairs, she can be reached at: 503.450.9911 ext.3, and for her private practice: (503) 771-3881.
"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow." -Melody Beattie
|
|
|
|
|
I am deeply grateful for the Oregon Hakomi community, where we are welcome to be both real & loving, where we can see the good in each other, where we learn and grow together as peers, students, trainers, staff & teachers.
This fall I am also delighting in trees and colorful leaves. How lucky we are to have so many trees! When I see, really see, a tree bursting with color, it is like a gift for my eyes and spirit, and I feel exhilarated breathing in that beauty. The trees remind me of seasons, of abundance, and of our continual growth, change, and renewal. And all I have to do is open my eyes and look.
Finally, I feel immensely thankful for my family, my little attachment pod. My sweet family and friends ground me and give me confidence to take risks in the world.
Blessings to all,
Denise Jessup, LMFT, CHT, and M.E.T.A. teacher-in-training, Eugene; she can be reached at: (541) 344-1501.
I am grateful lately for the intensity this year of the autumn leaves and their duration as we have had less rain and wind than usual. This ex-Vermonter has normally compared the leaves here to New England less than favorably. This year, however has been spectacular. On the other hand, as winter approaches and I enjoyed cocooning to the sound of last night’s storm on my attic skylights, I feel more of spring and renewal than autumn and decay. This stems in part from the upcoming move of my counseling practice, Mindful Counsel, to E. Burnside from NW Portland. This brighter, larger, closer to home office feels like the springboard for a surge forward in my developing practice. The move is symbolic of and directly due to the support and community I experience as a part of the M.E.T.A. community of mindfulness based practitioners, students, teacher and trainers. For this remarkable community and all it does to further this work in the world I am deeply grateful.
Christopher Boothby, MS, NCC, LPC Intern is an Individual and Couples Counselor with an office at 2304 E. Burnside, Suite 202, Portland, Oregon 97214. More information can be found on his website: https://mindfulcounsel.net or he can be reached directly at: info@mindfulcounsel.net or by phone: (503) 201-8126.
I am thankful for all the life lessons that come with each passing day. Some of them make me happy and excited, well others make me want to cringe and run away, but all of them make me thankful that my M.E.T.A. community is only a phone call away.
Deanna Feeley is a Brennan Healing Science Practitioner who utilizes her M.E.T.A. training to help clients become more at home with themselves and with the world.
She has a private practice on SE 31st and Belmont and can be reached at (503) 423-7360 or Deanna@involutionswellness.com.
Even after all this time,
The sun never says to the earth,
"You owe me."
Look what happens with
A love like that.
It lights the whole sky. -Hafiz of Persia
What a year of transition this has been! Finishing the excellent therapy training of my MSW, then opening my private practice and finding grace in witnessing and partnering with my clients. I am so grateful to have Hakomi and RCS as models of therapy that works. I am thankful every day for the way my M.E.T.A. training continues to infuse my understanding, technique, and, always, the grounded self-awareness that makes it possible to be of help. And, I find delight in being part of a community that finds continual resourcing in love.
Adam Benjamin, MSW, is a therapist in SE Portland. He specializes in mindful/experiential therapy using M.E.T.A. techniques and Brainspotting to help adults and their relationships heal from childhood wounds. He is also the Academic Advisor for M.E.T.A.
This is what I am thankful for…
I am thankful for the opportunity of witnessing mindfulness at work with my grandchildren. My daughter is a therapist and often will use applied mindfulness techniques with her children. My granddaughter (age 6) was talking to me about something that was bothering me. She suggested I put a bubble around me and to be sure to add sparkles so that I wouldn't be bothered again. I love that she was able to help me and I was actually able to see the issue in a different more objective light with her help. I am thankful for the moments when my 3-year-old granddaughter attempts to induce mindfulness in me from the backseat of my car while I am driving. I am thankful for her gentle reminders to breathe big enough to “blow my tummy up like a balloon.”
I am thankful for the impact META has had on my daughter and how it has brightened and transformed her life in the last two years. I am thankful for my therapist, a META master herself, and how she has guided and supported me the last 6 months using Hakomi/META methods. I love the feeling of acceptance and warmth I feel whenever I am around people from the META community and I look forward with joyful anticipation to beginning my journey through the Interpersonal Skills Training.
Sharron Akins is a mother and grandmother and worked in management for the Head Start program in California for over 30 years. She retired 6 years ago when she moved to Oregon to be closer to her grandchildren.
In our family, we have a ritual of saying a “blessing” before the meal. My husband and I were both raised in very religious families. While we are not religious, we are committed to passing on a sense of deep spirituality and appreciation to our children. My youngest son Liam, aged 4, regularly volunteers to lead our meal blessing. When he does, we are prepared for our meal to become cold because he is one long-windedly grateful kid! “Dear Spirit, thank you for this food, for mama, daddy (and he goes on to mention every member of the extended family, preschool friends and neighbors), and thank you for the trees, clouds (and many other aspects of nature), and for my cars, planes (and any other toy he can think of)....” Liam reminds me to be grateful for the daily parts of life that sometimes go by un-noticed. The day he added our postal worker into the blessing was just one example!
On a Hakomi-level, I am very grateful for this community. I have made life-long friends, advanced my own personal growth, and introduced tools into my practice that have had a powerful impact on my clients. Including one who recently asked after an R-CS session, “What was that? Magic?” So, thank you to the M.E.T.A. staff, students and especially Jon and Donna for making magic with me!
Savannah Mayfield is a bodyworker, life coach and writer who incorporates mindfulness-based M.E.T.A. skills in her practice. She is also a newly inaugurated TA for M.E.T.A. and especially energized about R-CS. You can find more info about her at www.nurturelifecoaching.com
A Community Announcement
A Movement Mediation for Healing and Renewal: 5 Phase (Element) Yin Tonifying Workshop.
As the night grows longer, our natural impulse is to go inward. Yet the pull of the culture is towards frantic action. This creates stress. Others find the dark stagnating, leading to depression. The remedy for each? Harmonizing with the Yin.
Yin is receptive, yielding, and grateful. The power of these qualities is overlooked amid the noise and haste of the season. But as we gently enliven our ability to joyfully receive, we find inner nutrition. We meet the time centered, and with quiet joy.
Saturday, December 10, 1-4, $20. Information: katja@teleport.com or 503-703-1262 at Opening to Life, 407 NE 12th @ Flanders, Upstairs Studio
Taught by Katja Biesanz and her husband Coby, who are dedicated Qigong students of Sifu Daniel Villasenor. He as chosen and arranged the "most useful and nutritious yin forms for each of the five elements and the organs which correspond the them." He has asked Coby and Katja to share these " most calming and deeply restoring" Qigong forms.
The most common meditation at the end of our practices: pondering some small thing that usually escapes our notice, but that makes our life possible.
"Prepare the spirit for its beautiful work of profundity and understanding in the yin time."
|
