Author: Elise Kindya

  • Reiki is for Rebels: Finding a Spiritual Home

    Reiki is for Rebels: Finding a Spiritual Home

     

    Welcome back to Returning Home: The Podcast! I have taken a little hiatus while I had some big life events happening: getting married, bringing home a new puppy, and opening an in-person office/healing space! There has been a lot to celebrate in the 3D world. It feels good to be back on the show with you.

     

    In this latest episode of Returning Home: The Podcast, I invite you to learn more about Reiki, which is my spiritual home. I explain a bit about the history of Reiki and how it got to the West from Japan, what the power of Reiki offers to you, and my own personal path for getting to Reiki (spoiler alert- I once thought all religion/spirituality was really corny!).

     

    The reasons you should listen to this episode are:

    1. You want to understand more about what Reiki is.
    2. You are on a spiritual journey and you don’t feel like you have a spiritual home as of yet.
    3. Hear about my path to this approach to spirituality.

     

    Resources:

     

    Episode Highlights:

    [02:27] The History of Reiki

    • The Original Reiki Ideals by Mikao Usui
    • The approach of Reiki is kindness and appreciation of life
    • Reiki means “universal life force energy”
    • Reiki was founded and discovered in Japan
    • 1914- Matiji Kawakami used Reiki in his therapy practice
    • 1922- Mikao Usui received Reiki while meditating on Karuma Yama
    • 1930s- Usui asked Hayashi Sensei to take over for him
    • 1930s-1940s- Master Takata brought Reiki to the West through Hawaii
    • Levels of Reiki: 1, 2, 3 and Master level
    • William Lee Rand wrote many training manuals on Reiki that are used today

     

    [06:35] Zooming out and seeing spirituality in general

    • How spirituality runs through everything
    • Universal force of love that transcends time, space and human made understanding of time and space
    • Reiki runs through everything and can’t be tied down or stopped
    • It helps to perceive this force to strengthen it, but it is working whether we focus on it or not
    • Much like the universal laws of the universe and gravity- it works whether we recognize it or not
    • Reiki is Source – The Divine, God/Goddess
    • Reality is created in our minds, so we can decide to recognize it and let it help
    • It can only help, it cannot hurt anyone
    • How a Reiki session works- the practitioner tapping into this source/subtle energy realms and being a channel of it to you as the client

     

    [10:30] My Journey To Reiki

    • The days I am offering Reiki are really good days, it feels good and I know it is working on a heart, spirit and soul level
    • I was raised Christian
    • Maybe other trauma survivors can relate- becoming athetist or agnostic to rebel against organized religion
    • I did not agree with how religion was presented and forced onto me as a child and teenager
    • I was always drawn to tarot and other mystical practices but didn’t practice due to gatekeeping
    • Slowly but surely, I opened to other approaches to life and spirit there were

     

    [13:01] On the move- discovering Reiki in Richmond

    • Nature is a huge part of life in Richmond which seemed to open me more to spirit and Reiki
    • Living in NY and NJ, nature isn’t a big part of life or my upbringing and I felt really disconnected from anything important
    • Having trauma in life cuts us off to positive experiences
    • Life felt more hopeful about life in Richmond due to an abundance of nature all around and easily accessible

     

    [15:52] How Social Work Opened me to Spirit

    • The Social Work Framework of biopsychosocialspiritual helped me open up more to the idea of spirituality
    • In my training as a trauma-informed therapist, it was important to build resilience by doing inner work and have inner resources
    • Started a mindfulness practice and then being in that community, Reiki was a clear next step
    • Health and healing always takes place in my mind – as a therapist, mental health is key
    • Mindfulness and yoga helped me tune into my body

     

    [18:45] If You’re Seeking, Reiki Might Help

    • Reiki felt like a natural place to expand into my spirituality
    • It wasn’t on my radar at first
    • In 2016 or 2017, going to Yogaville was eye opening- they describe each religion as a path to get to the same place: God
    • As a rebel, I liked that I didn’t have to choose to practice a specific religion
    • There is no “church of Reiki”
    • You get to experience spirit in your own unique way
    • Reiki deals with subtle energy that is outside of conscious awareness 
    • Spiritual but not religious #sbnr

     

    [23:01] Reiki in my Life Now

    • Reiki is a communal experience
    • Reiki events, shares, and mini-retreats
    • Combining the other training I have as an LCSW with this spiritual aspect is something different I offer my clients
    • A Reiki session with me is a little different than with other practitioners
    • Reiki is an empowering approach to spirituality- your power comes from within you and not from an outside source

     

    [26:01] Reiki as Empowerment

    • As someone who had choice taken away, Reiki is a refuge
    • I am a rebel and want to forge my own path
    • Reiki is amazing to me because it helped me find a way to be spiritual in my own way and not fit in a mold to do it

     

    [28:52] Sobriety Strengthened My Connection to Reiki

    • Being a clear channel in this way is important to me
    • We keep going deeper into our healing
    • Spoiler alert- there is no end to peeling our healing onion
    • Being a human is a lot of work!
    • Reiki offers me a way to be a human and feel happy, empowered and in more control of my life
    • It gave me the gift of being more in touch with this side of myself
    • There is always more to learn, love, heal and grow into

     

    [30:47] Reiki Mini-retreat!

    • In person in Richmond on Saturday August 19, 10am-12pm
    • If you want to experience Reiki with me in person, email me for a discount code!
    • Group Reiki as well as 1-1 hands on experience, journaling, and more!
    • Visit www.elisekindya.com to book in person 1-1 sessions with me

     

    Transcript:

    Hello and thank you so much for tuning back into Returning Home: The Podcast. This is your host, Elise Kindya, and today I want to bring you a topic related to a portion of the work I do where I offer Reiki to my clients. I want to talk about what is Reiki, where did it come from, and how it became part of my life path. 

     

    So without further ado, I’m just going to jump right in.

     

    I wanted to first read the Reiki ideals which is kind of an approach to life based on this philosophy of life,  the structure or framework that we come from with Reiki.

     

    The original Reiki ideals are:

     

    The secret art of inviting happiness 

    The miraculous Medicine of all diseases

    Just for today do not be angry

    Do not worry and be filled with gratitude 

    Devote yourself to your work and be kind to people

    Every morning and evening join your hands in prayer, pray these words to your heart and chant these words with your mouth.

     

    Overall the approach of Reiki is kindness and just simply appreciating life. The word Reiki means universal life force energy. It is a practice that was founded / discovered in Japan. I do want to honor the lineage of this practice. It is a Japanese practice. The first time that Reiki is documented as being used within the most important thing it was a therapist Maybe you have a long time being trial called crazy employer published a book and so he integrated this into his practice at that time. In 1922 is when Mikao Usui received Reiki on Karuma Yama in Japan. Throughout the 1920s is when Usui was training people. In the 1930s he asked another practitioner to continue administering and training people in reiki after Usui passed away.

    From the 1930s-1940s master Takata brought Reiki to the west through Hawaii.

    There are levels to reiki- reiki 1 and 2 are attuned together, and reiki 3 and master are taught together. 

    Many people in the west can be traced back to master Usui and william lee rand.

    So that’s some of the history of reiki- how it got here, how it got passed down.

    I like to zoom out from that and think about spirituality in general. That is how I see Reiki. Yes, there are the symbols, hand placements, and ways practitioners are attuned. And I like zooming out and seeing how spirituality runs through everything. This is where I am in 2023.

     

    Reiki is a world meaning universal life force energy. There is a universal force of love that transcends time and space and people and human made understanding of time and place. It’s a subtle life force that runs through all things. People, animals, the earth, the universe. It can’t be tied down or stopped. It strengthens when it is perceived, but it doesn’t have to be perceived to be working. Like any universal law, like gravity- you know it’s working without perceiving it. These are universal laws. Reiki is source- god, the divine, goddess, or whatever your word for it is. It’s happening whether you want it to or not. Your reality is created in your mind- if you want to believe it, you can. If you believe it’s helping, it is. It can’t hurt you, which is important to know. It’s subtle and it’s love. Even though it operates outside of conscious awareness, it strengthens when it’s called upon. Someone who is attuned to reiki and they direct it into you as the client. Also a way to tap into angels, guides and your spirit team on the other side of the veil. Our perception of 3D reality, and then more going on behind the scenes. Tapping into the subtle energy realms.

     

    I do want to tell you a little bit about how I got here. Even as I’m saying this out loud, I’m like “woah”. But I do feel them. And when I’m offering reiki as a practitioner, the days I am doing that and hours afterward are really good days. I know it’s working on a heart, spirit and soul level. It’s doing good.

     

    Rewinding back to the beginning. I was raised Christian. And maybe other trauma survivors could relate, it’s not like I believed in Christianity but the way it’s force fed to us, we’re made to sit in Sunday school and youth group. As an aquarius I hated that. I was forced to go to youth group but I only went so I could see boys I had crushes on and drink and smoke on the way there. I was a rebel, so that quickly went out the window, and I became agnostic or atheist. I was always drawn to tarot and other mystical things, but didn’t practice any of that. There was a lot of gatekeeping so I stood away from it. But slowly but surely, I was opening more and more to what else was out there and other approaches to life.

     

    It brought me to Richmond in 2010, and I have such a stronger connection to nature than I did in NY and NJ. In New York, there is hardly any nature and a lot of people. Maybe part of my agnostic/ atheism- being from the northeast- so many people around me and they’re all terrible so how can god be real when this is life? I experienced trauma in my upbringing that made me pessimistic. As humans, that’s our default, our nervous system is wired to see danger and the negative, and when you experience it you look for more of it. That’s how I was before hearing about Reiki.

     

    Then I moved to Richmond in 2010 for grad school. Nature is very accessible in Richmond, it’s part of life. Yes, there are built up places and you know some of it’s very sprawling or you know urban. But, there is a lot of easy, free access to, like, we have the River or the James River Park system. We have a lot of parks in the city. There’s a lot of just trees and yards and you know houses that have yards and gardens and things like that. And I think that really primed me to be more hopeful about life. Nature is something that I didn’t realize just about myself growing up but it’s so grounding for me and it is a really spiritual practice and place for me even to just sit under a tree. Being outside like soaking up the sun, who knew? And then going to graduate school and becoming a social worker and LCSW and our framework for that is “bio psycho social spiritual” and I remember hearing that spiritual part is being like oh that’s so corny. My whole perspective of religion was Christianity or Judaism or Islam but like just really formal and patriarchal. And you have to fit in a mold, and if you didn’t fit in you were fucked up.

     

    So in grad school I thought it was pretty corny but then and so that’s 2013 is when I graduated and then like slowly but surely, as a trauma informed therapist as well, trauma like the opposite of that being resilience and how do you build resilience is by doing your inner work, and yes, we need bigger systems that don’t traumatize people. I was working on the clinical 1-1 level, helping people build resilience and resourcing within themselves. To do that, I had to have my own mindfulness practice. And then, going into that community and it was just like step by step you know, when I look back, I can just see how it was like every step on the pass was bringing me closer to where I am now. I’m sure in 5 years I’ll look back to where I am in 5 years and be like “wow that’s good how I was taking all those steps.” I started practicing mindfulness and then that brought me to… I’m such a mind person when it comes to health like I’m an Aquarius I always want to be and I’m a therapist right like it’s all very mental thinking I’m even talking on the podcast right now. Practicing mindfulness brought me into the body. I was doing more yoga, which opened me up as well. I started working at a float spa which I think was like my direct line to Reiki because then I met Katie Bosch, who is the person I got my Reiki 1 training from and then yeah from there it’s just kind of the rest of history.

     

    I would say if anyone is on a spiritual path or like doesn’t know, especially if you’re like atheist or agnostic or like questioning all of that I would say just like take each step as it comes up for you. For me, it was just really natural of, you know, I didn’t become a therapist thinking “oh and I’m also going to practice Reiki and spirituality with my clients” like that wasn’t something that was on my radar. I took each step as it came and just kept saying open to what was for me.

     

    Also, going to Yogaville in 2016 or 2017, was something else too that opened me to this and I had never seen it except this way before. If you ever go to the Lotus Temple, they show a graphic of different religions how they’re all in this one path that leads you to God and I was like “oh okay so you don’t really have to choose one or the other” and that’s something I really like about Reiki. There’s no church of Reiki. There is a system we operate inside of but it’s really not tied down to any one thing. It’s whatever that person that’s experiencing that energy wants it to be. And a lot of the healing happens outside of words, outside of explanation. If you ever do a Reiki session with me I do talk during it, which is kind of different. A lot of Reiki therapists or practitioners don’t really talk, like how a massage is typically silent. For me, I am a therapist. There is a kind of give and take conversation happening. There are things happening on a subtle energy level that I don’t have control over.  And nobody does, like, the client doesn’t really have control over either. It’s really just channeling up this force and so there’s really no words to put to that. Going to Yogaville was something too that really opened me up to the idea that you can be spiritual but not religious. #sbnr 

     

    There was a lot shifting for me in my identity at that time, in 2018. A lot was changing, in how I wanted to experience life. I was open to change at that point and learning something new. Now, with my experience with helping people use Reiki has been a community building practice. It’s a communal thing. I’ve hosted shares- sharing is caring. I’m hosting a mini-retreat next month in my healing space. With my background as a clinician as well as someone who understands the systematic things going on in our world as well on the macro level as well as on the micro level, and bringing this spiritual aspect is something different I offer my clients. Working with me and receiving Reiki from me is maybe a little bit different than some people. All of it is great. It really can’t hurt, it can only help. 

     

    There are different ways to receive and ways to be in touch with your own healing. This is an empowering approach to healing and to spirituality. A lot of times there is a top down approach to spirituality, that you should be humble and ashamed of humanness. This is not Reiki at all. It’s an empowering way to be in touch with spirituality. It’s saying- here is your power. Yield it and be in touch with yourself.

     

    For me, that’s powerful, heartening and hopeful. It helps me. I am someone who has been diagnosed with major depressive disorder, complex trauma, my ACES is a 4, I’ve got things going on. Choice was always taken away. Story time- let me check in for a second. For me, choice wasn’t something offered in my life. It was more- this is who we are as people, this is how you fit in. For me, I’m a rebel, I’m not the one. For me, Reiki is amazing because as someone who wants to be spiritual but didn’t know how to do it in the terms I was offered back then. It would never work for me to be told how to fit in. For me, Reiki offers me a way to still be spiritual but I don’t have to fit in a mold to do it. Something to take away is that you don’t have to fit in any specific mold or do anything in a specific way. You’re allowed to like what you like, do what you do, and be in touch with spirit how you want. There are no rules around it. It’s empowering. It gives you back your power. We could go on a tangent about how people don’t want us to be in power and how religion is used to control us. If you’re someone who wants to be in touch with your spiritual side and be empowered, I think Reiki is a path for you. I won’t force you to do anything., I’ll tell you what I think as someone who has been there. But you do you, you’re more than welcome to take or leave whatever I’m saying. This is my experience with this modality. You as the person in the driver’s seat of your life.

     

    It got stronger once I became sober. I became sober January 1, 2020. I had just had my Reiki 2 training in November of 2019. December of 2020 is when I did Reiki III and Master level. It’s gotten stronger from there. Something I’ve been practicing for 3 years. It’s like the onion, keep peeling the layers. Spoiler alert- there is no end to the peeling. It can be annoying and sometimes you want it to stop. Being a human is a lot of work. If you have to be here and do this, why not do something that makes you feel good and empowered, and happy and in more control of your life. For me, that’s where Reiki comes in. Reiki gave me the gift of being more in touch with myself. There is more to learn. If you’re a human you don’t know everything. So that’s exciting- There is more to learn and experience, to heal, love and grow into. That for me is the gift of Reiki.

     

    That is where I will leave you.

    If you’ve made it to the end, thank you so much for listening.

    I am offering a Mini Reiki Retreat on Saturday August 19 from 10am-12pm. In person at my office in Richmond. The mini-retreat is $55. Send me an email at elise@elisekindya.com and let me know you listened to this podcast episode and I’ll send you a discount. There will be a combination of group and 1-1 hands on Reiki, journaling and more.

     

    Thank you so much for tuning in today. You can find me on IG @elisekindya

     

    You can also book a 1-1 Reiki with me on my website www.elisekindya.com

     

    Thank you again for tuning in today!

  • Be The Change: Positivity As A Practice

    Be The Change: Positivity As A Practice

    Make sure to leave a review to be read on the air!

    In this episode, join me to have a conversation about positivity and how we need this force in our life to combat negativity. I want to use this platform as a ripple to reach more people in order to positively impact my community and the world. Sure, there are moments when negativity takes over, and there are even times when the benefit of negativity can be felt and understood (listen to the episode to hear more about that!). But, making more time for positivity cannot be a bad thing for us.

    Here are three reasons why you should listen to this episode:

    1. Hear stories about how I take negativity and transform it.
    2. Uncover the hidden depths within yourself where you can access more positivity.
    3. Connect with the energy of gratitude and maintain what you already have instead of striving for more in order to feel positive.

    Resources

    Episode Highlights

    [03:00] Why Positivity?

    • I find that I often talk about trauma and negativity and want to lighten up the topics of the podcast a bit.
    • Giving some of our time to what is going well.
    • As a “J” on the Meyers Briggs, seeing the negative happens a lot for me, so I want to spend time on what’s going well.
    • Let things be what they are and notice the good in them.
    • Nothing is perfect anyway, so why not see the best in things when you can?
    • You don’t have to believe all of your thoughts- both positive and negative.

     

    [07:21] Synchronicities and Magic 

    • Sometimes the cause between things happening doesn’t seem related but they are or we can connect them in our own mind.
    • Listen to this section for a story about an interview I did in a past episode.
    • The change you want to experience in your life can happen without you striving or trying for it.
    • How can you slow down and receive?
    • It can be relieving to think that there are forces at work that are outside of our human ability to perceive that can be helping us.
    • Sometimes slow is fast.
    • Being guided and learning is sending the message that you don’t know everything and you’re open to having your mind expanded.
    • What you need is inside of you.

    [14:06] Grab a Journal and Ask Yourself These Questions:

    • What is this resistance trying to teach me?
    • What could I learn from this situation?
    • What is missing that I’m trying to fill in right now?
    • Do I need what I’m trying to fill in?
    • Is the thing I’m using to fill this void actually serving me?

    [14:41] Being In The Cycle of Giving and Receiving is Positive

    • It’s hopeful to see yourself in this light.
    • You are resilient and capable of doing great things.
    • Be your own cheerleader.
    • Take time to celebrate your wins, milestones, and efforts. What is the point of reaching goals if we don’t mark the occasion?

    [18:09] Back To Magic – Synchronicities and Numbers 

    • Noticing numbers in sequence helps me to feel positive, hopeful, and that I’m on the right path.
    • Astrology and seasonal alignment can be inspirational as well.
    • You can make the connections between what numbers and what they mean to you.
    • Building a strong connection to your own intuition.

    [20:55] Mindfulness and Positivity

    • Noticing neutral or pleasant emotions or sensations within yourself can be helpful.
    • Sometimes we have to feel the suffering to get to the joy of life.
    • Being able to define suffering is what helps us be able to define joy.
    • Let giving space to positivity a daily practice.
    • Seek assistance from a professional to work through these difficult emotions.

    [25:24] Social Media – Can It Be Used for Positivity?

    • I am currently taking a break from social media.
    • Listen to this section to hear how I used Pinterest to pour into myself rather than feel bad about scrolling.
    • Use your brain chemistry to your advantage- if it feels bad, don’t do it. If it feels good, do it.
    • If you are on a certain social media platform for a reason such as trying new recipes or art techniques, challenge yourself to actually try one of them this week as opposed to scrolling.

    [31:43] Not Using Winter as An Excuse to Cut Yourself Off

    • If you’ve been hibernating all winter without contact with friends, it might be contributing to a negative feeling.
    • As humans, we don’t need as much hibernation as the earth- our life span is a lot shorter.
    • You can decide if you have energy or not- you don’t have to stay inside just because it’s winter. You’re allowed to start new things even in winter. Flow with your joy and inspiration.
    • The human nervous system needs connection with other humans to feel nourished. If you have been withdrawn, your nervous system might be starving or thirsty.
    • Ask yourself what’s the worst that will happen if you let yourself go out and be social. You might find that if you do it, you will have more energy and positivity.

    [37:49] Conflicting Voices Can Make Positivity Hard – But They Can Be Dealt With

    • We are conditioned to think there is a perfect time for taking action or a better way to do something.
    • How to confront this voice in a loving way by asking it some questions.
    • Setting boundaries with ourselves can be hard, but it’s worth it. It’s showing yourself self love.
    • Sometimes life is risky and we have to start taking chances in order to feel the bliss and pride we want to feel.
    • Just because something is scary, doesn’t mean it’s dangerous. When you stretch yourself outside of your comfort zone, you realize you’re growing.
    • Climb the mountain within to feel more positive.

    [40:15] Positivity is Maintaining What We Already Have

    • Taking care of what we already have can help us feel more positive. 
    • Gratitude makes way for appreciation and contentment.
    • If we want to add something new, needing to tend to the “old” or what’s already there- take an inventory before adding something new. 

    [41:58] I’m Not An Expert on Positivity

    • I need more positivity in my life which is why I’m doing this episode!
    • To learn more from the experts, look up the University of Penn’s school of Positive Psychology.
    • I want to be a ripple of positivity in the world.

    Enjoyed this Episode on Positivity?

    If you enjoyed this podcast, please make sure to subscribe and share it!

    Leave an episode review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning in to this episode, don’t forget to leave us a review. You can also share what you’ve learned today with your friends to help them embody their true, authentic selves. Anything is possible when you return home — even to your future self. 

    Have any questions or lightbulb moments? I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to hit me up on Instagram or send an email at elise@elisekindya.com. 

    Thank you so much for listening! For more episode updates, visit my website.

  • The Power of EMDR

    The Power of EMDR

     

    Healing from trauma sometimes seems impossible, but with new developments in neuroscience over the last 15 years, it is more possible than ever. Join me on this episode all about one of my favorite therapy modalities, EMDR. EMDR stands for “Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing” and it’s a revolutionary technique that can help you to finally feel relief from trauma. In this episode, I explain a bit about how it works and why it works, as well as share some stories about my experiences both administering EMDR and receiving EMDR. You will learn so much about how trauma is stored in the body, how to metabolize it, and how to move forward with more peace and freedom.

    Here are three reasons why you should listen to this episode:

    1. Connect how trauma lives in the body and how to process it using both the mind and the body.
    2. Understand more about how EMDR works.
    3. Feel inspired that healing is possible.

    Resources

    Episode Highlights

    [04:54] What is EMDR?

    • EMDR stands for “Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing”.
    • This modality was adapted from a 1950s modality, systematic desensitization therapy that used progressive muscle relaxation, and instead uses bilateral stimulation with eye movements as well as other stimulation- sound tones and tactile stimulation of touching or tapping.
    • Bringing both sides of the brain online to witness a traumatic memory.

    [06:38] What is trauma?

    • Trauma is a negatively activating experience where we are overwhelmed by a threat and we are unable to successfully defend ourselves.
    • In humans, we tend to get stuck in our trauma psychologically when we aren’t able to close the traumatic stress response.
    • See the book Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers by Robert Sapolsky to learn more about getting unstuck from stress.
    • EMDR helps us get the trauma unstuck from our bodies.
    • PTSD: Post traumatic stress disorder and CPTSD- Complex PTSD.
    • Adverse Childhood Experiences Study.

    [09:01] Trauma happens first in the body- even psychological trauma.

    • The body disconnects the higher-level thinking brain when we experience trauma.
    • We need the energy in our limbs to fight or run away from threat.
    • Trauma gets stuck in our body at this point.
    • Human make meaning of our experiences- and so when trauma gets stuck, we make it mean something about ourselves.
    • EMDR guides clients to go back into the memory- usually the first and worst- and bringing the higher level/left side of the brain into the memory, usually gaining a new perspective on the memory.

    [11:58] Bringing all of you into the memory

    • The analytical part of the brain is seeing this memory for the first time.
    • After trauma, you might over analyze and wonder what we could have done differently. As humans, we make it mean something about us – even when it wasn’t our fault.
    • EMDR can stop these intrusive thoughts.
    • When you can see this memory more logically and objectively it helps you realize that the traumatic event that happened was out of your control.

    [15:24] Tools to use in EMDR

    • Often times, you needed protection from the trauma or nurturing after the trauma so that the impact would not have been as great.
    • I help clients develop Protective Figures and Nurturing Figures into sessions to reprocess the memory.
    • I see this as powerful inner child work.
    • You deserve care and love, and EMDR provides the opportunity for a rebirth.

    [18:14] Talk therapy and EMDR

    • We use the left side of the brain in talk therapy.
    • The trauma is stored in the right side of the brain and in the body, which talk therapy doesn’t usually touch.
    • EMDR brings both sides of the brain to see the memory and actually can do something with it.
    • We can liberate and free ourselves when we do EMDR.
    • Regain access to parts of yourself that felt inaccessible.

    [20:16] There is no time machine

    • No type of therapy can rewind time and change your life experiences.
    • What we can do is to use tools today to help you feel better about yourself, and increase your self worth to help you live your life differently going forward.

    [21:02] Things To Consider When Doing EMDR

    • Important to do EMDR with other practices and with a trained therapist.
    • Therapists can screen clients to make sure that they are appropriate for this type of work.
    • People on TikTok are saying that they have given themselves EMDR- which I would not recommend.
    • Sometimes slow is fast- working with a professional can help you get there the “right” way.
    • Trauma makes us feel hyper independent and it’s actually healing to be in community when healing.

    [25:48] Closing Thoughts

    • Our brains have neuroplasticity and mirror neurons- which helps our brain change.
    • When we are intentional and willing to practice, we can change.
    • EMDR helps you maximize the potential of your brain.

    Enjoyed this Episode?

    If you enjoyed this podcast, please make sure to subscribe and share it!

    Leave an episode review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning in to this episode, don’t forget to leave us a review. You can also share what you’ve learned today with your friends to help them embody their true, authentic selves. Anything is possible when you return home to yourself. 

    Have any questions or lightbulb moments? I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to hit me up on Instagram or send an email at elise@elisekindya.com. 

    Thank you so much for listening! For more episode updates, visit my website.