We were driving down route 16 the other night, up in Rangeley Maine looking for moose. After we had a couple sightings (I'll share pics) we were heading back to the cabin. 

The weather has been spotty with mostly cloudy skies since we arrived on Saturday, but, as we were driving I noticed some cracks in the clouds which revealed glimpses of a beautiful evening sky.

The image mirrored in some ways how I have been feeling lately.

I've been feeling shrouded by dark stormy clouds. It's not necessarily a new feeling. It's often associated with a growing awareness that I am not on the right path, or am missing an important facet of my mission and my calling.

For example, I remember feeling lost behind the clouds for a long time when I was in a marriage that was out of alignment with my heart. There were no cracks in the clouds, I was completely engulfed in stormy skies.

I have also had that feeling in various jobs when I felt disempowered to bring my full true self to the work at hand. What was required and expected was often out of sync with my heart and how I showed up and performed.

Where do clouds come from you ask? This is what I found on the web:

 "Clouds form when the invisible water vapor in the air condenses into visible water droplets or ice crystals. For this to happen, the parcel of air must be saturated, i.e. unable to hold all the water it contains in vapor form, so it starts to condense into a liquid or solid form". (CLOUD DEVELOPMENT)

So, if we are the sky, as Pema Chödrön suggests, then maybe the clouds in our sky emanate from the weight of a lack of awareness/acceptance of our true self or our light. For this to happen, our perceived self must be saturated with negative self-talk and self-projections that condense and create a false reality (aka cloudy/stormy skies). 

Sometimes we can spend years trapped behind the storm clouds; but sometimes there are cracks in the clouds; moments when we begin to question our false beliefs about ourself and allow bits of our light to peek through the storm.

To be perfectly honest, I find the best way to reverse the storm sequence is to reconnect with myself. Step out of line, get off the hamster wheel and let the whirling and swirling come to a stand still so I can take in what exactly is going on by asking the question: how did I get so caught up in the fury, the drama and the self-disbelief?

I just had a flash of Elsa [from Frozen] when she thinks that her sister is dead and she falls to her knees and all the storm fury subsides. Sometimes we need something cataclysmic to bring us to our knees to stop the storm and give us the space to release, re-examine, and reconnect with ourself, our core.

This is the journey of the aspiring trauma informed professional (TIP).

So many folks ask: 'so how do I change my colleagues? I am onboard with trauma informed care and have been onboard for years but it's so hard to change others'.

I totally get this, trust me! I thought once folks heard the science, read the research then everything else would fall into line. But, I wasn't paying attention to their clouds. What stories were they telling themselves, what stories were they re-enacting that kept them from the expansive beauty of the sky.

We all grapple with clouds and can lose sight of our way, our calling, and our beauty. The clouds hide our true selves, our true and collective beauty as caring, connected and compassionate beings. 

Finding the space and place to do the work of releasing the clouds can be a challenge. It's hard to accept that it all begins with YOU, especially when you feel like you have been doing the right thing all along.



What I know for sure is that you have to go within to reset your perceptions of the world and rediscover the beauty of who you truly are.

I love this quote by Carl Jung: "Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakens".

What a perfect segue to one of our recent graduates greatest insight from her TIP journey.

"The program was an awakening for me to heal from within so that I can be all that others need me to be for their own journey". - Amy Wolfinger PT, CEIM

Clouds come and go, we are human after all. But, knowing how to brave the storm to resurrect passion and truth is the life vest for the journey of self-discovery that frees you to share the beauty you hide with the world.

"Courageously and fearlessly unleashing my "why" and connecting to those around me can make a small yet powerful difference in the world of healthcare and beyond". - Amanda Coffey OTD, OTR/L

This is the mission and vision of the Trauma Informed Professional Certificate Program, to create a safe space for reflection and self-assessment, present robust curriculum and provide an engaging, supportive and loving community of heart-centered international professionals committed to creating a kinder, more connected and compassionate world one moment at a time.

For those of you who know in your heart of hearts that this is what you have been looking for, longing for, then I want to invite you to join the movement, join the revolution to transform the heart and soul of healthcare.

APPLY Coupon Code: AUGTIP21 and receive 35% off the standard tuition for both the pay-in-full and installment plan options

This special offer expires August 31st and it is unlikely we will offer such a deep discount again

For those of you who may be unsure, I would first ask you to close your eyes, take a deep breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth and ask your heart, is this my next right step? Don't think about it, just feel whatever guidance bubbles up.



While I hope your heart tells you to take the leap, maybe a baby step is your next right move. That baby step is to register for the SURGE Masterclass.

As always, please feel free to email me and ask the questions that must be answered for you to take your next step to share your fullest self with the world.

Thanks for taking the time to read me

Take care and care well,

Mary

P.S. Here are my moose pics