Latest / Rise & Realign: Conversations for the Sensitive Soul / Your Body, Earth, and Source: Remembering Connection as a Highly Sensitive Woman
Transcript
- 0:00Welcome to Rise and Realign, conversations for
- 0:05the sensitive soul. I'm Melissa, and this space
- 0:09is for those of us who feel deeply, love fiercely,
- 0:14and sense the world in ways that are hard to
- 0:17explain, but impossible to ignore. Here, we honor
- 0:24your sensitivity as a strength, not something
- 0:28to fix. Through reflections, realignment, and
- 0:33soul -led stories, we remember how to move through
- 0:38life in a way that feels true to who we really
- 0:43are. This is your space to rise, to realign,
- 0:49and to come home again and again to your own
- 0:54wise, sensitive, authentic self. Last week, episode
- 1:0346 was called Forgiveness is an Inside Job, Living
- 1:09in the Question as a Highly Sensitive Woman.
- 1:14And I'm so grateful for the responses that I've
- 1:19been receiving with that episode because it is
- 1:23so important. You know, there is no judgment
- 1:27and there's no time frame for how we process
- 1:32and as highly sensitive individuals, and especially
- 1:35women, right, like this depth of processing has
- 1:39us reflecting and refining, you know, our understanding
- 1:45of ourselves and others and nature, like, I really
- 1:49want you to see that, like, this is truly, it's
- 1:53called an innate survival strategy and what comes
- 1:56from it, when it's aligned for us is true brilliance
- 2:03you know and I just love you know supporting
- 2:09other sensitive women in their journey and the
- 2:15thing is is you know I honor where each of us
- 2:18you know where each of you are you know because
- 2:21I can be meeting no matter the age, but a woman
- 2:27who is feeling the anger, right? The frustration.
- 2:32And that's valid, right? Like I'm not somebody
- 2:37at this point in my journey, right? Who judges,
- 2:42right? Negative emotion. Although there was a
- 2:45time during my awakening where it was like, no,
- 2:48no, I've felt it enough. I want to stay positive.
- 2:51I want to stay peaceful, you know? And so that
- 2:54was just, a period of my journey, right? Like
- 2:58a certain spiral that I was walking where it
- 3:01was just like, I just don't have the bandwidth
- 3:03for, you know, when someone else is really in
- 3:08the thick of that anchor. But, you know, again,
- 3:12this is coming up on my 18th year since my own
- 3:15spiritual awakening. So I've had a lot of personal
- 3:19experience and professional experience, you know,
- 3:22where I am to the point where I can just honor
- 3:28where each person is on their journey, because
- 3:31I most likely have also been there, felt that,
- 3:35thought that, you know, even if the circumstances
- 3:39are different, because of course, you know, there's
- 3:43infinite possibilities and probabilities of...
- 3:47you know, what we might experience, but we can
- 3:50often see common themes and threads in each other's
- 3:54experiences. And so I just feel as though this
- 4:01period of time on the planet for many of us,
- 4:05not all of us, but many of us is, you know, a
- 4:09rise in awareness, right? Like this awakening
- 4:13into you know, what else is going on, right?
- 4:19Like, what other ways are there to perceive reality?
- 4:25And, you know, I believe I've written a blog
- 4:29post before about perception and, you know, how
- 4:32really key it is for us to notice, you know,
- 4:36like, what do we perceive primarily in situations,
- 4:41you know? Are we quickly going towards you know
- 4:48kind of that judgmental blame um right pointing
- 4:52the finger at somebody else or even yourself
- 4:55right like again it's highly sensitive individuals
- 4:58you know that reflection is going on that depth
- 5:02of processing is having you look at yourself
- 5:04most likely um but again there's no judgment
- 5:09from me and i absolutely invite you to soften,
- 5:15you know, when judgment arises within you. Because
- 5:20it is, it's our perception of what's going on,
- 5:25right? Self judgment, judgment of others. And
- 5:29you might have heard me say my motto for a long
- 5:31time has been, you know, live and let live. Because
- 5:35we each have our own kind of soup, right, of
- 5:41ingredients that we are going to taste, touch,
- 5:47you know, feel, see, hear, all of that. And so
- 5:51just you be you. If you notice judgment coming
- 6:00up for yourself or for somebody else, just take
- 6:04that break and breathe love, right? Again, one
- 6:08deep inhale and a second inhale and then a nice
- 6:12long and slow exhale out your mouth. That can
- 6:15really change how you're seeing something because
- 6:18again, it is absolutely relaxing your muscles,
- 6:24right? Your body. so that it also shifts how
- 6:28your brain is operating. So just do your best.
- 6:34But, you know, as sensitive souls, you know,
- 6:38I love the curiosity that many others, you know,
- 6:43are also sharing, you know, like what they've
- 6:45discovered. And I want you to know that, you
- 6:49know, what you are curious about, you know, and,
- 6:53and the patterns that you see in others, like
- 6:56that's super helpful, you know, and sometimes
- 7:01as highly sensitives, we might perceive us as
- 7:07having a bigger picture for somebody else and
- 7:10wanting to be helpful, or being frustrated that
- 7:13somebody else isn't doing something that you
- 7:15can see would be helpful for them. And also I
- 7:18want to say to that is I know it comes from a
- 7:21deep place of caring, right? You've heard me
- 7:24say that depth of processing and the empathy,
- 7:27you know, that we experience on deeper levels
- 7:30is Part of why I view us as the heart of humanity,
- 7:35because that depth of caring, it goes really
- 7:39deep. And I say, you know, we need to reel it
- 7:46in ourselves because it doesn't matter what we
- 7:52see for someone else. That's our perception,
- 7:56right? What matters is what's going on for you.
- 8:01You know, what do you need in that moment? Not
- 8:05do you need to tell somebody else something that
- 8:07they don't see, but what do you need for you?
- 8:11Because... No matter how many decades it may
- 8:15have been for you, you know, noticing other people's
- 8:18needs, noticing problems that can arise, noticing,
- 8:22you know, the scary things that happen, you know,
- 8:26in the world, the traumas, right? The violence,
- 8:30the heartache, the pain, right? Like, just because
- 8:35we notice it more doesn't... mean that it's healthy
- 8:39for us to maintain that vigilance around wanting
- 8:44to avoid that. And I totally get that that's
- 8:47also part of what many of us walk as highly sensitive
- 8:51souls. So I just want to remind you, you know,
- 9:00just keep coming back to your breath, to your
- 9:03body. You know, what's truly arising within you
- 9:08in those moments that you're experiencing? You
- 9:13know, any sense of judgment that may come up.
- 9:19Last night was the fall equinox. It was such
- 9:31an honor to facilitate, you know, the fall equinox
- 9:36sensitivity realignment spiral. And these gatherings
- 9:41happen four times a year at the equinoxes and
- 9:44the solstices, you know, as a way to come together
- 9:49as sensitive women, you know, and to also interrupt
- 9:53our old patterns or for some, you know, still
- 9:57current and active patterns. of continually showing
- 10:01up in the physical you know kind of material
- 10:04way um where the focus is on when to get to work
- 10:09what work you have to do you know what do you
- 10:12get paid where does that money go you know and
- 10:15help you to realign with you know the natural
- 10:19rhythms you know that we are part of right the
- 10:23seasonal changes the light the dark the moon
- 10:27right And I just, I'm honored, you know, that
- 10:36they're small and intimate gatherings because
- 10:38as highly sensitive women, you know, feeling
- 10:42safe and comfortable to open up is certainly
- 10:45a priority for me because that's how I am. You
- 10:50know, I don't join, you know, really big gatherings
- 10:53if I... going to be vulnerable and intimate,
- 10:57you know, I like them to be smaller gatherings.
- 10:59So I always like to share that in case you are
- 11:05someone who, you know, kind of turns away towards
- 11:08anything that might be really big. I like to
- 11:12keep it small and intimate because it's so important
- 11:15to hear and to be with other sensitive women
- 11:19who can relate to your personal experiences as
- 11:23a sensitive woman and your own realizations,
- 11:26you know, because again, we're supporting each
- 11:29other. We're helping raise awareness within ourselves
- 11:33and each other. And it really. creates beautiful
- 11:37bonds, even if those bonds stay within the gatherings.
- 11:43Um, so I want you to know, you know, you're always
- 11:47invited to join. Um, and you can find that information
- 11:51on realignwithmelissa .com. And I also, uh, just
- 11:56adore, you know, hosting the realign circle for
- 12:00sensitive and strong women in their twenties.
- 12:03And, you know, it had been once a month. And
- 12:06recently, we agreed that twice a month felt better
- 12:11to keep the continuity of the group and the connection
- 12:15going. So if you happen to be in your 20s, I
- 12:18want you to know that that's something that you
- 12:20can consider. And, you know, you're welcome to
- 12:24schedule a free resonance call if you have questions
- 12:28about either of those. But it is, it's important
- 12:33that, you know, we reestablish our connection
- 12:38and our relationship with, you know, that which
- 12:42is most important for our journeys, you know.
- 12:47And, you know, I have a bachelor's in psychology,
- 12:52but I got into social work while I was still
- 12:54in my undergrad program. And it just decided,
- 12:58you know, social work felt. you know, more aligned
- 13:01for me. And that's why I have my master's degree
- 13:03in social work. And, you know, it's, it's about
- 13:07relationships, you know, and I think that for
- 13:11me before my spiritual awakening, like I definitely
- 13:15referred my referred to myself as a seeker. And
- 13:19I would say that definitely started when I was
- 13:22at 19 when my brother, you know, passed. um in
- 13:291990 and i definitely you know deeply deeply
- 13:34wanting to understand you know how does all of
- 13:37this work you know um but it's it's just really
- 13:45beautiful as we expand our awareness and our
- 13:49understanding of you know how we're connected
- 13:52to something so much greater um and i shared
- 13:57last night um in the fall equinox gathering you
- 14:02know about how we're born with that soft spot
- 14:05on the top of our head um and how that for many
- 14:12um historical um peoples right like um the ancient
- 14:21wisdom around that soft spot and why it was open
- 14:25you know not not only you know for you know going
- 14:29through the birth canal right but to maintain
- 14:32an open connection and and flow with source whatever
- 14:37you call it and this was a new um new understanding
- 14:43for me I hadn't really thought about it before
- 14:45but it absolutely resonated immediately and so
- 14:49it was really what was really beautiful too is
- 14:52after my awakening in 2008 I visited Arizona
- 14:58Sedona for the first time in 2009 with my then
- 15:03younger kids and former husband and I just really
- 15:08resonated with the Hopi people. And I've talked
- 15:12about them in other episodes. But it was just
- 15:17beautiful to hear that the Hopi people are also
- 15:21one of those who share their perspective on this
- 15:24soft spot. And, you know, I remember my youngest
- 15:29is 13 and a half. And I remember when he was
- 15:35an infant and he was sitting on my lap and he
- 15:38was just talking away, you know, the way infants
- 15:41do. But I remember saying, who are you talking
- 15:45to? You know, and like, I just felt like there
- 15:49were spirits, you know, in my home that he was
- 15:54talking to. And I just remember feeling like,
- 15:57oh. Like, I would love for this to continue,
- 16:00you know, but it didn't. And he doesn't remember
- 16:04that now. But the remembering of the connection,
- 16:10right? And I feel like that's where social work
- 16:14for me is really big because it's all about.
- 16:17relationships we're relational beings right so
- 16:21the relationship that we have with our body which
- 16:23i really talked about you know last episode too
- 16:27about you know your body being your best friend
- 16:30right but also that relationship with the source
- 16:33you know whatever you call it And also the relationship
- 16:38that you have with like your mother, your father,
- 16:42right? And even like father sky and mother earth,
- 16:46right? Like these are relationships that many
- 16:49of us were not raised to nurture, right? And
- 16:54to maintain a connection with. But if you do
- 16:57reflect on your own childhood, or if you have
- 17:01children and you remember, you know, their younger
- 17:03years easier. or even right now, like, you know,
- 17:07what is way more natural for them, right? Like,
- 17:10again, it's being connected to the earth, right?
- 17:14Like, it's being closely connected to mom and
- 17:18dad, or whoever those caregiver are that are,
- 17:22you know, showing up for them. And so at some
- 17:26point in many of our journeys, you know, we start
- 17:30that more separation right and feeling maybe
- 17:35different or feeling that disconnect and as highly
- 17:38sensitive individuals having that higher you
- 17:42know uh resolution you know navigational system
- 17:47you know oftentimes we are like building barriers
- 17:51and walls because we're we're again we're trying
- 17:54to keep ourselves safe and and and minimize the
- 17:59amount of pain that we're experiencing. Because
- 18:02again, as highly sensitive individuals, you know,
- 18:05we definitely are feeling things more deeply
- 18:09and more intensely. So I just invite you to,
- 18:14you know, just kind of sit with, what is your
- 18:17relationship like with your body? Do you love
- 18:21and listen to your body? Do you nurture your
- 18:25relationship with your body, right? Do you pay
- 18:28attention to how you do feed your body, what
- 18:31you feed your body, you know? What are the situations,
- 18:36you know, when you are taking in food, you know?
- 18:39Are you upset, angry, you know? Are you, you
- 18:43know, more present and calm? Because how we take
- 18:47in food into our body also influences, you know.
- 18:52how everything is flowing within our body. So
- 18:55I just invite you to just take a moment and assess,
- 19:00you know, what is your relationship with your
- 19:03body? And what might be one thing that you could
- 19:12let go of that you notice doesn't serve you well?
- 19:21And that right there is a way to honor yourself,
- 19:27your body, you know, and that didn't take long
- 19:30to just pause and kind of assess. And it's really
- 19:37important that we're doing this and not just
- 19:40once, you know. And, you know, you can take this
- 19:46further, of course, and assess too, like. what
- 19:51is your relationship with source god universal
- 19:57intelligence the creator there's so many words
- 20:02that you know you could be using that i don't
- 20:05know about so you know i honor whatever it is
- 20:10for you but just be curious you know what is
- 20:14that relationship like And again, the same for
- 20:19your relationship with your mother, your father,
- 20:22father's guy, like how often do you look up and
- 20:26notice the stars, the sun, the moon, you know?
- 20:30I think for a lot of us, we're so busy, you know,
- 20:34the hecticness of life can make it so your head
- 20:38is down, right? And you're just, you know, thinking
- 20:42and doing and busyness, right? So The, the joy
- 20:49that can come from looking up, you know, and
- 20:52acknowledging again, whatever you call it can
- 20:54be heavenly father, you know, like, again, you
- 20:58get to choose for you what resonates for you
- 21:02that this is about remembering, you know, remembering
- 21:07your connection, despite however much you've
- 21:10been through that made you led you to feel separate.
- 21:16This is the time of awakening for more of us
- 21:20to recognize and to acknowledge that there is
- 21:26something greater and to be curious and open
- 21:29to it. So let's just continue with this inquiry
- 21:39by taking a break and breathing love. So I invite
- 21:44you to just be still. If it's safe for you, close
- 21:55your eyes or just lower your lids. Again, just
- 21:59kind of closing off what's going on in the outer
- 22:04world so that you can tune inward. And just notice
- 22:09what your breath is already doing. That life
- 22:15force energy is moving through you. And just
- 22:20notice. Notice the breath. Maybe bring some attention
- 22:28as you're breathing in to the top of your head.
- 22:33That soft spot that we were just talking about.
- 22:36You know, and just as you're breathing. And again,
- 22:41you want to inhale as deeply as you can. Take
- 22:47that second inhale before you exhale slowly.
- 22:52Just bringing your attention to the top of your
- 22:55head and just maybe being curious. You know,
- 23:02curious about the opening there. Because it never
- 23:07fully closes. Bringing our attention to that
- 23:12openness can change so much because what we give
- 23:18our attention to has great power for us. So as
- 23:26your breath continues, again, nice inhale, lengthening
- 23:32your spine as much as you can comfortably, taking
- 23:36that second inhale before a nice long exhale.
- 23:40And again, always honor your pace and rhythm.
- 23:44But then just kind of go down through your body.
- 23:48You started at the head and just, you know, imagine
- 23:52this light coming from up above into that opening
- 23:57at the top of your head, going down through your
- 24:01body, right? Through the throat, the heart. the
- 24:07abdomen, going all the way down into the legs
- 24:11and out the feet into the earth, the ground beneath
- 24:15you, wherever you are. And just imagining that
- 24:19as you're breathing, right? Like this is this
- 24:22full body movement, starting up at the sky, coming
- 24:28down into the head, through the body, out the
- 24:33feet into the earth. And I just invite you to
- 24:39continue that as long as it feels good to you.
- 24:43Just that reminder that your relationships, your
- 24:50key essential relationships, they need nurturing.
- 24:55They need attention. And it's different for each
- 25:00of us. So honor you and where you are on your
- 25:06journey. And if something in today's conversation
- 25:20resonated with you and you'd like to explore
- 25:24working together, as I mentioned, you can schedule
- 25:27a resonance call if you're interested in any
- 25:30of the spiral guide gatherings that I host. Those
- 25:35are open globally. And if you are interested
- 25:42in working. with me as a holistic psychotherapist
- 25:47and you are in Massachusetts, California, or
- 25:51Arizona, I offer the Embodied Somatic Therapy
- 25:57Intensive or weekly sessions, whatever best suits
- 26:02you. And there are consultation calls for each
- 26:06of these different offerings that you can easily
- 26:09find on my website, realignwithmelissa .com.
- 26:15But before we close, you know, I just invite
- 26:19you to keep returning to your breath, to your
- 26:24body, to what feels true for you right now. There's
- 26:33nothing you need to fix. Just notice what's here.
- 26:40Where the heart leads, the body remembers, and
- 26:44the soul awakens. As a reminder, we are here
- 26:49together to rise, reclaim, remember. And as always,
- 26:58I am so super grateful that you're here. You
- 27:02know, your unique light matters. It's so important.
- 27:07You know, your voice, your presence. You know,
- 27:12I just want to acknowledge you and your unique
- 27:15brilliance and greatness. So take good care of
- 27:22you. Much love and light.