Ashley, vaden, therapist, couples, louisville

Meet Mindfulness & IFS Guru Ashley Vaden, LMFT

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Reassessing midlife for more fulfillment.

In Season 2, Episode 3 (Part 1) Megan discusses the common experience of feeling stuck or unfulfilled in her midlife journey. She acknowledges the feeling of being a hamster on a hamster wheel, going through the motions without making progress or finding joy. This sentiment resonates with many individuals who reach a point in their lives where they question if they have accomplished all they set out to do and if there is more to life.

Midlife is a natural time for reflection and reassessment. It is a period where individuals evaluate what is working for them and what is not. This introspection is normal and can lead to personal growth and positive change. Megan encourages listeners to reclaim their time, energy, and joy in order to make the most of the second half of their lives.

Ashley Vaden, shares her personal experience and perspective. She talks about growing up in Frankfurt, Kentucky, and the culture shock she experienced when moving to Shelby County. Despite the challenges, she used this time to focus on her studies and develop a love for learning. Ashley expresses her desire to be a lifelong student and emphasizes the importance of continuous growth and curiosity.

Ashley’s journey led her to study psychology in college, driven by her own positive experience with therapy in high school. This decision reflects her desire to understand human behavior and help others. Megan commends Ashley for her work as an office therapist at the Mindfulness Center and highlights her contributions to mindfulness classes.

There is great significance in reassessing midlife for more fulfillment. It encourages individuals to take stock of their lives, identify areas that need improvement, and seek out new experiences that bring joy and peace. By acknowledging the need for change and actively pursuing personal growth, individuals can find greater fulfillment and happiness in the second half of their lives.

Reassessing midlife is not about regret or feeling like time has been wasted. Instead, it is an opportunity to realign priorities, set new goals, and make conscious choices that align with one’s values and passions. It is about finding the courage to make changes and explore new possibilities.

This is a reminder that it is never too late to reassess and make positive changes. Megan encourages listeners to embrace the second half of their lives with a sense of adventure, curiosity, and a commitment to personal growth.

Flexibility and freedom in therapy.

Flexibility and freedom in therapy are crucial aspects that can greatly impact both the therapist and the client. 

Flexibility allows therapists to adapt their approach and techniques to meet the unique needs of each client. Ashley had initially considered pursuing a career in fashion or moving to New York. However, due to financial responsibilities and student loans, she decided to utilize her psychology degree and work as a therapist. This decision demonstrates the flexibility she had to make in order to support her son and pay off her debts. By being open to different possibilities and adapting to the circumstances, she was able to find a job that aligned with her skills and interests.

Furthermore, flexibility in therapy allows therapists to be responsive to the changing needs and goals of their clients. Ashley initially did not want to work with children but found herself working with them in her first job. However, she discovered a love for working with kids and found it to be a profound and life-changing experience. This demonstrates how being open to new experiences and adapting to different client populations can lead to unexpected growth and fulfillment in therapy.

In addition to flexibility, freedom in therapy is also crucial.She mentioned that she decided to transition to a different job after five years of working in a high-intensity setting. She desired more flexibility and freedom to be with her child. This highlights the importance of work-life balance and the need for therapists to prioritize their own well-being and personal lives. By seeking out a job that provides more flexibility, therapists can create a healthier and more fulfilling work environment for themselves.

Freedom in therapy allows clients to feel empowered and in control of their own healing journey. Ashley mentioned how she appreciated having someone tell her what to do when she was feeling burnt out in grad school. By providing clients with the freedom to make choices and take ownership of their healing process, therapists can empower them to overcome challenges and achieve their goals.

Internal Family Systems empowers change.

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a therapeutic modality that empowers individuals to create change from within. It recognizes that within each person, there are multiple parts that make up their internal system. These parts can be seen as different aspects of the individual’s personality, each with its own unique characteristics and motivations. The goal of IFS is to help individuals understand and connect with these parts, and ultimately, to find harmony and balance within themselves.

In this episode, Megan talks about the transformative power of IFS in the lives of both therapists and clients. Ashley shares her experience of transitioning from working in an agency to starting her own private practice. Initially, she felt afraid and uncertain about this change, but when she shared her decision with her boss, he expressed his support and decided to join her in this new venture. This moment of validation and support brought a sense of relief and confirmation that she was on the right path. It highlights how IFS can provide individuals with the courage and confidence to make significant life changes.

Internal Family Systems empowers change by providing individuals with the tools and understanding to explore and connect with their internal selves It encourages flexibility, adaptability, and self-compassion, allowing individuals to make meaningful changes in their lives. 

If you are interested in learning more about Internal Family Systems and therapy, make sure to check out this interview with Ashley on the shift your shit podcast! 

 

Megan Bartley, Mega, Bartley, Hand Mirroring, Hand, Mirroring, Hypnosis, Ernest Rossi

Hypnosis Made Simple: Hand Mirroring Exercise

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Megan Bayles Bartley here.

In our most recent episode (#27) of Shifting Our Shit (S.O.S.) Podcast (CLICK HERE to listen), I referenced a cool technique I’ve been reading about in Creating Consciousness: How Therapists Can Facilitate Wonder, Wisdom, Truth, & Beauty called Hand Mirroring. As promised in that episode I promised to make a video and offer it for you for free! Please fill out the form below to instantly receive the video link AND have the video link emailed to you! I hope you enjoy it!

self love

The Healing Power of Art

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Did you know that you can be creative without actually drawing?!

Art therapy is an “expressive therapy” like dancing, music, drama, and writing. The purpose is to express yourself in a way that works best for you and open up new ways of thinking. Making art can give you a sense of empowerment and confidence as you work through what is bothering you. The most important thing to remember is to relax and trust the process as you explore what your mind, body, and spirit are telling you so that you can heal.

Doing something physical and creative, creating something outside of ourselves, is a wonderful way to restore peace. Holding, touching, and experiencing the sensation of changing the art material into something we can relate to is very rewarding. It can be done with model magic, Play-Doh, or clay. Something happens as we tap into our feelings and just allow the natural process of creation to occur. It reminds me of simpler times when our ancestors would make their own pottery, furniture, and clothing.

The simple act of slowing down and connecting with our thoughts and feelings can be a wonderful journey to self-discovery. Oftentimes, people seek therapy when they have come to a point in their life where things have built up inside and they are having difficulty balancing or functioning. It is challenging to unlock these feelings by yourself. Having someone to talk to and validate your feelings can speed up the healing process.

Here are a few ways art therapy can help unlock the healing power of art:

Collage art is kind of like scrapbooking. You can combine colorful papers, magazine words, and various images to express yourself creatively. As you arrange the art materials on the paper it allows you to make sense of your world and what is going on inside of you so you can get a better understanding and clear your mind of the clutter that has been building up. It can be eye-opening when you look at the final product and see how the art tells your story.

Creating mandalas (circle-shaped designs), mosaic designs (small pieces of colored paper or materials arranged to provide texture), and Zentangles (tiny doodles, patterns, or spontaneous designs inside of a space) are great ways to get focused and lost in the zone as you slow down and connect with the art.

Painting gives you an opportunity to use the colors to unlock the feelings you have been holding inside. You may experience relief as the feelings appear on the paper and you can see what has been hurting you. Just holding the paintbrush in your hand can give you some emotional distance as the feelings move from inside of you onto the paper. Remember it is not about producing a beautiful piece of artwork it is more about healing and discovering what has been going on inside and letting it out.

Journaling is another way to experience this. You can play around with colored pencils, markers, crayons, and chalk or oil pastels which allows the intensity of your underlying feelings to appear visually with soft or vibrant colors. Something happens as the thought or feeling travels from your mind to your hand and on to the paper in front of you. It is a kind of release that can be a very emotional and healing experience depending on what you are expressing as you create your art.

Art therapy is for all people. Of course, children will benefit because they are so open to trying new things. After all, everything is new to them. They are eager to learn and love the colors because they are engaging and fun. When a child doesn’t know the words they can express themselves with art. It can give them a voice if they have been unable to talk about deep feelings. And, the same thing can happen with adults. Most of us do not make time for ourselves. However, finding time to explore what is causing our pain will provide comfort and relief so we can have more time for things that really matter to us.

If this sounds like an interesting experience for you, and you’d like to find out more, feel free to schedule a free 10-minute consult with me at your convenience online HERE!

art therapy, art therapist, rachel martin, rachel

Rachel Taylor Martin, LPAT specializes in art therapy with people of all ages to help process, heal, and make sense of feelings and experiences that are hard to put words to. If you have a sense that art therapy could be an interesting experience and/or right for you, then likely it will be! Plus, there’s no need to be artistic! It is in the act of creating that healing and insight can come, not necessarily in the finished product. Creating art connects us to our subconscious which is full of wonderfully helpful information. Clients report Rachel is genuine, compassionate, holistic, and non-judgmental.

Megan Bayles Bartley is excited for Rachel to join the team and knows she will be a wonderful resource for you.

Find out more on Rachel’s bio page on the Louisville Mindfulness Center website!

What is art therapy and how can it help people

Is Art Therapy Right for You?!

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Hello there! My name is Rachel Taylor Martin and I am a Licensed Professional Art Therapist. I’m wondering how long has it been since you colored, drew, or made some type of art. Unless you are artistic, you probably stopped making art around age 11 or 12. Creating art can help you to de-stress and relax. It can give you the opportunity to get lost (in the zone).

Have you heard the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words?” The reason behind this is that a single image can inspire many words. Art therapy helps us to work through our emotional issues.

When this occurs it can bring underlying thoughts and feelings to the surface where they can be examined and worked through. This can enhance and speed up the healing process. Sometimes we don’t have the words to describe how we are feeling inside. Art can increase self-awareness visually without using words, opening up a new way of expressing ourselves. It can be beneficial to anyone who is experiencing distress and looking for relief from the emotional pain that is keeping them from enjoying or moving forward in life.

Some of the people I have worked with have found the experience of art therapy eye-opening and empowering. It really doesn’t matter what age you are. Can you remember a piece of art you saw that took your breath away, really captured your attention, or made you more curious? Whether you experienced the artwork in person, in a book, or online art is powerful. It truly is a way of connecting with ourselves and others.

Here are some things I love about Art Therapy:

+ Art is universal
+It doesn’t matter how it turns out – it is about the art-making experience
+It can enhance the healing process
+It is a great way to take time for yourself which is self-care
+It can be a rewarding experience.
+It is a wonderful way to increase self-love and self-worth
+Sometimes just opening up and letting go of the things that have been causing you pain can provide a sense of peace and acceptance.
+Making art allows for self-reflection
+Sometimes we have to step out of our comfort zone to learn something new which helps us to grow and become the best version of ourselves
+It can give you a chance to look within and discover what is actually bothering you so you can express it
+It can help you to organize your thoughts and improve clarity and focus
+It allows you to get in touch with your senses through various types of art media
+Connections can be made as you resonate with the art.
+It can provide quiet time

When we take time for ourselves and try new things it makes us feel better and gives us the courage to make the changes we want to make in ourselves and our lives. It can alleviate the pain we have been holding on to and give us relief. Art therapy is a way to restore a sense of well-being and help us become unstuck. Being open-minded and trusting the process can allow emotions to move through you as you experience the therapeutic value of art.

If this sounds like an interesting experience for you, and you’d like to find out more, feel free to schedule a free 10-minute consult with me at your convenience online HERE!

art therapy, art therapist, rachel martin, rachel

Rachel Taylor Martin, LPAT specializes in art therapy with people of all ages to help process, heal, and make sense of feelings and experiences that are hard to put words to. If you have a sense that art therapy could be an interesting experience and/or right for you, then likely it will be! Plus, there’s no need to be artistic! It is in the act of creating that healing and insight can come, not necessarily in the finished product. Creating art connects us to our subconscious which is full of wonderfully helpful information. Clients report Rachel is genuine, compassionate, holistic, and non-judgmental.

Megan Bayles Bartley is excited for Rachel to join the team and knows she will be a wonderful resource for you.

Find out more on Rachel’s bio page on the Louisville Mindfulness Center website!

Join Us As We Meditate For Louisville, KY!! Sept. 11-21, 2022

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Louisville Mindfulness Center has been asked to partner with the Louisville Resonant City Peace Project as they assist the Global Peaceful Cities Project study the effects of 3500+ people joining forces to spread peace throughout Louisville during a two-week span of time. The intention is to decrease Louisville’s crime and violence rate by 25%. Previous cities have seen a 25+% reduction in crime and violence during the two weeks of meditation.

Are you interested in participating? Go to PeacefulCities.org to sign up to receive a daily email with a 20-minute guided meditation. This is a wonderful way to join as you’ll have a different member of the Louisville community devoted to peace leading you through that day’s meditation. Our fearless leader, Megan Bayles Bartley, will be leading one of the meditations… perhaps you can listen for her!

Join Megan and friends at the Kickoff Celebration on September 8th at 6:30pm – 740 Old Harrods Creek Rd.

Louisvile, Peace, Peaceful, Cities

forgive

How To Forgive

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Written by Megan Bayles Bartley, MAMFT, LMFT

“How do I forgive? How can I let go? When will this feeling go away? How do I get over this?”

These are phrases I hear daily. These are phrases I’ve asked my own therapist.

The best advice I was given is to find compassion for the person or the behavior as well as for myself. I had no idea what this looked like. I wasn’t even really open to the idea at first. It seemed that if I was compassionate, I would be excusing the person and the behavior. It took me years, if not decades, to allow that compassion to slowly become more present in my life and feel it make a home in my heart. It was DEFINITELY not an easy process.

The more compassion grew inside of me, I finally understood why it is so important. I thought of all the years I spent (perhaps wasted) in anger, fear, and anxiety that hurt me much more than it hurt anyone else.

Be open to compassion. If not for someone else, at least for yourself.

When you are compassionate with yourself, you model for others how to treat you. When you are compassionate with others, you invite them to be compassionate with you.

You deserve it. You are worth it.

trauma

Living with Trauma

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Written by Rob Giltner, MAMFT

“Trauma has become so commonplace that most people don’t even recognize its presence. It affects everyone. Each of us has had a traumatic experience at some point in our lives, regardless of whether it left us with an obvious case of post-traumatic stress.” ~Peter Levine

What living with trauma can look like:

  • Feelings of hopelessness and beliefs that aren’t meant for you
  • Constantly finding ways to escape from reality
  • Sleeplessness, fatigue, nightmares, sleep disorders
  • Avoidance of anything connected to a traumatic event
  • Difficulty regulating emotions like anger, fear and sadness
  • Reoccurring flashbacks of past events
  • Extra sensitivity to physical and emotional pain
  • Addiction to alcohol and other substances
  • Increased panic and anxiety

Everyone responds to trauma differently, and finding healthy ways to cope and heal from those events and their after-effects is key to living a healthy life. It’s easy to minimize, normalize, and rationalize some of these less severe symptoms, but if healthy coping mechanisms are not developed, they can lead to patterns of self-sabotage and withdrawal from the world and relationships. Like Peter Levine also said ,”Trauma is a fact of life. It does not, however, have to be a life sentence.”

The most courageous thing we can do is love our self during times of pain and struggle.

Being aware of our story, and owning it, requires immense bravery. After all, to be human is to think and feel, and our emotions are here to try and protect us. If we see anxiety and stress as friends and offer them empathy, kindness, and thankfulness, they will be able to relax and dissipate. When you feel them approaching, welcome them, be kind to them, be thankful that they are there, and then invite them to leave. Bringing our minds to the present can reduce stress, anxiety, and connect us to everything around us.

 

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