the warmth at my back and the ground at my feet…

My gran used to say, keep the small of your back covered! Apart from the obvious warmth, when a vulnerable part of us is supported it allows ease to spread throughout the whole body, it affects our interactions and expands our experience.

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I was reminded of this at the weekend as I stood at my friend’s Aga and felt that ease spread through my whole body. Like sitting at a fire, It reminded and connected me back to all the other stoves that had my back in the past. Standing in the reassuring familiarity of her kitchen brought safety and so much depth and nuance to my experience.

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I come back endlessly in my personal and professional life to the importance of place and land, and the connection to community. The necessity to access language that allows a deepening of those connections, allowing us to remember who we are in relation to all of this, to find our place and our voice within it, our location and access to a map to guide us.

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The Aga, the land, the place and the kinship of my friend allowed a part of me some space and ease to reveal herself to me, she had been waiting at the stove all of that time.

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As I move forward in my professional life within psychotherapy this personal experience reminds me of the importance of the therapeutic environment. I am always struck by the depth of work that is possible through the online experience and realise that for those who have a safe environment to sit, there is so much already in place to allow the work to unfold.

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I continue to explore in person spaces to find the right place for my work to support those that require that experience. My hope is that although it will be new it will provide warmth connection and steadiness for stepping into this therapeutic field.

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I now have a waiting list for in person clients so please do get in touch if you are interested in this. I will continue to work online for those that are able to explore in this way.

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Wishing you all a warm place to lean Emily x