About
I believe that the most profound growth we might undertake or endure is in the expansion of our own stories, in broadening our hearts enough to simultaneously hold the joy of life alongside the pain of life as equally sacred expressions of the human experience.
And I believe that our most potent, raw, transformations can be met with surrender into support when we perceive our place in the world from deep relationship and from presence within our bodies. However… living in a pain-averse, dissociated society, this is often not our default. In times of upheaval or initiation, our conditioning, shame, and trauma histories can sever our connection both within ourselves and with those around us, leaving us to feel isolated in addition to our struggle. My calling into service is to actively support and hold space for others as they mark life cycle transitions, integrate losses, heal lineage trauma, process stored emotional material, craft new narratives of who they are, and recognize (and ritualize) contexts for their stories that provide an ongoing sense of meaning and connection. I serve as a guide to help others learn to bear witness to themselves gently, to regulate their nervous systems, to come home to their bodies as places of respite and wonder, and to awaken trust that they are held even through their most shattering experiences.
Support Sessions
Sessions are as unique as individuals, but often explore a person’s stories using language, breath, movement, sound, art, and ritual metaphor to express, touch, and transform the many parallel truths of What Is. An in-depth intake form is sent before our first meeting to provide the foundations for how we will work together. Often the first session includes an assessment of the state of the energy in and around the body and discussions on how shifting, containing, creating, or releasing energy might increase wellbeing.
The modalities we can explore together draw from a wide variety of lineages including more traditional compassionate inquiry (post-modernism/ social constructionism/ narrative therapy), yoga philosophy and asana, Kundalini yoga, meditation, Ayurveda, pranayama and shamanic breathwork, trauma-resolution and embodiment techniques, polyvagal theory, subtle energy theory and metaphysics, sound therapy and vocalizing, accessing nonordinary states of reality, ritual symbolism, intuitive movement, and many other forms of self-expression and emotional release.
Support sessions can be straightforward like traditional counseling (active listening and inquiry), grounding (restorative yoga), energizing (guided vocal meditation into repressed anger), releasing (shaking, ecstatic dance, cleansing, burning), nourishing (root and sacral chakra breathwork, Ayurvedic eating, gut health inquiry), soothing (tapping, box breathing, walking meditations), loving (metta, heart openers, reciprocity meditation, planting), connecting (land and food reconnection experiential, group sessions, self-compassion exploration), expressive (art creation, ritual creation, journaling, breaking something, singing), spiritually profound (soul retrieval, ritual integration), redefining (boundary exploration, inner child work), observant (POMS assessment over time, use of language for emotions), or joyful (flow experiences). We will typically combine lines of inquiry into a story or energetic circumstance with experientials in a way that suits what the moment asks of us. Our work together is to feel into how things are and use what tools we have to learn to sit with them, to better carry them, or to shift ourselves into more alignment, awareness, understanding, support, connection, and compassion. My job as a guide is to listen deeply to your words and energy, to show you new tools, and to create sacred space for your process to be held in safety. You are your own healer and the expert of your own journey- I am here to help you remember your way.
We are always in the process of Becoming, and it is a creative endeavor to be present through our chapters of extraordinary change. By learning to open and see within ourselves all the threads of our stories that run concurrently and do not behave in binary or prescribed ways, we can sit in a place of personal sovereignty over our experience of the world- one that holds us in a rich and interwoven belonging. And in our living expression of our stories and tending of our relationships, we can find shelter, release, authenticity, empowerment, agency, identity, and the renewal of our own connectedness to our lives that is foundational to our wellbeing… even, and perhaps most critically, in times of profound change.
End of Life Transition Services
Legacy projects are a wonderful way to commemorate our values, hopes, views, and the stories of our lives in our own unique voice. Typically resulting in a body of work that can be viewed and shared by loved ones for generations to come, these projects emphasize our ongoing relationship with those we love, both in our time of transition and after we have crossed. Projects range greatly and are completely custom, from video interviews to collaborative artworks to cookbooks of favorite recipes alongside stories. I can assist with ideas and creation from start to finish, or work with you as needed. Projects can be scaled to suit time and budget.
As someone nears their own sacred crossing back to the land of the ancestors, planning and implementing a bedside vigil can provide a sense of agency, solace, and dignity for their transition. By bringing in favorite sensory comforts, directing loved ones how best to tend them and show up for them, and offering a preferred plan of action, an energetic container is woven to allow final moments to be shared in peace and presence. Due to COVID, there are now some limitations on my availability to be bedside in many cases, but I currently offer remote planning sessions that centralize the wishes of the person who will be crossing and additional help for loved ones in preparation of carrying out the plan when the time comes.
Reciprocation
I honor our equal exchange and graciously accept reciprocation for my offerings. I deeply appreciate your contributions to my livelihood. In order to preserve the energy of our sessions, I request payment prior to our meetings. Standard support sessions are $75 for 60 minutes. There are sliding-scale options available with preference for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ folks. Sessions are considered booked once payment is received. For end of life transition vigils, legacy projects, rituals, ceremonies, and custom support that does not fit a regular meeting we will work together to co-create an agreement for services and cost.
Get in touch to ask a question or request a free 30 minute consultation now.
-TESTIMONIALS-
“After a traumatic event that resulted in losing a dear friend, Jen performed a healing ritual for me that helped me welcome back the part of me that had never left the accident scene. It was so powerful and unlike anything I’d ever experienced. She brought me to a place and time I could never have gone on my own. She is so gifted in the art of healing and is helping me feel my way through my grief.”
— Kris from Montana
“I reached out to Jen with a pretty specific idea of what I hoped my sessions would be like. She was immediate in her response, genuinely interested in exactly what I was looking for. I was able to list an array of possibilities of what I thought my sessions could include. Jen has a broad wealth of healing training and experience and was willing to even extend her training to meet my needs if that was the route that needed to be taken. I can’t express how grateful I am to have found someone who is willing to work with me in my mindful embodiment therapy and create such a beautiful safe space. I deeply recommend, you will not be disappointed.”
—Jessica Trnkus
“I think what drew me to Jen was an intuitive sense that she would be a good guide for me as I began to rediscover my relationship with my fascinating and talented father, who died about 20 years ago. I just felt in my heart, from reading her posts and healing messages, that she could help me. Working with her put me in touch with things long-buried, and helped me move my memories out of the fog into a personal narrative that makes beautiful sense.”
— Sarie M.
