Sometimes our bodies get stuck or lost in time, or we dissociate because what is happening inside of us (interoception) is overwhelming. We practice Orienting in Somatic Experiencing to bring us into the present moment by putting our attention on what is outside of us (exteroception): “I am here, in this room, and this is what is happening here.” Orienting can also override the frantic action of the amygdala (the part of the brain that triggers the fight or flight response) by emphasizing the prefrontal cortex (the part of the brain that sorts and categorizes). Simply naming the objects in our immediate environment can be tremendously helpful, and using all of our senses to locate ourselves in time and space really grounds us in the Now. This assumes that the Now is ok!

Here’s a “Quick and Easy” orienting exercise led by Steve Hoskinson of Organic Intelligence.

I assisted Steve for a couple of years when he was teaching for the Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute. Since then he has moved into teaching in his own unique way, still focused on helping people integrate their whole selves into the present.

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For the past few years I have been engaging with my dreams in a more attentive way, recording what I can pull through into awakened consciousness, asking specific questions when I go to bed, processing my dreams with friends, and even participating in community dreaming.

Processing dreams in the way I have been taught does not necessarily mean interpreting them. We are reflecting; we run through a series of clarifying questions and then each person in the circle “wears” the dream. We step into the dream and look around, allow imagination to help us describe what we notice. Something juicy can emerge for all involved- like a story passed down through generations, iterated for the current moment by each storyteller, meanings land uniquely in each listener’s ears.

When I open to dream consciousness I get very practical and down to earth knowledge, wild and wacky experiences, and/or a deepened sense of the mystery of it all. I also have the experience of simply processing the inputs of the day, my mind clearing, cleaning, and composting so I can rest and integrate.

If you are interested in dropping in to a Dream Circle with me, I will be hosting these online about once per month through the fall and winter (2025/26) on the Village Green. They are free and open to all- come hang out and dream with me! No experience necessary, and you don’t have to come with a dream to work, you can just show up and participate.

Dates and details for registration:

All Dream Circles are from 7-8:30pm PST on Mondays
October 6
November 3
December 1
December 29
January 26
February 23

-Join the Village Green for FREE any time HERE
-Click on Events page and find the Dream Circle you wish to join
-RSVP as “going”
-Return to the Village Green and join the call when it is live!

The post Dream Work appeared first on Thrive Together Healing Arts.

I did the floral arrangements for my uncle Jim’s funeral in December.

“The work of the mature person is to carry grief in one hand and gratitude in the other and to be stretched large by them. How much sorrow can I hold? That’s how much gratitude I can give. If I carry only grief, I’ll bend toward cynicism and despair. If I have only gratitude, I’ll become saccharine and won’t develop much compassion for other people’s suffering. Grief keeps the heart fluid and soft, which helps make compassion possible.” – Francis Weller

Well, my friends, now is the part of the program where we will grieve.

I am writing on the day before the second inauguration of Donald Trump, and yes, I grieve for the death of the vision I had of my country, BUT– it’s also less abstract than that. Six of my relatives dropped their bodies in 2024, all on my mother’s side. We lost four elders and two whose lives were cut short, the tragedy of young suicide most piercing.

In the last four months of the year my Mom lost her three older brothers and their tribe of six became a tribe of three, with her now the eldest of that generation. My uncles were beloved characters, each unique and yet similar, their deaths only shocking because of their proximity. I joke that my uncle John propped the door open and said, “GO GO GO!” In the middle of all of this my Mom and her husband had to put down their sweet old dog. It’s a lot.

Around me I see other folks losing people they love, dear pets, their sense of safety. My training is to be present with what we feel in our bodies, and grief is such an exquisite pain. It was Jim’s death in early December that finally broke me open, the sobs shaking my core like a hearty laugh, my grimace a huge smile as I felt deeply into the loss of his fatherly care, his warm voice and silly jokes, core memories of his love for me anchored into my raw child self. What must my cousins be feeling? I don’t even want to imagine.

Years ago I tried listening to Francis Weller’s “The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grief”. It must not have been the right time, I didn’t get through it. Recently his work has resurfaced for me, appearing in a few places from different angles as if the field is saying, “remember this?”. A friend shared this interview in the Sun which is long and juicy, and this clip of  him talking with Anderson Cooper (who did a whole series of grief processing because his own shadow caught up with him) popped up somewhere else. Ok, ok, I will pull that book back out and put it in my ears!

In the meantime, this song loops in my head:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DCLLF37tJfc/?hl=en

We are not meant to do this alone. I take great comfort in knowing I can reach out in many directions and have my big feelings held while I struggle through them. It is even better to then have the capacity to hold others while they struggle through their big feelings. We are in this together, our togetherness at once the source of our most enormous joys and our most devastating sorrows; what cosmic joke is this? The biggest! So let’s laugh and cry at the same time and feel our big feelings, shall we? Big love and much gratitude from your friend in the journey. –Bevin, January 2025

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It was given to me by my friend Carey, to remind me of our friend Briar, whose departure from the planet was untimely. We had about seven months from diagnosis to death with dignity, but since we had some warning (one small gift with cancer) we were able to squeeze a lot of life into that time. We made a list, and her community stepped up to help tackle the jobs, small and large. Most of the jobs were collaborative completions of projects that Briar was working on or had hoped to get to soon, and since she was an artist, the projects ranged from building little mock birdhouses out of old books to laying pavers out in mosaic style in her enormous and wonderful garden. The most public facing part of that list was this glorious piece of silliness right here, the Ankle Deep Water Ballet.

Ankle Deep

When Briar told me that this was on her unusual list, I said, “I’m going to focus my talents elsewhere for you, but I’m pretty sure that this will get done.” And it did, thanks to a group of dedicated weirdos motivated by love.

She passed a few weeks before the performance (we all knew this was likely) and, as an audience member, watching my friends embody this last and largest artwork for Briar I was flooded with joy and grief. This was not our memorial, but it was an experience brimming with big feelings for us all.

I don’t think it was her intention for the piece to be quite so moving, it was just a vision she had that was totally inside the realm of other goofy things we have done together — I guess this makes more sense if I tell you that I met Briar at Burning Man. She once “married” a young man who stepped out of a porta-potty there to find his “bride” waiting for him with the preacher and the congregation all set to go. Imagine his bewilderment, delight, and ultimate heartbreak when the marriage dissolved at the end of the night… was it all a dream?

Yes. Part of a collective dream we are co-creating every day, enhanced by people willing to find and nurture beauty and silliness and laughter wherever and whenever they can. Briar was special, but so are all of those gorgeous people who put on the blue bathing caps and splashed around in that wading pool for her; and so are you, and so am I.

Briar was also part of the project of advancing the option of human composting as an alternative to burial and cremation. She donated her body to the cause, and was part of the small cohort whose remains proved the concept and cleared the way to make it legal in Washington State. She was a passionate landscaper who wove living plants into her art, so an ecologic returning to soil is a most fitting end. We didn’t get her compost back because she was part of that study, but I like to think that she is still nurturing beauty with her material remains.

I know for a fact that she is nurturing beauty with her spirit.

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August 2023

30 years.
Is it possible? I have been in practice for 30 years this month.

Some of you have known me the whole time fresh out of massage school, through Structural Integration and Somatic Experiencing trainings, heartbreak, tragedy, new love, pregnancy, motherhood, our endless house remodel, a pandemic, and evolution into Thrive Together Healing Arts.

This practice has literally fed, housed, and clothed me for most of my life.You have sent me on adventures to Europe and South America, Hawaii and Mexico, and all manner of beautiful places in the great Pacific Northwest. You have helped me raise my son, fix my house, buy health insurance for my family, and educate myself.

This practice has been a wellspring of personal growth, a place to bring my authentic self, what I am thinking about, feeling, studying, or going through. You have taught and continue to teach me what works and does not work, how to recognize and hold boundaries, to ask for permission, be humble.

This practice has been a source of strength and coherence. Helping you helps me know who I am and how to be part of this world. The pandemic break- a stress test for so many in their careers- served to reinforce my path: I am doing what I am here to do. Still learning, always more to learn, this is the way. I missed you so much!

My elders laid it out for me early: get used to not knowing what you are doing, stay curious, be present. The older I get, the more clear that advice becomes, and on my best days I am enchanted by the mystery of it all. Other days I suffer from impostor syndrome, completely bewildered by the mystery of it all.
What I know for sure is that I am tremendously grateful for you, for your trust, support, and companionship on the journey. It is truly an honor to be a human with you, sustaining each other through these wild times. I hope that I can continue in the healing arts for another 30 years, but in any case I have no intention of stopping anytime soon. Thank you so much for being part of my life.

May this message find you thriving, enjoying your loved ones, and feeling connected to all the beauty of this glorious PNW summer.
With gratitude,
Bevin

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If you are used to my strong hands, Jennifer’s gentle work might feel really different to you. I find it to be very beneficial.

I refer people to CranioSacral Therapy (CST) for TMJ or jaw clenching, chronic headaches, improved sleep, and for when their bodies need gentle interventions that nonetheless work deeply to encourage health and vitality. I have sought out CST myself to clear residual gunk from a sinus infection or the effects of dental work, and have experienced relief wherever on my body the technique is applied. It’s subtle but powerful work. My son recently did a series of CST with Jennifer to help him recover from some post-concussion headaches that had plagued him for three years. Each session chipped away at the duration and intensity of the pain, and six sessions took care of the issue completely. I am one grateful mama.

Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) is great for chronic lymphedema or edema (swelling) resulting from injury or surgery. MLD gently encourages the restoration of lymphatic flow and helps the body clear out the wastes of healing activity. I have read that it’s also good for lipedema, fibromyalgia, and rheumatoid arthritis, and I think it is an under-promoted modality that could help a lot of people if they knew more about it. One of my longtime clients, a survivor of lymphoma, has experienced great relief from Jennifer’s MLD work.

Jennifer just started a year-long training in Visceral Manipulation (VM) work to add to her gentle/powerful skillset. My experience of VM is that it can be absolutely MAGICAL. Her teacher, Michael Hahn, once helped me with a persistent pain in my left upper back that nothing else was touching. It turned out to be adhesions in my right lung lobes– go figure. I’m thrilled that Jennifer is adding this exquisite technique to her catalog, I don’t want to learn it (yet?) but I do want someone nearby to refer to!

The last massage I received from Jennifer was an exquisite blend of her Neuromyofascial work, CranioSacral Therapy and MLD, just what I needed to help put me back together after a rough couple of months of post-COVID immunity issues.

If you are in need of some lovely restorative bodywork, find some time on Jennifer’s schedule today.

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For Jennifer Keller‘s schedule please GO HERE.

If you go to Bevin’s booking site and you see nothing available or were hoping for more options, please read on.

The online schedule is open for booking 90 days out, rolling over one day at a time. If you do not see an appointment that works for you, you can add yourself to the Wait List on MassageBook and/or add yourself to the cancellation list at the bottom right of this page.

I hold my schedule offline past 90 days to make room for people looking to do a series of work with me. Meaningful change is more likely to occur within a series, and I live for meaningful change! Whether we endeavor to support your recovery from an injury or illness, unwind patterns of repetitive strain, or compassionately integrate a difficult experience your body is holding for you, a series of sessions is the most rewarding way to go.

Series work might be:

• Initial Somatic Experiencing set- three to six sessions, biweekly
• Basic Structural Integration series- ten sessions, weekly or biweekly
• Short set of Structural Integration– three to six sessions, weekly or biweekly
• Whatever your body needs when you show up- three to ten sessions, biweekly

The best way to get a series set up is to contact me directly. When you do, tell me a little bit about how I can help you, what times of the day/days of the week generally work for you, and how many sessions you are wanting to set up, and we can work together from there to get you on the books.

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The Ezra Klein Show: This Conversation Will Change How You Think About Thinking

This is an excellent podcast episode from Ezra Klein of the New York Times with his guest Annie Murphy Paul, author of the book The Extended Mind. In it they discuss the errant model of “mind as computer” that many of us hold and the resulting “productivity paradox” of grinding away at our work and getting nothing done. In Annie Murphy Paul’s words:

“Well, as we go through our everyday lives, there’s way more information than we can process or retain consciously. It would just completely explode our mental bandwidth. But we are taking in that information, noting regularities and patterns, and storing them in the non-conscious mind so that it can be used later when we encounter a similar situation. Then the question becomes, well, if it’s non-conscious, how do we make use of that information?

And it’s because the body lets us know. I mean, that’s what we call a gut feeling or what psychologists, what scientists call interoception, which is the perception of internal sensations that arise from within the body. And people who are more attuned to those internal signals and cues are better able to draw on that wealth of information that we know but we don’t know. We possess it, but we don’t know it explicitly or consciously. So that’s what a gut feeling is. It’s sort of your body tugging at your mental sleeve and saying, hey, you’ve been here before. You’ve had this experience before. Here’s how you responded. It worked or it didn’t work. Here’s what is the right thing to do now.

But in our world where we are so brain bound, so focused on the cerebral and the things that go on in our head, we tend to push the body aside, to quash those feelings, to override them, even, in the service of getting our mental work done, when really we should be cultivating that ability, becoming more attuned and more sensitive to it, because it has all this accumulated experience and information to share with us.”

As a somatic practitioner I can tell you that indeed, the body has stories to tell. Sometimes stories the mind finds inconvenient, confusing, or overwhelming, so they get packed up tight. It has been my experience that pushing that information away is a short term solution that eventually catches up with us in the form of debilitating physical pain or restriction. It is so juicy to unpack it, though, to let it move and tell you in ways only the body can about this wild and precious life of yours. We are here for it when you are ready.

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We offer this list as a quick reference to the people and places we go to receive care, or have heard great things about from trusted sources. We are so grateful to have these excellent practitioners to turn to, and always interested to hear who you go to when you need it!

Bodywork/Massage

Jennifer Keller– Craniosacral Therapy, Manual Lymphatic Drainage, Neuromyofascial release, low force bodywork
Brenna Buckwalter– Massage Therapy in upper Fremont
Christina Pappas– Craniosacral Therapy, deep tissue Swedish massage
Eve DeRooy– Craniosacral Therapy, Swedish massage, Somatic Experiencing/Organic Intelligence
The team at Banya 5– for sooner-rather-than-later needs

Bodywork/Structural

Kate Bradfield– Certified Advanced Rolfer, BCSI Structural Integration Practitioner
Michael Hahn– Visceral Manipulation, distance healing
Lisa Torrison O’Neil– Structural Integration Practitioner Visceral Manipulation

Chiropractic Care

Lauri Webb– does very specific atlas/axis work
Sarah Deam– on Capitol Hill

Acupuncture

Nan Schwarz– on Capitol Hill
Eric Spivack– also does Thai massage, on Beacon Hill

Movement

Yoga on Beacon
Motion Sense Movement Education Becci Parsons does amazing Feldenkrais work in north Seattle
Karen Clay is a multifaceted movement wizard, Somatic Unwinding and Feldenkrais in central Seattle
Kinesia Pilates Classical Pilates in Pioneer Square
Vitality Pilates Pilates in multiple locations around Seattle.
Kahoutek Coaching personal training

Physical Therapy

Renew Physical Therapy in Hillman City (South End)
Heidi Gans works out of her home office in Columbia City
Footworks Physical Therapy fine tuned bike fitting and PT in Pioneer Square
Movement Systems Physical Therapy by Lake Union
Cascade Dizziness and Balance Clinic in Madrona

Mental Health

Angela Grace Counseling for families, couples, and individuals
Kathi Buchanan (206) 931-4256 Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and Counseling
Charlotte House counseling from a bodywork background, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner
Alexandra Onno ‭(206) 949-4520‬
Robin Held, Grief Coach
Ellen Forney is a mental health coach whose own journey managing bipolar disorder is chronicled in her two books Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, & Me, and Rock Steady: Brilliant Advice From My Bipolar Life. She now offers one-on-one support for people who are struggling to find a steady center.
Lynn Warner, ADHD Coaching

Primary Care

Dean Chier, MD– Seattle Healing Arts Center has a great reputation.

Spirit

Peter Brown in Olympia
Sarah MacLean Bicknell in Seattle
Eric Thorton on the Eastside

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