Many of us have been shaken to our very core and had our hearts and relationships stirred by the things we have seen, heard, felt, and experienced in the last year and a half. Politics, culture, health, society, education, business, religion, and pretty much all other aspects of how we experience a human existence have been exploding or imploding—and often both—leaving us feeling adrift and anxious about where to turn, what to do, and how to access even a basic sense of common ground and safety.

Our “new normal” is anything but normal, but it is here, and requires adjustments on our part as Therapists, Healers, and Lightworkers to help meet the demands of so many who have been thrown off-kilter.

It seems fitting to reboot (again) my desire to write and tell stories with a new-to-me concept I just learned from renowned social worker, vulnerability specialist, and storyteller herself, Brene’ Brown. In her books she explains a powerful non-blaming, non-judgmental communication tool called “The story I’m telling myself.” This little phrase unravels miscommunications, un-sticks stuck spots, clears away mental fog, and illuminates dark corners in conversations.

“The story I am telling myself is…”

Voice Dialogue is intense, gutsy, and very, very deep. It is not something to take on lightly. It requires enough time to open doors and thoroughly investigate whatever is presented from the hidden corners of our psyche, resolve those issues and tuck everything back in under its new understanding. It literally gives a Voice to the disowned aspects of our lives and selves.

When I ignore the feeling of “off,” things start to behave like an off balance washing machine, threatening to take out the whole basement.

Pleasure is energy reciprocated: What you put out comes back. Your base level of pleasure is determined by how you view your whole life.—Oprah