Elle Sweetman | Counsellor

Elle Sweetman

Phone: +61 407 797 907

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25.01.2022 When words don't suffice. Expressions of "ventral vagal" state ~ full of depth & meaning. Expressing nervous system and felt experiences via pastels is quickly becoming one of my favourite tools. #polyvagaltheory ... #expressivetherapy See more

24.01.2022 Ive reached for the sun with a deep inhale after a week of cave dwelling. A rather large internal reorganisation ~ a Nadir ~ a bit of Dark Night to be honest. Ive come to respect these processes as spotlights on what remains unacknowledged ~ and this time, I resisted the urge to use my tools to rescue myself prematurely, but rather, they supported me to stay with what required my attention. I mined treasure amid the tears, the visitations of memories, dreams and old coping... mechanisms. And Ive emerged, this afternoon like a foal on wobbly legs, blinking in the light, finding my updated place in the land of the living. Thank you for your patience in my slow response to emails, enquiries etc. Honouring my own inner processes allows me to serve best in my work. #evolution See more

24.01.2022 When the peak human experience is determined to be happiness, everything that arises that does not meet our "happy" expectations may be used as evidence of where we've failed ~ and we descend into shame. When our goal is to create a meaningful existence, we can give ourselves permission to experience our emotionality as it arises and work with it as a rich resource for informing our lives.

23.01.2022 A pic from this weekend's workshop ~ me passionate and handsy. I believe Yoga deeply supports us in coming into our birthright as self-determined, connected and emotionally mature humans, with it's intentions based wholeheartedly in awareness, self-reflection and interconnectedness. We need more conversations about the philosophy and heritage of Yoga, if we are to honour it appropriately AND access it's depths as a tool of the psyche. ... Gratitude for those who joined with me at @morninglightyogapilates.

22.01.2022 For me, these commitments I make for myself go beyond the "feel good" practices ~ they include managing my screen use, getting regular supervision and therapy myself, eating regularly and adequately, taking my herbs, monitoring social engagements to ensure I have enough "me time" and keeping my meditation, breathwork and movement practices regular. They take effort and I've become more practiced at honouring them over my life, first out of necessity as a deeply anxious young adult and now, as a less anxious one with greater responsibilities. I invite you to list your mental and emotional health commitments, and engage them as your capacity allows. Centred people are discerning people are powerful people.

22.01.2022 A morning share on interoception & developing our capacity to sense our body. Any small windows of time noticing and feeling the orientation of the body, temperature, contact with surfaces and sensations WITHIN, strengthen the relationship of body to brain, which is vital work particularly when theres been a fissure between the two ie trauma response. Interoception (felt-sensing) is a practice we take our time with and becomes a lifelong commitment to bodymind conversation. ...While theres many accessible interoceptive practices I work share, asana & pranayama ~ when practiced using trauma sensitive elements and cues to possible felt experiences ~ are particularly powerful vehicles to connection. Pic by @cooperbradyphotog See more

21.01.2022 Nervous system regulation is at the bones of what I share ~ everything else, all the muscles and connective tissues of understanding, meeting, recognising and healing, develop around it.

21.01.2022 Inching closer to our SoulCraft Retreat this weekend like ... its all about that true inheritance. @nic_ritual_movement_

21.01.2022 Oof! Dr Maté does it again. Q: What does it take to live an authentic, wholehearted life? A: The development of inner safety, (hopefully) alongside healthy relational attachments.... When we observe ourselves bending our boundaries, with our actions misaligned to our personal value system, insecurity may be present for us. If our authentic expression appears to threaten our connections, old attachment patterns may engage. It's not enough to "think ourselves safe" via mindset and the like - I wish this was more widely known. Inner safety is an action of deep embodiment and physiological fine-tuning - just as much as psychological. Reclaiming inner safety is foundational to feeling secure in our most honest self-expression. {PSA: Attachment is not a dirty word.}

20.01.2022 Co-regulating this arvo ~ the knots in my being loosen next to him. Deep sighs and soft eyes. Ventral Vagal experiencing. #horsemedicine

20.01.2022 "You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves." I was 23 when I first read Wild Geese by Mary Oliver. It challenged me - being good, you see, was my modus operandi.... Wild Geese prompted some serious self-reflection ~ What would life look like if my underlying purpose wasn't to be good, liked, praised? What if I no longer felt guilt, shame, the need to repent for my authentic expressions and emotional needs? What would it feel like within my body to take up space? To reach into the four corners of an authentic life? I've been asking myself these questions since (and I invite you to ask them of yourself) ~ while a work in progress, I can confirm that living beyond perfectionism, codependency and the like, is wildly fulfilling beyond the stifling confines of "good". Power to your soul Mary Oliver ~

20.01.2022 Ive been musing over this quote by @anipemachodron today ~ "We think that the point is to pass the test or overcome the problem, but the truth is that things dont really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. Its just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy." Relatable, as all words are from this treasure. Here are my ...thoughts ~ we will never be so "healed" or "whole" that big Life wont rub against us and poke our wounds. And neither should we be, for we are not here to remain distanced from our experiences ~ healing, I believe, is having the capacity to begin to move closer to them, acknowledge them, glean the golden insights and accept what remains. To respond, rather than live in reactivity. (Easier said than done, of course, but a worthwhile journey). Also side note: being invested in your evolution and healing is amazing AND make some room for big Life too. See more

20.01.2022 My offices sun-drenched altar space on the bookshelf. Weintraub, Emerson, Caplan, Miller, Oliver - 4 huge influences of mine sitting right there. I feel called today to share a few other modalities that I often use in session, alongside the Transpersonal, ACT and Somatic Counselling methods I work with. I believe in the value of quality talk therapy AND I believe it often needs support for integration. ~ Therapeutic Yoga (postural, meditative and breath practices)... ~ Nervous System Mapping and Restoration ~ Emotional Freedom Technique (Tapping) ~ Vibrational Essences I have a few remaining spaces for new clients for the second half of 2020. If my work resonates, please get in touch. See more

20.01.2022 On self-forgiveness ~ Self-forgiveness is often challenging, as the shaming belief we hold about ourselves of being "bad, wrong, not good enough" must be surrendered during the forgiving to make room for the new story of reconciliation we tell ourselves. Old beliefs and their emotional pattern, no matter how damaging, are familiar. Familiar is known, boundaried, safe. Shaming ourselves for our actions (or inaction) requires little energy, if weve been on that train for a while. New beliefs and stories however, require our courage and resilience to allow them to seed inward. Fortunately, we all hold those resources, not matter how distant they seem.

20.01.2022 * I share this with full knowledge that asana can be shared very differently. What I refer to here is asana teaching (hopefully within the full expression of Yoga's practices) that offers choice, experimentation, invitational language and a focus on personal empowerment ~ ie trauma-informed/trauma-sensitive frameworks. Short story ~ I once worked with a client who experienced a collapsed somatic state due to trauma history (dorsal vagal, tamas). This client presented with a s...ense of almost folding inwards, away from the world. Within a few sessions, this client chose Warrior 1 Virabhadrasana as their "goal" posture ~ arms overhead, heart lifted, gaze up. It was challenging for this person, emotionally. There were quite a few steps to safely arrive there in the body, however the word this client chose to embody was "fierce". And fierce they were, as they lived it through asana. See more

19.01.2022 Consistency is my practice at the moment. I feel it has a different essence to discipline for me ~ historically Ive been self-disciplined to the point of imbalance and avoidance of intuitive cues. But consistency, it feels earthy, steady, present. Even nourishing. Our nervous systems thrive on it. Ive gravitated back to the practice of Japa Mala in my sadhana ~ in 108 mantra repetitions I observe my consistency, my inconsistency, my resistance, my bliss. Each bead is a new opportunity for greater presence, within the wild life whirring around me. Ive also enjoyed sharing this practice with clients and viewing the results of consistent, intentional focus.

18.01.2022 Collaboration ~ For much of my life I leant into the lone wolf archetype. There was a security in keeping to myself. Yet Ive softened as birthing our SoulCraft 3-Day retreat with @nic_ritual_movement_ has been deeply affirming of how powerful and vital co-creation can be for us creatures. Connection and community are basic human needs. Im in awe of what weve generated through our many hours of nerd-outs and riffing on the human psyche, the bodymind, spirit and wholeheartedness. Spaces are quickly filling for the Sept 11-13 retreat ~ DM for details. Photos by @cooperbradyphotog

18.01.2022 @jeffbrownsoulshaping these are needed words. Restoring autonomy & authentic experience. Thank you for them.

18.01.2022 We are opening bookings ~

17.01.2022 This week Ive had the honour of witnessing a few clients clearly recognise that they hold both the wound and the medicine ~ what a phenomenal insight. (Hail Somatics. Bless that wild Transpersonal framework). What would happen if we trusted that we hold our own answers and that the support we seek is simply effective guidance to recognise them? I feel so much of our healing is self-acknowledgement. Ponderings as I finish up with Counselling sessions this week, and drop into Jungs Man and His Symbols at random (featuring my favourite talisman, my black cockatoo feather).

16.01.2022 Co-creating our retreat "SoulCraft" with this woman @nic_ritual_movement_ , this dear friend, is proving to be such a JOY. Easeful. Intuitive. Lots of cackling. Just look at that face! 3 Day Sunshine Coast inner journey ... ~ Rebirthing Breathwork ~ Ritual Movement ~ Energy Medicine ~ Group Transpersonal processes (Symbolism, Somatic Meditation, Dreamwork, Re-Authoring, Inner Child connections)... ~ Lots of formal and informal integration time. ~ Led by trauma-informed practitioners. Dates to be released super shortly. Cannot. Wait. See more

16.01.2022 The integration, acceptance and resolution I have witnessed in those I sit with through acknowledgement of their emotional experiences (and having this acknowledgement witnessed and validated relationally, by me) is phenomenal. So often the healing is the giving voice to that which is hardest to give voice to ~ and being met here.

15.01.2022 Hot on my heart today, by Mark Nepo ~ "(ultimately sacrifice) is to put down what no longer works. To give up what doesn't work anymore." I feel this is where we are now finding ourselves collectively ~ we're viewing all the spaces, systems and relating which does not work - and we're beginning the rehabilitation process. I also feel this is a large part of "the inner work" ~ sacrificing the maladaptive toolkit, and developing capacity to adopt a life-giving set in it's place.... Because through this messy process of sacrifice, we see that we are worth a new way of relating to ourselves, and life. With warmth on this Saturday ~

14.01.2022 OUR STORIES ~ Re-authoring our challenges means we can choose the stories we tell ourselves (and others) about them ~ stories of resilience, hope and the courage to face our lives ~ rather than adopting the narrow narratives imposed on us via circumstance and society. Investigating the stories we speak to, uphold and believe to be true, with the intention of discovering new stories, forgotten stories and enriching stories of ourselves and our lives is the basis of the Narrat...ive Therapy approach (fav). There's such power in learning we exist beyond the confines of a single understanding.

13.01.2022 Our retreat begins on Friday and Im crossing the threshold a little earlier to make room for greater attention & presence. Looking forward to deep diving with those attending. Emails & SM will be checked on Monday. With warmth, E. #soulcraft2020

13.01.2022 ~ What old stories have a new meaning for you? ~ What new stories about yourself and your life can you speak, and live into? Im interested in living into the stories of myself that I have intentionally authored from my mature, adult Self - which takes time, patience, re-writing and tending to.

11.01.2022 Hot on my heart today ~ We cannot underestimate the value a personal spirituality has on the entirety of one's wellbeing ~ it's something I don't give enough airtime to on this platform and a part of my living I treasure. I know "spirituality/soul/etc" can be loaded words for many ~ and often the "property" of outwardly spiritual communities that we may/may not resonate with. I also acknowledge a spiritual connection can be less of a priority than meeting our survival and em...otional needs. However, our personal spirituality needn't follow any rules or guidelines ~ it is for us to determine (if we have the freedom to). I believe a sense of spirituality is innate to us humans (and perhaps a necessary tool for full human maturity). It is our point of deep Self-connection and recognition of interconnection - of meeting, as David Whyte writes, "that small, bright and indescribable wedge of freedom in our own hearts". Perhaps we follow a distinct lineage or religion or set of practices & rituals. Maybe we meet our spiritual needs through surfing, hiking, singing, serving etc. I invite you to reflect on and enquire about your relationship to spirituality, and perhaps nurture your personal sense of the word ~ meeting yourself whole. There's a potent well of resource here.

11.01.2022 The medicine that Yoga offers us is a state change ~ a shift from one way of being to another, perhaps more resourced experience of ourselves. Sometimes in session, when talking has reached its limits, or emotions overwhelm, its in the Yoga I trust. Pic by @anika.raya

10.01.2022 Join me in July in-person and online ~ the link is now live over at @morninglightyogapilates. Open to Yoga teachers, students and anyone who resonates with the power of Yoga as a somatic, emotional and psychological resource. I have much to share with you in 3 hours (!) on this topic. Well be diving in deep.

10.01.2022 In news friends ... in the last week Ive committed myself to a 2-year Graduate Certificate in Yoga Therapy (after I said I was having a break from formal study for a few years!). A logical and exciting step after quite a few years study in Yoga for Mental Health and Trauma-Sensitive Yoga. I love my perch on the bridge between these worlds.

09.01.2022 A note on autonomy and power dynamics in my work ~ while its often a natural human thought process, Im mindful to not assume I know anothers experience, or furthermore, know what is best for them. Im aligned to person-centred practices. My work is to provide a safe environment and relationship that fosters curiosity, choice-making, self-exploration and embodied experiencing. If Im to promote autonomy and self-determination in my work, which I do, the desired outcomes of our time together is determined by you ~ the seeker of your own insights for healing. It must come from within you. Ive developed a skill set that may be helpful for you, with intention to serve AND Im also a woman on this wild earth on my own journey to understanding. Were all in this together. With compassion, E.

08.01.2022 The following landing in my heart today ~ "The time will come when, with elation, you will greet yourself arriving at your own door, in your own mirror, and each will smile at the other's welcome, and say, sit here. Eat. You will love again the stranger who was yourself." ~ Derek Walcott, within Bill Plotkin's Soulcraft (heavily informing my current chapter).... Pic @anikarayaphotography

08.01.2022 Ive spent a wee time off social media, immersed in life looking up. Heres a few excerpts from a recent essay I wrote on food, relationship to nourishment & healing that relationship ie recovery. I have much to add to this convo, but all in due time. Happy Monday ~

08.01.2022 These matter deeply to me. Which is why enquiry into how these values and actions are integrated into my life - and my work - has been necessary (and often uncomfortable) if I am to live within my integrity and as a supporter within the earth community. Because as I've learned, caring about inclusivity, accessibility, diversity and individual capacity is quite different to taking actions and generating spaces to allow these ideals to take root, grow and be helpful.... I've been afforded a level of privilege in my life in which this conversation is a choice. Where educating myself on systemic oppression is a choice. Where self-reflection on my part in this narrative is a choice. I'm currently creating more diverse opportunities in my offerings to reflect these values, beginning with accessibility. #watchthisspace I won't always get it right, I may (will definitely) be clunky but I'm willing. E ~

07.01.2022 A word on words ~ Healing. I sometimes use this word, to denote a wound in which we heal - physically, emotionally etc, and to validate feelings of progress. I also understand this word can potentially trigger a sense of "brokenness" ~ of requiring fixing. So other words for the process that I appreciate are integrating, regulating, balancing, transmuting, remembering, understanding, engaging, restoring, knowing. Id love to hear yours ~

07.01.2022 Ive found myself teetering on the edge of compassion fatigue recently ~ and know Im not alone here. The current global climate has added significant layer of challenge to our caregiving ~ as lovers, family, friends, those in the field of holding space as our work and the helping professions. With so much systemic wounding being uncovered for honest acknowledgement, overwhelm is too easy a space to move into (and its also ok if you do find yourself here ~ I have this week). Our work is learning to understand our individual needs for replenishment. Mine is always a magnesium bath and a fiction novel - with no place to be for at least half a day. Staying open to the world and giving of our hearts relies on us being able to receive and renew.

07.01.2022 Im 22 here. A winters day on Carrickalinga Beach, South Aus (the region I grew up in) ~ pic shot by my dearest @rachel.adele. A yoga teacher for just one year at this point, about to jet off to India and already holding such a fascination with the junction of Yoga and psychology. Fast forward, Im almost 29 (not confident my current wheel posture would resemble the above after a few years of more meditation and pranayam-focused sadhana), sharing just one public yoga class a... week and the rest within mental health and addiction rehabilitation. Im sharing Yoga where I always wished to ~ where I recognised its gold. It was Yoga (and my teachers influences) that led me to study counselling and nervous system health, and to view the bodymind, the psyche and Soul as undeniably interrelated. Just a few spaces left for my in-person and online Yoga for Mental Health Immersion on July 25 @morninglightyogapilates. Look forward to sharing with you. See more

06.01.2022 Monday thoughts ~ When we view Yoga through the lense of individual, therapeutic practice and inner evolution, it transcends the minimising constraints of a wellness fad and is elevated to its rightful (and much-needed) position as a complete methodology and philosophy of Self-realization and integration - and yes, healing. Im currently immersed up to my eyeballs in my GradCert in Yoga Therapy and processing the past fortnight of continuing ed spent with the Trauma Centre Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TSY) program (phenomenal). The traditions aligned w the evidence-base ~ it all feels really affirming. Yoga, a vehicle home. Pic by @anika.raya

06.01.2022 "We may notice that while life has been living itself through us, we were largely absent from the experience. Where did we go, and how can we come home to a larger life that is possible for us?" ~ Donna Farhi Friends, I'm coming to believe digital minimalism is mental, emotional and spiritual healthcare. The past 4-5 days have been engaging here in North QLD ~ a deeper communion with Self, lover & nature supported by a significant reduction in screen time. I was here. I was ...present for it. {A practice to be continued...}

05.01.2022 Deciphering our True voice ~ multilayered, patient work. There are many inner voices that are not ours in origin. Some critical, authoritative, some kind and caring, some very difficult to recognise theyre not our own (these are the sticky ones). Weve absorbed these Speakers and its largely normal and unavoidable (albeit not always healthy) ~ as young humans, these Speakers gave us means to orientate ourselves in the world - what was expected, accepted and therefore safe i...n our childhood experience. The next layer of our evolution is picking our way through the voices, recognising their origins, their value - or lack of - in our mature adult lives and beginning to note the energy of our True voice. How does that voice feel? How do you know its your own Self when it speaks? Lifetime work here folks. So often, we become who we are by first learning who we arent. See more

04.01.2022 I love this work in session - guiding the channelling of a value from one area of life to another. Recognise where you easily express that value, for example strength, in another aspect of your life (work, intimate relationships etc) and get curious on how you cultivated that value there - and how you could "transfer" that energy into your current situation. We are not lacking, we are so full of wisdom resources. Often, its simply about redistribution.

03.01.2022 Sharing todays 3hr Yoga and Mental Health immersion at @morninglightyogapilates was so deeply affirming for me ~ this is the path. A big-hearted thank you to those who joined me on this Wintery Sunny Coast day in person and online ~ your authenticity and openness was felt.

03.01.2022 Three years ago I landed at the Sunshine Coast airport on Winter Solstice with two suitcases (filled with least helpful of things) and an openness to the Unknown I didnt know I possessed until the week before ~ when I made the decision to leave South Aus. I recognised at the time how huge the shift was - no job, no plan, no sense of geography - but I couldnt have known then where it would take me. To my great Love. To my great Work. To my greatest understanding of myself,... ever-evolving. Last night, as I drummed, sung, cackled, shared, listened, grooved and loved with some of the deeply connected women Ive been blessed to meet in my three years here, I sat back and said thank you. Theres a Mystery at play. Happy it is playing through me. See more

02.01.2022 The immense gold that lies in our battlefields ~ This week is Body Image and Eating Disorders Awareness Week, and Im about to share a little more of my history than I normally would on this account. The story of my relationship to my body and food is complex ~ as is so many of ours. Ive been finding myself feeling deeply sad for the many years of restriction - of food, experiences, love, joy - I experienced as the result of living with anorexia & EDNOS. Its a half-life, a... life of staying small to feel safe, contained, in control, pleasing. A life so few knew was my reality. (Side note: An invitation to please shift the idea that these disorders originate from vanity). These days, Im years down the path of recovery and advocate for early intervention, greater medical and social education and most pressing, preventative measures. How do we prevent something so complex as EDs, particularly when we cant prevent the unpredictable nature of trauma that often lies at the heart of them? We cant completely, but we can improve the environmental and social factors that perpetuate the suffering. For example - and yep, I say this often - if youre in the health and wellness industry and share food and body content, I implore you to be very mindful of the language you use around food, bodies and the kinds of diets you promote. This mindfulness is much more vital than you could ever imagine ~ studies have shown people at risk of developing clinical eating disorders (and harmful relationships to nourishment) are highly attracted to nutrition and wellness accounts. I was once a 21-year-old, getting my food education from instagram, cutting out "dangerous" food groups until I ate the equivalent of a 3-year-old ~ I am still physically healing from this period of my life. As always, sharing reduces stigma. Thank you for being here. Quote by @nayyirah.waheed

01.01.2022 For those of us in the privileged space of supporting, guiding, listening, holding others as they journey life ~ may we assume less and be open to learning more. Assumptions can narrow our perceptions of the person in front of us and we may overlook invaluable workable info - not to mention, create a power imbalance. Ultimately, when we are interested in learning anothers world view in our work - and our life - we naturally empower. Autonomy is how the world changes. Thank you for sharing @soulsomeness & @subtle.self

01.01.2022 The greater we can connect to our instinctual, wise, embodied selves, the further we can divorce from systems that were never designed to serve us and our totality. I believe the revolution begins with our inward evolution. #newearth

01.01.2022 "Therefore ... surrender to Yoga." ~ TKV Desikachar, father of Yoga Therapy. Living my Yoga is inviting the act of surrender into my life, to widen my capacity to be with "what is" - and most vitally, the capacity to be with myself as I traverse what is. I don't believe to surrender is to give up, but rather to take a moment to see clearly ~ to cleanse the lense with reality. Fitting for these wild days. My daily practice, my Yoga refined and expressed, evolved when I chose... to meet my needs rather than my expectations. Desikachar spoke of this as Viniyoga ~ the Yoga of appropriate application. A few spaces remain for my Nov 21 workshop introducing the Philosophy of Individual Practice at @morninglightyogapilates. Link in bio ~ See more

01.01.2022 An Anais Nin wrote, we see life as we are. The core beliefs and stories we hold about ourselves influence the way we lead our life - whether consciously noted or not. Perhaps these stories are inherited, the result of trauma or actively developed. I farwelled a long-term core belief of mine today (thank you @nic_ritual_movement_ for the breathwork offering and debrief - cannot recommend highly enough). In its place Ive re-authored a new idea - of strength, resilience and ...vitality. Re-authoring is one of my favourite methods in my 1:1 sessions. What outdated story is ruling your perception? What will you offer in its place? Unearthing our beliefs and actively replacing them with our chosen story is revolutionary. See more