My Therapist's A Witch

PMDD, CPTSD, Self-Love, and What Really Helps

elizabeth.puaena.ferreira@gmail.com (Elizabeth Ferreira) — Mon, 20 Mar 2023 16:00:00 +0000

Today I'm sharing part of my personal journey with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), and what I've noticed about the trauma healing process working with people as a therapist. An earlier version of myself might cringe a bit, but this episode focuses on self-compassion, self-love, and other forms of tenderness as a key part of the healing journey.

About Me: Elizabeth Ferreira is a somatic psychotherapist in her associateship in the Bay Area. Her approach to mental health is holistic, non-judgmental, and centered in the belief that all beings have the capacity to heal, grow, and reduce suffering. You can reach her through Instagram.

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A Powerful Way of Thinking About Attachment Styles

elizabeth.puaena.ferreira@gmail.com (Elizabeth Ferreira) — Mon, 6 Mar 2023 14:00:00 +0000

Hi dear ones, in this episode I share a different way of thinking about attachment styles that I've found very helpful. I talk about what each of the four styles really means, societal narratives around attachment, the difference between blame and responsibility, and my own journey with my fearful attachment style.

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How to Access Your Unconscious Mind

elizabeth.puaena.ferreira@gmail.com (Elizabeth Ferreira) — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 10:00:00 +0000

Welcome back to the podcast! I'm so excited to start a new season with an episode dedicated to my specialty: somatic psychology. One of the coolest parts of somatic therapy is how we can use it as a tool to access the unconscious mind. On this episode I talk about how we can enter the body, resistance and cognitive bypassing, and inviting in experiences we've pushed away.

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11: Identifying and Using Archetypes

elizabeth.puaena.ferreira@gmail.com (Elizabeth Ferreira) — Thu, 6 Oct 2022 13:00:00 +0000

On today's episode I talk about how we can identify and use archetypes to resources ourselves and support our personal practice, and share my own experience working with the goddess Hekate. I explore the power of the myths we tell, Jungian psychology, the collective unconscious, and finding the parts within us that trauma can never touch. I also share how I've integrated archetypes into my magical practice, and my results after working with one archetype for a year.

About Elizabeth: Elizabeth Ferreira is a somatic psychotherapist in training. Her approach to mental health is holistic, non-judgmental, and centered in the belief that all beings have the capacity to heal, grow, and reduce suffering.

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10: Coming to Terms with ADHD

elizabeth.puaena.ferreira@gmail.com (Elizabeth Ferreira) — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 19:28:23 +0000

Hey everyone, welcome back to the podcast. Today I'm focusing on my experience with ADHD, and some of the practices and process that have supported me in coming to terms with my nature. This includes exploring my personal story with ADHD, differences between the ADHD brain and a "typical" brain, the process of receiving a diagnosis, masking, how a diagnosis can be healing in and of itself, disconfirming our negative beliefs, and accepting who we are.

Topics:

0:00: Welcome

2:30: My story with ADHD

7:00: Young Elizabeth

14:00: The difference one person can make

19:00: Grad school, and beginning to grapple with my ADHD

21:30: Using medication for the first time

25:00: ADH, no D

28:00: Offering something to your younger self

About Elizabeth: Elizabeth Ferreira is a somatic psychotherapist in training currently working in her associateship in the SF Bay Area. Her approach to mental health is holistic, non-judgmental, and centered in the belief that all beings have the capacity to heal, grow, and reduce suffering.

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9: Tools and Tips for Managing Your PMDD

elizabeth.puaena.ferreira@gmail.com (Elizabeth Ferreira) — Mon, 8 Aug 2022 20:40:03 +0000

On today's episode I'm sharing some of the tools I use - psychological, holistic, and spiritual - to manage my PMDD. This includes accepting the ups and downs of the healing journey, supporting the body, using daily practices and intentions, and finding what works for you.

Timestamps:

0:00: Introduction

2:50: The Hero's Journey

6:30: Fundamentals to managing PMDD

9:50: Daily practice, and setting intentions

18:20: Noticing the divine around us

22:30: The negativity bias, and helping the good stick to us

26:45: What does growth actually look like?

32:00: Reframing our relationship with PMDD

36:00: Jungian psychology and finding the Self

41:30: Pushing back on self-criticism

47:15: Hope

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8: A Guided Practice for PMDD, Anxiety, and Self-Critical Thoughts

elizabeth.puaena.ferreira@gmail.com (Elizabeth Ferreira) — Mon, 1 Aug 2022 10:00:00 +0000

This guided practice and meditation is aimed at anyone who's having a difficult time with their PMDD. That said, you might find it useful if you're experiencing any form of anxiety, depression, or intensely self-critical thoughts.

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7: Becoming a Therapist, and Learning from Therapy

elizabeth.puaena.ferreira@gmail.com (Elizabeth Ferreira) — Fri, 29 Jul 2022 17:58:30 +0000

I've received a number of questions related to becoming a therapist, what it's like to sit with people, what I've learned from my graduate program, and whether I'd recommend it to other people. Today I'm exploring those questions through the lens of my own experience training to become a somatic psychotherapist.

Topics:

0:00: Welcoming

1:20: The tree of therapy, and making your contribution.

3:00: Therapy as soul work.

5:00: Learning the language, and doing your own work.

8:50: Unpacking your material.

11:50: The stories we hold on to.

14:00: Vulnerability

18:10: A D&D metaphor because I literally can't help myself.

21:00: Supporting people in their self-healing.

24:00: Are you called, or are you driven?

30:00: Dropping the masks.

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6: Spiritual Wounding, Finding Your Path, and Being With Fear

elizabeth.puaena.ferreira@gmail.com (Elizabeth Ferreira) — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 14:00:00 +0000

In today's episode we're talking about being with our fear. We explore how spiritual wounding and Western religions can disturb our spiritual needs, and how we can bring curiosity to both our feelings and our spiritual beliefs.

I share my story of being raised in a Seventh Day Adventist community, how I learned to sit with the fears that had been programmed into me in childhood, and how I found the strength to move through those fears and find a spiritual path that brought me peace and purpose.

Included in this episode are:

A practice for being with fear as a part.
Advice for allowing our body to be with our feelings somatically.
How we can cultivate an inner "wise adult."
Learning that all the justification we need is what works for us.

Timestamps:

0:00: Welcoming

0:45: Being with fear and discomfort

2:30: A practice for being with fear

9:35: My spiritual journey

14:30: The terror of not believing, and lie of an unkind god

18:30: Curiosity, and inviting the younger parts

24:15: Overjustifying ourselves

30:30: Finding who we are

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5: Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder and Healthy Relationships

elizabeth.puaena.ferreira@gmail.com (Elizabeth Ferreira) — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 23:16:08 +0000

Today we're talking about navigating relationships as, or with, someone who has premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Relationships can be challenging under the best of circumstances, and PMDD includes symptoms that can make it uniquely difficult to find and stay in a fulfilling relationship. In this episode I talk about how we can do this through the lens of my own experiences. This includes:

Self-acceptance, and compassion.
Honesty to ourselves and others.
Sharing the experience.
Creating a fair balance of effort in the relationship.
The "GRACE" model of communication.

Timestamps:

0:00: Introduction

2:00: My relationship with relationships

13:15: The GRACE Model

19:30: What does it take to be with someone with PMDD?

27:50: "If you can't handle me on my worst day"

31:45: Navigating differences in communication style.

40:30: "The performance of perfection becomes the death of a relationship."

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4: Navigating the World as a Highly Sensitive Person

elizabeth.puaena.ferreira@gmail.com (Elizabeth Ferreira) — Mon, 4 Jul 2022 07:00:00 +0000

Moving through the world is challenging enough under the best of circumstances, and can be even more difficult if you happen to be particularly sensitive. On today's episode, I talk about how empaths and highly sensitive people can navigate the world, and embrace the positive aspects of their unique nature. We explore:

How high sensitivity can correlate with traumatic experiences.
We can rewrite the stories we tell about ourselves.
Designing practices that work for you.

I hope this will help you see yourself in a new light, and provide you with some helpful resources!

If you prefer watching video, you can find this episode on YouTube.

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3: Practices for PMDD - Tracking Your Cycle, Holistic Approaches, and Removing the Taboo

elizabeth.puaena.ferreira@gmail.com (Elizabeth Ferreira) — Wed, 29 Jun 2022 07:00:00 +0000

In this episode I'm sharing some of the key practices I've use to manage my PMDD. One that's been particularly useful for me is consistently tracking my movement through different phases of my cycle, and I give a detailed explanation of how I do that. I also talk a bit about my personal story, and how we can change our relationship with our challenges - which then allows us to change our experience of them.

Topics:

0:00: Welcome

2:30: What my PMDD looks like

8:00: What's PMDD?

16:00: Depression and suicidality

21:00: Holistic and spiritual approaches

24:30: Practices

30:00: Separating thoughts from who you are

35:00: Ritualizing

40:00: Framing the phases

51:15: The hero's journey

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2: Polyvagal Theory, and Finding What Works for You

elizabeth.puaena.ferreira@gmail.com (Elizabeth Ferreira) — Fri, 24 Jun 2022 17:00:00 +0000

Learning how to resource and regulate yourself, particularly if you have any form of neurodivergence, can be really challenging. On today's episode I share lessons from Polyvagal Theory that have been very helpful for me and those I've worked with. We then transition into an exploration focused on finding and claiming what works for YOU, allowing those practices to be natural sources of joy and ease without getting caught up in the views and judgements of other people.

Timestamps:

0:00: Welcome and grounding practice

3:40: Polyvagal theory, and how to use it

15:50: Finding what actually regulates you

23:30: Reminders and intentions

29:20: Claiming your weird

33:30: "What would you do if everything were a blank slate?"

41:30: Closing practice

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1: Working with Your Inner Critic

elizabeth.puaena.ferreira@gmail.com (Elizabeth Ferreira) — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 21:30:21 +0000

I'm so excited for this! On the first episode of the podcast I shared practices that have helped me work with and calm a harsh inner critic. This is particularly important for people who struggle with depressive disorders like PMDD. I also explored how cultivating a spiritual practice can provide you a space of calm and relief, feeding the inner nurturer and allowing you to push back against the inner critic.

Click here if you'd prefer to watch on YouTube!

Timestamps

0:00: Welcome

2:50: PMDD and self-criticism

7:00: Finding freedom in practice

11:00: Inner wisdom

16:00: Relating to our experiences

20:30: Reframing your relationship with your inner content

27:00: Your warm and caring parts

33:55: Ending

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0: Welcome to My Therapist's a Witch

elizabeth.puaena.ferreira@gmail.com (Elizabeth Ferreira) — Sat, 18 Jun 2022 21:08:05 +0000

Welcome to "My Therapist's a Witch!" On this podcast we'll be bringing together the best lessons from psychology with holistic approaches to mental health and healing. By bridging the gap between mental health and spirituality, and focusing on what works for YOU rather than what works for "most people," we can find new opportunities to heal from trauma, live in loving relationship, and reduce our suffering.

My name's Elizabeth Ferreira, and I'm a somatic psychotherapist in training currently earning hours toward my license, and I often find my perspective at the intersection of the traditional and the alternative. In addition to everything I've learned training as a therapist, I've developed a personal practice that's been an enormous support to my own growth and change. My hope is that, through what I offer here, you'll be able to add more color to the palette of your healing.

About Me: Elizabeth Ferreira is a somatic psychotherapist in training. Her approach to mental health is holistic, non-judgmental, and centered in the belief that all beings have the capacity to heal, grow, and reduce suffering.

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