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Shoshona Pascoe MFT Marriage Family Therapist
Licensed Marriage
and Family Therapist
MFC #35642
405 Chinn Street
Santa Rosa, CA 95404
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Phone: 707-573-9575
Email: ShoshonaMFT@gmail.com

New Group:

Grandmothering Grandmothering Support Group

Articles by
Shoshona Pascoe:

The Via Negativa: Living Authentically into the Yes The Via Negativa: Living Authentically into the Yes
ANXIETY and A Story About Turtles ANXIETY and A Story About Turtles
FOOD: Pleasure or Pain? Using this Essential Need To Live Well FOOD: Pleasure or Pain?
The Layers poem by Stanley Kunitz Living in the Layers
The Layers poem by Stanley Kunitz "The Layers," a poem by Stanley Kunitz
Santa Rosa Drug Abuse Alternatives Center (DAAC) Working with Pregnant and Parenting Women in Recovery
santa rosa psychotherapist Shoshona Pascoe "The Guest House," a poem by Rumi
mindfulness treatment for depression in sonoma county Working With Depression: Applying Mindfulness to Chronic Unhappiness
marriage and couple's therapy in santa rosa and windsor Pre-Marital Counseling
Shoshona Pascoe, psychologist Kindness
Rumi poem Kindness about compassion "Kindness", a poem by Naomi Shihab Nye
good communication in relationships Communication: Touching Every Relationship, Weaving our Relational Lives
counseling for couples and spouses in sonoma county, california Couples Therapy:
How We Are Wired for Connection and What Gets in the Way
Empty nest syndrome: when grown children leave home The Empty Nest: Letting Go Into Fullness
treating SAD (seasonal affective disorder) in the winter time Depression: Self-Care and the Winter Season
teaching children to be emotionally intelligent Emotional Intelligence: Coaching Our Children, Coaching Ourselves
book review of prefect love imperfect relationships by John Welwood Book Review: "Perfect Love Imperfect Relationships"
incorporating yoga into inner emotional and psychological work Yoga and Inner Work
Shoshona Pascoe is a marriage and family therapist in santa rosa Witness

 

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Yoga and Inner Work

Shoshona Pascoe, MFT

Yoga practice can be a supportive aid to psychotherapy by increasing awareness of feelings in the body; that experience complements our thinking function. The intense pace of life for many people requires some intent to find balance in the midst of demands on our time and attention. Opening to the body as a vehicle of self-awareness supports physical well-being and emotional balance as well as a deepening connection to ourselves and to our world.

The metaphors of a yoga practice are quite useful as we strive to live life in a more satisfying way. The suggestion to feel our feet grounded on the Earth translates into finding stability in other parts of our lives such as coping with stress and change. The ability to simultaneously soften while we exert effort and focus, to relax while we exercise will and perseverance, serves as a model of integration. We are learning how to use both sides of the brain, and bring resources of receptivity and assertion to our challenges and dilemmas. Taking time to stretch and use the body, pausing for relaxation after exertion, clears the mind, fills the heart, and releases unnecessary tension.

The experience of well-being is an important component of psychological change. I notice in my work as a therapist how valuable the qualities cultivated in yoga can be. For example, the capacity to know how to settle into ourselves, to breathe and sense into what we are experiencing, helps us to access inner resources. These skills can enhance our inner work in psychotherapy cultivating patience with our inner process. I integrate many images from the wisdom tradition of yoga into my psychological work with clients.
 
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