Episode 7 — Staying With What Surfaces

An episode for when something has begun to surface — and you’re not sure what to do with it.

In this reflection, we gently explore what it’s like to stay with what’s here, without rushing to fix, understand, or move past it. Together, we make space to notice what may already be present — even if it’s subtle — and the quiet ways we might be held in the midst of it.

This is an invitation to remain… just a little longer than you normally would — without pressure, without urgency, and without having to carry it alone.

More episodes, reflections, and information about my counseling practice can be found at
desertstreams126.com/podcast

I’m glad you’re here.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome back. Before we begin today, I want you to know you're not alone here. This isn't a place to fix anything or figure everything out. It's just a place to sit and be met right where you are. There is hope here. Even if it doesn't feel like it yet. The kind that comes not from things changing quickly, but from not having to carry this all by yourself. I'd like to invite you to take a moment to arrive here. However, you're arriving. If you're seated, feel what's holding you up. If you're standing, notice the ground beneath you. If you're moving, just notice that you're moving. Nothing needs to change for you to be here. You might be listening in a small, quiet moment, or in the middle of a full day. You might feel present or scattered or not entirely here. However you are, you're welcome here. In the last episode, we made space for something to begin to surface. Not because you went looking for it. Not because you were finally ready. And sometimes when we're held like that, feelings come. Memories surface. Sometimes things we didn't plan to touch begin to move a little closer. And when this happens, it's okay to question. Now what? What do I do with this? You might notice the pull to make sense of it quickly, to organize it or understand it, to find meaning or resolution, or some kind of next step. Or you might feel the opposite. A pull to move away, to distract, to shut down, or go back to something else more manageable. Both of those make sense. Managed, explained, or fixed, or escaped. But what if this moment is asking something different? Not action, not understanding, just presence. As we sit here, I'd like to invite you to take a moment to notice if you have had any sense of being held. This is not something you have to create or something you have to feel clearly. Just think about where or how you may have noticed it at all. It might not feel like something big. Or a place where something in you softened, even just slightly. Something in you hasn't rushed past this moment, and that might be part of what it looks like. Maybe somewhere in your body, maybe a sense of steadiness or support, or even just a little less tension than before. A moment that felt different, a little more bearable, a little less alone. Maybe you're not sure you notice it. And that's okay too. You don't have to find it for it to be real. But what we're doing here is something so different. We're not trying to force anything to shift. And that might not feel productive in the way that you're used to. Not in a searching way, just a gentle awareness. Maybe it sits in your chest, or your shoulders, or maybe somewhere harder to locate. Just noticing is enough. And if it feels like too much, you can pull back. Shift your attention back to the ground underneath you. You're allowed to move at the pace that your body can hold. Sometimes the most unfamiliar thing is not the pain itself, but staying with it without being alone. Not all at once, not even all the way.