BDSM Basics & Talking Kink in Therapy
Kink and BDSM are still heavily thought of with disdain. Misclassified as some sort of deviance, participating in the intimacy and lifestyles associated with BDSM may still feel rather isolating due to harmful myths. But it doesn’t have to be this way. For so many folx who identify as kinky or use BDSM dynamics as a part of their relationship structure, the positive impacts on mental wellness will come as no surprise. Let’s talk about them anyway.
This is the Isolating Truth About Anxiety
You do not always need to be a Strong Black Woman, but you might feel like you do. It’s a shitty and unfair expectation that’s been put on us through societal pressure and an expectation that we bear the burden of discomfort, so others don’t have to. When that pressure manifests itself as anxiety, the feeling of being alone and utterly lost can become isolating.
Hot Take: Imposter Syndrome is Sometimes Just Racism
Doubting yourself and your abilities is often called “imposter syndrome.” But could this term be misused to avoid acknowledging how decades of oppression and prejudice in professional spaces impair minority mental health and performance? In a world where biased corporate and social systems make people who identify as BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ feel like they’re taking up space and force them to prove their humanity and abilities, it’s time to recognize that imposter syndrome isn’t a problem individuals have or need to fix. It’s sometimes just racism and bias from systems that historically view BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ folx as outsiders. In online therapy and in-person sessions at Essence of Healing in California, clients are encouraged to discover, grow, and embrace their authentic selves. They're seen for who they are, not the frauds systemic racism makes them feel like or who society says they are.
You Won’t Jinx It If You Enjoy It
Hesitation or fear of loss can be a huge barrier to success. Let’s unpack the impact of our experiences and the power of Black Grief as we work toward manifesting the magic you deserve.
How to Have Intimate Conversations in Your Relationships
Intimacy in a healthy relationship starts with the way you communicate, so let’s unpack the layers of language and love to get in touch with your communication health today. Learn more about relationship retreats, check ups and how to start a communication checklist today!
Falling in Love with SELF
From self-care to self-pleasure, we’re digging into the power of falling in love with yourself and how it empowers the essence of your healing.
3 Reasons Narrative Therapy will change your life
Narrative therapy is a non-pathologizing form of therapy that positions you as the unquestioned expert of your own life without placing blame on you for the stories that have occurred within it. Narrative therapy is positioned as a leading therapeutic modality for those who want healing and justice in a shared space.
Is opening up right for our relationship?
If you’re ready to explore opening your relationship and all the beautiful things it may invite, you don’t have to go it alone. Marjha Hunt at Essence Healing provides the support you need to create the structure that feels right for you in your life and relationships.
Navigating Broken Trust in your Relationship
Every relationship is a love story, but not every love story has a happy ending. When the story of your intimacy becomes riddled with pain, betrayal, or infidelity, trust has been broken. So what does that mean for you now? Join Marjha Hunt at Essence of Healing to begin the healing journey.
All the ways we love: Alternative Relationship Styles
Alternative relationships come in many forms and may develop for different reasons but they all have one thing in common. If your relationship(s) fulfill you and support you as well as those you share them with, they are valid.
THIS is cultural humility training (and why you probably need it)
or part of an organization, and if given the opportunity, you absolutely should! But what does it mean? Let’s explore cultural humility together more deeply.
Viewing Your Painful Past Through the Lens of Your Proud Present
Let’s talk about the way you can make peace with a past that hurts so you can feel pride in who you have become. This blog is for anyone who once felt they couldn't live as their authentic self and grew to do so through painful changes. Whether that's taking pride in your sexuality, your culture, or your romantic relationships. Let’s get into it.
The Art of Respectfully Negotiating Relationships
As you build a healthy relationship with your partner(s), using the skill of relationship negotiation can help to dispel myths and set expectations before they take root. In boundary work and beyond, setting this intention from the start of your relationship can help you avoid its end.
Why We NEED Intersectionality at Pride
Every year Pride becomes a more mainstream experience that seems so far detached from the reasons it began and why it was so necessary. But we remember. For Black folx and other marginalized identities, a lack of intersectionality often means exclusion from the spaces they fought to create.
Why You NEED a Safe Space to Talk About Sex in Therapy
Space to be open about sex, intimacy, power, and relationships in therapy helps you to ground yourself not only into your identity but into that therapeutic healing. If you’re not sure you can trust your therapist with the parts of you that need a sounding board, then it’s time to explore the merits of having a sex-positive therapist in your life.
Which D do you need: Divorce or Discernment?
Traditionally, relationship counseling is tailored around knowing what it is you want. It’s the first question they’ll ask. But what happens when you don’t know? In my typical nontraditional suit, I believe the essence of healing begins with throwing all that out the window and getting to the core of what your relationship(s) need.
Why I’m body-inclusive instead of body positive
A movement that once asked the world to see bodies of every size, shape, and ability as equal and celebrated has become one that demands you love your body even when you don't. And honestly, can you think of a bigger waste of your energy than feeling guilty for not loving yourself the right way? Body positivity is one of the best representations of good intentions that don’t always lead to good implementation
Finding the right therapist
Even though the reasons for starting therapy seem to be growing daily with the uncertain state of the world, the task of finding the right therapist is an overwhelming one. The best secret to finding the right therapist to fit your needs is preparation. However, knowing you need to prepare to find your therapist and being able to effectively prepare isn’t always the same thing. I’ve created this mini-guide to help steer your research and use your energy where it matters most - to love and live your most authentic life.
Just be real with me: Authenticity in Therapy tips
Authenticity is your secret therapy tool, but it can be challenging to feel ready to lay out all your messy pieces to someone new. So why does authenticity matter, and how can you reframe it as a practice of self-love for a more fulfilling therapeutic experience?
Let’s talk it out.
#BreakTheBias and your silence: International Women's Day 2022
Happy International Women’s Day! Let’s #breakthebias against women that’s still got a brutal grip on the story of womanhood in every life- and helping you take your power back today.