Kathleen Dunbar Psychotherapy

Ground Yourself—The Practices and the Science Behind Coming Home to your Wise Self

When we . . .

• stretch and yawn
• feel our sitsbones and feet
• literally sit back and find our back body
• let our eyes sit back in…

I always love how this practice makes me feel, whether I’m doing it on an already-great day, or whether I’m down in the pits. It shifts something, brightening the dark, or making my light shine even more brightly. 

• Declare, “Today,…

"When you love you fall under the waves, 
if you never fall you can never be saved— 
sometimes it’s grace, sometimes luck 
when a hand reaches out and you take it up." 
—Kathleen Dunbar, from my album The Storm…

There are essential acts and states of consciousness which we can identify and use to create a foundation to help us ground, grow, connect and thrive in both good times and times of stress (like during COVID-19). 

I’ve boiled down…

You can do this anywhere, anytime. Gratefulness and appreciation of things like beauty, nature and witnessed or received acts of kindness switch our neural circuits. It's like changing the channel on the radio from a dire news story to a…

Comfortably seated, close your eyes and wiggle your sitsbones. Now imagine your feet on grassy earth. Breathe deep. Let go with a sigh. ⁣ 
⁣ 
Inwardly track your body for a pleasurable sensation—the chair supporting your back, the feel of…

You matter. You have always mattered. Let the dust settle that contains all the reasons you thought you didn't matter. Ah!--there is your gem self! Welcome home, my love, welcome home. 

Here's a self-friendly compassionate perspective to help you shift:

• …

The Body says: 
I am a fiesta.  
-Eduardo Galeano 

Here's an easy practice to press your reset button. It quickly gets your brain and body producing harmony-hormones instead of stress-hormones. 

Take-Anywhere, Awesome Reset Practice:

• Wiggle your sits bones, then let…

One of the first songs I ever wrote arrived in my heart and mind when I was on a wilderness quest in Death Valley many years ago. It’s called Send You Love. You can find the words below. I send…

At The Beach* 

*A variation is to go into the forest where a river is flowing nearby. 

• Sit or lie comfortably in a quiet room. 
• Let yourself softly breathe in and out several times. On the outbreath make a sighing…

Listen to me read this poem for you at this link: 
I Want To Tell You That You Are Okay 

I Want To Tell You
by Kathleen Dunbar

I want to tell you 
that you are okay 

I want to…

All your choices have brought you to this moment. You did the best you could. Thank the voices that criticize you by telling them “I know you’re only trying to help.” I mean it--really do this--thank them! That's an audacious…

When you literally stop and smell the roses, your heart lifts, and your brain and body give you feel-good signals that help shift the rest of your day. Where are the roses for you? Here's a photo of my neighbors'…

Shaman’s Stone 
by Kathleen Dunbar 

At the heart of your experience is You.  
And though your Essence may not be weighed,  
is not palpable or seen,  
that Mystery makes you all the more Sacred.  
Seek for yourself, and love the…

Dogs Don't Care
by Kathleen Dunbar

Dogs as a whole  
don't care what they look like 
(except perhaps for poodles).  
Let yourself find that dignity 
and freedom 
that creatures know 
—let the sense of you being you 
in the moment …

there is a small moment 
© by Kathleen Dunbar 

there is a small moment 
when the still air 
touches the bird's breast 
and nothing else exists for her 
more important 
than being alive 
to the invisible warmth 
that is the…

There’s only one you! You and your uniqueness add something to this world that no one else can! You make the world a better place by being truly you! Trust your intuition, your passion, your expression! Whatever it is that…

The Gold Light. A Grounding, Refreshing Visualization

• Stretch and yawn, show your fillings, make an ahhh! sound. Spend some time feeling the goodness from the stretch and yawn. This is already breaking the “trance” of busyness, critical voices, etc. It’s…

of course I went down
trembling, trembling, trembling so
the moon on water

—Kathleen Dunbar

Are You Looking for a Partner? How Well Do You Know Yourself?

Are you looking for a partner? One of the best things you can do to manifest a fulfilling relationship is to first know yourself deeply. We know ourselves…

An Attachment Practice of Co-regulation of Partners

We are biologically wired as mammals to turn to our primary attachment person when we are overwhelmed. Here is a healthy way for partners to expedite this process:

• In a calm moment, on…

By Kathleen Dunbar, MFT #39880 Certified Hakomi Therapist

We all have a True Self and when we live from this self we naturally engage in what interests us. However, if we’ve been hurt in some way as kids or young…

If You Fall 

By Kathleen Dunbar

Rest all the way down  
through the bottom of the pond 
and its gravel nibbled by the fishes.  
Go past to where 
the moist soil rests like leavened bread 
upon the crockery of the…

About Dyslexia—for Healthcare Professionals Working with Dyslexic Clients* 

You May Have Dyslexics in Your Practice and Not Know! 1 in 5 People Are Dyslexic 

By Kathleen Dunbar, Certified Hakomi Therapist, MFT #39880 
Offices throughout California via Telehealth, and in San…