A Conversation with Don & Diane St.John

In this episode we talk with Don & Diane St.John. Diane is a somatic counselor, coach and Continuum Teacher. Don is a somatic-relational psychotherapist, Continuum Teacher and author. We explore many topics related to embodiment and relationships. We speak about growing a somatic practice, about cultivating spaciousness, about investing in your own embodied awareness (you have to want to!.) We explore how being more fully embodied impacts our relationships. We speak about the importance of becoming intimate with both self and other and about the necessity of growing our capacity to pay attention in a layered way. We explore ways to take this information into your own relationships, while emphasizing the importance of not "fixing" self or others. We talk about how to be present with our own discomforts and those of others, how to meet reactivity with embodied presence and kindness, about the importance of repair, and the importance of feeling our love and affection in an embodied way. Don and Diane offer a beautiful list of qualities to adopt and qualities to avoid in healthy relationships. We speak about the importance of tracking reactivity, of being a safe place for someone else to share themselves, and about the importance of vulnerability and how it's connected with a willingness to feel what's present in our bodies. We speak about the importance of not pathologizing ourselves and each other, and so much more. We hope you enjoy!