July 20, 2025 • 29 mins
To connect with Catia and become a client, visit- catiaholm.com
Connect on Instagram, Facebook, and to leave an anonymous question for Catia call or text 956-249-7930
--
We demystify what therapy really is, why it matters, and how to know if it's right for you in this warm, honest conversation about mental health support.
• Therapy comes in many forms (thought-based, body-based, spiritual) but all aim to help you function better in relationships and life
• Finding the right therapist is like dating - the relationship itself is crucial for success
• True therapy isn't about being "fixed" but about being understood, supported, and witnessed
• The best time to find a therapist is when you're NOT in crisis, though most people wait until they're desperate
Follow along for more grounded, soulful conversations and know that this space is here to support you.
Episode Guest:
Meet Grace Lawrie, LPC – Therapist, Healing Partner, and Advocate for Neurodivergent & LGBTQIA+ Communities
Grace is a deeply intuitive and compassionate therapist who brings a holistic, embodied approach to healing. Rooted in the belief that the therapeutic relationship is the foundation of transformation, Grace creates a space of safety, curiosity, and collaboration where clients can explore their inner landscapes and reconnect with their inherent wisdom.
With training in Internal Family Systems (IFS), Gestalt therapy, somatic practices, and Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP), Grace supports clients in aligning their emotional, physical, and psychological selves. Her work is anchored in anti-oppressive, trauma-informed, and neurodiversity-affirming frameworks—making her a trusted guide for neurodivergent individuals, LGBTQIA+ clients, and those navigating complex trauma, identity exploration, and non-traditional relationships.
As a clinician for queer and neurodivergent folks, Grace brings lived experience, deep empathy, and authenticity into every session. Whether supporting clients through emotional healing, relationship dynamics, or psychedelic integration, she empowers them to move from surviving to thriving—on their own terms.
To contact Grace Lawrie
Email: grace@movingpartspsychotherapy.com
Psychology Today Profile - Grace Lawrie
Couch Time with Cat isn’t therapy—it’s real conversation designed to support your journey alongside any personal or professional help you're receiving. If you're in emotional crisis or need immediate support, please get in touch with a professional or reach out to a 24/7 helpline like:
- US: 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline)
- UK: Samaritans at 116 123
- Australia: Lifeline at 13 11 14
- Or find local resources through findahelpline.com
You’re not alone. Let’s take this one honest conversation at a time.
Follow the show and share it with someone who’s ready for healing, hope, and a more empowered way forward.
Show hosted by:
Catia Hernandez Holm, LMFT-A
Supervised by Susan Gonzales, LMFT-S, LPC-S
You can connect with Catia at couchtimewithcat.com
and
To become a client visit- catiaholm.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Couch Time with Cat, your safe place for
real conversation and a gentlecheck-in.
KWVH presents.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Couch Time with Cat.
Welcome to Couch Time with Cat.
Mental wellness.
With a friendly voice.
I'm your host, Cat, a traumatherapist, coach, best-selling
author and TEDx speaker withyears of experience supporting
people around the world as theynavigate healing, growth and
everything in between.
But more than that, I'm justsomeone who's endlessly curious
(00:28):
about what makes us tick and howwe can live with more meaning,
connection and compassion.
We're coming to you today fromthe beautiful Texas Hill Country
at Wimberley Valley Radio, andI'm so glad you're here.
This show is about realconversations about what it
means to be human, how westruggle and how we heal, and
(00:49):
today we're starting with thebasics.
What is therapy really?
What are some of the biggestmyths people have about it, and
how do you know if it's rightfor you To unpack all of this?
I'm joined by my dear friendand fellow therapist, grace
Laurie, someone who brings somuch clarity, presence and heart
to the work of healing.
(01:09):
You're in for a treat.
Grace is a deeply intuitive andcompassionate therapist who
brings a holistic, embodiedapproach to healing, rooted in
the belief that the therapeuticrelationship is the foundation
of transformation.
Grace creates a space of safety, curiosity and collaboration
where clients can explore theirinner landscapes and reconnect
(01:32):
with their inherent wisdom.
With training in internalfamily systems, gestalt therapy,
somatic practices andketamine-assisted psychotherapy,
grace supports clients inaligning their emotional,
physical and psychologicalselves.
Her work is anchored inanti-oppressive, trauma-informed
and neurodiversity formingframeworks, making her a trusted
(01:54):
guide for neurodivergentindividuals, lgbtqia plus
clients and those navigatingcomplex trauma, identity
exploration and non-traditionalrelationships.
Complex trauma, identityexploration and non-traditional
relationships.
Grace brings lived experience,deep empathy and authenticity
into every situation.
Whether supporting clientsthrough emotional healing,
relationship dynamics orpsychedelic integration, she
(02:15):
empowers them to move fromsurviving to thriving on their
own terms.
Hi, Grace, oh, hello, welcome.
That's quite an introduction, Iknow I was like yeah, all that
Welcome.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
That's quite an introduction.
I know I was like, yeah, allthat is true.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
You sound very impressive, thanks.
Really, I'm just Grace.
How does it feel to hear allyour work parts into one little
segment?
Speaker 1 (02:38):
It's wild.
I mean, we were talking beforethis.
I really just do what I like.
And so to hear all of itwritten in one place, I was like
oh yeah, that is me.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
That is who I am.
Yeah, yeah, thank you for beinghere, grace.
I am so happy to be here.
Oh my God, I'm so excited.
Listener, Grace and I have beenfriends for a long time and we
went to school together, we didtraining together, we've had our
comeuppance together and nowwe're both out in the world
being therapists, and Grace isgoing to help us unpack.
What is therapy?
When do we know we need it?
(03:13):
Like, let's start with thebasics, yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Yeah, I mean, I think what is therapy is a great
question, because peopleprobably have a lot of ideas
from movies or right these maybeoutdated kind of Freudian yeah,
this blank slate, uh person whosits across from you and maybe
nods as you cry yes, um, notthat, there's maybe not an
(03:39):
element of that at times.
But yeah, therapy is a lot morethan that, I would say.
You know, first, there are somany different types of therapy
and so I I just don't know that.
People know that, I don't knowthat, I knew that until we were
in school how different thetherapeutic experience is based
(04:00):
on the type of therapist youkind of have in front of you.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
And what you're needing healed?
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Yes, yes, but there's thought-based, there's
body-based, there's depthpsychology or there's kind of
spiritual elements.
There's so many different typesof therapy and really what it
aims to do is give you tools sothat you can function better in
(04:30):
your life and the ways that yourelate to other people.
The ways that you go about doingthat really, really varied, and
so I would say that there's noone right path.
I think people don't hear oftenenough that finding a therapist
is like dating right.
Like I firmly believe that thetherapeutic relationship is so
(04:51):
much of a determiner of successthat most definitely really find
a person.
When you're with them, you feelcomfortable, you enjoy seeing
them, you like them, you feelliked by them.
Right like this is a big part ofit right, it's not it's not a
like drive-through experience,where you just kind of go to
(05:14):
who's in your area.
I would say it really has to bethe right person too.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Yeah yes, yes, yes.
I often tell my clients thatthere are different things,
there are different levels goingon in therapy.
There's what we're talkingabout, and then there's some
skill building, and then there'sthe cellular change that's
happening at the foundation,like how do I relate to somebody
(05:39):
, how do I be in relationshipwith somebody With boundaries,
with kindness, with compassion?
Like you're kind of relearningthat template and readjusting
your calibration Totally.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
I mean, and so much of it is attachment work, right,
like we as humans have thesethings called mirror neurons,
right?
So, our systems are quiteliterally co-regulating with the
person in front of us.
If we feel safe in someone'spresence, if we feel fully
accepted and loved I mean Ithink that clients maybe don't
(06:17):
know that we love them, but wedo- I know I tell them that a
lot and I'm like, no, I reallydo.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Yeah, which I know can sound bizarre, like we're
not related, but it's a love forthem.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Yes, yes, most definitely and and it's a love
that really often I think somepeople haven't had access to
which is incredibly healingright so here's a person who's
mirroring back at you, seeingyou being attuned to you,
holding their regulation,holding the container of safety,
and your nervous system cankind of just be yes, relax into
(06:49):
that.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Yeah, that exhale is huge.
So you're saying that therapyis really there's all.
There are all these specialties, like different doctors.
Right, you have an orthopedistand I don't know.
Tell me a different doctor.
My brain was like I doctor,that's the only doctor you think
of Great Ophthalmologist,orthopedist, both doctors,
(07:11):
completely different experiences, right, right?
So, listener, the therapyexperience is similar.
Different therapists are goingto address different things, but
if you're going to a goodtherapist wink, wink then you
are also really doing attachmentwork.
(07:33):
Yeah, simultaneously it's aparallel healing your building
skills, but you're also reallyrepairing that, usually
attachment wounds yeah, we allhave them.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
I would say so yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Yeah, that's not a pejorative.
We've all got them somewhere.
Yeah, and that's okay.
Okay, ooh, what's one of thebiggest myths you hear about
therapy?
Speaker 1 (07:55):
I mean, I think that healed is like a destination,
right.
That you've arrived you'veachieved it, you get your star.
You're done with therapyCertificate.
You've achieved it, you getyour star.
You're you're done with therapycertificate.
I mean, I love a certificate, Ilove excelling, I love a
certificate.
A plus, a plus at therapy.
But I think that maybe whatpeople don't realize is that it
(08:15):
is a resource for the entirelifespan not that you're
continuously in therapy yourwhole life, but you can drop in
on something and it really serveyou in that part of your life.
You utilize those skills, youcontinue living.
You have more experiences.
You have more relationships.
Something else comes up whereyou notice where there might be
(08:35):
a block Again you come back totherapy.
That doesn't mean that you'vebackslid right.
Really often that means you'vegrown.
That means that you can see anew place that you couldn't see
from the place you were before.
That's right, right, so, um, Iwould say that there's no like
healing is not a destinationthis is a resource you can
access your life.
I mean, imagine if you thought,going to the doctor once, you
(08:58):
were like I have health now.
That's it, I'm out of here.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
At 15,.
You're like bam did it.
Healthy forever, that'd begreat.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Yeah, that'd be excellent.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Why do you think that ?
Well, I think that it'sloosening up a little bit the
stigma, but the way we go backto I keep thinking about a couch
oh, couch time with Cat.
Maybe that's why, wow.
So I keep thinking, when weneed something new or we need a
refresh in our home, we're like,great, it's been five years,
(09:35):
it's time for a new couch.
Or 10 years, it's time for anew couch, or whatever it is.
We're okay with that, we'reokay with those refreshers, but
we have a little bit moreresistance to a mental refresher
.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Yeah, why?
I don't know.
I don't know.
I feel like we've been in thisfor long enough that I can't
imagine my life without havingmy own therapist right Like it's
such an excellent space toprocess to have someone who
isn't directly involved in thedynamics of my life who can hold
(10:09):
that?
Where I can say anything and beaccepted.
There's nothing I'm going tosay that is going to push me out
of relationship.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
For people who are new to therapy.
Why do you?
Why can you explain why havingsomebody outside of your world
is important?
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Like their perspective is important.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
Why is that?
Speaker 1 (10:30):
Right, I mean.
So you know.
Let's say I'm going through adifficult time at work and I
call my mom.
My mom is going to have all ofthe context of what it is to be
in the role of mom Right.
Maybe, she's worried if I don'thave a job.
That means she's going to haveto support me.
Or maybe she's seen how anxiousI get when I'm not busy.
(10:52):
Whatever?
that narrative she has about meis we're not working on what it
is I'm actually coming to herwith.
She has some preconceptionsabout who I am about what the
situation means, about how it?
Affects her, All of theselayers which are so normal,
right, Like that's part of allof our relationships With a
(11:13):
therapist.
There's curiosity there, right?
What is it about your job?
What's the dynamic that'scoming up?
When has it come up before?
Speaker 2 (11:21):
What does?
Speaker 1 (11:21):
that look like in your life?
How does it play out in otherplaces?
What is the anxiety that holdsyou back when you're in
situations that don't align with?
You.
Why don't you step out?
Of that, right, what is theanxiety that comes from you not
being quote-unquote busy?
What does that mean for you inyour life?
Right, so there's so muchcuriosity, whereas really often
when we go to friends or we goto family members, right, it's
(11:45):
maybe some curiosity, butthere's more kind of closed
advice.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
And they have a vested interest in you know your
outcome, for whatever reason,right, yeah.
So having somebody who isoutside of your life I think
also for the client experiencelets them put their guard down
for a moment, because they knowthe therapist is there to help.
(12:12):
Yes, right, they're not therefor they don't have an agenda,
like I don't have an agenda formy clients, it doesn't.
I want them to be fulfilledtotally.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
I always say I don't have a horse in this race, right
like I'm just here.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
Even sometimes I want them to be fulfilled if they
want to be.
I even say you don't have to beif you don't want.
So there's like there's just somuch autonomy that I try to
open up and make available forthe client so they can really
think about what it is that theywant, not what it is somebody
(12:47):
else wants for them, right.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
Mm-hmm, and sometimes it's difficult to make a change
in your life with only thesupport of people who have only
known you one way, if that makessense right, mm-hmm, it can be
useful to have an outsider beable to reflect.
There are other ways of beingthat are possible and if those
(13:10):
are, what you want.
I can support you to get there?
Speaker 2 (13:15):
Yeah, most definitely .
Why do you think so many peoplefeel like they have to hit rock
bottom before seeking support?
This is a question that Ithought earlier when you were
saying about the clientexperience and just how
sometimes, by the time you finda therapist, you're not really
(13:38):
in the mood to find a therapist.
You really need help ASAP.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
Right.
Yeah, I mean, I think there areso many reasons right.
There's traditional stigmaaround mental health and what it
means to have a therapist.
I think that's changing, butthere is definitely a long time
where having a therapist waslooked down upon.
It meant that you had some issuerather than you were using a
tool or a resource.
(14:04):
I would say that that's part ofit.
But then the other part isright, like life's really busy.
We can, we can talk ourselvesout of so many things that are
good for us because life isreally busy, right, like, did I
go to the gym, did I?
Eat all the vegetables I wantedto eat today, whatever that
story is doing the thing thatfeels good takes time and effort
(14:28):
, and that's understandable.
We don't always have theresources, the bandwidth, the
time for doing the thing thatfeels good.
And then, once we're in itright, it makes other things
easier, which is how all ofthese things work.
But that initial kind ofthreshold of getting there right
(14:51):
when we hit rock bottom we needit so bad that that's the time
right when we can't do anythingother than make time for it.
We can't do anything other thanget the help right.
But I will say that the soonerthat you receive the help, the
easier it is and rock bottom isnot necessary.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
Right, right.
And as I'm listening to you,I'm also thinking I've never
really thought about this.
But when is the best time tolook for a therapist?
Probably not when you're in acrisis.
Yeah, I would say maybe, likehave a resource, have, yeah,
have, have a breaking case ofemergency, know where're going
to go.
Maybe you've set up a fewsessions and you get to know a
(15:31):
therapist and you really likethem and that's great, and then
you have somewhere to go whenthings get really hard.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
Well, I mean, I say to clients you know, there are
people who come to me andthey're in a particularly hard
season of life and we do somework and then things get easier
and they're like okay, I'm done.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
I'm out.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
Right season of life and we do some work, and then
things get easier and they'relike okay, I'm done, I'm out,
right and and it's actually thetime where you have more of that
bandwidth that we can do someof that deeper work, so that you
know what to do when things getdifficult again right so that
the underpinning and thefoundation under all of that is
shifted enough that it changesthe cycle.
So we're not just working onthe acute when things are like
(16:14):
oh, everything's on fire.
You put my house out.
Let's fireproof the house.
Let's do some work on that.
That's proactive for when itgets difficult again.
So I would say find a therapistwhen you have the emotional
bandwidth to do so right ideal,not always the case if you're in
crisis but ideal, but ideal, ifyou're like.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
What do I do this summer?
Speaker 1 (16:35):
I have some extra time, maybe find a therapist but
then also right, if you go totherapy and things get better,
that is not a sign that you needto leave it.
It's a sign that there'sthere's probably more work that
could be done and some with myclients.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
I'm sure you see it with yours.
It's when things are calm.
You, you have the bandwidth toaddress the hard things and you
can actually move through thehard things.
Right, they become less hard.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
They won't always be hard, they won't always be such
a big gaping wound, right it ifyou approach it at a time when
you have emotional bandwidth andI would say also right like
there is a little bit of apavlovian response, right like
you're not, you're not relatinggoing to therapy with it being
brutal, right?
(17:26):
So if you, if you have thebandwidth, I'm gonna be a wreck.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
Yeah, exactly, I gotta.
I can't go to forget that.
Yeah, I'm out.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
No, so if you find some ease from therapy and then
stay at it right, you can alsocreate a relationship where
you're making movement and itit's not as taxing to make that
movement.
It's not as difficult to makethat movement.
You might, you might.
Sometimes therapy is fun,Sometimes it's funny.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
Yes, I laugh a lot with my clients.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
Yeah, and and you also create a relationship with
your therapist where you'rehappy to see them, mm-hmm,
mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
Earlier you said Pavlovian, yes.
So I want to ask a little bitabout to the listener who's
never been to therapy and whothinks maybe we sit there and we
open a book and we readdefinitions and we are very
theory based, like it's likeacademia, yeah, what do you say
(18:26):
to that?
Speaker 1 (18:27):
I would say right, like you and I are both very
relational therapists yes therelationship lays the ground for
healing.
Yes, so sometimes I do somepsycho education where I talk
about what your nervous systemdoing, what your body's doing
because, I do somatic therapyright so we talk about how to
process through that, but all ofthat, if it just stays, there
(18:49):
are just ideas, completely right, ideas in themselves, not
particularly healing.
Yes, yes and so then we have todo the work, we have to create
the relationship, we have tomake the body movement, we have
to do the noticing, theprocessing, to get through that.
So I would say say it's notcompletely out of possibility
(19:13):
that if you came to see me perse, I would do a bit of
psychoeducation.
You might learn somedefinitions, but that's not
where it stays, and that's notthe important part.
We can call it whatever you want.
Really, the reason that I offerthat is because there's some
confidence building andunderstanding what is happening
(19:34):
when you notice this, what ishappening in your brain, what's
happening in your body.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
What is the cycle?
Sometimes I equate it to askingChatGPT to create an image of a
pizza, like, okay, you'relooking at a picture of a pizza.
Great, that is not the sameexperience as making a pizza
from scratch.
That's going to be a verydifferent.
(20:00):
It's still a pizza, but oneexperience you embody and one is
kind of flat and onedimensional.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
Well, even that, like right one, one dimensional.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
Well, even that, like right one's nourishing yes and
one's theoretical right likethis is a pizza, this is a
therapist.
It's not like right, yeah, it'snot going to give you the same
gifts.
I don't think.
Okay, what are you thinkingabout this conversation so far?
I I think it's great, what'scoming up for you?
Speaker 1 (20:32):
I'm realizing how much I enjoy being in relation
with you.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
Yes, me too.
It's so.
Healing Me too.
Ooh, earlier you said somepeople like they think of
healing as an end game.
Another way sometimes peoplephrase it is that I'll be fixed.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
And I think most therapists inherently would back
away from the word fix.
I don't know a therapist whothinks that they fix anybody or
that anybody needs to be fixed.
Right.
I think most therapists thinkpeople need to be understood.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
Right.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
Supported, witnessed.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
Right, that's it.
Yeah, right Given tools.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
Yes, yes.
So if you're thinking listener,if you're thinking, oh, I'm
going to go in there andsomebody's going to have a
judgment about what I've done orwhat I've been through and
they're going to try to fix melike a car, that's not the vibe.
No, no.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
It's.
You know, I think again rightwhen we think about traditional
psychoanalysts.
Like, very formal, you lay downon a couch, someone has a
little notebook.
They're making notes.
Three years later you get thetherapist's impression that
sounds like torture.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
That's not it, but people do that still.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
A small sect of people still do that In the
Northeast.
Yeah, that is not what we offer.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
I want to say okay.
So let's say a client walks into see you.
What's a behind the scenes look?
So they walk in.
Is there a waiting room?
Speaker 1 (22:25):
Yeah, yeah, we have a waiting room.
Well, they have to have a doorcode.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
And then they enter our waiting room.
So it's very secure.
You're only seeing people whohave already had consults with
someone in our practice.
Right so we see a lot ofindividuals who are fleeing
abuse Right Like high traumasituation, so it's very safe.
We also see a lot ofneurodivergent folks Autistic,
ADHD, people with sensoryprocessing issues so there's no
(22:53):
overhead lighting in our office.
All lamps very warm a lot ofplants.
You're going to hear a lot ofsound machines.
It sounds like being in thewomb or being at the ocean in
our office.
I'll greet you, I'll take youinto my office.
My office is very it's likewarm kind of 70s.
(23:13):
We have like a stone wall and awarm brown leather couch.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
Listener Grace looks like Farrah Fawcett a little bit
.
With her hair she's like gotthat 70s vibe also.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
It's very comfortable , it's very, yeah, it's very
warm.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
You're not wearing a suit, no, never.
You're wearing soft pants, softpants, you're not wearing a
suit, no, never.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
You're wearing soft pants.
Soft pants, I'm wearing soft,everything elastic.
Yeah, yeah, I might.
We might take our shoes off andyou know, sit, sit on the
furniture that way, have a cupof tea together.
Speaker 2 (23:40):
It's, it's a, it's a personal experience and for me,
for mine, my clients it'sdifferent.
I have um.
I don't have a waiting room.
I have lots of bright light,natural light.
I have um.
I do have lots of soft textures.
I don't wear that much elastic.
(24:01):
I'm offering coffee or tea orfidgets, but it is.
It's like you're in a livingroom.
Yeah, for sure it's a livingroom experience, like when a
client comes to see me.
It's warm, it's relational,it's come, let's be together in
this comfortable space.
I've never had a clientcompletely lie down.
(24:24):
So in case you're thinking,this is like lie down on the
chaise lounge type situation.
Oh, I talked.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
Katya the story recently, the first time I went
to therapy.
That's the only image I had inmy mind.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
But how old are you?
Speaker 1 (24:38):
God bless little 18, 19-year-old Grace who found her
own therapist.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
Hey, that's amazing.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
And then went to therapy and lied down on the
couch and the therapist nevertold me I didn't have to do that
.
So every week I would just comein and lie down and talk oh,
that's so sweet.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
I love that image.
That is so sweet you can liedown, if you want to.
You can lie down if you want to.
Yeah, but just letting you know.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
Not expected?
Speaker 2 (25:04):
Definitely not expected.
How do you know if therapy isworking?
Yeah, I would say, you know.
How do you know if therapy isworking?
Speaker 1 (25:11):
yeah, I would say you know how do you feel like?
Are things getting a bit easieris?
It feeling more spacious.
Is there more room?
Right?
And if not, what is happening?
Right, because there are some,some forms of therapy where
things are difficult for a whilebefore they get lighter.
Right, if you're doing EMDR?
Speaker 2 (25:32):
for example, what is EMDR?
Speaker 1 (25:34):
EMDR is eye movement desensitization, reprocessing.
I always get the R in the Dswitched.
It's all good.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
It's helpful listener .
That's what we want to tell youum, it's helpful, listener.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
That's what we want to tell you.
Uh, it's a form of traumaprocessing that changes the way
your brain stores traumaticmemory, so that when you
remember it, you're notre-experiencing yes but in order
to process it in this way, youdo have to go through the memory
, and so sometimes interactingwith memory in that way.
After session, you feel prettynumb.
(26:15):
And so I would say, right, likethere are some asterisks too,
you should feel better If you'rein the middle of processing
something pretty difficult theremight be a period where things
get harder before they geteasier.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
Yes, yes, I love the.
I really think it's soimportant to let the client know
that when things have beenstagnant, like just shoved in
there for a long time, and thenyou're talking about it and
(26:49):
you're processing it and you'regonna feel, you may feel tired,
you may feel light-headed, youmay feel really tender yeah, you
may just want a blanket and apizza maybe that's just me and a
movie that makes you cry someepisodes of new girl golden
(27:11):
girls yeah, that's my go-to.
So as you're processing listener, it's normal to feel like
things are unsettled yeah, yeah,I mean you're.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
You have to kind of dust the cobwebs off first and
unearth this thing and then finda new place for it.
That's, it's hard work.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
Oh, find a new place for it.
Ok, grace, let's wrap up, ok.
Ok For anyone who's listening,who wants to find your explore
working with you, where can theygo?
Speaker 1 (27:46):
Yeah, so I'm a part of Moving Parts Psychotherapy.
We're located in South CentralAustin.
I do in-person sessions thereand offer telehealth across the
state of Texas.
You can find me atmovingpartspsychotherapycom or
shoot me an email at grace atmovingpartspsychotherapycom.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
And what are your specialties again?
Speaker 1 (28:07):
Yeah, my specialties are IFS or internal family
systems therapy, sex therapy,ketamine therapy, and then I
specialize in supportingneurodivergent individuals,
queer folks, people inrelationships.
Honestly, I do a lot, so I'mhere.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
And for anyone who's listening, who is afraid to try
therapy, what's something youwant to leave them with?
Speaker 1 (28:32):
afraid to try therapy .
What's something you want toleave them with?
Yeah, I would say that it's anamazing resource to have someone
on your side who genuinely ischeering for you to achieve
whatever it is that you've setout to achieve right, and so
it's not scary.
Give it a try.
Speaker 2 (28:48):
Thank you, Grace.
If this conversation clarifiedsomething for you or helped you
feel a little more seen, pleaseshare it with someone you care
about.
You can follow along for moregrounded, soulful conversations
and know that this space is hereto support you.
Thanks for being with us today.
Welcome to Couch Time with Cat, your safe place for
real conversation and a gentlecheck-in.
KWVH presents.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Couch Time with Cat.
Welcome to Couch Time with Cat.
Mental wellness.
With a friendly voice.
I'm your host, Cat, a traumatherapist, coach, best-selling
author and TEDx speaker withyears of experience supporting
people around the world as theynavigate healing, growth and
everything in between.
But more than that, I'm justsomeone who's endlessly curious
(00:28):
about what makes us tick and howwe can live with more meaning,
connection and compassion.
We're coming to you today fromthe beautiful Texas Hill Country
at Wimberley Valley Radio, andI'm so glad you're here.
This show is about realconversations about what it
means to be human, how westruggle and how we heal, and
(00:49):
today we're starting with thebasics.
What is therapy really?
What are some of the biggestmyths people have about it, and
how do you know if it's rightfor you To unpack all of this?
I'm joined by my dear friendand fellow therapist, grace
Laurie, someone who brings somuch clarity, presence and heart
to the work of healing.
(01:09):
You're in for a treat.
Grace is a deeply intuitive andcompassionate therapist who
brings a holistic, embodiedapproach to healing, rooted in
the belief that the therapeuticrelationship is the foundation
of transformation.
Grace creates a space of safety, curiosity and collaboration
where clients can explore theirinner landscapes and reconnect
(01:32):
with their inherent wisdom.
With training in internalfamily systems, gestalt therapy,
somatic practices andketamine-assisted psychotherapy,
grace supports clients inaligning their emotional,
physical and psychologicalselves.
Her work is anchored inanti-oppressive, trauma-informed
and neurodiversity formingframeworks, making her a trusted
(01:54):
guide for neurodivergentindividuals, lgbtqia plus
clients and those navigatingcomplex trauma, identity
exploration and non-traditionalrelationships.
Complex trauma, identityexploration and non-traditional
relationships.
Grace brings lived experience,deep empathy and authenticity
into every situation.
Whether supporting clientsthrough emotional healing,
relationship dynamics orpsychedelic integration, she
(02:15):
empowers them to move fromsurviving to thriving on their
own terms.
Hi, Grace, oh, hello, welcome.
That's quite an introduction, Iknow I was like yeah, all that
Welcome.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
That's quite an introduction.
I know I was like, yeah, allthat is true.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
You sound very impressive, thanks.
Really, I'm just Grace.
How does it feel to hear allyour work parts into one little
segment?
Speaker 1 (02:38):
It's wild.
I mean, we were talking beforethis.
I really just do what I like.
And so to hear all of itwritten in one place, I was like
oh yeah, that is me.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
That is who I am.
Yeah, yeah, thank you for beinghere, grace.
I am so happy to be here.
Oh my God, I'm so excited.
Listener, Grace and I have beenfriends for a long time and we
went to school together, we didtraining together, we've had our
comeuppance together and nowwe're both out in the world
being therapists, and Grace isgoing to help us unpack.
What is therapy?
When do we know we need it?
(03:13):
Like, let's start with thebasics, yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Yeah, I mean, I think what is therapy is a great
question, because peopleprobably have a lot of ideas
from movies or right these maybeoutdated kind of Freudian yeah,
this blank slate, uh person whosits across from you and maybe
nods as you cry yes, um, notthat, there's maybe not an
(03:39):
element of that at times.
But yeah, therapy is a lot morethan that, I would say.
You know, first, there are somany different types of therapy
and so I I just don't know that.
People know that, I don't knowthat, I knew that until we were
in school how different thetherapeutic experience is based
(04:00):
on the type of therapist youkind of have in front of you.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
And what you're needing healed?
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Yes, yes, but there's thought-based, there's
body-based, there's depthpsychology or there's kind of
spiritual elements.
There's so many different typesof therapy and really what it
aims to do is give you tools sothat you can function better in
(04:30):
your life and the ways that yourelate to other people.
The ways that you go about doingthat really, really varied, and
so I would say that there's noone right path.
I think people don't hear oftenenough that finding a therapist
is like dating right.
Like I firmly believe that thetherapeutic relationship is so
(04:51):
much of a determiner of successthat most definitely really find
a person.
When you're with them, you feelcomfortable, you enjoy seeing
them, you like them, you feelliked by them.
Right like this is a big part ofit right, it's not it's not a
like drive-through experience,where you just kind of go to
(05:14):
who's in your area.
I would say it really has to bethe right person too.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Yeah yes, yes, yes.
I often tell my clients thatthere are different things,
there are different levels goingon in therapy.
There's what we're talkingabout, and then there's some
skill building, and then there'sthe cellular change that's
happening at the foundation,like how do I relate to somebody
(05:39):
, how do I be in relationshipwith somebody With boundaries,
with kindness, with compassion?
Like you're kind of relearningthat template and readjusting
your calibration Totally.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
I mean, and so much of it is attachment work, right,
like we as humans have thesethings called mirror neurons,
right?
So, our systems are quiteliterally co-regulating with the
person in front of us.
If we feel safe in someone'spresence, if we feel fully
accepted and loved I mean Ithink that clients maybe don't
(06:17):
know that we love them, but wedo- I know I tell them that a
lot and I'm like, no, I reallydo.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Yeah, which I know can sound bizarre, like we're
not related, but it's a love forthem.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Yes, yes, most definitely and and it's a love
that really often I think somepeople haven't had access to
which is incredibly healingright so here's a person who's
mirroring back at you, seeingyou being attuned to you,
holding their regulation,holding the container of safety,
and your nervous system cankind of just be yes, relax into
(06:49):
that.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Yeah, that exhale is huge.
So you're saying that therapyis really there's all.
There are all these specialties, like different doctors.
Right, you have an orthopedistand I don't know.
Tell me a different doctor.
My brain was like I doctor,that's the only doctor you think
of Great Ophthalmologist,orthopedist, both doctors,
(07:11):
completely different experiences, right, right?
So, listener, the therapyexperience is similar.
Different therapists are goingto address different things, but
if you're going to a goodtherapist wink, wink then you
are also really doing attachmentwork.
(07:33):
Yeah, simultaneously it's aparallel healing your building
skills, but you're also reallyrepairing that, usually
attachment wounds yeah, we allhave them.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
I would say so yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Yeah, that's not a pejorative.
We've all got them somewhere.
Yeah, and that's okay.
Okay, ooh, what's one of thebiggest myths you hear about
therapy?
Speaker 1 (07:55):
I mean, I think that healed is like a destination,
right.
That you've arrived you'veachieved it, you get your star.
You're done with therapyCertificate.
You've achieved it, you getyour star.
You're you're done with therapycertificate.
I mean, I love a certificate, Ilove excelling, I love a
certificate.
A plus, a plus at therapy.
But I think that maybe whatpeople don't realize is that it
(08:15):
is a resource for the entirelifespan not that you're
continuously in therapy yourwhole life, but you can drop in
on something and it really serveyou in that part of your life.
You utilize those skills, youcontinue living.
You have more experiences.
You have more relationships.
Something else comes up whereyou notice where there might be
(08:35):
a block Again you come back totherapy.
That doesn't mean that you'vebackslid right.
Really often that means you'vegrown.
That means that you can see anew place that you couldn't see
from the place you were before.
That's right, right, so, um, Iwould say that there's no like
healing is not a destinationthis is a resource you can
access your life.
I mean, imagine if you thought,going to the doctor once, you
(08:58):
were like I have health now.
That's it, I'm out of here.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
At 15,.
You're like bam did it.
Healthy forever, that'd begreat.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Yeah, that'd be excellent.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Why do you think that ?
Well, I think that it'sloosening up a little bit the
stigma, but the way we go backto I keep thinking about a couch
oh, couch time with Cat.
Maybe that's why, wow.
So I keep thinking, when weneed something new or we need a
refresh in our home, we're like,great, it's been five years,
(09:35):
it's time for a new couch.
Or 10 years, it's time for anew couch, or whatever it is.
We're okay with that, we'reokay with those refreshers, but
we have a little bit moreresistance to a mental refresher
.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Yeah, why?
I don't know.
I don't know.
I feel like we've been in thisfor long enough that I can't
imagine my life without havingmy own therapist right Like it's
such an excellent space toprocess to have someone who
isn't directly involved in thedynamics of my life who can hold
(10:09):
that?
Where I can say anything and beaccepted.
There's nothing I'm going tosay that is going to push me out
of relationship.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
For people who are new to therapy.
Why do you?
Why can you explain why havingsomebody outside of your world
is important?
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Like their perspective is important.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
Why is that?
Speaker 1 (10:30):
Right, I mean.
So you know.
Let's say I'm going through adifficult time at work and I
call my mom.
My mom is going to have all ofthe context of what it is to be
in the role of mom Right.
Maybe, she's worried if I don'thave a job.
That means she's going to haveto support me.
Or maybe she's seen how anxiousI get when I'm not busy.
(10:52):
Whatever?
that narrative she has about meis we're not working on what it
is I'm actually coming to herwith.
She has some preconceptionsabout who I am about what the
situation means, about how it?
Affects her, All of theselayers which are so normal,
right, Like that's part of allof our relationships With a
(11:13):
therapist.
There's curiosity there, right?
What is it about your job?
What's the dynamic that'scoming up?
When has it come up before?
Speaker 2 (11:21):
What does?
Speaker 1 (11:21):
that look like in your life?
How does it play out in otherplaces?
What is the anxiety that holdsyou back when you're in
situations that don't align with?
You.
Why don't you step out?
Of that, right, what is theanxiety that comes from you not
being quote-unquote busy?
What does that mean for you inyour life?
Right, so there's so muchcuriosity, whereas really often
when we go to friends or we goto family members, right, it's
(11:45):
maybe some curiosity, butthere's more kind of closed
advice.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
And they have a vested interest in you know your
outcome, for whatever reason,right, yeah.
So having somebody who isoutside of your life I think
also for the client experiencelets them put their guard down
for a moment, because they knowthe therapist is there to help.
(12:12):
Yes, right, they're not therefor they don't have an agenda,
like I don't have an agenda formy clients, it doesn't.
I want them to be fulfilledtotally.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
I always say I don't have a horse in this race, right
like I'm just here.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
Even sometimes I want them to be fulfilled if they
want to be.
I even say you don't have to beif you don't want.
So there's like there's just somuch autonomy that I try to
open up and make available forthe client so they can really
think about what it is that theywant, not what it is somebody
(12:47):
else wants for them, right.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
Mm-hmm, and sometimes it's difficult to make a change
in your life with only thesupport of people who have only
known you one way, if that makessense right, mm-hmm, it can be
useful to have an outsider beable to reflect.
There are other ways of beingthat are possible and if those
(13:10):
are, what you want.
I can support you to get there?
Speaker 2 (13:15):
Yeah, most definitely .
Why do you think so many peoplefeel like they have to hit rock
bottom before seeking support?
This is a question that Ithought earlier when you were
saying about the clientexperience and just how
sometimes, by the time you finda therapist, you're not really
(13:38):
in the mood to find a therapist.
You really need help ASAP.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
Right.
Yeah, I mean, I think there areso many reasons right.
There's traditional stigmaaround mental health and what it
means to have a therapist.
I think that's changing, butthere is definitely a long time
where having a therapist waslooked down upon.
It meant that you had some issuerather than you were using a
tool or a resource.
(14:04):
I would say that that's part ofit.
But then the other part isright, like life's really busy.
We can, we can talk ourselvesout of so many things that are
good for us because life isreally busy, right, like, did I
go to the gym, did I?
Eat all the vegetables I wantedto eat today, whatever that
story is doing the thing thatfeels good takes time and effort
(14:28):
, and that's understandable.
We don't always have theresources, the bandwidth, the
time for doing the thing thatfeels good.
And then, once we're in itright, it makes other things
easier, which is how all ofthese things work.
But that initial kind ofthreshold of getting there right
(14:51):
when we hit rock bottom we needit so bad that that's the time
right when we can't do anythingother than make time for it.
We can't do anything other thanget the help right.
But I will say that the soonerthat you receive the help, the
easier it is and rock bottom isnot necessary.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
Right, right.
And as I'm listening to you,I'm also thinking I've never
really thought about this.
But when is the best time tolook for a therapist?
Probably not when you're in acrisis.
Yeah, I would say maybe, likehave a resource, have, yeah,
have, have a breaking case ofemergency, know where're going
to go.
Maybe you've set up a fewsessions and you get to know a
(15:31):
therapist and you really likethem and that's great, and then
you have somewhere to go whenthings get really hard.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
Well, I mean, I say to clients you know, there are
people who come to me andthey're in a particularly hard
season of life and we do somework and then things get easier
and they're like okay, I'm done.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
I'm out.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
Right season of life and we do some work, and then
things get easier and they'relike okay, I'm done, I'm out,
right and and it's actually thetime where you have more of that
bandwidth that we can do someof that deeper work, so that you
know what to do when things getdifficult again right so that
the underpinning and thefoundation under all of that is
shifted enough that it changesthe cycle.
So we're not just working onthe acute when things are like
(16:14):
oh, everything's on fire.
You put my house out.
Let's fireproof the house.
Let's do some work on that.
That's proactive for when itgets difficult again.
So I would say find a therapistwhen you have the emotional
bandwidth to do so right ideal,not always the case if you're in
crisis but ideal, but ideal, ifyou're like.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
What do I do this summer?
Speaker 1 (16:35):
I have some extra time, maybe find a therapist but
then also right, if you go totherapy and things get better,
that is not a sign that you needto leave it.
It's a sign that there'sthere's probably more work that
could be done and some with myclients.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
I'm sure you see it with yours.
It's when things are calm.
You, you have the bandwidth toaddress the hard things and you
can actually move through thehard things.
Right, they become less hard.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
They won't always be hard, they won't always be such
a big gaping wound, right it ifyou approach it at a time when
you have emotional bandwidth andI would say also right like
there is a little bit of apavlovian response, right like
you're not, you're not relatinggoing to therapy with it being
brutal, right?
(17:26):
So if you, if you have thebandwidth, I'm gonna be a wreck.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
Yeah, exactly, I gotta.
I can't go to forget that.
Yeah, I'm out.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
No, so if you find some ease from therapy and then
stay at it right, you can alsocreate a relationship where
you're making movement and itit's not as taxing to make that
movement.
It's not as difficult to makethat movement.
You might, you might.
Sometimes therapy is fun,Sometimes it's funny.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
Yes, I laugh a lot with my clients.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
Yeah, and and you also create a relationship with
your therapist where you'rehappy to see them, mm-hmm,
mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
Earlier you said Pavlovian, yes.
So I want to ask a little bitabout to the listener who's
never been to therapy and whothinks maybe we sit there and we
open a book and we readdefinitions and we are very
theory based, like it's likeacademia, yeah, what do you say
(18:26):
to that?
Speaker 1 (18:27):
I would say right, like you and I are both very
relational therapists yes therelationship lays the ground for
healing.
Yes, so sometimes I do somepsycho education where I talk
about what your nervous systemdoing, what your body's doing
because, I do somatic therapyright so we talk about how to
process through that, but all ofthat, if it just stays, there
(18:49):
are just ideas, completely right, ideas in themselves, not
particularly healing.
Yes, yes and so then we have todo the work, we have to create
the relationship, we have tomake the body movement, we have
to do the noticing, theprocessing, to get through that.
So I would say say it's notcompletely out of possibility
(19:13):
that if you came to see me perse, I would do a bit of
psychoeducation.
You might learn somedefinitions, but that's not
where it stays, and that's notthe important part.
We can call it whatever you want.
Really, the reason that I offerthat is because there's some
confidence building andunderstanding what is happening
(19:34):
when you notice this, what ishappening in your brain, what's
happening in your body.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
What is the cycle?
Sometimes I equate it to askingChatGPT to create an image of a
pizza, like, okay, you'relooking at a picture of a pizza.
Great, that is not the sameexperience as making a pizza
from scratch.
That's going to be a verydifferent.
(20:00):
It's still a pizza, but oneexperience you embody and one is
kind of flat and onedimensional.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
Well, even that, like right one, one dimensional.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
Well, even that, like right one's nourishing yes and
one's theoretical right likethis is a pizza, this is a
therapist.
It's not like right, yeah, it'snot going to give you the same
gifts.
I don't think.
Okay, what are you thinkingabout this conversation so far?
I I think it's great, what'scoming up for you?
Speaker 1 (20:32):
I'm realizing how much I enjoy being in relation
with you.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
Yes, me too.
It's so.
Healing Me too.
Ooh, earlier you said somepeople like they think of
healing as an end game.
Another way sometimes peoplephrase it is that I'll be fixed.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
And I think most therapists inherently would back
away from the word fix.
I don't know a therapist whothinks that they fix anybody or
that anybody needs to be fixed.
Right.
I think most therapists thinkpeople need to be understood.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
Right.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
Supported, witnessed.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
Right, that's it.
Yeah, right Given tools.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
Yes, yes.
So if you're thinking listener,if you're thinking, oh, I'm
going to go in there andsomebody's going to have a
judgment about what I've done orwhat I've been through and
they're going to try to fix melike a car, that's not the vibe.
No, no.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
It's.
You know, I think again rightwhen we think about traditional
psychoanalysts.
Like, very formal, you lay downon a couch, someone has a
little notebook.
They're making notes.
Three years later you get thetherapist's impression that
sounds like torture.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
That's not it, but people do that still.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
A small sect of people still do that In the
Northeast.
Yeah, that is not what we offer.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
I want to say okay.
So let's say a client walks into see you.
What's a behind the scenes look?
So they walk in.
Is there a waiting room?
Speaker 1 (22:25):
Yeah, yeah, we have a waiting room.
Well, they have to have a doorcode.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
And then they enter our waiting room.
So it's very secure.
You're only seeing people whohave already had consults with
someone in our practice.
Right so we see a lot ofindividuals who are fleeing
abuse Right Like high traumasituation, so it's very safe.
We also see a lot ofneurodivergent folks Autistic,
ADHD, people with sensoryprocessing issues so there's no
(22:53):
overhead lighting in our office.
All lamps very warm a lot ofplants.
You're going to hear a lot ofsound machines.
It sounds like being in thewomb or being at the ocean in
our office.
I'll greet you, I'll take youinto my office.
My office is very it's likewarm kind of 70s.
(23:13):
We have like a stone wall and awarm brown leather couch.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
Listener Grace looks like Farrah Fawcett a little bit
.
With her hair she's like gotthat 70s vibe also.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
It's very comfortable , it's very, yeah, it's very
warm.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
You're not wearing a suit, no, never.
You're wearing soft pants, softpants, you're not wearing a
suit, no, never.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
You're wearing soft pants.
Soft pants, I'm wearing soft,everything elastic.
Yeah, yeah, I might.
We might take our shoes off andyou know, sit, sit on the
furniture that way, have a cupof tea together.
Speaker 2 (23:40):
It's, it's a, it's a personal experience and for me,
for mine, my clients it'sdifferent.
I have um.
I don't have a waiting room.
I have lots of bright light,natural light.
I have um.
I do have lots of soft textures.
I don't wear that much elastic.
(24:01):
I'm offering coffee or tea orfidgets, but it is.
It's like you're in a livingroom.
Yeah, for sure it's a livingroom experience, like when a
client comes to see me.
It's warm, it's relational,it's come, let's be together in
this comfortable space.
I've never had a clientcompletely lie down.
(24:24):
So in case you're thinking,this is like lie down on the
chaise lounge type situation.
Oh, I talked.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
Katya the story recently, the first time I went
to therapy.
That's the only image I had inmy mind.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
But how old are you?
Speaker 1 (24:38):
God bless little 18, 19-year-old Grace who found her
own therapist.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
Hey, that's amazing.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
And then went to therapy and lied down on the
couch and the therapist nevertold me I didn't have to do that
.
So every week I would just comein and lie down and talk oh,
that's so sweet.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
I love that image.
That is so sweet you can liedown, if you want to.
You can lie down if you want to.
Yeah, but just letting you know.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
Not expected?
Speaker 2 (25:04):
Definitely not expected.
How do you know if therapy isworking?
Yeah, I would say, you know.
How do you know if therapy isworking?
Speaker 1 (25:11):
yeah, I would say you know how do you feel like?
Are things getting a bit easieris?
It feeling more spacious.
Is there more room?
Right?
And if not, what is happening?
Right, because there are some,some forms of therapy where
things are difficult for a whilebefore they get lighter.
Right, if you're doing EMDR?
Speaker 2 (25:32):
for example, what is EMDR?
Speaker 1 (25:34):
EMDR is eye movement desensitization, reprocessing.
I always get the R in the Dswitched.
It's all good.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
It's helpful listener .
That's what we want to tell youum, it's helpful, listener.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
That's what we want to tell you.
Uh, it's a form of traumaprocessing that changes the way
your brain stores traumaticmemory, so that when you
remember it, you're notre-experiencing yes but in order
to process it in this way, youdo have to go through the memory
, and so sometimes interactingwith memory in that way.
After session, you feel prettynumb.
(26:15):
And so I would say, right, likethere are some asterisks too,
you should feel better If you'rein the middle of processing
something pretty difficult theremight be a period where things
get harder before they geteasier.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
Yes, yes, I love the.
I really think it's soimportant to let the client know
that when things have beenstagnant, like just shoved in
there for a long time, and thenyou're talking about it and
(26:49):
you're processing it and you'regonna feel, you may feel tired,
you may feel light-headed, youmay feel really tender yeah, you
may just want a blanket and apizza maybe that's just me and a
movie that makes you cry someepisodes of new girl golden
(27:11):
girls yeah, that's my go-to.
So as you're processing listener, it's normal to feel like
things are unsettled yeah, yeah,I mean you're.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
You have to kind of dust the cobwebs off first and
unearth this thing and then finda new place for it.
That's, it's hard work.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
Oh, find a new place for it.
Ok, grace, let's wrap up, ok.
Ok For anyone who's listening,who wants to find your explore
working with you, where can theygo?
Speaker 1 (27:46):
Yeah, so I'm a part of Moving Parts Psychotherapy.
We're located in South CentralAustin.
I do in-person sessions thereand offer telehealth across the
state of Texas.
You can find me atmovingpartspsychotherapycom or
shoot me an email at grace atmovingpartspsychotherapycom.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
And what are your specialties again?
Speaker 1 (28:07):
Yeah, my specialties are IFS or internal family
systems therapy, sex therapy,ketamine therapy, and then I
specialize in supportingneurodivergent individuals,
queer folks, people inrelationships.
Honestly, I do a lot, so I'mhere.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
And for anyone who's listening, who is afraid to try
therapy, what's something youwant to leave them with?
Speaker 1 (28:32):
afraid to try therapy .
What's something you want toleave them with?
Yeah, I would say that it's anamazing resource to have someone
on your side who genuinely ischeering for you to achieve
whatever it is that you've setout to achieve right, and so
it's not scary.
Give it a try.
Speaker 2 (28:48):
Thank you, Grace.
If this conversation clarifiedsomething for you or helped you
feel a little more seen, pleaseshare it with someone you care
about.
You can follow along for moregrounded, soulful conversations
and know that this space is hereto support you.
Thanks for being with us today.
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