Sonia Connolly

The more we sense into our present environment and the people around us with caring, the less we impose our world view on others.
Consider Additional Truths

New book responses at Curious, Healing. Have you read these? Comments welcome!

• "Unraveling" by Karen Lord
  
• "The White Cat and the Monk" by Jo Ellen Bogart, illustrations by Sydney Smith
  
• "The Raven and the Reindeer" by T. Kingfisher
  
• "Visceral Manipulation" by Jean-Pierre Barral & Pierre Mercier

Pelvic skeleton model
The Visceral Manipulation class I took this weekend included techniques for abdominal organs: liver, stomach, gall bladder, and small and large intestines. However, what caught my eye at their store was a life-size pelvic skeleton model complete with internal organs including the uterus. When you're in my office, you can play with it and get a clearer idea of how your pelvis fits together.

Curious, Healing is a blog, and you're welcome to comment there or here about the books. The articles don't have a comment section. You're welcome to comment here or send me email with any thoughts.

If you want the monthly newsletter in your inbox, along with news about my practice, you can subscribe here.

As the nervous system heals over time, our window of tolerance widens for minor infractions, and we can intervene more calmly and skillfully for larger issues.
Intervene for a Better World

New book responses at Curious, Healing. Have you read this? Comments welcome!

• "The Arrival" by Shaun Tan
  
• "Running on Empty" by Jonice Webb, PhD

Curious, Healing is a blog, and you're welcome to comment there or here about the books. The articles don't have a comment section. You're welcome to comment here or send me email with any thoughts.

If you want the monthly newsletter in your inbox, along with news about my practice, you can subscribe here.

"I'm here to listen."
Support a Friend in Crisis

New book responses at Curious, Healing. Have you read this? Comments welcome!

• "It's Ok That You're Not Ok" by Megan Devine

Massage table for sale
Now that I have been using the new massage table for a while, I am selling the old massage table and other massage equipment that I no longer use. For in-person pickup in Portland, OR only. Take a look at the sale page and let me know if you are interested.

Twenty years
I started Sundown Healing Arts in February 1999, twenty years ago. Thank you all for being part of the journey! I'm happy with where the business is now, and I'm looking forward to continuing working with clients, writing, and learning about healing.

Curious, Healing is a blog, and you're welcome to comment there or here about the books. The articles don't have a comment section. You're welcome to comment here or send me email with any thoughts.

If you want the monthly newsletter in your inbox, along with news about my practice, you can subscribe here.

"Can we talk about what completing treatment and stopping would look like?"
How to Leave Your Practitioner

New book responses at Curious, Healing. Have you read these? Comments welcome!

• "Bikequity" edited by Elly Blue
  
• "Conversations on Writing" by Ursula K. Le Guin with David Naimon
  
• "Come Shining" edited by Jill Elliott and Alison Towle Moore

Word of the year
Happy New Year! May the coming year bring you delight, nourishment, and healing. Perhaps you want to join me in choosing a word of the year. Last year I chose "care," and this year my word is "warmth."

Curious, Healing is a blog, and you're welcome to comment there or here about the books. The articles don't have a comment section. You're welcome to comment here or send me email with any thoughts.

If you want the monthly newsletter in your inbox, along with news about my practice, you can subscribe here.

Helpers remove obstacles and add nourishment and support. They help us become more ourselves, rather than transforming us into someone else.
When Help Means Rescue

New book responses at Curious, Healing. Have you read these? Comments welcome!

• "Belonging" by Toko-pa Turner
  
• "My Brother's Husband, Volume 2" by Gengoroh Tagame
  
• "Nurturing Resilience" by Kathy L. Kain and Stephen J. Terrell

Please Vote!
If you are a US citizen, please do your utmost to vote in the upcoming election. Your vote matters! One way to do your part is to ask others what their plan is to vote, and help them vote if you can.

Forearm and Hand bodywork class
Amy Bennett is offering a bodywork and anatomy class on the Forearm and Hand, Sat Dec 8, 2018, 9am-5pm at 510 NE Dekum, Portland, OR. 7 CEUs, $150, 10 students max. To register, please contact Amy directly at amy@elementalbodywork.net or 503-781-3886. Recommended!

Curious, Healing is a blog, and you're welcome to comment there or here about the books. The articles don't have a comment section. You're welcome to comment here or send me email with any thoughts.

If you want the monthly newsletter in your inbox, along with news about my practice, you can subscribe here.

As you repair your boundaries and sense of self, rather than feeling woven together with someone else, you will gradually feel more solid in yourself.
Grow Away from Enmeshment

New book responses at Curious, Healing. Have you read these? Comments welcome!

• "Unlocked" by Gerald Zaltman
  
• "The Calculating Stars" by Mary Robinette Kowal
  
• "The Tightrope Walker" by Dorothy Gilman

Ten years of articles
I sent out my first newsletter in September 2008, and I have continued sending out monthly articles since then. The subjects arise from issues clients bring in, questions people ask, books I read, and issues in my own life. Each article takes at least a couple of days of work to write. As much as I wrestle with some of them, it is satisfying to reach clarity in the end, and to hear that the articles resonate with the people reading them.

I plan to keep writing as long as new subjects float up. Feel free to email me with questions that might lead to an article. This month's article was sparked by an email about relating to siblings in response to The Right Distance from Family.

Curious, Healing is a blog, and you're welcome to comment there or here about the books. The articles don't have a comment section. You're welcome to comment here or send me email with any thoughts.

If you want the monthly newsletter in your inbox, along with news about my practice, you can subscribe here.

As your Inner Guardian becomes more integrated into the present, you can offer a more balanced, skillful response to present-time threats.
Balance for Your Inner Guardian

New book responses at Curious, Healing. Have you read these? Comments welcome!

• "Redemption in Indigo" by Karen Lord


• "Braving the Wilderness" by Brene Brown

Curious, Healing is a blog, and you're welcome to comment there or here about the books. The articles don't have a comment section. You're welcome to comment here or send me email with any thoughts.

If you want the monthly newsletter in your inbox, along with news about my practice, you can subscribe here.

When we practice non-ableist language, it gives us more room to be imperfect humans, internally and externally.
Practice Kind Language

New book responses at Curious, Healing. Have you read this? Comments welcome!

• "A Safe Place for Pearl" by Ani Rose Whaleswan

Needlepoint quote
I'm honored that Graham Turner created a beautiful needlepoint piece with a quote from Presence After Trauma and kindly shared a photo and Instagram link.

Curious, Healing is a blog, and you're welcome to comment there or here about the books. The articles don't have a comment section. You're welcome to comment here or send me email with any thoughts.

If you want the monthly newsletter in your inbox, along with news about my practice, you can subscribe here.

You are not broken. Your responses make sense. As you find ways to sit with inner terror and misery and loneliness for as long as they are there, they will gradually shift and make room for new feelings.
Depression: Natural Response to Trauma

New book responses at Curious, Healing. Have you read these? Comments welcome!

• "Lessons from the Fat-O-Sphere" by Kate Harding and Marianne Kirby
  
• "The Best of All Possible Worlds" by Karen Lord
  
• "The Night Child" by Anna Quinn

Curious, Healing is a blog, and you're welcome to comment there or here about the books. The articles don't have a comment section. You're welcome to comment here or send me email with any thoughts.

If you want the monthly newsletter in your inbox, along with news about my practice, you can subscribe here.

To connect more directly with our bodies just as they are right now, we can bring more awareness to eating, hunger, and fullness.
Embody Hunger, Embody Fullness

New book responses at Curious, Healing. Have you read these? Comments welcome!

• "That's Funny, You Don't Look Buddhist" by Sylvia Boorstein
  
• "Trauma Is Really Strange" by Steve Haines, art by Sophie Standing

Books at the library
I successfully requested that Multnomah County Public Library order both my books, "Presence After Trauma" and "Wellspring of Compassion." If you're local, you can place a hold that will be filled when they come in. Otherwise, you can request that your library order the books - librarians generally appreciate purchase requests.

Curious, Healing is a blog, and you're welcome to comment there or here about the books. The articles don't have a comment section. You're welcome to comment here or send me email with any thoughts.

If you want the monthly newsletter in your inbox, along with news about my practice, you can subscribe here.