I found spiritual practices inspiring and transformational, but when emotions flared, it was hard for me to live true to my spiritual values. I often blurted out angry criticisms or putdowns and withdrew from people into dark moods. I had a hard time speaking up for myself, being authentic and asking for what I needed, and I suffered from depression and low self-worth.

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I blamed my ego, negative emotions and childhood wounds for my "unspiritual" behavior, but none of those things were the real problem. The real problem was that I lacked basic skills  that aren't yet widely  taught in the world. I lacked skills for working with emotions as they arise in daily life. I lacked skills for integrating shadow parts of me that were driving me to act in harmful and self-defeating ways. I lacked skills for recognizing unconscious patterns and working to shift them as they arise in real-time interactions.

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I lacked basic spiritual and psychological knowledge and skills that I believe every human being should know. It took over a decade to piece together a core set of principles and practices for living a more conscious, connected life, and along the way, I discovered some of psychology's best-kept secrets.

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For example,  psychologists have long known that human psyche is equipped with an inner process for change and growth. The visionary psychologist C.G. Jung laid out methods for activating and supporting this process over a hundred years ago,  but little of this information is widely available to the general public. Further, most of the ways Western culture has conditioned us to interact with ourselves and others actively block this inner change process! In a world desperate for change, isn't this information everyone should  know?!

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Felt Connection offers shadow work and relationship skills that gently support the inner change process at the heart of human healing, transformation and individuation. Our work is drawn from a deep well of inspiration, including Western and Eastern spiritual practices, Jungian shadow work, Hakomi Mindful Somatic Psychology,  neuroscience, and the groundbreaking work of psychologist and philosopher Gene Gendlin. We've worked hard to make  Felt Connection practical; every skill we offer has been  tested in the heat and messiness of our own real-life interactions.

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Felt Connection is more than a set of skills: its community of practice engaged in a unique a form of social activism. We practice skillful ways of relating to ourselves and each other designed to support personal and collective  healing and transformation. We're committed to practicing these skills together because they're nourishing and enlivening, and because we believe they're capable of changing the world in a practical, grounded way: one relationship at a time.

I warmly invite you to find out more about our community and the skills we're committing to practicing together. Like any life-changing practice, Felt Connection takes take time, commitment and repeated practice to learn. The companionship  of like-minded souls helps too, so if you decide to try some of the practices we share on this site, we'll be here to support you along the way.

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Rhonda Mattern

Founder of Felt Connection

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