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Roadmap to the recovery tree: Exploring inner dimensions in Bryanston
Bryanston Explorers Friendship and Chat Group convened a remarkable meeting this month, led by Shelley Addis, the group’s convenor. The explorers were treated to a session with wellness coach Tessa O’Grady on August 23.
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O’Grady is the founder of Paren-teen-teacher, a non-profit project aimed at providing guidance to parents, teachers, and teenagers through a unique coaching and self-assessment tool she developed. The tool focuses on empowering connection through the creative expression of emotions. During the session, O’Grady led the group through an introspective exercise involving drawing trees to assess the mental states of the participants. Each member was asked to envision and draw a tree, a symbolic representation of their inner self.
Drawing from techniques that integrate inner archetypes and elements to support healing and recovery, O’Grady navigated the group through a journey towards the “recovery tree,” the central theme of her presentation.
“This method is a comprehensive approach to self-healing, guiding individuals towards wholeness and self-awareness for a more fulfilling and joyful life,” O’Grady shared before commencing her presentation. “Each person carries an internal family that is influenced by their upbringing. Often, these internal archetypes may be dysfunctional. This method teaches us how to heal these different archetypes.
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“I developed this method based on my personal journey of healing from childhood traumas,” O’Grady continued. “Nature played a significant role in my healing process, allowing me to utilize the elements of nature to address and heal my past wounds.”
The explorers embarked on a reflective journey to discover their inner recovery trees, commencing with a grounding exercise led by O’Grady. This exercise fostered mindfulness and awareness among the participants before inviting them to express themselves through drawing trees using crayons on paper.
O’Grady’s approach draws inspiration from Chinese element-based medicinal practices, modernized to facilitate self-parenting and exploration.
“Each element corresponds to an archetype, and every individual possesses five fundamental archetypes within their inner family,” she explained.
O’Grady’s method educates individuals on the five elements of earth, fire, water, air, and ether, associating each with a member of the inner family within one’s subjective self. The goal is to assist individuals in rewiring their internal networks through a process she terms ‘tremoring.’
“Tremoring is a biological response that humans possess for survival, akin to animals shaking off stress. Through drawing, movement, and a specialized form, individuals can activate this innate response,” O’Grady elaborated.
The Bryanston Explorers Friendship and Chat Group gathers monthly for insightful and profound presentations, reminiscent of the University of the Third Age (U3A) activities in Sandton. To participate in future meetings, contact Shelley Addis at 083 409 7927.
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