Why Connection to Self matters

Disconnection from ourselves can show up in many ways—feeling numb, overwhelmed, anxious, irritable, or like we’re on autopilot. For some, it’s a response to chronic stress. For others, it’s linked to unresolved trauma, grief, loss, or major life transitions.

Adults with developmental trauma, frontline workers carrying the emotional load of others, parents navigating burnout, and individuals adjusting to change or loss often experience this disconnection. Sometimes it’s not that we’ve lost ourselves—it’s that different parts of us are trying to protect us in the best ways they know how.

In therapy, we often explore these parts—the part that overthinks, the part that shuts down, the part that’s angry or afraid. Each of them holds a story. When we meet these parts with curiosity rather than judgment, we start to understand how they’ve helped us survive—and how we might begin to reconnect with a more grounded, core Self underneath it all.

That reconnection is central to healing. It helps us identify what we truly feel, need, and value. It’s the foundation for setting boundaries, making aligned choices, and living with more clarity.

Using trauma-informed approaches—including somatic work, polyvagal theory, Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), and parts work—we support clients in finding safety within themselves again. Not all at once, but gently, and over time.

Connection to Self doesn’t mean having every part of you in agreement—it means being able to listen inward, respond with compassion, and stay rooted as you navigate whatever comes next.

—Angela

Ways to Connect: an invitation to Listen “In”

Reflection Prompt: Take a quiet moment to check in with yourself. What part of you feels most present today? Is it calm, anxious, driven, exhausted, protective? Rather than trying to change it, simply notice it. What might this part want you to know?

Journal Question: When in your life have you felt most connected to yourself? What helped foster that connection—and what tends to pull you away from it?

Somatic Practice:
Plant your feet firmly on the ground. Press down slightly and feel the contact with the floor. Gently scan your body from feet to head, naming sensations without judgment. Finish by placing a hand over your chest or abdomen and breathing into that space for 30-60 seconds.