Inner Light Therapy- Rayna Milner, LMFT
I am a firm believer in following signs from the universe... and my life has been a beautiful ride because I have allowed myself to do so. It's led to an unconventional adventure, and I look forward to continuing to ground myself in the present while continuing to dream and evolve as a human being.
When I was young, I thought I had my practical life journey all planned. Getting married, becoming a therapist, putting dance on a shelf, having kiddos, this was my plan. and I did my best!
But my soul is sensitive and highly attuned to feelings and intuition...and "my" plan started to feel...off.
My inner voice kept getting louder, my fear a little quieter, and I became more aware of possibilities unfolding in my realm. I found dance again. I started feeling more comfy showing some of my quirkiness, even though some of my closest people were very opposed to different.
People don't believe me when I say I had to talk myself into doing something as small as wearing some sparkly cat-eye sunglasses in public. I was scared of self-expression. I'm shy, introverted, and while I do love me some attention in the right moments, I had to learn that self-expression is a different, more freeing form of attention.
I had a pivotal moment in my mid-20's and realized that I wanted to honor my feelings more than I wanted to continue living to appease others. I was tired, and I felt trapped. This moment happened in Hillcrest, CA, when I witnessed a precious elderly woman strolling in her platform black glitter sneaks, all-black attire, and a bad-ass bob haircut. Wow! I had been taught to think about getting older, think about who I was attracting, think about what my appearance would say to others. Well, this fiery little lady made my breath hitch, and I remember thinking I wanted to be her someday! So why not start living loud and proud now?!? That was literally the day I stopped in Flashbacks (a retro thrift store) and bought those crazy cat-eye shades!
And 20 years later, I am here, standing in my truth, and loving this journey of helping others uncover their complex layers and discover self-love and true acceptance.
I also dig the challenge of helping people break down their strong beliefs and views that keep walls up both internally and within relationships. It's important to know that it's okay to shift perspectives, it's okay to shift and sway and vacillate, even though our society loves us to choose, to pick a box and stay in it. Why? As long as we are honoring ourselves and not harming anyone else. And the more we dive in and discover who we truly are underneath what we think we're supposed to be, the happier we become, the kinder we become, and the more open we become to other's differences.
true empathy is the ability to put aside our own individual narrative and truly listen to each other. We each have our own life experience, and it's a beautiful world when we are able to truly live presently in ours while also opening our hearts and minds to all other living beings. There is no way to understand your own journey, or the journey of another's, until you quiet the mind and truly listen.
Enough with this rant for now! Thanks for reading, and for your interest in therapy.
When I was young, I thought I had my practical life journey all planned. Getting married, becoming a therapist, putting dance on a shelf, having kiddos, this was my plan. and I did my best!
But my soul is sensitive and highly attuned to feelings and intuition...and "my" plan started to feel...off.
My inner voice kept getting louder, my fear a little quieter, and I became more aware of possibilities unfolding in my realm. I found dance again. I started feeling more comfy showing some of my quirkiness, even though some of my closest people were very opposed to different.
People don't believe me when I say I had to talk myself into doing something as small as wearing some sparkly cat-eye sunglasses in public. I was scared of self-expression. I'm shy, introverted, and while I do love me some attention in the right moments, I had to learn that self-expression is a different, more freeing form of attention.
I had a pivotal moment in my mid-20's and realized that I wanted to honor my feelings more than I wanted to continue living to appease others. I was tired, and I felt trapped. This moment happened in Hillcrest, CA, when I witnessed a precious elderly woman strolling in her platform black glitter sneaks, all-black attire, and a bad-ass bob haircut. Wow! I had been taught to think about getting older, think about who I was attracting, think about what my appearance would say to others. Well, this fiery little lady made my breath hitch, and I remember thinking I wanted to be her someday! So why not start living loud and proud now?!? That was literally the day I stopped in Flashbacks (a retro thrift store) and bought those crazy cat-eye shades!
And 20 years later, I am here, standing in my truth, and loving this journey of helping others uncover their complex layers and discover self-love and true acceptance.
I also dig the challenge of helping people break down their strong beliefs and views that keep walls up both internally and within relationships. It's important to know that it's okay to shift perspectives, it's okay to shift and sway and vacillate, even though our society loves us to choose, to pick a box and stay in it. Why? As long as we are honoring ourselves and not harming anyone else. And the more we dive in and discover who we truly are underneath what we think we're supposed to be, the happier we become, the kinder we become, and the more open we become to other's differences.
true empathy is the ability to put aside our own individual narrative and truly listen to each other. We each have our own life experience, and it's a beautiful world when we are able to truly live presently in ours while also opening our hearts and minds to all other living beings. There is no way to understand your own journey, or the journey of another's, until you quiet the mind and truly listen.
Enough with this rant for now! Thanks for reading, and for your interest in therapy.