Small Spoons

"What is easy is sustainable. Birds coast when they can."

–adrienne maree brown

For people living in low-capacity bodies in a high-demand world, the pressures to conform, perform, and labor come from various sources, both external and internal. And while there may not be much we can do in the short-term to push back on the demands of late-stage neoliberal capitalism, there is a lot we can do to ease the pressure of shame and internalized ableism.

For most of the chronically ill and/or burnt out people I've worked with, the internal pressure of shame–an adaptive response to developmental trauma–predates the onset of their illness and burnout. And while bearing witness to, validating, and ultimately interrupting our shame-based survival strategies doesn't make up for the fact that we live in an ableist, oppressive system that puts profit over people, doing so can considerably lessen the amount of internal pressure we feel, thus freeing us to imagine & ask for the kind of life & world where all bodies and needs are accommodated and celebrated.

In my trauma repair work, I teach people to become safe caregivers to themselves and to build self-trust, which allows us to feel all of our big feelings safely, fully trust our own bodies and knowing, and to make choices and create change that aligns with our desires.

Being a safe caregiver to our low-capacity bodies means reclaiming our bodies' inherent trustworthiness.

In Small Spoons, I will: take you through the genesis of shame and the survival function of internalized ableism; offer a gentle framework for trauma repair for low-capacity bodies; as well as suggestions for ways to ease the burden of care tasks in day-to life. My teaching style emphasizes autonomy, consent, and the sovereignty of lived experience.

I firmly believe that repair is possible inside of every interaction we have with our bodies, and that our relationship with our bodies, no matter how fraught, holds the possibility, and is deserving of, repair.

This workshop is for you if you experience one or more of the following:

• Chronic pain, chronic illness, and/or disability
• Neurodivergence
• Burnout (for any reason)
• Pregnancy & postpartum
• Long Covid
• Recovery from acute illness/injury
• Grief & loss

I am not an expert in all of these matters by any stretch. As a teacher, I am coming to this material with humility, and with the lived experience of being late-diagnosed with Autism and ADHD. What I have found in navigating the experience of Autistic burnout is that this is the topic that feels the most alive to me at the moment (hello, special interest!) and that so much of the framework of trauma repair directly applies to the topic of low-capacity living.

What I can promise you is this: your own lived experienced will be honored and celebrated above all.

Some of the topics we'll cover together include:

• Identifying & reducing the shame of internalized ableism.
• Naming the harm of oppressive systems.
• Tending to the grief of not having relational & developmental needs met.
• Learning to be a safe caregiver to ourselves, even (especially!) when that was never modeled for us.
• Practical tools & resources to deal with everyday tasks when capacity is low.

The workshop will include lecture, personal reflection, and group sharing time when you can receive witness and ask questions. You will have lifetime access to the recording, as well as curated resources and practices.

In preparation, please gather the following:

• Pen & paper or journal
• If you wish: any items to create a simple sacred space, such as candles, crystals, herbs or incense to burn, tarot cards, etc.
• Any comfort items such as blankets, stuffies, stim toys, etc.
• Something to eat & drink.

This is a pre-recorded workshop.

You will have instant access to all workshop materials.

If you hold one or more marginalized identities, and the cost of the workshop is prohibitive for you at this time, please email me at hello@thetraumawitch with the subject line Small Spoons to receive free access, no questions asked.