Tag Archives: dawn bennett

The Little Things Add Up

Touch Remedies Posted on by
Golden Canyon, Death Valley

I explored Death Valley National Park Thursday.  I was high-energy, motivated, and feeling playful.  After a longer hike in the morning I had plenty of energy left, so kept exploring.  With the sun high in the sky, rock music playing on the radio, and coffee in hand–because those little things added to the amazing energy–I decided to knock out a couple of scenic drives that had some small walks and overlooks.  When I got back to my campsite, I was a bit tired, and climbed into my tent to do some stretching before starting the bonfire.  I woke at 1 am, wondering what had happened, and why I was so exhausted.  

Little Things Add Up  

Years of water forms beautiful spiraled canyons

Looking back, I had knocked out almost 15 miles of hiking, mostly in mountainous and hilly terrain. No wonder!  This happens in all areas of our lives, especially in personal and professional relationships.  Those little things we say to others;  the small ways in which we are critical, or in which we don’t ask for our own needs to be met; those unspoken expectations that create a feeling of being unloved, unwanted, or unappreciated. Little things can become really big things–the same the way water can carve through rock little by little over time.

It’s Different For Everyone

Some people love getting praise and appreciation for their efforts and it spurs them to do more and be better; others do not-and it can even make them feel embarrassed and unmotivated to do it again.  I am not one to be motivated by praise.  I had a partner that was, so I had to make a conscious choice to think about giving him what he needed. 

Are You Being Polite?

Some of us, especially in midwestern culture, were taught (via example and words) to be nice, polite, or stoic.  We were subtly taught to not ask for what we want; in fact, we often were shown by example to politely turn down offers a couple times before accepting something we did.  Or that it’s polite to offer over and over again if another turns us down, just in case. How odd is that?  

It Is Not Rude to Say Yes to What You Want

I don’t believe we have to give up our own needs to be kind to others.  It’s also not rude to accept another person’s offer if we really want to.  I’m also not saying you should never compromise, or that consciously choosing to do for another is bad.

However, for healthy relationships to exist, you MUST be comfortable communicating what you want and need.  Period.  To do that, you must also be AWARE of what you want and need and overcome any emotional hesitation to speaking that truth.

Start With the Little Things

EFT Tapping can help you speak your truth.  I can help you clear those hesitations and brain patterns that have you automatically saying no when you mean yes. You can have everything you want  if you can clearly ask for it.  That means you also have to believe you deserve it.  That you are worth it.  That in a healthy relationship of any kind, others want to give back to you—even if their way looks different. 

Don’t Exhaust Yourself

Click Here to Register!

When you find yourself feeling disconnected or unappreciated in any kind of relationship (personal, professional, or intimate) give me a call.  More often than not EFT tapping can clear the little things that are adding up to those big emotions.  

Little things matter.  You matter.  Let me help.  Call me or join my upcoming EFT Tapping class now!  It’s only $17 + 48 hours before class starts–you will receive a link to get a second person in FOR FREE.  I’m here for you.

With love,

Dawn

  • Dawn with Hands on heart
    Dawn

Do We Judge Others’ Because We Dislike Ourselves?

Touch Remedies Posted on by

October 15, 2018 (posting November 7, 2018)

Emotional Dissonance

I work with a lot of people who have dissonance between what they want out of their lifestyle, career, relationship, or health, and what they have become or are expected/pressured to be. Then, they project outward or judge others.

I use Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT tapping) and homeopathy to help each person discharge emotions and have the power to step into the life they want–without feeling judged. I have been observing in different cultures and situations how people subtly judge, and wanted to write a bit about it today.

Hiking up Fairy Hill with the group

I went to an event outside of Dublin called “Hammered Hiking.”  It was advertised as a walk to a local pub, a 4-hour challenging hike through the hills, a brief stop at another pub, then a walk back to the meeting location.  It sounded like a lovely way to meet some people in a casual atmosphere. What surprised me was the number of people in the group who did not drink. It came up in casual conversation as someone passed around a small flask, and three of the 10 of us did not drink at all.  We got into an amazing and eye-opening conversation about judgements and social expectations of others. The question all the “non-drinkers” have been asked/hassled about/judged around: Why don’t you drink?

You Don’t Drink Alcohol?

It’s a question I have heard myself.  When I traveled to California and was on a detox, people were astounded I would go there and not have any wine.  “What? We are near Napa! You can’t go home without having a glass of wine with me!” I also was asked by a couple of people if I was pregnant.  Because WHY would I CHOOSE not to drink? The women I was with were astounded to see that I danced, laughed, and engaged as much or even more than if I had been drinking.  I know people who will carry around drinks at parties and pretend they are drinking in order to deflect the social pressure. There can be a strong undercurrent of judgement as well.  I.e. If you don’t drink, you must have a Problem with drinking.  (If someone is respecting themselves and the others around them by honoring their choice of sobriety, we should be applauding them, not judging them!!)

Others look for a Reason beyond just the fact that one doesn’t want to drink that day/week/month/ever. My clients and friends report having to make excuses (I have to drive, I’m not feeling well, I’m on a detox, it interacts with my medication, I’m trying to lose weight, etc.) for it to be socially acceptable not to drink. One friend of mine in Minneapolis quipped, “if I say I’m not drinking alcohol, people wonder why and judge me. If I say I’m straight-edge, I’m a cool part of the culture.”

View over Dublin area

One person in the hiking group said “I feel split from myself when I am drinking.  I don’t like that feeling.” Another woman just doesn’t like the taste of alcohol. Both of them reported being pressured to drink over and over.  As if the people they were with were not comfortable unless everyone is drinking. One said, “I don’t pressure others not to drink because I’m not. Why do they feel they should pressure me to drink?”

Here’s What You Should Eat

I hear the same thing said about food judgments.  I know a woman who has an extremely high metabolism who has a hard time gaining weight.  People say things such as: “Really, you are just going to eat a salad?” “You’re so skinny-why don’t you eat a sandwich!” With the increased allergies in our society, the people with serious food allergies versus just intolerances are not always taken seriously.  “Oh, you’re one of THOSE gluten-free people.”

Maybe We Can Try Being Supportive First

Why do we judge and make these negative sounding comments towards people for their choices instead of being supportive?  Are we trying to feel better about our own habits and choices? I know in Minnesota we have a mentality where we have to offer food or drinks of any sort over and over again to feel hospitable.  “Are you sure you don’t want anything?”   I have friends who don’t like chocolate. They get comments like, “who doesn’t like CHOCOLATE! That’s _(insert word of choice).”

Being A Judge is Tiring

I really think that we don’t realize we are making comments that are negative and tiring to others.  Perhaps we think we are being playful. Regardless, the words we say have an impact on others. My challenge for myself and for you this week is to watch how you engage with people about their choices.  Are the words you are using implying judgement or support?

Resting after hiking 3 mountains in Connemara, Ireland

If you are ready to make changes in your life and let go of the emotional and social ties around it, send me a message and we will set up a complimentary 30-minute talk to explore how I can help you. I provide a safe, non-judgmental space for you to share and heal.  I look forward to our conversation.

With Love,

Dawn

P.S. Comment below to share other ways you observe judgement in everyday conversation.  

About Touch Remedies

Touch Remedies Posted on by
Dawn

About Dawn

People often ask why I’m passionate about what I do. I believe all of us want to be happy, to experience love, and to feel that life is easy, even through challenges. As I go through my own healing process with a variety of healers, it becomes clear to me how each one of us is powerful and has the capacity to experience the beauty of life in every moment. We all are meant to shine our power, but often we get restricted by our ego, our fears, the voice of society, and by ideas we adapted when we were young. These things create a mask that prevents our own true being from coming forward in an easy, loving, and Powerful way.

I facilitate and encourage people to have deep realizations about who they are and how to step into their true selves in an effective way using CranioSacral Therapy, Emotional Freedom Techniques, and other mind/body tools. I have witnessed people discover how they’ve created their own diseases or pains in their bodies through emotional suppression or stress, and heal those things they thought were impossible to change.

By listening closely, carefully, and asking questions about what’s behind the story rather than the story itself, we can uncover the truest deepest self and help your deeper self come forward. I believe and know that many physical symptoms come from trapped emotions, trauma, or stressors that have happened throughout your life. Countless other healers have helped me heal, and I am honored to pay that forward by helping you see yourself more clearly, and working with you on your journey to health.

Summary of Experience and Training

Dawn Bennett, LMT, NCTMB, CCH, RSHom (NA), CST, Classical Homeopath and Bodyworker, has been working actively with clients of all kinds since 1997.

Massage/Bodywork:

Dawn has been a Nationally Certified Massage Therapist since graduating from the Utah College of Massage Therapy in December of 1997, and is licensed in Wisconsin and California (license #69711), as Minnesota uses different laws to regulate practitioners. 

Her advanced training has been focused on CranioSacral Therapy (CST) through the Upledger Institute, where she is a Certified CranioSacral Therapist and Presenter.  She traveled to Europe and worked with other practitioners to help veterans and retired police officers using CST. Those clients reported dramatic improvement in sleep, a sense of calm, and a decrease of bodily pain and dysfunction.  She also took training called “The Brain Speaks,” in which she learned how to facilitate releases in the structures of the soft tissues in and around the brain and spinal cord.  She has visceral manipulation training through the Barral Institute, which means she facilitates soft tissue release in organs in the abdomen and pelvis after emotional and physical stressors. 

Dawn has completed the first two levels of Healing Touch training and the first level of Reiki. Dawn worked for over ten years as an instructor teaching massage and complementary healing courses at Minnesota State College, Southeast Technical in Red Wing, MN, USA. She has taken a variety of myofascial release and other massage courses, and continues to train yearly to enhance her skills.

Dawn is a member of EFT International, and attained her Emotional Freedom Techniques Certification in June of 2019. She also completed a course called Tapping Out of Trauma, and applies those skills to help people work with touch challenges in current and past situations.

Dawn’s life experience and feedback after speaking engagements inspired and equipped her to take a leadership role in addressing the touch crisis in our culture. Having grown up in an era when it was okay to give hugs to teachers and where warnings about touch were only about getting into trouble sexually, she then witnessed workplace cultures shift from acceptable to confusing, awkward, and even dangerous when it comes to touch. Dawn dove into the science of touch and began to see an important new factor in the frightening increases in anxiety, depression, and addiction that we are seeing in America. In her upcoming book, The Touch Crisis: Navigating the Tricky Terrain of Bringing Healthy Touch Back to Our Culture, Dawn openly shares her personal touch crisis and journey to healing to give readers a new pathway to personal and collective healing in their families, workplaces, and their communities.

Mind/Body Trainings:

Dawn graduated from the Northwestern Academy of Classical Homeopathy in 2009 and has done clinical supervision there. She is certified by the Council for Homeopathic Certification, is a member of the North American Society of Homeopaths, the Minnesota Homeopathic Association, and the National Center for Homeopathy.

Dawn completed her bachelor’s degree in Business and Complementary Medicine from Metro State University in Minneapolis, MN in 2009. She became a Repetitive Behavior Cellular Regression Practitioner in 2013. In 2015 she also became a PSYCH-K® Facilitator.

Dawn continues to take continuing education every year to explore deeper ways to help her clients on their journey.