When we understand our roots—our lineage, the past stories, and experiences that have impacted us—we can build and strengthen our relationship with ourselves in the present. This understanding helps us recognize our role in relational patterns, ultimately allowing us to create healthier relationships with ourselves and others.
This self-paced course, designed by licensed therapists Paola Garcia LMFT-S and Staphanie Garcia LPC, aims to help you tap into your inner wisdom, develop self-trust and self-compassion, and navigate life with confidence and resilience.
Life experiences—including trauma, neglect, and systemic pressure—can push us into a state of "survival mode." In this state, we shift our focus from nurturing our inner world to managing our outer environment, leading to a disconnect between who we are and how we present ourselves. This course supports you in developing stronger congruence with your inner self, positively impacting how you show up in both your outer world and in your therapeutic relationships with yourself and others.
Some signs that your relationship with yourself may need attention include:
- Disconnection from Self: Feeling detached from your inner knowing, your body, and your emotions.
- Repeated Self-Sacrifice: Prioritizing the needs of others while consistently neglecting your own boundaries.
- Outsourcing Your Feelings of Worth: Believing that your worth is conditional rather than inherent.
- Wearing a Mask: Functioning well on the outside while feeling deeply disconnected or struggling internally.
- Productivity as Protection: Using constant busyness and external achievements to avoid the discomfort of being with yourself.
- Restricting Your Voice: Maintaining peace at all costs because you feel that your true self is "too much" or "troublesome."
- Conditional Self-Acceptance: A relentless drive to "fix" or "improve" yourself because the version of you that exists right now doesn’t feel safe to love.
Course Goals
This self-paced journey is designed to help you:
- Cultivate Curiosity: Explore where your beliefs about your self-concept originated.
- Learn about the concept of self through a decolonized lens: Whether you are just beginning to build your relationship to yourself or looking to deepen your practice.
- Repair Rather Than Fix: Focus on building and repairing your relationship with yourself rather than seeking to fix yourself.
- Build Sustainable Practices: Develop habits that support a positive relationship with yourself throughout your life, enhancing overall functioning.
- Improve Your Relationships with Others: Compassionately examine how your view of self influences your interpersonal relationships.
The Curriculum
Module 1: Intros & Exploring Our Roots
Meet your instructors, create a visual map of your lineage, and engage in a childhood self-meditation.
Module 2: Relationship with Self
- Compare Western, Feminist, and Indigenous views of identity and discover which perspective resonates with you most.
- Explore your current relationship with your body, pain, and emotions, as well as the political, economic, and medical systems that may have influenced these aspects of your life.
- Become curious about how popular culture and media shape your understanding of yourself. Learn tools for building self-trust and self-love.
Module 3: Noticing Relational Patterns & Our Role in These Patterns
- Cultivate relational awareness and practice loving accountability as you recognize your patterns in relationships without falling into shame.
- Learn strategies and tools to establish healthy boundaries to protect your emotional and physical well-being.
Module 4: Tenets of Healthy Relationships & Integration
- Explore the principles of healthy relationships.
- Integrate everything you’ve discovered in the previous modules into your being.
- Move forward with the understanding that your relationship with yourself is continually evolving.
Enrollment Details
Format: Self-paced, on-demand online course.
Includes: Lifetime access to four modules of information, featuring audio meditations, journaling prompts, creative exercises, and information about herbal allies to support you throughout the course.
Suggested Supplies: A journal (paper or digital), basic art supplies (magazines, glue, markers), and herbs (rosemary, rose, passion flower, and lemon balm).
Investment: USD total $150 upfront (or two monthly payments of $72).
Policy: All sales are final due to the digital nature of the materials.
This course is a good fit for me if:
I am looking to build or enhance my relationship with my authentic self at a slow and intentional pace.
