"To see things in the seed, that is genius" ~ Lao Tzu
I have been told I have a “Green Thumb” …I laugh a bit at this, don’t get me wrong, I love plants, flowers, trees, etc. I do enjoy planting them and watching them grow, if they cooperate. Turns out plant life ends up being a lot of responsibility. I mean, you are supposed to keep them alive! Plants need the “right” amount of water, the “right” soil, the “right” amount of sunlight, the “right” amount of fertilizer, the “right” sized pot, the list goes on! Turns out plant life needs nurturing, the “right” nurturing. I am not sure I know much of anything about giving plants the right nurturing. Quite frankly, most of my experience with plant life has been complete trial and error. I planted a vegetable garden once from seeds, it was a disaster! I haven’t attempted it again, why? fear maybe. Have you ever been too scared to grow? I don’t think plants are…they are plants! I do think they will die off or become stagnant when they have outgrown their environment but, too scared to grow…I don’t think so.
Writing this blog was scary for me, I have been putting off writing another blog for over a year and it has been hindering my growth. Why would I do this to myself? Why would anybody fear a seemingly simple task they know deep down was holding them back from their awesomeness?
Telling another human, sometimes yourself, how to grow or change is about as effective as telling a plant how to grow or change! Our emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual bodies have the capability of holding more information than we are capable of comprehending. This information can help and hinder our growth. How do we find the information and decide what is hindering or helping? Plants don’t have to decide, if in the right environment they just adapt and flow naturally if they have all the necessities, they can flourish if given the opportunity.
We as humans can also grow, adapt, flourish. Sometimes we just need a hint, or 100 hints, or for me a gigantic push! Or just one of those beautiful moments when something you have heard thousands of times suddenly makes perfect sense in so many ways, when before it was just a cliché. The cliché that inspired this blog, “all you’ve got to do is plant a seed.”
When it was hinted to me that I was a “green thumb” it was also explained that learning how plants grow and working with their energy would transfer and relate to my knowledge of working with humans.
I have been a therapist for over 10 years, a social worker since 2002, and prior to 2002 worked in customer service. I feel like I know a lot about humans, how they work/grow…what could plants teach me about humans? I write this now and laugh at my ignorance.
I was replaying a conversation I had with my father a few days earlier and the thought popped in my head that he probably thinks I am a crazy dreamer, then the next thought that followed was “all you did was plant a seed” …the realization hit me so hard in that moment! Followed by joy, laughter at myself, then an astounding “DUH”!!
Plants and humans do grow in a similar fashion. You can’t tell a plant where to grow, when to grow, how to grow, why to grow, you can’t reason with them, you can’t lecture them, educate them, intimidate them, or just plain tell them the best ways to grow! They just do their thing if given the right environment and elements. They will flourish if nurtured and needs are met. The person taking care of the plant is to become a student of the plant. This information absolutely transfers to humans!!
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR Therapy) is a therapeutic modality that allows human healing and growth to happen naturally, occurring through a holistic, natural, energetic flow. It assists in releasing all the yucky, stagnant information stored in the emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual bodies when ready and when given the right environment and foundation to do so.
My hope today is to “plant a seed.” Barb Maiberger from the Maiberger Institute provided me the “right” environment and foundation to become an EMDR Therapist. She believed in me, saw my potential, and despite my fears to grow, nurtured me, encouraged me, applauded me, celebrated me as I shared the miracles I witnessed in my office every day. She provided me with just the right elements…she might just be a “green thumb” herself!! I am now an EMDRIA Certified EMDR Therapist and EMDRIA Approved Consultant. And today, today was the day I moved through one more fear or hinderance to my own growth. Barb Maiberger helped me to see the importance of addressing my own “yuck” participating in my own EMDR therapy sessions, planting a seed in relation to other modalities of energy and body work.
I am honored to announce that Barb Maiberger is bringing the EMDR Therapy Training back to North Dakota, and this time to my hometown of Minot. My hope is that this seed I have planted today grows into a flourishing garden of EMDR Therapists in Minot, ND and our surrounding area. EMDR therapy has molded me into a “green thumb” of human healing and growth, removing “yuck” and nurturing the human potential.
Will you allow this opportunity to pass you by? Hope to see your beautiful face in the garden!!
~ Cheryl Vaudt, LICSW
EMDRIA Certified EMDR Therapist
EMDRIA Approved Consultant