Healing from the Inside Out
Ms. J came to me with a very special request. She needed to expand the love that she had for herself. She needed to appreciate her physical self, her feminine power more.
I could not have been more honored. This is my entire WHY. This is exactly why I do what I do - for the empowering and transformative experience that is created in the sacredness of the session.
Ms. J also happens to be a beautiful writer - read about her experience in her own words.
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Most people know me to be strong, independent and confident. My mom used to tell me I was independent from the moment I left the womb. I also know the importance of self-love and appreciation. I help my clients connect with their confidence and self-love daily.
Most of the time I have plenty of self-love and appreciation, but I would be lying if I said I was there 100% of the time. The area that I struggle the most with in self-love, confidence, acceptance and appreciation is my physical appearance.
Personal growth is something I have always made a priority in my life. I am always reading, taking classes and working with a coach. This year, I dove in real deep by going through the Gratitude Training program. It is definitely a deep exploration of all your self-limiting beliefs and behaviors. Deep enough that not everyone who starts, finishes.
One of the courses I took through this training was called Sacred Feminine. I learned a lot about myself in this class and was able to make some significant strides in connecting with the sacred feminine. It also brought to the surface all my struggles with accepting this human body that I reside in. The anger, frustration and sadness I was feeling was raw and uncomfortable.
During a coaching call after the Sacred Feminine class, we talked about my experience. My coach challenged me to do some healing work in this area. It took me a bit to figure out how I could challenge myself to grow and heal this part of me, and then my dear friend Graciela Valdes came to mind. This woman is a gifted photographer and her specialty is boudoir portraits. Having seen some posts about her work on social media, I knew it would be much more than just a boudoir photo shoot.
As soon as I shared my situation with her, she said “I got you!” Her confidence let me know right away I had made the right decision. From the get-go she was tuned in to why I was doing this, and she made every effort to support that. Even though I really dislike having my photo taken, she made the process very comfortable. We laughed and had a lot of fun, and on my own I shed many healing tears.
The most stressful part of this process for me was the day I got to see the results of the photo shoot. I was so nervous. I had a lot of doubt as to whether I would like the photos. I was worried that they wouldn’t help me feel any differently about myself.
When I sat to watch the beautifully composed slide show she had prepared, I was amazed. Graciela had captured everything I needed to see in me. In those photos she captured my strength, my beauty, my love, my magic, my peacefulness, my grace, my power, my light, and even my sexiness.
When I first received the photos, I thought they would only be for me, that I would never show them to anyone. I also realized that not letting anyone else see them would limit my growth from the experience. I decided I could share a few of them with a few close friends. They insisted on seeing all of them. Their extreme positive response to the photos led me to share them with others, and their responses led me to be open to sharing them with anyone.
Any time I am feeling less than that woman that Graciela captured in those photos, I take a look at them and to remind myself of who I am. I am a powerful, beautiful, loving woman who is capable of anything and everything, and I love myself!
Graciela’s photo shoots shouldn’t be called boudoir. They are Personal Healing and Empowerment Sessions. I can’t recommend her enough. She is an amazing, talented woman!
