In this episode I sit down with my friend and fellow psychotherapist, April Kaiserlian. April is a Licensed Master of Social Work in private practice in Grand Rapids, MI and is a Mindfulness teacher and co-founder of the Grand Rapids Center for Mindfulness. We discuss themes of turning towards suffering rather than numbing or avoiding. April references the poem Birdwings by Rumi that I wanted to post here for you to read. Let these words in:

Birdwings

Your grief for what you've lost lifts a mirror

up to where you're bravely working.

Expecting the worst, you look, and instead,

here's the joyful face you've been wanting to see.

Your hand opens and closes and opens and closes.

If it were always a fist or always stretched open,

you would be paralyzed.

Your deepest presence is in every small contracting and expanding

the two as beautifully balanced and coordinated

as birdwings.

--Rumi

Connect with April

Web:

https://www.aprilkaiserlian.com/

https://www.grandrapidscenterformindfulness.com/

IG:

https://www.instagram.com/aprilkaiserlian/

Bryan Nixon is a psychotherapist and the founder and clinical director of Mindful Counseling GR in Grand Rapids, MI. He is also a teacher and facilitator in Relationally Focused Psychodynamic Therapy, a post-grad continuing education program for therapists.