Inner Magic
My name is Marissa Valeriano and I am a therapist from Hoboken, NJ. I have wrestled with the idea of writing this blog for a long time now. Journaling has been a life changing tool in my own wellness journey and one that I have seen help my clients in a thousand ways over the years. When we write we are able to create space between ourselves and the swirling thoughts in our heads, we are better able to clarify our kaleidoscope of emotions into something that feels true. When we write we are able to give a story to the things we go through and nothing creates meaning more than story. So writing has become a sacred thing for me, a healing thing. But sharing it with the world is different. I do not plan to share all the details of my personal life in these posts, that’s not the purpose of this blog. And yes, there is a professional lens I can present these thoughts through. A mental health professional writing a mental health blog. Not a big deal. But the idea of sharing these thoughts online has been scary for me because there is a personal side to all of this too. Life is hard for all of us, we are one, we struggle with the same things. So there is some vulnerability needed for any of this to be real. A vulnerability I have no trouble sharing with my clients in the safe space of therapy, but one that I have been hesitant to share with the world at large. But this blog is about listening to your heart and my heart has been pulling at me to share these words for a long time. So here we are.
This blog is about the spark inside each of us, a guide, a magic, that calls on our imagination and whispers in the secret spaces of our soul. If we are still enough, open enough, it will lead us through our days. It is the voice that tells us when something is right for us or when it is time to make a change. It speaks to us through our bodies, it speaks to us through our emotions. It is the tension in your shoulders when you say yes when you wanted to say no. It is the joy and expansiveness you feel when living in a way that feels authentic to who you really are. It’s there in the smile of a loved one or a song on repeat. It’s in the warmth of home or the call of the open road. It’s the sorrow and stagnation that comes from living a life that isn’t for you. This voice is always with us but so often other things get in the way. Our minds chatter over it, pointing out all the ways we don’t have what it takes, all the ways we’re not enough, all the ways we should stay small and play it safe. Sometimes, we don’t hear the voice for years because we are so caught up in the business of life, so caught up in the chatter, so caught up in the fear. It is hard to stay still enough to listen, to hear this voice of your heart. Stillness brings all the chatter up too, and sometimes it can be too much to listen, easier to just keep moving, to drown it all out. But the magic stays. It doesn’t abandon us. No matter how busy, how deaf we have grown, it’s gentle whispers never cease calling to us, trying to lead us home. Magic is nothing if not a persistent seductress.
This blog is dedicated to that Inner Magic. These posts will explore how to hear it, how to listen, how to overcome what gets in the way. Because that’s all that wellness is: figuring out how to take a step closer each day to the way of being that your heart is tugging you towards.
Are you ready to learn more about what therapy could be for you?
Therapy is a very personal journey and you deserve to feel seen and supported by your therapist. Please reach out if you would like to explore working together.