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About Sheyna Galyan
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Blog postOne Month Ago: Dear Body,
I’m trying to listen carefully to you, but I’m still not understanding what you need from me. You told me before about needing more restorative sleep and I’m glad we’ve got that sorted out. I know there’s more, though. Please be really, really clear with me about what you need so I can take appropriate action.
Sincerely, Me
Three Weeks Ago:
“It would be worth checking your blood
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Blog post“Dresden, I need help,” I said to my primary guide after having lunch with a dear friend. “Talk to me.”
“I’m overwhelmed and scared and discouraged, bordering on powerless. I’m on the verge of tears but this isn’t even about me.”
“What isn’t about you?” Dresden asked. “Specificity will help here.”
“Russia invaded and started a war with Ukraine. I have Ukrainian friends here in the States who are scar
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Blog post“Let’s talk a bit about your focus as you move forward with Soul Guides,” Dresden prompted as I prepared to do some editing on the next book. “O…kay.” I was suddenly concerned. “Is something wrong?”
“Not at all. You looked up some of our older conversations about how much of our relationship should go public and I want to make sure your understanding of your growth and healing is clear.”
“Well, yeah,” I sai
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Blog postIn 2021, I saw a lot of posts, articles, and other references to what was touted as the “shift” from “3D to 5D” and that it was a kind of ascension. The not-exactly-scientific explanation goes like this: Humanity has been living in a three-dimensional world up to this point (evidenced by fear and anger), and people are “waking up” to the “truth” and are going through or have gone through some sort of spirit
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Blog postSelf-expression is a form of self-care. Especially for creatives. Expressing our feelings, our truth of the moment—even if we know it will change minutes or hours or days from now—is also a form of self-care. And the expression of our feelings has often been denied (outside of a therapist’s office) for trauma survivors. “I can’t share that!” we think. “It will make people feel bad/guilty/angry and they won’
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Blog postWhile I am a formal mental health counselor and have been trained in various forms of psychotherapy, I am not a licensed therapist and I do not practice therapy.
Here’s how I see the difference:
A therapist helps a person heal their present by addressing what led them to this point (e.g.: trauma, core beliefs, emotional avoidance, etc.). Especially in clinical settings, it requires a “problem/ solution with
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Blog postI feel like I’m not here.
But my body is.
The pain roaring beneath my skin, slicing through my organs, curdling in my stomach remind me that my body is here.
My body remembers Octobers past.
My grandfather’s birthday.
My father’s birthday.
My birthday.
Every one a reminder that I was seen at various times as an object, a servant, a plaything, daddy’s good little girl, the subject of grandpa’s “dirty o
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Blog postIf you were to really, truly listen to your body, what would it be telling you?
For months now, I was pretty sure my body was telling me to sleep for a week or more. I heard my body say it was tired, really tired, all the time, but I didn’t really LISTEN.
It was while I was brushing my teeth a couple of nights ago that I was bemoaning my body to any guides who were listening. A recent joint dysfunction diagn
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Blog postWe know for a fact that animals naturally and instinctively shake off their stress. Whether or not they do it while singing Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off is another matter. We also know for a fact that humans don’t do this consciously. We’re more likely to engage in therapy of the alcohol, retail, or epicurean kind.
That physical shaking is a signal from the brain’s limbic system (responsible for the fight/fl
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Blog postIt would be great if connecting with our soul guides was as easy as plugging in an electrical appliance or adding a new mouse to your computer.
Plug-and-play guides. I’ll recommend that to my guides and see if they can run that up the chain.
“It really is that simple,” Dresden (my primary guide) said when I mentioned it to him. “The problem is that every person has their own unique operating system, customized by experience and belief.”
“How do you solve that problem?” -
Blog postI am now blogging over at my own site: https://sheynagalyan.com, which launched today!
Please update any bookmarks or blog rolls (is that still even a thing?)
I'd love to see you over there!
Come check out all the cool, new stuff and feel free to drop me a line.
https://sheynagalyan.com -
Blog postI’ve talked this week about trauma, especially unsupported trauma. This is where an event or situation takes place that overwhelms a person’s nervous system (their fight/flight/freeze/fawn response gets stuck in the “on” position), their brain senses a threat to them, and they feel powerless. And then they are alone with these feelings or when they try to reach out for support, they’re ridiculed, told they’re wrong, told not to be “so negative” and to only “think positively,” or otherwise inv
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Blog postI say that I’m about helping people to live the life they’ve always wanted, the life that they were taught they couldn’t have or didn’t deserve. Let’s talk about what that means. And what it doesn’t.
It doesn’t mean that all your wishes will come true or that your guides operate as genies or that your life will magically become easy, and you’ll never want for anything again.
Here’s the thing—well, three things—which I’ll be talking about again:
1. &nb -
Blog postSET IN MOTION
This is how everything changed.
This is how a life was saved.
This is my story.
Trigger warning for a brief mention of past suicidal intention.
Also, bonus content in the last minute.
https://youtu.be/MGMtIuwkXU0
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Blog postCan you guess which of the following paid occupations I've NOT had?
1. Law clerk2. Mental health counselor3. Journalist4. Researcher.....That was...a trick question. I've had all of them. But I want to talk a bit about my work as a mental health counselor.
In the early 1990s, I was hired by a residential addiction treatment facility for women who were pregnant or had children under age three. My job was initially to create a relapse prevention program that offered additional resource -
Blog postOne year ago today was the last time I gathered with people who were not my household family members or medical personnel for required medical appointments.
One year ago today was the last time I hugged a friend.
One year ago today was the last time I ate in a restaurant.
One year ago today was the last time I left the house without a mask.
In the past year, I have permanently lost friends, some to COVID-19, some -
Blog postPhoto by Tore F on Unsplash
As I write this, it’s my birthday.
Like many trauma survivors, my birthday has never really been a day of celebration and joy. Rather, it’s been a collection of traumas big and small, a message layered year after year that I’m not worth celebrating.
Until this year. Because this year, with a lot of help, I processed the trauma around my birthday.
I see now how I was taking other people’s words and actions (or lack thereof) -
Blog postI spent several weeks in June helping my oldest son get all the practice he needed to take his driver’s license road test. And he discovered, as all of us who learn to drive do, that when driving on the highway, even small movements at the wheel can significantly change the trajectory of the vehicle when you’re traveling at 60 miles per hour.
The refrain he most often heard from me during those highway trips was, “Stay in your lane.”
So imagine the surprise and a certain amoun -
Blog postImage by Betty Martin
I’m white. I’m Jewish. I’m an abuse survivor. And I’m a former mental health counselor and current soul guides coach with a specialty in adult survivors of trauma. This collection of experiences and perspectives comes together and leads me to invite my fellow white people to be with me here in the pain and grief and rage and powerlessness in this week following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.
I invite you, fellow white people, to be here with m -
Blog postUh…“Um,” “uh,” “you know,” and “like” were verbal diarrhea, according to my eighth grade speech and debate teacher. He added that using words like this made us sound stupid, and I did not want to be seen as stupid, so I threw myself into eliminating every filler word possible.Two years later, working a summer job, I drafted my legal research on a pro bono case involving the definition of the word sunset for my father, a well-known attorney in the south San Francisco Bay Area at the time. Rather
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Blog postTime to reconnect
Breathe
Listen
The gentle whispers
Soft as caresses
Reminding me
I am
Loved and lovable
No need to
Prove anything
Trust
It will all happen
As it should
My focus
Must be on
What I can do
Not who sees it
Or doesn't
The goal is Connection
For those who wish it
And it cannot be forced
Where it is&nbs -
Blog postI’ve told a lot of scary stories. Some are published; some aren’t. But there’s one scary story I’ve never told: mine.
It’s time.
It’s time because it’s been holding me back for thirty years. It keeps me at a distance from others, untrusting, wary, afraid.
It’s easier now for me to say publicly that I’ve been seeing and speaking with my spirit guides since I was little—running the risk that disbelievers will question my mental health while those on the religious right call me ev -
Blog postThe following is a story I wrote over twenty years ago, as a way to understand multiple covenant theory (that there is more than one divine covenant with humanity). I'm guided to share this here, now.
This is a story about a Mother with many children. The Mother, like mothers who came after, had difficulty getting Her children to behave. Sometimes the children would disobey and get hurt; other times they would hurt each other. Distraught by the pain which they so unnecessarily endur -
Blog postSometimes labels are helpful. I have two new ones to add to my collection: post-exertional malaise and orthostatic intolerance.
Post-exertional malaise: the crash that happens after every physically or emotionally intense event. This seems to be particularly strong after emotional intensity more than physical intensity. Orthostatic intolerance: dizziness, lightheadedness, seeing stars, nausea, and/or fainting caused by standing or being upright for too long, or from physical exertion. -
Blog postI had a wonderful conversation in this podcast, talking about everything from the importance of weather to the role of writing to hunting and vanquishing our demons. Includes a shout-out to Teresa Romain & Access Abundance!The Demon Hunter (Feat. Sheyna Galyan): In this surprisingly cathartic and emotionally-draining 25th episode (!!!), Hal has a lovely, haunting conversation with critically-acclaimed Jewish novelist Sheyna Galyan. The two talk about her books and discuss the
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Blog postMy turbulent relationship with food began when I was an infant. The story, as my mother told it, was that she was unable to nurse and had zero support with breastfeeding (not unusual for the late 60s). The pediatrician told her to put me on a formula feeding schedule, and to stick to it, no matter how much I cried.Some variation of a schedule continued throughout childhood. Mealtime was when I was to eat, hungry or not. If it wasn’t mealtime, there was to be no eating, lest it spoil my appetite.
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Blog postMay 9, 2018
Nine years ago today, my mother was dying. It was sad, and painful, and beautiful.
Let me explain.
The day before Thanksgiving in 2008, my mom was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer. She was given six months to live. One week later, I pulled my kids—then seven and five—out of school and the three of us drove from Minnesota to California so we could spend some time with my mom. We stayed nearly a month.
I’d like to say that this time was pleasant, full -
Blog post> When did it start to feel like… Like you fit? Like you…belonged here?
> Well, I'm still not sure I do.
If I belongedReally belongedI wouldn’t feel the needTo prove myselfTo show my worthTo defend every actionEvery desire for connectionEvery longing for love
If I belongedI wouldn’t feel like I was trespassingOn someone else’s territoryFearful of triggeringSomeone’s angerThat I had oversteppedMy boundsTaken what wasNot mineExpected more thanI was owedAs if friendships are -
Blog postI've long said that the act of writing, whether a short story, a novel, or a poem, is like giving birth. The only difference between the three is the length of gestation.
There is the initial orgasmic ecstasy of a new idea, of plot twists and characters imbued with meaning and perhaps layers of symbolism. There is the period of morning sickness, of wondering what the hell I've gotten myself into and isn't there a more qualified writer to manifest this idea into reality?
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Blog postOne of the things I've been doing here and there is talking with people about whether big New York publishing, small press publishing, or indie publishing is best for their book and audience. And for those who do decide to start their own companies, the question of trademarks comes up. Should they trademark it?
Here's my experience.
When I first looked into it back in 2003 and saw how expensive a federal trademark was, I thought, “The name of my publishing company is a Hebrew -
Blog postI promised to participate in #gishwhes and apparently Misha promised someone else a SFW 2000-word essay on getting pregnant for the tenth time, and seeing as I’ve had a lot of practice (minds out of the gutter now), I figured I’d give it a whirl. A shot in the dark, if you will.
I’m assuming that you’re familiar with the basics, since this essay is about getting pregnant for the tenth time, not the first time, so the previous nine times ought to have given you some life lessons. Als -
Blog postyou hidein shadows and behind darkened memorieslooking for a weaknessa way ina break in my flawed façadejust a cracka whisperthe chance to turndream into nightmarelaughter to tearshope into ruin love to loss you wait patientlyfor me to failto forget to beprotective of this new lifethe one I builtcreated with my own handsa metamorphosis of selfreinvented a family to call my owna homea place to belong to beyou hide and waitto destroy mewith nearly-forgotten painbu
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Blog postI recently returned from my first trip to Israel as part of a tour group from my synagogue. I'm still processing it, but was able to capture some of what it meant to me in the following poem.
Touchstones
From the concrete and glass of the airportTo the plastic and fiberglass of the planeCrowds and hushed whispers and sleep that would not comeIt was night and then it was morning—twice overThe first days
Venturing out into the heatI am awestruck by this city of stoneModern yet hi -
Blog postToday turned out to be a time of reflection on life and death and change and permanency. My own personal losses—parents, child—and losses affecting many more people.
I've always thought of myself as more of a skeptic. I like proof, two or more reputable sources, things I can touch or see or hear. But the losses I've experienced have taught me an unshakable knowledge that death is...not. I've had too many experiences—things I've felt or seen or heard—that can only be explained if the -
Blog postMy greatest fear
Is that I’ll leave no trace
That I was ever here.
And I know that fear is irrational.
I have children
Who are growing into
Amazing young adults.
My partner would argue
That I matter to him.
My friends tell me
I make a difference.
They make a difference
To me as well
So I suppose I can understand that.
I was always the kid
Who worked behind the scenes
Titles By Sheyna Galyan
