Southwestern College Student's Reflections on the Therapeutic Moment
Grief like a river: Accessing the healing power of metaphor
She walked slowly, so as not to trip over the exposed pine root at her feet. Beside her a fallen Ponderosa tells the tale of years of weather and wisdom along this creek side in Southern Colorado.…
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Why I Chose Southwestern College
I believe that when you are considering Southwestern College, their mission statement will either ring true for you or it won’t: "Transforming Consciousness Through Education." While that completely resonated with me on one level, I hadn’t connected all the pieces. Often when making decisions I will rely on the ones…
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Southwestern College (Santa Fe) Faculty and Students Visit Sacred Mountains in Colorado
WAHATOYA: The Spanish Peaks of Southern Colorado
For about five years, the Spanish Peaks (or traditionally Wahatoya, which is a native word meaning the breasts of mother earth) have been yelling at me. This happens every time I drive by on I-25 headed north…
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Life is fragile
How do you continue functioning on a day like today?
How do keep studying for your matriculation exam when thoughts of terrified people keep flashing in your mind?
How do you even move, let alone do the dishes?
- You just do.
Our society does not allow for the proper amount of…
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Southwestern College, Santa Fe
Notes from Cooper Riis by Eliza Buck 7-13-12
Sensing safety takes time. I’ve been at Cooper Riis for 13 weeks now and have just acquired a level of safety that enabled me to propose a new group and move it forward to actuality. This process helps me understand the value of…
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Craig “Tomas” McAdams – Southwestern College (Santa Fe)
Internship in Maras, Peru
A couple of days ago one of the boys I meet with for individual sessions – let’s call him Steve – came in for our meeting with his older cousin, John, and I was pleasantly surprised, almost shocked when he ran up…
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The Alchemical Possibilities of Failure
by Alicia Hoffman
“My heroes are the ones who survived doing it wrong, who made mistakes, but recovered from them.” - Bono.
I agree with Bono; surviving a mistake or a perceived failure and transforming it into wisdom or a life lesson is inspiring. If you do…
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Southwestern College Alumna, Patricia Meek, Recounts a Mission of Healing in the Mountains
Sacred Relationship
“The winds end when the snow caps of Mount Blanca melt.” This is a common saying in the San Luis Valley, especially in the spring when the thirty plus gusts blow grit across one’s teeth.
It was a windy day.…
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Southwestern College, Santa Fe: Internship in Peru
In the beginning of my internship in Peru, I had the honor and blessing to be able to work with and learn from Andean Shaman (Paqo's). Through this journey, these men became my teachers, mentors, friends and brothers. First, I sat with Adolfo Ttito Condori, one of five…
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ONE MOMENT LONGER
May I embrace you
One moment longer
So that hugging
Becomes Holding
May my heart be in the presence
Of your heart
One moment longer
So that longing
Becomes Loving
May our brief touches last
One moment longer
So that aching
Becomes Caressing
May our paths cross
One moment longer
…
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Final Thoughts: Maras
By Sara WIlliams
I cried after leaving Maras. It was something like a mixture of sadness and gratitude. Sadness because never again will I have the same experience. It was confusing because it is unusual for me to get sentimental about endings. It is more common to be looking to the future,…
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REMEMBER HOME
Turn back towards God
Loneliness, panic, sadness, disconnection
Any sufferings
Are not punishments
They are guides
Pointing you back towards God
Towards love, towards family
How lonely Pluto must be
So far out in the darkness and cold
With only an almost imperceptible sensation of gravity calling him in
Until he remembers
And…
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Jane Cunha does a lovely job discussing her art with her client for therapeutic purposes. Click here to view video.
…
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It was a vision.
On the rising from sleep one idle morning, the young 25-year-old girl experienced something out of this world; the girl saw clearly before her, her future. At 25, the girl had spent most of her twenties up to that point confused and searching for answers, directions and guidance. It came…
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Helping comes in many ways here at Tierra Nueva, Southwestern College's Counseling Center, magic comes in many ways too. We see so many people in so many different situations looking for help, support, caring and love. In addition to our human clients, we were able to help two little beings that were in desperate need,…
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Southwestern College Santa Fe, NM