Listen, Then Practice
With Rick Wilkes and Cathy Vartuli
Play Is Not the Opposite of Responsibility
Play can bring curiosity, creativity, connection, and relief into ordinary life. Many adults learned to stop when play was criticized, rushed, shamed, or treated as immature. Even hobbies can become another place to perform and get things right.
Notice what blocks play now:
- There is too much chaos; I have to stay in control.
- What if I do it wrong?
- I do not know how to start.
- Play feels selfish, unsafe, or foolish.
- I have turned play into another demand.
Begin with thirty seconds of something that feels interesting or lightly enjoyable. Let the activity matter more than the outcome. Curiosity, silliness, movement, imagination, and mindful enjoyment all count.
Browse the complete course
Getting Started
Workshop Sessions
- 10-01 · Childhood Trauma and the Primitive Brain
- 10-02 · What Is Trauma? Big T and Small t Trauma and the Formation of Personality
- 10-03 · Trauma as Separation — Why Connection Matters
- 10-04 · Understanding and Healing the Traumatized Body
- 10-05 · Questions and Answers — Session One
- 10-06 · The Mechanism of Trauma: How Trauma Turns into Pain Later in Life
- 10-07 · Healing Sexual Trauma
- 10-08 · How to Work with Past Trauma
- 10-09 · Healing Your Broken Heart: Tapping for Relationship Traumas
- 10-10 · Questions and Answers — Session Two
- 10-11 · Trauma and Addictions
- 10-12 · Inner Tapping to Release Stored Trauma
- 10-13 · Treating Veterans: The Continuum of Trauma
- 10-14 · Trauma and Vows: Reclaiming Love and Power
Bonus Sessions
Choose the Support That Fits
Trauma work often benefits from safe-enough relationship and steady practice. Begin with ongoing practice in the Circle. The Community Center offers shared reflection, and private coaching is available when you want focused company with a particular pattern.
Help Keep This Workshop Freely Available
This workshop is public because people in the Thriving Now community donate. If it supports your healing, understanding, or trauma-informed practice, your contribution helps keep these resources available for others too.
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