Fran Woodruff Somatic Therapy

03/10/2025

Yes I love this!!

19/09/2025

Zenda-Lee Williams
Survivor 💜

19/09/2025

When people talk about “inner work,” many assume it means withdrawing from the world, keeping quiet, or living invisibly. But that’s not the essence of it. Real inner work is less about what you do on the outside and more about why you do it.

One of the biggest shifts that happens is around attention. Many of us chase validation and acceptance through our actions, trying to fill the gaps in our self-esteem or soothe the wounds around self-worth through other people. But as we face our shadows and heal old pain, the craving for attention softens. We realize that our worth isn’t up for debate, and we don’t need a crowd to confirm it, because we’ve begun to discover it within ourselves.

That doesn’t mean people who’ve done the work hide away or reject visibility. In fact, inner work often leads you to share your voice, gifts, or story with the world. The difference is motive. You’re no longer shouting “look at me” to fill a void; you’re offering what you have because it’s authentic and aligned. You can receive attention without it being about ego. You can stand in the spotlight without using it as proof of worth.

It also doesn’t mean you aren’t doing the inner work if you still find yourself wanting recognition or reassurance. These are deeply human needs and come and go in moments. The difference is, as self-acceptance grows, you rely less on external approval to feel whole. With time, presence, and patience, the craving for attention loosens its grip, and what once felt like a constant hunger becomes more of an occasional whisper.

The aspiration isn’t to become invisible, but to become free to share your gifts without feeling the need to prove yourself. To shine without wondering who’s watching. To connect without clinging, and to love without bargaining.

It’s the freedom of knowing your worth doesn’t rise and fall with applause. The heart of real inner work is not erasing yourself, but reclaiming yourself. Not disappearing, but standing in the world with a steady centre.

19/09/2025

19/09/2025

What It Means

1. "You can't heal abandonment by making sure no one leaves."

Chasing permanence in others will never resolve the wound. People are human; they will leave, fail, disappoint, or move on. If your healing depends on controlling them, you will always be fragile.

2. "People will come and go."

This isn't a threat; it's reality. Love doesn't guarantee forever. The cycle of life, change, and endings is a natural part of life. The wound becomes unbearable when you equate their leaving with your worth.

3. "Healing is staying when you want to run..."

The wound taught you to flee through numbing, avoidance, or silence. Healing is reversing that reflex. It's staying when your nervous system screams to bolt.

4. "...breathing when you want to numb..."

Numbing seems safer, but it only deepens the fracture. A single conscious breath is more radical than an entire lifetime of avoidance. Breath is presence.

5. "...and loving when you want to hide."

Hiding feels safer, but it isolates the very part that needs love the most. Healing is giving that fragment compassion instead of exile. It's choosing loyalty over fear.

Practical Application

1. Pause the Chase

The next time you feel panic about someone leaving, stop. Remind yourself: "This is about me staying."

2. Practice the Breath

When the urge to numbness rises, take three slow, deep breaths. Feel the body. Anchor in presence.

3. Stay With the Fragment

When you want to run, place a hand over your chest or belly. Whisper: "I won't leave you."

4. Reframe Love

Choose love not as performance, but as loyalty; to yourself first, then to others.

14/09/2025

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