The Opening Lotus

22/12/2025

🎄🕯️ ✨ 🎁 🌟 ❄️ Christmas is often described as “the most wonderful time of the year.”

But in my work as a mental health therapist, I’ve seen how this season can also bring deep emotions, old wounds, quiet anxiety and a search for meaning beyond the lights and laughter.

I had the honour of exploring this truth in the article for ADVO Magazine, where I reflect on the intersection of holiday expectations, mental health and the tender human experience that often goes unspoken.

👉 You can read the article here:
'When Christmas Feels Heavy' https://www.facebook.com/share/1BiLYmr54R/

In the article, I explore a few truths I see often in practice:
✨ You can feel gratitude and sadness at the same time
✨ Joy and loneliness can coexist
✨ Rest is not indulgence, it is care
✨ Connection matters more than perfection

For those who see celebrations as a source of pressure or compare themselves to idealised versions of “holiday joy”, you are not alone. This season can be beautiful and heavy at the same time.

This wasn’t written to dampen the season but to make room for honesty 🎁
To remind people that you don’t need to perform Christmas to be worthy of care 🌿

Thank you to ADVO Magazine for the platform to speak into this tender space. I hope this article reminds you that your feelings are valid, your pace matters and that care over performance is the gift we all deserve.

If this season feels heavy for you, please know: you are not alone 🕯️you can contact The Opening Lotus at https://linktr.ee/theopeninglotus

05/12/2025

This morning I had the privilege of joining Naomi Mc Nish on WESN’s AM Prime to talk about something very close to my heart, the realities of gender-based violence and what healing truly looks like in Trinidad and Tobago. 💛🇹🇹

Thank you, Naomi, for creating such a safe and grounded space for this conversation. 🙏🏽✨
Thank you to everyone who tuned in, whether at home or on the way to work. 🕊️

We talked about the unseen impacts of violence, the courage it takes to heal, the silence many men carry, and the small steps that keep people going even on their heaviest days. If there’s one message I hope landed, it’s this:

You don’t have to face everything at once, and you don’t have to face it alone.
One small step and one small light are enough for today. 🌟

I’m grateful for opportunities like this to keep the conversation real, compassionate, and rooted in who we are as a people. 🌿

💛

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05/12/2025

🌐 Digital abuse doesn’t stay online.
It comes off the screen with you.

One of the hardest truths I’ve learned in this work is that when someone experiences online abuse, it doesn’t just affect their device. It affects their entire world. It reshapes how they move through life, both on and offline.

🕸️ Online harm creates its own web outside the web.
A place where:
• You start doubting every message and motive
• You question whether people around you are who they say they are
• Ordinary interactions suddenly feel like threats
• You feel watched, even when you’re alone
• Safety stops being a place you can go to, it becomes something you have to rebuild inside yourself

Digital violence is not “less real.”
It’s not “just online.”

It has a way of infiltrating your nervous system, your relationships, your routines, until the world itself feels uncertain. This is why the theme for this year’s 16 Days of Activism, Ending Digital Violence, matters so deeply.

For many people, escaping online harm doesn’t end when the browser closes. That’s when the real impact begins, So during these 16 Days, my focus is simple:

See it. Name it. Take it seriously.

Remember that behind every case of digital abuse is a human being trying to feel safe again, everywhere.

01/12/2025

The Opening Lotus was featured in the newspaper as part of the national observance of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

I did have a little “oh wow, that’s quite a headline” moment and the photos made me blink twice, but the article itself… yes! That part I truly love.

I’m grateful that the story highlighted what matters most:
💜 the importance of safe spaces
💜 trauma-informed support
💜 healing pathways for women and families
💜 and the need to keep these conversations alive

If this piece helps raise awareness, encourages understanding, or lets even one woman know she’s not alone, then the visibility is worth it.

Thank you to everyone who continues to stand against gender-based violence, to advocate, to educate and to support survivors.
May we keep doing this work with courage and a strong sense of community. 🌿

🌸 The Opening Lotus
Counselling | Restorative Justice | Facilitation

📞 299-8416 | 491-2840
📧 theopeninglotus@gmail.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/theopeninglotus
📲 FB | IG | YouTube:

EVERY year, from November 25-December 10, the world observes the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence – a call for unified global action to end violence against women and girls in all its forms.

28/11/2025

🌿🎧 Listening Is Also Activism

During the 16 Days of Activism in 2025 as we focus on ending digital violence 📱 💻 🖥️ it’s worth naming something that doesn’t trend easily because:

Not all action is loud.
Not all activism is visible.

Sometimes, activism looks like listening:

Listening without interrupting.
Listening without minimising.
Listening without rushing to fix, advise, or defend.

In my work, I’ve learned that many experiences of harm, especially digital harm, are deepened not just by the act itself, but by what comes after, the secondary trauma:

The disbelief.
The silence.
The “are you sure?”

Trauma-informed practice teaches us this: being heard is not a courtesy, it is a protective factor. When people are listened to with care, safety begins to return to the body. Trust begins to rebuild. Dignity is restored.

So during these 16 Days, alongside policies, posts, and pledges, I’m holding space for this quiet but vital work:

🪑 Sitting back
👂 Listening fully
🤝 Staying present

Because cultures change not only when we condemn violence but when we learn how to listen differently.

💭 During these 16 Days, what does listening look like in your workplace, your community, or your online spaces?

28/11/2025

🎧Podcast Episode Alert: Safeguarding in the Caribbean

I had the privilege of joining Dave Niven on the 'Social World Podcast' to talk about safeguarding in the Caribbean... exploring how trauma-informed practices, local realities and collaborative resilience can shape safer futures. 🌿

This conversation reminded me of the importance of pausing to reflect and share openly. Sometimes the experiences we carry quietly are the ones that most need to be voiced, not just for ourselves, but to encourage and inspire others.

A heartfelt thank you to Dave for creating this platform and for highlighting voices from across the globe. 🙏

🎙️ Listen here: Safeguarding in the Caribbean - Episode with Amanda Ackbarali https://socialworldpodcast.com/episode/safeguarding-in-the-caribbean-amanda-ackbarali

This is the first in a series of podcasts talking with key people in the region to understand the challenges posed by trafficking, all forms of slavery and with...

19/11/2025

Feeling grateful to see my piece published in today’s Newsday for International Men’s Day. 💙

If it encourages even one meaningful conversation about men’s wellbeing, then it has done its job.

Thank you to everyone who takes a moment to read and share 🌿

In the past, boys often heard phrases like “be a man” or “boys don’t cry,” shaping them into men who felt they had to hide their emotions rather than express them in healthy ways.

27/10/2025

1000% true

When we share our stories with people who listen without judgment,
shame loses its power.
Healing begins where safety exists —
in spaces where we’re seen, not fixed; heard, not silenced.

Find the people who hold your truth gently.
That’s where your freedom lives.

23/10/2025

✨️

17/08/2025

Today, I hold in prayer the families of those who tragically drowned in Toco and Mayaro recently. Imagine people so familiar with the waters, yet suddenly taken. May they be surrounded with compassion and comfort 🕊️🙏

Sometimes, the most powerful support we can offer is not in words, but in presence. When hearts are broken, listening creates space for healing. 🌿

Let us remember: listening is love.

🌸 The Opening Lotus 🌸
Counselling | Restorative Justice | Facilitation | Consultation

📞 WhatsApp: 1-868-299-8416 | 491-2840
📧 theopeninglotus@gmail.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/theopeninglotus

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https://youtu.be/NBEfo8_wjIs?si=_R8h2VxLbNQjdNxz

Discover the healing power of listening in times of grief and crisis. Amanda from The Opening Lotus shares reflections on presence, silence, and compassion, ...

17/08/2025

🌷Sunday Gratitude 🌷
Lord, thank You for breath in my lungs, peace in my spirit and the gift of a new day. May my steps today be guided by love and peace 🕊️

Wishing everyone a blessed and restful Sunday 🌿✨

15/08/2025

Remembering my first ever video recorded for The Opening Lotus 🪷back in 2019. Can't imagine this year makes it 7 years✨ in operation, serving others, since starting on November 5th, 2018🌿

Many thanks to all of you who have supported over the years.
May you and your families be blessed ✨

Love,
Amanda
The Opening Lotus🪷