Rekindle LLC by Kayley Walker, MSW, LCSW

09/02/2025

I was today years old when I learned about overexcitabilities from Jungian therapist Naomi Sangreal on IG 🤯 … and obviously my excitement cannot be contained❣️

So here ya go, an info-dump, because this may or may not have resonated very deeply (cough).

🌿 For the Deep Feelers & Bright Minds:

If you’ve ever been told you’re “too much,” too emotional, too sensitive, too intense, too restless, you’re not alone. Psychologist Kazimierz Dabrowski described these traits as overexcitabilities: heightened ways of experiencing life that reveal depth, intensity, and potential. Far from flaws, he saw them as signs of developmental growth, pathways into greater authenticity, awareness, and compassion.

They tend to show up in five ways:
✨ Emotional: feeling deeply, caring deeply, connecting deeply.
✨ Imaginational: vivid inner worlds, rich dreams, symbolic thinking.
✨ Intellectual: endless curiosity, asking big questions, seeking truth.
✨ Sensual: delighting in beauty, texture, sound, taste, and color.
✨ Psychomotor: energy, drive, enthusiasm, a restless spark.

Yes, they can feel overwhelming. But they are also incredible sources of creativity, connection, and transformation.

🌿The takeaway: your sensitivity isn’t a problem to fix. It’s a gift and sign of your potential, your creativity, and your capacity to connect.

This resonates so much with why I do the work I do, supporting neurodiverse and highly sensitive clients. What some label as “too much” is often the very spark that lights up healing and growth. 🌱✨

I am deeply grateful to Naomi for sharing her wisdom and dedication. Her work continues to ripple outward. 🙏💛

06/25/2025

This Pride month, I’ve been thinking about what it means to become a citadel for yourself and others.

In this context, a citadel could be a sacred inner refuge. The self you rebuild when the world has tried to tear you down.

To be your own citadel means:

❤️ Holding space for your own tenderness and rage.
🧡 Honoring the life you’ve fought to live.
💛 Reclaiming your right to take up space without apology.
💚 Choosing to stay, not just survive, but inhabit yourself.

It’s the act of turning your body, your story, your very existence into a place you don’t have to escape from.

It’s resilience as architecture. 💪🏛️

Self-love as structure.🏩💞

Freedom as foundation.🦅

A structure built from every time you didn’t abandon yourself. Stone by stone, truth by truth!

For q***r and trans folks, for those navigating racism, ableism, poverty, erasure -
being a citadel means making your life a refuge that doesn’t end with you.

We are all worth protecting. Not because we need to prove anything but because we have right to exist.

And for those who’ve ever felt unsafe in their own skin or story being your own citadel is one of the most radical things you can do.

May we all live BODLY. Reclaim our right to breathe, to belong, to take up space. To say no to shame.

To say YES to life especially on the days it’s hardest to stay.

You are not too much.
You are not alone.
You are needed.

Happy Pride, Yall! Stay safe. Stay sacred.

06/16/2025

Yesterday marked a deeply meaningful milestone for me, both personally and professionally.

I completed my Level 1 IFS (Internal Family Systems) training, a journey I waited nearly four years to begin and one that has already transformed how I relate to myself, others, the collective, and the healing process itself.

This training allowed me to witness and tend to parts of myself that carried personal and inherited burdens, and long-held beliefs; it also reconnected me with a wellspring of creativity and deeper sense of Self-trust. As I say, we can only meet others as far as we meet ourselves.

To the clients who have trusted me to integrate new skills and be with me as I expand and deepen as a space holder - I have an infinite amount of gratitude! Your courage and presence continue to shape me.

As a therapist, I’ve always believed in doing the work I ask of others. In terms of therapeutic interventions, I have never invited clients to try anything I have not personally done. And this chapter has asked much of me. It has also given me so much in return, especially a renewed sense of what it means to hold space with clarity, playfulness, humility, and compassion.

Thank you for walking alongside me. I’m honored to do this work. And I’m grateful to be doing it with all parts welcomed!

I’m out all week but I will be back in the office 6/23 - looking forward to reconnecting!

Oceans and oceans of gratitude! 🌊

*that’s me and my dawg, Von post training* some graphics that capture my love for being here and doing this work to expand and unfurl - “heal yourself, heal the world”

01/19/2025

Comedians have this incredible way of turning life’s messiest, most painful moments into something we can laugh at—and actually connect with. In Theo Von’s podcast with Dr. Gabor Maté, they dive into how our desires and life paths can be altruistic but also deeply shaped by unmet needs.

Dr. Maté points out that when these needs come from unhealed wounds, the drive to feel important can spiral into addiction—where external validation takes over for real self-worth. But when we face those wounds head-on, that same drive can turn into something SO much bigger: wisdom, self-compassion, and the kind of connection that actually feels ✨real✨.

“Nobody should have to prove how valuable they are…you have the right to exist” ❤️‍🩹

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1565fVDuZG/?

10/09/2024

Here's to the bridge-builders, the hand-holders, the light-bringers, those extraordinary souls wrapped in ordinary lives who quietly weave threads of humanity into an inhumane world. They are the unsung heroes in a world at war with itself. They are the whisperers of hope that peace is possible. Look for them in this present darkness. Light your candle with their flame. And then go. Build bridges. Hold hands. Bring light to a dark and desperate world. Be the hero you are looking for. Peace is possible. It begins with us.
Quote from L.R. Knost
Art: Harry Brioche - A Ray of Hope, 2023.

09/26/2024

A ✨glimmer✨ is a fleeting moment of warmth and calm, a gentle reminder that we are safe, seen, and connected. Like the light dancing off a glass door k**b, glimmers reflect small sparks of hope and beauty. Just as a door beckons us to step into something new, glimmers quietly guide us toward peace and presence. This painting captures the enchanting magic of these transformative moments. 💫

Light catcher ✨🤍✨
Art by Hélène Béland

07/02/2024

From the article linked below:
♥️ 💉💊🍺🥃🍷❤️‍🩹⚕️
“I’m writing this for everyone who minimizes their pain, who doesn’t think it’s deserving of attention, who says, “I was spanked, and I turned out all right,” “I came from a good home,” “I don’t dwell on the past,” or “I didn’t have it so bad.” To you, I say: sixty years is a long time to go without the ability to experience happiness. If you see yourself in my story, I hope you find a professional or peer who can help you get to the real cause of your addiction and depression, rage and perfectionism, loneliness and codependency, because these things don’t exist in a vacuum, and if left untreated (or perhaps I should say unexamined), they will not just compromise your quality of life but shorten your life expectancy by decades.”

I wanted to share the article linked below, posted just a couple of days ago that perfectly captures the essence of the Compassionate Inquiry program, developed by Dr. Gabor Maté, a trauma and addiction expert. This year-long training delves deep into understanding and healing pain. The article also highlights the ACE (Adverse Childhood Experience) study, a landmark study that transformed the landscape of healthcare.

This article is a compelling read for anyone who has experienced a sense of disconnection from themselves or knows someone grappling with painful void of addiction, often rooted in trauma. The Children's Mental Health Network (CMHN) aptly describes trauma as the "gateway drug" leading individuals toward addiction.

Childhood trauma is disconcertingly prevalent in the United States, with 64% of adults having encountered at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE), and nearly 1 in 6 (17.3%) have indicated that they have encountered four or more types of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). ACES are stressful experiences that can have far-reaching impacts on a child's life.

According to the CDC-Kaiser ACE Study, there are three general categories of ACEs:
•Exposure to abuse (emotional, physical, or sexual)
•Household challenges (e.g., divorce, mental illness, substance abuse)
•Neglect (emotional or physical)
Research has shown that children who have dealt with one or more ACEs in their early childhood may be more at risk for developing chronic health conditions as adults.

The potential impact of preventing ACEs is substantial, as it could reduce various health conditions. For instance, by averting ACEs, it’s estimated that up to 1.9 million cases of heart disease and 21 million cases of depression could potentially have been avoided, according to the Center for Disease Control https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/index.html

Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, in his book ‘The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma,’ emphasizes that “…child abuse and neglect are the single most preventable cause of mental illness, the single most common cause of drug and alcohol abuse, and a significant contributor to leading causes of death such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, stroke, and suicide.” Our body serves as a reservoir of painful experiences, reflecting the profound connection between our mind and body in the journey of healing from trauma.

❤️‍🩹🧠🫁👁️🫀🗣️🩵

https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/index.html

You can assess the ACE test provided below:
ACE test
https://americanspcc.org/take-the-aces-quiz/

“The attempt to escape from pain is what creates more pain.” — Dr. Gabor

https://www.madinamerica.com/2024/06/wish-asked-dr-gabor-mate/?mc_cid=db00d5151a&mc_eid=f33e5680ed&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2nvw-NtUbhDrsGZYcQEqWyr80ZJeMzLgBHvzmzd6hdL0FhnpJj8C405g8_aem_JLn6KWrQJ_kCbXPQKbIQQw

Does my complex PTSD, depression and rage go back farther than I think? Back to the womb and my earliest days of life? Is that even possible? Does my complex PTSD, depression and rage go back farther than I think? Back to the womb and my earliest days of life? Is that even possible?

06/07/2024

Acknowledging what we’ve done to ourselves and others in an effort to avoid emotional pain is a significant aspect of the healing process. Recognizing that we all have blind spots helps us approach this realization with kindness and understanding, fostering genuine healing and growth, and peace. ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🩷

04/05/2024

Yesterday, during a Compassionate Inquiry training, Dr. Gabor Mate shared a quote by Naguib Mahfouz that deeply resonated with me and sparked this post. It reminded me that embracing authentic self-expression can be both liberating and challenging. While the truth may be uncomfortable, it's essential for growth and transformation, even if it means facing discomfort and uncertainty along the way.

"The problem is not that the truth is harsh but that liberation from ignorance is as painful as being born. Run after truth until you are breathless. Accept the pain involved in re-creating yourself afresh.” ~ Naguib Mahfouz

Art by Allie Hanlon

01/09/2024

I appreciate Dr. Arielle Schwartz work! In therapy, we indeed aim to explore and understand ourselves and each other more deeply, facing our fears and nurturing love and trust. And, by grounding our consciousness in both mind/body and soul, it can allow us to explore our inner world and understand our interconnectedness with others and the planet. This holistic approach underlines the vital connection between our well-being and that of others, our ancestors, and the Earth. 🫀💞🧠

Somatic transpersonal psychology descends consciousness into body and soul; connecting psyche with soma. We listen to dreams, metaphors, sensations, and symbols. Within the depths, we discover the inseparable relationship between our personal happiness and the well-being of other people, our ancesto...

12/21/2023

Whether you are experiencing an anxious heart, a fearful heart, a self-doubting heart, a lost heart, a bitter heart, a broken heart, whatever phase your heart is in, it is still a heart worthy of love and acceptance.

We are all works in progress.

My ✨HOPE✨ for whoever is reading this is that you trust your process and know that you’re worthy of receiving love and compassion.

“Hope” is the thing with feathers
By Emily Dickinson

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And it never stops at all

And sweetest in the gale is heard
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm

I’ve heard it in the chillest land
And on the strangest sea
Yet never in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

Reflections:

🪶What am I most hopeful about in my life right now?

🪶How have past challenges strengthened my sense of hope?

🪶 Who in my life inspires hope in me, and how can I express my gratitude to them?

🪶In moments of doubt or uncertainty, what thoughts or activities restore my hope?

🪶What are some lessons I’ve learned that give me hope for overcoming future challenges?

🪶How can I spread hope to others around me?

May this holiday be a sacred journey, filled with reflection, gratitude, and inner peace.

Rekindle 🕯️is closed 12-22-23 thru 1-04-24.

Heart as Light as a Feather by Bobbye Caine