Designed to Connect

Our Journey to Designed to Connect

Life is beautiful and messy. Life is about connection. We are wired for connection. I have believed that ever since I can remember. It is in our biology. From the time we are born, we need connection to thrive emotionally, physically, spiritually and intellectually. Yet more time is spent on shame, guilt and fear which drives disconnection and pain. I have discovered that through many life lessons. When I realised that trauma is a wound and not a disease, a wound caused by disconnection, my heart sang as I realised that the hunger I experienced deep within myself, planted there as a seed by God, to walk alongside people on their journey of healing from trauma, shame and disconnection, was a real and universal truth. It stirred deep within me the dream to start a practice/ministry where myself and like minded people can guide people who suffered trauma, whether in childhood or adulthood or along the way, to discover the truth about themselves, to guide them to understand the development of the human brain, the effect of Adverse Childhood Experiences and to develop into powerful people and not stay victims of trauma and circumstances. In this journey we need roots to anchor ourselves against the daily onslaughts. The logo of this practice symbolises the American Redwood Trees, which are very high trees, yet their roots are not deeper than 6 meters, but intertwine horisontally to support each other when nature takes its course and the effects try to destabilize them. So we need connection and each other in order for us as humans to heal. Trauma happens in relationships and trauma needs to heal in relationships. The aim is to look at people through God’s lens and see the gold in them and let that be the focus. Sufficient time is spent in this world on what goes wrong and not nearly enough on what is right.

Therefore our Vision is: Creating a world where the importance of healthy safe connections for brain, human development and healing of trauma, is understood, embraced and practised

How? We live in a world impacted by toxic stress which endangers the healthy development of human beings daily. In order for us as humans to develop into healthy adults, as babies we need to feel safe, need healthy connections with adults who can regulate their own impulses and emotions, and need to start our process of learning about life through co-regulation from safe adult care givers. If these 3 core components are not present, our brains develop survival mechanisms/behaviours which might seem like solutions when we are children but then do not serve us when we grow into adults. People in survival mode, their focus is to stay alive as long as possible but there is no future - all due to the influence of toxic stress and lack of supportive relationships, on brain development. Their focus is - Who can I trust today and who will endanger me? No creativity and executive function in such a brain - which in daily living encompass tasks such as planning, creativity, making decisions, regulate emotions and impulses, learning and uptake of new information (vital for students). A survival brain is a fear driven brain and views everyone as a threat. as planning, creativity, making decisions, regulate emotions and impulses, learning and uptake of new information (vital for students). A survival brain is a fear driven brain and views everyone as a threat.

Through workshops, trainings, individual, couple and group therapy, our goal is to provide you/your organisation/your business/your church/mothers/counsellors with information and tools to revisit your own development, identify trauma, recognise resulting behaviour patterns and belief systems, remove shame and embrace vulnerability, guide you about the importance of boundaries and compassion and provide you with tools to embark on a journey to become an empowered individual, connected to a network of caring others. This journey does not have an end and the beauty lies within this journey, constantly discovering more pathways to be powerful and free.