Trauma Informed Somatic Coach supporting folks that have done a lot of healing work yet still feel stuck, isolated, and not where they want to be in their lives.
I’m thrilled to have my dynamic friend Cait Sarazin as the next guest in the CONNECT series. She’s been such a steadfast space holder as I’ve navigated expanding my practice and standing in my authority as a coach. Cait is an inspiration with her fearlessness in tackling trauma, and unwavering commitment to embodiment and self-expansion.
What brought you to this work?
My own healing journey. I struggled with my own mental health and making the kinds of friendships/relationships I wanted. The want for connection and to heal led me to start traveling the world hoping to find my people and to embark on a pretty intense healing journey.
Like so many of my clients I tried all sorts of things - variety of therapeutic modalities, yoga, meditation, ayahuasca /san pedro/other plant medicines. I also spent two months in dark room meditation. While all of these practices/techniques have their place, it felt like a big piece was missing for me. It was only when I started focusing on the sensations and information my body was sending me and letting go of the cognitive story that I started to see major shifts in how I felt and how I perceived the world.
What do you feel is important about coaching and healing work you do?
Most therapeutic and coaching models focus on the mind as being the obstacle to healing, but our nervous system determines our entire perception and all of our emotions. Every 5 seconds our body sends a message to our brain about if we are safe or not and our brain then makes up a story about why. What this means is that what we care about and what we long for is in the body.
Sensations are building blocks for our thoughts and feelings so by learning how to work with them, not only is it a more accurate and authentic message about what matters to us, we are working with the body and the mind in the way that it is designed to be worked with. After this the healing work is much easier, and can be really creative and fun. It creates permanent change at a nervous system level that is something folks can count on even during conditions in the past that would have been overwhelming.
What do you feel is the best time for someone to work with a coach?
For the kind of work that I do, it is really important that you are in a place in your life that you have space. Space to be alone, to be reflective, to do nothing - this can be even more important than the healing work itself so having the space and being ready to be with yourself, especially the parts you don't like about yourself is vital.
What do you hope clients gain from working with you?
The ability to connect with others while holding their own and other’s needs. Being less triggered, moving out of survival mode and more responding intentionally and living their life aligned with what they care about. The ability to be present and grounded with a wide range of people, emotions, and situations that would be triggering before. Creating possibilities, and that they are creative during conflict instead of breaking down. Feeling supported and having the capacity to be able to love and be loved better.
What's something that inspires you that you'd like to share?
The sharp contrast between the way light refracts off of trees is only created by the dark contrast of the shadows surrounding it. It is a reminder that can be found almost anywhere of how lightness is only created when darkness is also present - the duality of everything and how there is always another side to every situation.
About Cait –
Cait Sarazin is an Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapist, a Trauma Informed Certified Coach (TICC), as well as Somatic Experiencing Practitioner in training. She was named one of the Top Female Coaches to Follow in 2021 by Yahoo Finance.
She helps people transform their relationship with their mind, body, and past experiences, with the end goal of how we behave and think is aligned with our visions and values—even under pressure or under the same old conditions.
Find Cait at soloandkicking.com
Cait Sarazin
@soloandkicking