How to Mother Oneself While Mothering Others in an M-Bodied™ Way

photo © 2022 Nick Gebhardt

Am I a Good Enough Parent?

When someone wonders if they’re a good enough parent, or perhaps they’re fretting over their child’s behavior, I often invite them to explore how supported they feel. Literally, I ask them how connected or disconnected they feel from the chair or floor that supports their body, and this relational body-based practice opens curiosity and exploration of how much nourishment they allow themselves to receive or not.

When our own nervous system feels adequately supported, we have an expanded capability of nurturing not only ourselves in a sustainable way but also our children and loved ones. Things feel decently easy, even the mismatches! Children intuitively sense this steady support and feed off it! This co-regulation dance happens from the one with power authority offering safety and connection to someone in their care.

Embodied Nourishment for Mothers, Fathers, Parents, Caregivers

However, when someone notices they are low on emotional, physical, social, and/or mental nourishment, it’s essential to offer oneself the 3Cs (Curiosity, Compassion, and Care) about how to consciously re-feed oneself. This isn’t to blame or shame the one playing the *mother role, but to recognize that even little bites of self-care (asking for help, aiming for “good enough” instead of perfect, choosing battles, taking care of one’s own inner child) can give one the sustainable fuel to mother others while mothering oneself.

*When “Mother” is referenced here, we are inviting the “mothering quality of oxytocin,” which plays a major role in signaling safety within our Social Engagement system functioning as related to nervous system science. Therefore, those who identify as female, male, or non-binary may offer and embody that “Mother” quality.

Since real clients cannot be used in a blog, the photo in this blog shows a role-playing glimpse into one of several multigenerational co-regulation practices that M-Bodied offers: Notice the children present as their mother is supported by the one playing the “grandmother” role serving as a container for the mother as the mother finds her own Circle of Support. This illustrates:

• When those with a power differential can support those they support, the family patterning becomes healthier with a more robust capacity for Social Engagement System functioning and recognizing behavior as communication, a call for connection, a craving for support.

• Also, when one playing the mother or caregiver role feels a sense of self, their own Circle of Support as displayed by the expansive movement of the arms helps them to feel more present and empowered in an embodied way to self-handle and offer co-regulation.

Come Explore M-Bodied: Mindful Movement as Mothering Medicine™!

We don’t learn support and steadiness alone; We learn support, steadiness and our uniqueness by being able to lean into and push away from a quality of support, a container, a Circle of Support. M-Bodied uses early relational Chi for Two® practices where we get to re-feed our younger parts and strengthen our older, wiser, nourishing part in an integrated, present, and even playful way. Come explore and reconnect with your core awareness and feed yourself deeply.

M-Bodied: Mindful Movement as Mothering Medicine™
Attachment-based, relational movement for Deep Nourishment Core Awareness

A 6-week virtual series
Wednesdays 7am-8am EST
Nov 16 - Dec 21, 2022

Trauma-sensitive
Polyvagal-informed
Attachment-based

What are you hungry for this holiday season? Reconnect with your body in a new way to help connect with holiday food and family in a healthy way. Rediscover eating and moving as an instinctual and relational practice instead of prescriptive.

M-Bodied practices will help you:
⭐️ Explore recognizing Belly-brain wisdom and Belly-hunger.
⭐️ Rediscover eating and moving as an instinctual and relational practice instead of prescriptive.
⭐️ Reconnect with core awareness to attune to yourself from the inside-out for a sustainable approach to eating, moving and living.
⭐️ Explore developmental movement from womb-to-walking for fluidity, empowerment and self-support.

• No experience necessary
• All bodies 18+ welcome
• $222 for the series
• A 10-min Zoom interview is required
• Caroline@MBodiedTherapy.com or 404-210-6752

Caroline Gebhardt, LPC, RYT, is a somatic psychotherapist, certified Chi for Two® embodiment coach/trainer, registered yoga teacher, and creator of M-Bodied: Mindful Movement as Mothering Medicine. She draws upon nervous system science, attachment theory and trauma-informed body-based therapy to help people feel supported and empowered in their bodies and lives.