The Michelle Chalfant Show — Life from the Adult Chair

Need help with a relationship? Whether it be your partner, family member, or friend, this information will shift how you interact in relationships. In today's podcast we discuss ways to improve relationships using techniques from the Adult Chair model. They are simple, easy to understand, empowering, and cultivate true connection. Join us for a conversation that will not only change your troubled relationship, but transform how you interact with everyone.

We get triggered, feel painful emotions and go into "fix it mode." The answer to our triggers and pain is to find the core emotion and go into it. This is where true healing occurs. Bonding with our Inner Child is the only way to do this. In this episode, I have an excerpt from a session with "Sarah" who is learning about the chairs and how to bond with her inner child. It's the part of the session right after she discovers the feeling of "I don't matter." We work with her inner child, bond with her and she ultimately finds peace.

The concept of the Adult Chair is simple. We live in the moment, in fact and truth, set healthy boundaries, feel empowered and we become an observer of our lives (and not stuck in the drama) and make decisions for our lives. Sounds like a wonderful idea, right!? What happens when we get stuck? When we feel overwhelmed, not in our bodies, scared, can't think straight, afraid to make the wrong decision etc. How then can I bring in my adult? In today's podcast we discuss ways to do this. To find peace and regain balance in a storm.

Walking the spiritual path is not easy. It's not instant. It takes practice and dedication. These are the truths of awakening that sometimes plague those on the hunt for instant gratification. More often than not, it's less a field of wildflowers than a pile of crap! But walking the spiritual path is a journey of reward! In spite of the work and attention required, in all the years I've been working with individuals on their own journey, once I've seen people truly find their path, I've never seen them leave it. This week on The Adult Chair, Pete and I are checking in with a conversation about walking the spiritual path. I hope you find it gives you hope. Whatever you're dealing with in your life, you are never alone! We're in the middle of our own summer break, and will be back with regular episodes in September. Until then, I wish you all peace!

We are beings of energy. It's how we get up and out of bed in the morning, how we make it through our days, and how we recharge in sleep at night. Our state of being — and our ability to heal — is largely depended on the way we are able to channel and process our energy. That's why I'm so excited to have Sarah Weiss of the SpiritHeal Institute on the show with us today. With Sarah, I'd like to introduce the concept of grounding on the show, an incredibly important energy practice that can help you find your true self. We talk about our own energy, what it means to ground, the critical role of relaxation — and how the vast majority of us don't really know how to relax! This episode is a bit longer than normal. Sarah gives us the gift of a grounding meditation at about 11 minutes in. I hope, once you listen to this episode, that you'll keep it around and practice your own grounding with Sarah. As a holistic healer, I love this topic, and can have no better partner on the show today to introduce it than Sarah Weiss! About Sarah Weiss, MA, LMT Sarah Weiss, MA, LMT, founder of the SpiritHeal Institute awakens heart centered living and intuitive wisdom in her clients and students. She is a "practical mystic" and recognized teacher in the Sufi Path, the Andean Q'ero tradition and the Taoist lineage. Sarah serves as a healer, spiritual mentor, medical intuitive and retreat guide illuminating the path for those who are called to discover the light, depth and power of the heart.

Our guest today is J. Tamar Stone. I'm so excited to introduce Tamar's work to you today as she is not only capable of amazing things, her concept of Voice Dialogue and Body Dialogue fit absolutely perfectly into the work we're doing in The Adult Chair! Tamar walks us through her process of finding our primary and disowned selves and shows us how we uncover our sensitive inner child. Here's a bit from Tamar's website: "From the perspective of the Psychology of Selves, there is no such thing as a good Self or a bad Self, or even a false Self; all Selves are created equal. Voice Dialogue, which is based on the Psychology of Selves and the Aware Ego Process, is a technique for giving voice to each of the Selves." Our conversation is wonderful and instructive today so take a few minutes, find a space of peace, and join us in The Adult Chair!

This week on the show, we're taking on the Law of Attraction. You may have heard of the Law of Attraction as it was popularized in the book, "The Secret," just about a decade ago. There is a lot to like about this concept that like attracts like, but I have some problems with the author's handling of attraction that I believe limits us in the way we approach living a focused life, and putting our beliefs to work for us. This week, we're talking all about the Law of Attraction and I share a great big lesson that can help you develop focus while not allowing yourself to be undermined by your own subconscious!

Timing is everything, right? And just in time for Mother's Day, we have an amazing conversation with an amazing woman and healer. Bethany Webster joins us on The Adult Chair to introduce us to the Mother Wound. Stemming from our early years — birth to 7 — the mother wound can dramatically impact our most important relationships, from our relationship with our selves to our partners and spouses to our children as they grow up. This week on the show, we introduce the powerful concepts that drive healing of the mother wound and reveal the strength that can come from a fully realized mother relationship for women and men alike! About Bethany Webster Bethany Webster is a writer, transformational coach, international speaker and what you could call a midwife of the heart. Her work is focused on helping women heal the "mother wound" so that they can step into their full feminine power and potential. In addition to writing and teaching internationally, Bethany offers online courses and a private coaching program for women leaders who desire to take a quantum leap in their leadership. You can learn more about Bethany on her website, Womb of Light.

Karen Campion is one of my very favorite people. She's a holistic therapist and her inner child and alternative therapies have helped so many people find peace and freedom from pain in their lives. I've invited her to join us today to share her amazing story of recovery from a life of incredible pain, and her journey through her own inner child connection that lead her to physical recovery. My deepest hope for this conversation is that you're able to see Karen's story as a model for your own road to peace and health. It's a wonderful conversation with a beautiful spirit!

I had a conversation with my husband this week that got me thinking about connections. Human connections. So this week on the show I want to talk about how we support one another when we need it most, when we're reacting from our child or adolescent chair and we need to be heard and supported the most. This is also a discussion about how to support. That's a very different skill, learning when to listen, when to love, and when to support from our adult chair. And even more important, how to listen without letting our partner's emotions land squarely on us. I love this conversation. My clients consistently open new doors to deeper connections with their partners when they engage these key new skills, and I'm sure you'll find treasure in it too!