Welcome to Going Gently
How I became kinder to myself & how you can too
Are you in the right place?
Going Gently is a sanctuary, built with deep care, where you can begin to ease up on yourself. Using the magic of Internal Family Systems, a radically gentle model of insight and healing, and through my own honest stories about my (often messy) interior life, you will begin to feel less alone, receive new insights into how you tick, relax into a more colourful, steady, joyful life and - most importantly - move towards accepting yourself as you are. Big promises? Maybe! We humans are notoriously resistant to change. And, even a fresh breeze from a cracked-open window can make all the difference…
I’m curious about you.
Something caught your eye and drew you here. Maybe you struggle to treat yourself or others with compassion. Maybe you have a tendency to push or strive and you’re wondering if all the success is worth it. Maybe you’re tired of feeling disappointed in yourself, or of carrying burdens, or of feeling squashed by the weight of the world.
Who is welcome here.
This space is ringed by gentleness and whoever you are, wherever you currently find yourself, you are welcome. Those who have found high levels of worldly success. Those who have been crushed all their lives by our society’s many oppressions. Those who follow a spiritual path and those who don’t. Those burdened by their history and by what’s happening right now. Those who want to change the (hurting) world. Those who just want to seek out a sunny spot, lie down on something soft and bathe for a while in the warmth.
Who I am.
My name is Satya (she/her) and I am a recovering strive-aholic. It has always been my way to push myself a little (or a lot) too hard. This has meant that I’ve got lots done - I’ve written a dozen books, I run a Buddhist temple, I have a thriving therapy practice, and I’ve run activism projects for the planet. These traits have also caused pain - to me and to others - and, more than anything else, striving leaves me exhausted.
I have been blessed with decades of support from books, nature, therapy, spiritual wisdom, 12 steps, and especially a way of understanding people called Internal Family Systems. I still get stuff done, but these days my striving parts are much more chilled. These days I dwell more and more in ease.
I am not fully cured of my dysfunctions, and I never expect to be. Much of my new wisdom (and much of the consolation) comes from deeply accepting the reality of who I am. And alongside this, many things have helped me. Going Gently is where I hope to pass some of these things on to you.
What I offer
Going Gently is a newsletter sent out by email and then stored here on this website. If you’d like to receive my free or my paid-for pieces, click below.
My writing offers various paths towards gentleness.
⭐ Read my personal stories where I confess my fallibilities, always with fondness towards myself, and share how I make peace with all that (whilst continuing to be an expert at Getting Stuff Done).
⭐ Explore Internal Family Systems (IFS), a model of therapy that sees us as made up of lots of different parts and which helps us to (gently) bring peace to our warring factions. Sorry to be so dramatic, but IFS totally changed my life.
⭐ Take my self-study courses on topics like how to be kinder, mindful writing, self-acceptance and rest.
What’s with all the peacocks?
I have always been drawn to the astonishing brag of peacock feathers. They remind me of how much beauty there is in the world, if only I open my eyes to it. They remind me how much wisdom there is in the world, if only I listen for it. Quite simply, they make me happy.
I hope my words will bring you some of the same.
Go gently,
Satya <3
