Soul & Soil

June 1, 2025

Self-Abandonment & Codependency: Why You Keep Losing Yourself in Relationships

There's a quiet kind of pain that comes from constantly showing up for others while leaving yourself behind. You might smile, stay agreeable, keep the peace--while deep down, something feels off. Over time, this pattern of self-abandonment can feel like you've gone missing inside your own life.

Often rooted in early experiences, codependency shows up as people-pleasing, over-functioning, difficulty experiencing our own emotions, taking ownership of other's thoughts, feelings, and opinions, difficulty knowing our own reality, self-esteem issues, and often over-functioning and performance-driven behavior.

Through trauma-informed therapy, we gently untangle these patterns with compassion and curiosity. Together, we make space for your voice, your needs, your story. We work toward healing the part of you that learned love had to be earned or that conflict meant danger.

Healing from self-abandonment isn't about becoming someone new. It's about remembering who you were before the world taught you to shrink. It's about listening to the whisper beneath the noise---the part of you that knows what you need, what you feel, and what you long for. When you begin to honor that voice, even in small ways, you begin to come home to yourself. And from that place, real connection--with others, with God, and with your purpose--can finally take root and flourish.

If you're in the Shreveport area (71101) or elsewhere in Louisiana and longing to reconnect with yourself, therapy can offer a way back. Not to a perfect version of you--but to a more honest, grounded, and whole one.

Dr. Molly

July 18, 2025

Mid-Year Reflection: Where You Are is Worth Noticing

The middle of the year invites a kind of quiet clarity. We’ve made it through the rush of January intentions,

the shifting pace of spring, and now we stand here—

somewhere between who we were in those early months and who we’re still becoming.

In the rush of doing, we often forget to look back and recognize what we’ve already survived, built,

or healed. So, before you make another list or set another goal, take a breath and ask:

What am I proud of from the past six months?

What meaningful steps have I taken, even if they felt small?

Where did I show up more fully, more honestly, more bravely?

Gratitude grounds us. It’s not about pretending everything has been easy—it’s about acknowledging progress even in imperfect conditions.

Maybe you kept going when it would’ve been easier to quit.

Maybe you said no when your past self would’ve said yes.

Maybe you finally allowed yourself to rest.

Let that count.

This is also a chance to gently realign. If something isn’t working, you can shift.

If you’ve grown out of a goal, you can release it. If you’re craving more joy, more calm, more connection—

there’s still time to make space for that.

Healing isn’t just about what we fix. It’s about what we notice, what we nurture,

and what we choose to carry forward.

So, here’s your reminder:

You are allowed to celebrate. You are allowed to recalibrate.

And you are absolutely allowed to be proud of how far you’ve come

Dr. Molly

November 17, 2025

The Power of Gratitude: Why Thankfulness Changes the Brain

As the pace of life pulls us in a dozen different directions, gratitude can feel like a small thing...almost too simple to matter. But thankfulness isn't just a pleasant feeling or polite gesture. It's a powerful practice that reshapes the brain, steadies the nervous system, and creates space for resilience and joy.

Neuroscience shows that when we intentionally focus on what we're grateful for, the brain releases a blend of dopamine and serotonin, the same "feel good" neurotransmitters involved in mood and well-being. Gratitude also activates the prefrontal cortex, the region responsible for emotional regulation, decision-making, and perspective taking. Over time, this repeated activation helps quiet the brain's threat-detection system, reducing anxiety and softening the grip of negative thought patterns. In short, gratitude builds new neural pathways that make it easier to notice what is good rather than what is missing.

What's beautiful is that gratitude doesn't require perfect circumstances. It can coexist with grief, stress, and uncertainty. In fact, research shows that practicing thankfulness in hard seasons may be the most transforming of all. Naming even a single thing you're grateful for each day; your breath, a text from a friend, the way sunlight lands across the room, signals the brain to shift out of survival mode and into connection, meaning, and hope.

Gratitude does not erase pain, but it strengthens the parts of us that can hold it with more steadiness. It reminds us that even in the most challenging chapters, something good can still touch our lives. And with each small moment of thankfulness, we're quietly rewiring the brain toward greater peace, presence, and emotional health.