In this episode, I sit with a volunteer whose internalized obligation keeps pulling her away from embodied peace. As we drop into the moment together, we begin to notice how the subtle weight of “shoulds”—what she should say, how she should show up, what she should be feeling—creates a kind of background noise that keeps her slightly on guard.
Through gentle inquiry and somatic awareness, we explore what it means to soften into the present. What begins as a desire for ease reveals deeper layers of tension, skepticism, and longing. With a gestalt empty chair experiment, she differentiates from those internalized shoulds and creates a new awareness around honoring herself—rather than denying her body in order to please others.
The session invites the question: What if the next thing wasn’t threatening? What if it could feel exciting, or even fun? This episode is an intimate look at how internal pressure and over-functioning can pull us out of presence—and how awareness, breath, and compassionate reflection can bring us back home to ourselves.
Please note that for the purposes of this podcast, some moments of this session have been omitted, included many moments of silence.
The full unedited session is available on Patreon: patreon.com/TheAwakenedTherapist
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Harmony Kwiker is a transpersonal psychotherapist, author, and lead faculty at Naropa University. She is the founder of the Institute for Spiritual Alignment, where she trains therapists and healers to integrate somatic, spiritual, and relational depth into their work. Harmony is the author of four books, including Reveal: Embody the True Self Beyond Trauma and Conditioning, Align: Living and Loving from the True Self, The Awakened Therapist, and Holistic Co-Regulation. She has also created two healing card decks, supporting self-guided alignment and nervous system regulation. Her work bridges spirituality, somatic intelligence, and clinical depth to support profound transformation.
Disclaimer: This episode features a real therapy demonstration and is for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional mental health care.
Explore more at www.awakenedtherapist.com