Kara Shaw, LCSW

04/15/2026

02/24/2026

It's okay to feel sad — to be uncertain, melancholic, to lament and to grieve.

Despite the madness of our world and our collective disconnection from the deeper shades of feeling, these states are not evidence that something is wrong with you — that you have failed, that you need to meditate more, pray harder, stay present more perfectly, manifest the opposite of sadness, or somehow redeem yourself.

They are high-voltage evidence that you are alive — with a tender beating heart, subtle and perceptive mirror neurons, and senses open to the chaotic glory of being human, simultaneously broken and whole.

Just for this moment, be sad. Fully — not partially.

Go inside the sadness. Find the sad one there. Speak with her, listen to him. Feel what she is feeling. See what he is seeing. Stay embodied to the reality that you are a vessel — a temple where the lost orphans of psyche and soma can come to rest.

Separate just enough from the visitors so you do not fuse with them. Dare to go close — but not too close. Intimacy without fusion. Relationship without merging. Honoring your own integrity and perspective.

Find the boundary that is provocative but not flooding. Enter the middle. Provide sanctuary and safe passage for the broken pieces to unfold and illuminate.

For they, too, are filled with light.

Sadness is not something you need to fix, cure, or transform.

It need not be healed but held.

For it is complete and pure on its own.

With the fire of awareness and the ally of your breath, descend into your belly. Touch your heart. Tend to your throat. Journey into the sensations, images, and the raw, trembling life that longs to be held.

And listen.

It is through this journey that sadness reveals itself as a secret wisdom-guide — a bridge into the universal heart, a messenger of mercy, power, and fierce compassion that asks you to be its midwife.

03/20/2024

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"Regulation is an outcome oriented experience. It's a moment of discovery of what is, and an invitation to get curious about what may be needed." - Lisa Dion

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09/11/2023

“When fear and scarcity visit, I will want to take away your pain. Instead, I will sit with you and teach you how to feel it".

I too have a always loved this piece of Brene Brown’s parenting manifesto and have used it as a guidepost for both parenting and my work as a therapist. If only we could all receive this kind of grounded presence, from others and ourselves

08/12/2023

Love this

08/11/2023

Beautiful reminder

Movement is what we are 🌊

07/21/2023

“The greatest burden a child must bear is the unlived life of its parents.”
Carl Jung

07/19/2023

Parents and caregivers! Be sure to pre order this gem, written by my wise colleague and attachment guru Eli!