Work with Me | Dr. Kerry Manley

Sovereignty Sessions

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On Sovereignty

Potential Session Topics

Session Toolsets

Pricing & Scheduling

Values, Community Care, Client Safety

What are Sovereignty Sessions?

One on one experiential sessions for clients seeking empowerment and sovereignty in their bodies, inner life, relationships, and community.

Sovereignty Sessions are well rooted in Jungian and Archetypal Psychology, but they are not therapy*. Rather, they are a supportive, experiential pathway of sovereignty and liberation. The focus in Sovereignty Sessions is on experiential exploration through a diverse combination of psychological and spiritual toolsets (described below).

*These sessions do not involve diagnosing, treating, curing, or preventing any disease or mental health disorder.

A list of my degrees/qualifications can be found on the About page.

My goal is to support clients in developing their unique expression of wholesome, empowered sovereignty.

On Sovereignty

A wholesome and empowered sense of sovereignty may feel like an inclusive inner leader that listens to diverse perspectives and acts in protection of and service to the whole Self (not just the ego) and the community ecosystem in which one resides.

A fractured or disempowered sense of sovereignty can look like: self betrayal; feeling constantly the victim; lack of personal accountability or integrity; struggling to find healthy friendships, love, or community; feeling stuck, powerless, lacking meaning; struggling to be yourself; living out of touch with your values or not being able to assert them; feeling afraid to use your voice; feeling controlled or heavily influenced by others/not being able to make decisions for yourself; difficulty ending relationships or setting boundaries; trouble taking responsibility for mistakes and their repair.

What topics might we explore?

Sovereignty sessions focus on supporting clients in their sovereignty journeys by creatively exploring meaningful and provocative questions. For example, our inquiries may include:

What does self determination mean for you?
Where in your life does it feel like sovereignty is not accessible and how do we shift that?
How has sovereignty been violated in your life and/or ancestral lineage and what must be done to process what happened?
What do you do when sovereignty is denied to you by others?
What does sovereignty mean in your inner life or spiritual life?
How does sovereignty show up in your relationships and communities - in contexts of interdependence?

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Importantly, we also explore the shadows of sovereignty. Sovereignty most definitely has a dark side: that of control and power over others that takes away sovereignty. Questions to explore here may include:

How is disempowerment/lack of inner sovereignty showing up behind the scenes in unexpected areas of life?
What do you do when you find yourself wanting or wielding power over others in an unhealthy or even harmful way?
How do you change philosophical, cultural, or familial legacies of sovereignty abuse?
How can you shift your lifestyle and values to respect the sovereignty of the Earth and living world?

Topics

Sovereignty Session Toolsets

I often combine toolsets to create immersive experiential sessions.

For example: first guiding the client in movement with the support of a relevant myth or archetypal story on theme with what we are exploring, then inviting the client to use visual media (paint, crayons, etc.) to roughly sketch what the movement felt like and journal about what it brought forward. From there we would look together at the results of the exploration and see what insights we can glean from the experience.

Dream Work

Working with dreams is a process of living in relationship to our dreams and seeking meaning in their symbolism.

We can understand dreams as living images which carry the wisdom of the holistic Self, guide us and reveal truths about our lives we may not otherwise discover, and offer us entry into spiritual depths.

Active Imagination

Active Imagination, originally developed by C. G. Jung, is a process of entering into inner conversation with images that arise spontaneously from the unconscious. It can be similar to visualization/meditation techniques which involve journeying inwardly with the imagination and observing what happens.

The goal is to bring us into a deepened connection with the Self and the universe (define as you wish).

Archetype & Myth

Jung considered myth to be a primary expression of the collective unconscious, calling it a “primordial language” which metaphorically expresses universal human experiences with far more finesse and meaningful richness than any attempt at logical description. By working with archetypal stories (myths, folklore, etc), we can discover a sense of collective human dignity in our struggles, and find guidance on our paths.

Divination

Divination, including practices like Tarot and the I Ching, is a powerful tool for growth and liberation. These practices seek illumination in the unknown and operate through symbolism and synchronicity. They can bring us into deep consideration of many aspects of life. I typically steer away from using divination tools to predict the future (this can often get confusing and messy in my experience), and instead see them as tools of guidance and insight.

Artistic Media

Another way to see differently into the psyche is by using artistic media (eg. paint, oil pastels, crayons, pencils, pen, ink, etc.) to explore an emotion, experience, archetypal image, or question. The way we go about this in session requires no skill with art in any traditional way as it is not about the visual appeal of the creation, but more about what it reveals symbolically and what happens during the experience of creating.

Ceremony/Ritual

Creating ceremonies and rituals that honor important points on our path solidifies, empowers, and sanctifies those moments of passage. In session, I work with clients to design ceremonies and rituals to this purpose. Typically the client then goes and performs their ceremony themselves (without me present) at the time and place that feels right to do so. Elements of ceremony though do enter directly into session occasionally when the work calls for it.

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Pagan Path-Seeking

Navigating a pagan spiritual path can be complicated. There are many definitions and types of paganism and even more opinions on how one should practice. I cannot and will not tell anyone what to believe or how to practice their spirituality. However, I can offer plentiful support for my clients in seeking their individual authentic pagan path for those who desire it. In particular I love supporting clients to explore spiritual paths that lean into their own cultural and ancestral practices, honor nature, and avoid cultural appropriation.

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Toolsets

Logistics, Pricing, & Scheduling

For new clients: To determine if we are a good fit, let's schedule a free 10 minute zoom chat to discuss your needs and how I can support you. You can schedule that via my online calendar here:

All sessions are held via zoom (link will be emailed before your session) unless otherwise specified.
Please plan to the best of your ability on being in a private space with good internet. Space to move your body is helpful but not required.

Schedule Free New Client Chat Here

Pricing & Payment:

$90/ 1 hour session

$135/ 1.5 hour session

**A limited number of reduced price spots are available for those in financial need. Contact me for details.

Payment is due at the time of your session. You can either prepay online, Venmo, or Paypal. Preference is Venmo to avoid fees.

Scheduling, Rescheduling, & Cancellation:

Schedule a Session

To cancel or reschedule, log into the online system here, or contact me via the website.

If you need to cancel or reschedule, please do so more than 24 hours in advance. Sessions cancelled less than 24 hours in advance are nonrefundable. Thank you!

Pricing & Scheduling

On Values and Community Care:

This work stands in full support of the sovereignty of all beings, human and non-human. This means working actively and on-goingly (both as a practitioner, as a goal in sessions) on divesting from systems of discrimination and oppression.

In this work, I acknowledge that this stance is a process and perfection is impossible. From a relational perspective: we live in relationship with each other and our ecosystem, and in relationship we inevitably cause harm to each other (often accidentally, but not always). When we do cause harm, we work to repair this harm because we value relationship and community. When shame arises, it can be honored and released.

Furthermore, sometimes we cause harm through systems that we did not create, but inherit culturally or ancestrally. I believe it is our responsibility to work towards dismantling those systems for the greater good of all, including ourselves. We are all partners in creating community based in mutual respect, sustainability, and co-existence.

Values & community Care

Commitments to Client Safety:

It is of utmost importance to me to create a safe space for my clients in our sessions. Therefore we will go over and sign a contract in our first session that specifies policies for payment/cancellation as well as the following:

I maintain strict confidentiality about our sessions together:
- I do not share anything discussed or explored in our sessions with any third party
- I do not confirm or deny working with a client if a third party asks
- I do not share personal client information with any third party

If I feel that a client is in need of psychiatric or therapeutic care I will refer the client to someone who can help them with that and may or may not continue to work with that client myself, depending on the situation (again, I am not a therapist and do not treat/diagnose mental health disorders).

I maintain the following boundaries with my clients:
- Our sessions are personal but professional, meaning that while we go deep in exploring the client's journeys with sovereignty, my own role is that of a professional guide/supporter/mentor not a friend, romantic interest, business partner, or family member. In other words, I care deeply about my clients, but our relationship will remain that of client and professional and nothing more while we work together.
- If we happen to see each other in public, I will leave it to the client's discretion whether or not to acknowledge that we know each other or how. If the client chooses to acknowledge me, I will keep these interactions pleasant but brief.

I am anti-discrimination and seek to support my clients equally regardless of ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, age, culture, ability differences, religion/spirituality, and body size/shape.

Dr. Kerry Manley