Did you know that you can incorporate the metaphysical into your therapy?
In this episode, Bethany talks with Kiara Brown who shares about her trauma and anxiety work with adults and has expanded beyond CBT to include EMDR, hypnotherapy, and metaphysical approaches. The discussion explores how trauma often underlies anxiety and depression and the importance of mind-body reconnection for stress-related physical symptoms. She details hypnosis, regression-to-cause, and past life regression processes, emphasizing trust, consent, and client openness.
Say Hello to Your Therapist is a podcast where Bethany gets to sit down with fellow mental health professionals and have real talk about our work!
Available to listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other apps. Available to watch on YouTube! Follow the Instagram page for updates.
Bethany’s Links:
Say Hello to Your Therapist Instagram
Other socials:
Find more from Kiara:
Kiara's YouTube Channel and Podcast:
Things & people we talked about:
Episode 2: Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy with Dr. Monika Sharma
The Soul's Guide to the After Death by Gwenna Laithland
Villain Book Series by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Midnight Library by Matt Haig
The Secrets of the Faerie Crown series by Emberly Ash
Transcript
Bethany Valenti 1:05
Well, welcome. Kiara.
Kiara Brown 1:09
Thank you. I'm glad to be here.
Bethany Valenti 1:12
Kiara, like Keira Knightly is here. Just as momentous as that. can you tell me what made you wanna become a therapist and how you got there?
Kiara Brown 1:24
So it's actually started from the time I was 12. I've always known I wanted be a therapist. all my friends would come to me for advice or just event. And like even people that I wasn't really close to in school came to me and I just knew like I wanted to help people and I always got really grossed out by blood. So I knew I didn't wanna be a medical doctor, so I found like another way that can make money and help people at the same time. And just from like 12 on, I've been on this path being. A therapist and I had like numerous jobs in the field and now finally on my own practice. And it's just been amazing.
Bethany Valenti 2:01
Yeah. What kind of work have you done? Like what types of settings before you went into private practice?
Kiara Brown 2:07
So right after undergrad I worked at like an acute unit with kids. So I did that for about a year and then I moved to behavioral tech at a school for kids with, autism. I did that for about a year, and then I moved into being a TSS worker, which is like target support, support staff is what it was called. I worked with individuals that had autism and ADHD and like didn't need like the extra support
Bethany Valenti 2:38
Yeah.
Kiara Brown 2:38
that was really fun. And then I also worked at a group home for boys that were, either runaways or they were truant from school. Or they had like other issues like that. Did that while I was in grad school, working there on nights. And then before I finished grad school, I left there and I started doing family-based therapy and I was there for about two and a half years, finishing up like grad school and like did my internship Then from there I moved to school based. I was in school based for about two years. Finished in licensure and like all that stuff. And then as I finishing up licensure, I left, got my license still with school based for a little bit, but opened up my group, my own private practice, while I was doing that on the side. And I fully transitioned to private practice, September of last year. And it's been like full time ever since
Bethany Valenti 3:30
Wow. And has it always been like kids and teens that you wanted to work with?
Kiara Brown 3:38
I thought so. But with my private practice it's been more adults and I've actually been loving the adults a little bit more. 'cause I can like pull in a lot of different modalities
Bethany Valenti 3:47
Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 3:48
with stuff. 'cause I've been learning so much more. Like with private practice, I could, I've grown from who I was like, you know, the typical like CBT only model and I've grown to incorporate some EMDR and now certified in hypnotherapy and I've been like exploring other kinda like meta physical avenues for things
Bethany Valenti 4:06
Ooh.
Kiara Brown 4:07
and it's been like really fun. And the docs I work with are super open to that stuff. So again, pull in like a lot of like more holistic approach. It's been really enjoyable
Bethany Valenti 4:17
Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 4:18
some parents, some parents aren't like, well don't put this with my kids, but I do with, mostly with adults. I do have a couple kids currently and I like do hypnosis with them, but like on the average, like. I change the verbiage from hypnosis to like meditation and relaxation so that their parents are like, what are you doing to my kid? It's like, I just teach them how to relax
Bethany Valenti 4:39
Right.
Kiara Brown 4:40
which is what hypnosis really is,
Bethany Valenti 4:41
Yeah, we did an episode like, I think it was my second episode that I released with Monica Sharma and on hypnotherapy and, and hypnosis and everything. And it was so interesting, and yeah. That it was, it's like a meditation adjacent, but it's distinct in its own way.
Kiara Brown 4:59
yeah,
Bethany Valenti 5:00
So, yeah. That's really cool to be able to kind of just explore just more of what you wanna do that to be able to use with clients, when there aren't parents, because then you just have one person to consent
Kiara Brown 5:13
yeah,
Bethany Valenti 5:14
to buy in.
Kiara Brown 5:16
yeah. It's generally fun. Plus like, I mean, don't, I love working with the kiddos,
Bethany Valenti 5:21
Yeah.
Kiara Brown 5:22
of times, like I felt. I felt old, even though I'm only in my thirties. But like, I felt like
Bethany Valenti 5:26
Yeah.
Kiara Brown 5:27
I had to like work really hard to connect to them with like their new things.
Bethany Valenti 5:30
Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 5:31
And it's like I, because my kids are not in like, their sphere, like what they're into is like, not what they're into. So it's like everything's delayed. It's just like this is too much. But I mean, asking the kids to like explain their interests helped me, help them.
Bethany Valenti 5:47
Mm. Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 5:48
we could connect that way and build rapport that way, which is fun.
Bethany Valenti 5:50
Yeah.
Kiara Brown 5:51
But also they're like, I'm strictly telehealth and I like to like, have like tangible games to do with the kiddos to like help them stay focused. 'cause you know, kids don't like to look at you in the face whenever they're talking. It's not as easy
Bethany Valenti 6:05
yeah,
Kiara Brown 6:05
to on telehealth.
Bethany Valenti 6:06
yeah. I think people who don't, who may not know as much about Therapy with children would be surprised at how much, like is play, know,
Kiara Brown 6:15
Yes.
Bethany Valenti 6:17
in, in games, and just so that you can talk. I mean, I, I remember one time I, when I was in grad school, I had someone who's mom needed to be tested, but they had to bring her daughter in, I think, and we just sat and colored together and just the stuff she shared while we were just coloring, you know, just sort of naturally came out and it, and she didn't have to look at me, but she was so little, you know?
Kiara Brown 6:45
Yeah. And so sure, like they don't, they don't feel comfortable like looking you in the eye
Bethany Valenti 6:50
Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 6:50
having like that barrier, like knowing like you're still listening, but they don't have to see you face to face to see your body language helps 'em up. Help help them open up a lot. And I do use like some online games or a lot of them color whenever we meet virtually, but it's not the same
Bethany Valenti 7:06
Yeah.
Kiara Brown 7:06
like doing it in person, you know?
Bethany Valenti 7:08
Yeah. Yeah. I had, I released an episode with somebody who uses, was it called Board Arena or something like where you have like these board games that you can do online together,
Kiara Brown 7:24
Oh,
Bethany Valenti 7:24
for her virtual ones. Board game arena. Oh my god, I remembered it correctly. So board game arena, and
Kiara Brown 7:30
Nice.
Bethany Valenti 7:31
join it. And she said that, she explains in the episode that she adds them like they join it, but like it's a part of the therapy and she has it in her paperwork that they, like, it doesn't constitute like a relationship outside of therapy. They can play on there if they want, like, outside of therapy, but once therapy's over, they're gonna be removed from the platform kind of thing.
Kiara Brown 7:55
Oh, okay. Yeah, that makes sense.
Bethany Valenti 7:57
the work with her. So, I assuming you could join it separately, Yeah, yeah. If that's something that you're missing with your, with your kid work, But all that to say yes. You've been enjoying in other like, holistic things with adults.
Kiara Brown 8:13
Yeah, it's been just like really fun too because it's, I don't have to like necessarily like dumb it down, I don't really like like saying it like that, but I don't have to like make it. Kid friendly verbiage. I can like actually say what it is.
Bethany Valenti 8:27
don't have to simplify it. Yep.
Kiara Brown 8:29
I can say what it is clearly to the adults and they understand it
Bethany Valenti 8:33
Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 8:33
like, it works better for my, for my brain. My brain is
Bethany Valenti 8:36
my brain.
Kiara Brown 8:37
constantly going a million miles an hour sometimes. Like having to think, okay, how can I use five words just to explain, it's one word that I would usually say that someone else can understand it. 'cause it's not in their vocabulary yet.
Bethany Valenti 8:49
Mm-hmm. Yeah. How do I explain this abstract concept explain feelings and everything?
Kiara Brown 8:57
Yeah. I mean, I've worked with kids a long time, so I know how to do it. It's just, I prefer to do it with, I prefer working with adults.
Bethany Valenti 9:05
Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 9:05
It's just.
Bethany Valenti 9:06
Yeah. And so, I mean, you were working with some the, and because the kid work like, like it was really important work, very valuable work. Like, and it just, I just amazing to, to have been doing that. And I think that would still understandably kind of be taxing, like draining over, over the years. and to kind of feel like there's less pressure maybe with adults.
Kiara Brown 9:34
Yeah, because like, especially when I did family based, like that was really, that was a lot. 'cause it's not just like the kiddo, it's the whole family and like you're, we're like working in the system, which is good. Like, because you need to make changes in the system for it to be lasting, change fully support that and love it. But it's also like if the kiddo has buy-in but the parents are not buy-in, then it's not going to make changes and like vice versa. So it's like you constantly having to work harder than them. And that's really draining. 'cause I don't like working harder than my clients. Like, if you're not gonna put the effort in, I'm gonna meet you where you're at, but you're not gonna get all of me because I'm not gonna, if you're not giving me all of you, I'm not gonna give you all of me.
Bethany Valenti 10:18
Fair. Yeah. And I think, hmm, yeah, depending on motivation it is to be there in therapy, like more often than not an adult, like coming to you is gonna be more invested in, in what they're doing. And there's, there's potentially just more buy-in from the start, even if you still need to build a relationship and trust and everything.
Kiara Brown 10:40
Yeah, exactly. Because like adults can't have someone forced them to be there.
Bethany Valenti 10:47
Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 10:48
they, their parents signed them up. Like the kids that I have currently, the ones I've had in the past, like their parents signed them up
Bethany Valenti 10:54
Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 10:55
'cause they, they couldn't consent for themselves.
Bethany Valenti 10:58
Yeah.
Kiara Brown 10:59
I'm glad that parents are getting them the help. It's
Bethany Valenti 11:01
yeah.
Kiara Brown 11:01
very important, but it's also, I want how they wanna be there too. Sometimes they don't even understand what therapy is.
Bethany Valenti 11:09
Yeah. I have adults who don't understand what therapy.
Kiara Brown 11:12
That's true. And they're like, I have to have like an, some adults that like, I don't know what I'm doing. I'm like, we're just talking.
Bethany Valenti 11:19
do we, not sure what I'm we're doing here, or like, is this relevant? Or like, I'm sorry, I'm talking about this because this isn't why like I technically came in. It's just so sweet. They just want, they just wanna do it. Right. They don't wanna, like, there are people who don't wanna like, think, worry about wasting your time, you know?
Kiara Brown 11:35
Yeah. And I tell people all the time, they're like, I don't go into session every session with a plan. Like I have like a vague outline of where they wanna go,
Bethany Valenti 11:43
Yeah.
Kiara Brown 11:44
wherever they bring to me, I meet them where they're at. Like if they wanna talk, talk about their day and like how shitty it was. We'll talk about your day and how your day was. If you want to go a on a tangent about like whenever you were five years old and you, the trauma you experienced, we'll go there.
Bethany Valenti 11:59
Yeah.
Kiara Brown 12:00
Like it all just depends.
Bethany Valenti 12:01
I remember when I was in training, I was like, I'm going into sessions with a plan, and then that plan would just go out the window. So like, I would often just, like you said, kind of have a vague sense of like, what we could do, and then go with what the client's bringing in.
Kiara Brown 12:16
Yeah. And that was for me, like the hardest part too. Agency work is
Bethany Valenti 12:21
Hmm.
Kiara Brown 12:22
my supervisor. Like you have to have a plan, has to be very clear and concrete and you have to follow that thing. Exactly. I'm like, that's not how I work. I don't like having a clear cut plan all the time because that's not what the kids want. The kids will come to me with like random stuff. I don't never know what they're gonna throw at me. So why would I have like, we have to do this worksheet or we have to do this activity set all time. Like therapy. Therapy, like. It can become like, there's so many different ways. It doesn't have to be like CBT skills all the time. We're constantly doing DBT things. Like when I start talking like make you having that emotional connection, adults and kids is huge because all times they never got that growing up or in their current childhood. So having like that one-on-one person, like, I'm here for you, I'm listening to you. Whatever that thing is,
Bethany Valenti 13:08
Just hearing
Kiara Brown 13:09
is,
Bethany Valenti 13:09
to say.
Kiara Brown 13:10
yeah, it's still healing.
Bethany Valenti 13:12
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I know you with trauma and anxiety. Correct. Is it
Kiara Brown 13:20
Yeah.
Bethany Valenti 13:21
kind of a thread that is likely gone through all the work that you've done.
Kiara Brown 13:27
Yeah. So I started noticing it when I was working on the DAS units about like the kids that would come and they'd be diagnosed with anxiety, but it was based around like. Being abused and not, not feeling safe and having like their needs not being met at all either by like neglect or anything like that. And there's be diagnosis, anxiety, but I'm like, this is a trauma.
Bethany Valenti 13:52
Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 13:52
Like they don't feel safe. So they're constantly on edge and they're acting out to try to get help. They're not bad kids, they just have no other way of getting their needs met. And then as I've like went through schooling, finished like grad school and then enjoy training and learning, learning more, it's like, yeah, this is all trauma.
Bethany Valenti 14:14
Trauma.
Kiara Brown 14:14
even like even people that are just say, like, it's just anxiety.
Bethany Valenti 14:19
Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 14:19
I usually can trace it back to like something that happened in the childhood. Like not like it was an actual like trauma thing that happened.
Bethany Valenti 14:26
Yeah,
Kiara Brown 14:27
And to me, like just like a symptom of the trauma.
Bethany Valenti 14:31
yeah. of the things that I always appreciated and still try and understand and respect, I guess, when I reflect on trauma, is that like it doesn't always have to be PTSD. That
Kiara Brown 14:47
Right,
Bethany Valenti 14:47
think we, there's this assumption that trauma means you have PTSD, and that's not the case. Trauma can lead to so many different outcomes. It's just that PTSD is the diagnosis of like a specific trauma disorder, but trauma could lead to generalized anxiety. It could lead to depression, it could lead to issues of anger. It could you know, people who are into attachment stuff like it, it's like attachment problems, you know,
Kiara Brown 15:16
right.
Bethany Valenti 15:16
sorts of things.
Kiara Brown 15:18
Yeah. Because like people just don't form these diagnoses out of nowhere. There has to be something in their environment that triggers it,
Bethany Valenti 15:25
Yeah.
Kiara Brown 15:25
whether it's like a huge mass of trauma, like. Being assaulted physically or sexually or emotionally, or witnessing perfect violence with shootouts. Military stuff like
Bethany Valenti 15:37
Yeah.
Kiara Brown 15:38
all those things can contribute to trauma. Like if you have like, yes, the bigger things like military trauma, sexual assault, physical assault, like yes, those can lead to more PTSD, like intense things.
Bethany Valenti 15:50
Yep.
Kiara Brown 15:50
But even like a kid that just is constantly getting yelled at day in, day out, feeling they're not good enough. Feeling like they have to make themselves small just to be cared for and not get yelled at, that in itself is a trauma. 'cause they're con, they're themselves, like they don't feel secure. They don't feel safe.
Bethany Valenti 16:07
Absolutely. Where do you see in the work that you've done, like where it shows up looking almost like something else, but it's like, oh, there's, there's the trauma in here. You know, like you use kind of an example of like what could have happened in the past to a child, for instance, and feeling unsafe.
Kiara Brown 16:25
So I have, I've had numerous clients, but I have one that thinking of, she was left alone a lot as a child and she's like, had to like, internalize a lot of things and feel like she can't open up and she can't go out. And she, but she like, she feels lonely, but she doesn't want to leave her house to actually get out there who doesn't feel safe.
Bethany Valenti 16:48
Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 16:48
like, well, like you were potentially abandoned for hours to like a day at a time whenever you're a little kid.
Bethany Valenti 16:58
Yeah.
Kiara Brown 16:59
You had like no emotional connection, like with anyone to feel safe enough to actually be willing to go there and put yourself out there to make a new friend. Like that's, to me, I think that's a huge trauma thing. Like she was so isolated and so emotionally disconnected from her caregivers that she, can't even like get herself to go there.
Bethany Valenti 17:16
To the point of like being isolated from the rest of the world too. So she didn't have any other safe like relationships or opportunities in the same way to practice like connecting with others.
Kiara Brown 17:29
Yeah. I mean, she was able to form some friendship with their very surface level. Like, sh she doesn't have anyone that she can go deep with that can like be a support person for her. Like if she's having like she broke down the side of the road, she has no one that she can call. She doesn't feel safe enough to call anyone, be, be like, Hey, like I need help. She'd just call on a tow truck. She wouldn't be calling like an actual supportive person to be like, oh my gosh, I'm sorry this happened. Like, I'll be there to help support you through this. There's like no one there.
Bethany Valenti 17:57
Yeah. Yeah.
Kiara Brown 17:59
Yeah.
Bethany Valenti 17:59
So that doesn't necessarily look like classic PTSD.
Kiara Brown 18:03
Right.
Bethany Valenti 18:04
Her life now.
Kiara Brown 18:06
Yeah. It's not like she doesn't have like the, the hypervigilance or like the constant like jumping this, but she's, well, she is hypervigilant about social cues
Bethany Valenti 18:15
Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 18:16
like keeping her distance from people not like being touched. She doesn't want to have, like, she doesn't wanna feel emotionally attached to anyone. Doesn't feel safe to her to get that emotionally attached
Bethany Valenti 18:28
Because people
Kiara Brown 18:28
and
Bethany Valenti 18:29
right?
Kiara Brown 18:29
Yeah.
Bethany Valenti 18:30
Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 18:31
And even like whenever she's had her caregivers try to reach out to try to repair things,
Bethany Valenti 18:37
Mm.
Kiara Brown 18:37
they've discounted what they've done to her in the past. They never actually repaired anything. There's like we're your caregivers like, you should be here. And she has siblings, but they're like, we don't care.
Bethany Valenti 18:54
So parents kind of. Questioning like why she's not close, but not acknowledging like when she gives them the answer basically and
Kiara Brown 19:08
Yeah.
Bethany Valenti 19:09
it. I don't know if they're trying to say they're trying to repair it, but it certainly doesn't sound like a repair. It sounds more of like a, you should be doing X, Y, and Z because we are these, you know, parents or whatever role that they have in like blood relation.
Kiara Brown 19:28
Yeah. They basically say like, we didn't do anything wrong. There's like no acknowledgement of wrongdoing at all on their part, so they, they haven't even like mentioned anything with her pair. There's like, you ever, were your parents like, talk to us
Bethany Valenti 19:41
Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 19:41
and. It's like, I don't want to talk to you. Like,
Bethany Valenti 19:46
Well is she even used to talking to 'em? Like they were gone, she probably
Kiara Brown 19:51
no, she's not.
Bethany Valenti 19:51
just took care of herself.
Kiara Brown 19:53
Yeah, she did like, she had no one to like really lean on. She did everything for herself.
Bethany Valenti 19:59
Yeah. Yeah, so that's one example. do you see like anxiety with her?
Kiara Brown 20:06
Yeah. I, I do see a lot of anxiety with her and a little bit of depression as well,
Bethany Valenti 20:11
Mm,
Kiara Brown 20:11
it's definitely like, I traced it back to like that abandonment, those like insecure attachments that we talked about a little bit ago,
Bethany Valenti 20:20
yeah. Yeah.
Kiara Brown 20:20
and it just kinda like all led into like a trauma response with that lets the, the anxiety and the depression.
Bethany Valenti 20:28
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 20:29
She's also like emotionally distanced from herself. Like she doesn't even trust her own emotions, like she's so shut down. She's not even living in her body, she's just living fully in her mind, which I'm really gonna try and get people to reconnect their mind and body. 'cause it's like the only way to have true healing in my opinion, is you have that mind body connection reestablished. You can't, can't just be fully in your head.
Bethany Valenti 20:55
Yeah. Yeah. Can you speak to like, just 'cause I know that, can you
Kiara Brown 21:01
Yeah.
Bethany Valenti 21:03
why that's important?
Kiara Brown 21:05
Well,
Bethany Valenti 21:06
I like
Kiara Brown 21:07
thank.
Bethany Valenti 21:07
like I know what you're saying is what I'm saying, but for anyone who it's like, why I don't wanna have to feel, or I just wanna like, stay in my head. Like, what's, what's the point of that?
Kiara Brown 21:18
Well, yeah, so like if we can get our mind and the body to be reconnected and everything working together, it's meant to be, it can reduce like gastro issues. Like if people have any GI issues like Crohn's or
Bethany Valenti 21:30
Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 21:31
liver colitis, that can be related to a trauma anxiety response that you didn't address.
Bethany Valenti 21:35
Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 21:36
Heart issues, especially like heart attacks, high blood pressure, blood clots even can cause the, from trauma and anxiety. And if you can heal those, those symptoms can lessen and possibly even go away.
Bethany Valenti 21:49
because basically I always, loved the wording of your body is basically processing the stress in some way. It's holding it somewhere. So if you're not like someone who is dealing with it, like emotionally, like let's say crying you're shoving it away, Then your body's gonna try and slow you down or process it somehow
Kiara Brown 22:11
Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Like I've even like some things that like you wouldn't even think about that could be related to like your emotional response. Like if you get like a twinge in your hip or your shoulders,
Bethany Valenti 22:23
Hmm.
Kiara Brown 22:23
like that could even be from trauma anxiety that's trying to get processed and 'cause like essentially your body starts out,
Bethany Valenti 22:32
I'm really tense. like my anxiety, when it's like off, like I am like clenching. I have
Kiara Brown 22:35
right?
Bethany Valenti 22:36
TMJ really hard, yeah. Yeah.
Kiara Brown 22:38
Like your body is like taxed itself essentially. And that's also why. In my opinion, I was like not a medical doctor, but a, people get autoimmune diseases too, because like your body starts attacking themselves so much. If you're completely suppressing your body
Bethany Valenti 22:50
Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 22:51
your mind and your emotions, there's nowhere else for it to go, other than in
Bethany Valenti 22:55
Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 22:55
which can, in my opinion, could lead to like fibromyalgia, lupus, all these other like autoimmune issues
Bethany Valenti 23:01
Hmm.
Kiara Brown 23:03
and mean, also my medical doctor said like, I can't speak to like the whole medical piece of it,
Bethany Valenti 23:07
Right.
Kiara Brown 23:07
but that's just,
Bethany Valenti 23:08
huge grain of salt.
Kiara Brown 23:08
Yeah, huge thought on that piece. But just from like what I've noticed and like my own personal experiences with things, it's like I can see the correlation between autoimmune and emotional suppression and not actually healing fully,
Bethany Valenti 23:25
Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 23:25
like we can let it go away outta anything if you really want to. But if you're not actually handling it emotionally, it's gonna keep coming up and up and up, and you're gonna be experiencing those same. Same themes throughout your life until you fully handle it. And I've, I learned a lot about that too when I was, as I've been studying human design as everyone comes into this world, the certain path and design for like this life based on what happened in the past life or with our ancestors. And we each have things that we were supposed to finish that weren't finished from past life. And sometimes even our traumas that we currently have aren't ours per se, but from like a past life or from an ancestor that we are here now here to resolve and finish. So that's also like something to explore that I found too, is
Bethany Valenti 24:16
Do you do like the hypnosis stuff with that?
Kiara Brown 24:18
I do. Yeah.
Bethany Valenti 24:20
Yeah.
Kiara Brown 24:20
Yeah. And I've also, I'm also certified in past life regression too.
Bethany Valenti 24:23
Oh you are?
Kiara Brown 24:24
Mm-hmm.
Bethany Valenti 24:25
Okay. Wow.
Kiara Brown 24:27
Yeah. And it's, I've done a lot of it myself and like the amount of healing that comes from it. Is like so astounding.
Bethany Valenti 24:35
Hmm.
Kiara Brown 24:36
like you really get to like a subconscious level and you get your logical mind out of the way and you can like really do deep healing work. And like even if you do trauma traumatic experiences, it's not retraumatizing you. 'cause your mind is just so relaxed and your body's, your, your body and mind are finally connecting. You're finally welcoming those sensations and listening to them for the first time.
Bethany Valenti 25:00
Yeah. Yeah. When you say that you do past life regression, what does that look like?
Kiara Brown 25:09
So past life regression is kind of like form of, it's basically a form of hypnosis. You're letting your mind go to what your soul, essentially, your mind and your soul, go back to where it needs to be. And I just put in a lot of cues, like, you're safe and like you're secure and grounded and like, you know, only comes up what needs to come up straight from here. And, do like a lot of like, essentially call it deepener, just giving cues of like going there and whatever comes, comes up. And then
Bethany Valenti 25:39
Hmm.
Kiara Brown 25:39
some people say it's just like a story, another way of storytelling of how things is going on. But whenever I've done it, the things that have come up for me or things that I have not ever experienced in my personal life or have had stories of people from my personal life. So I know it's like something from a past life, just from the feelings and situations that I personally got. People always like to be open and willing to that experience. It's, that's not really a belief system, but you have to be open to like seeing what can come from it.
Bethany Valenti 26:10
Yeah. So is it like a visual thing? Is it emotional? Both. Like what does it feel like?
Kiara Brown 26:15
Both, but everyone's different too. So even in, even in hypnosis, you might not always see something, you might just feel or have like an inner knowing or like feel the physical sensations in your body. 'cause some people are what they're called mind blind and they can't visualize images, but they can feel the emotions for the physical sensations. Just know something's happening.
Bethany Valenti 26:36
Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 26:37
And that's even still huge progress and huge healing too because like you're in your subconscious mind and it does like the deepest work there 'cause it, it stays rooted and it's not as easily changed as like an neurological mind.
Bethany Valenti 26:54
Mm-hmm. Is it always trauma that tends to come up?
Kiara Brown 27:00
Not always. It can be anything really. Um, I've done hypnosis for myself personally on weight loss. Like what's, what's hold held me back and I'm still working on, but it's helped me reduce my cravings for sweets. any like hypnosis can be used for stopping addiction, addictive behaviors, like over scheduling all those things.
Bethany Valenti 27:23
I meant the past life regression,
Kiara Brown 27:25
Oh, sorry.
Bethany Valenti 27:26
when you're like, I use it for weight loss, I was like, Fascinating. Tell me more like what is,
Kiara Brown 27:34
Oh, so I mean, the past life in itself is always, there's always a trauma 'cause you go to the, your death in that life.
Bethany Valenti 27:40
Oh, that's where you're going.
Kiara Brown 27:42
Yeah. So you see, you see like what messages came from like that past life, like what lessons you were meant to learn.
Bethany Valenti 27:49
was like the major takeaway? Like
Kiara Brown 27:51
Yeah.
Bethany Valenti 27:52
What the rec- of whoa.
Kiara Brown 27:53
Yeah. And then like you go to your death and see like how you died. And like there, I've, whenever I've done that, I've had some past lives where I was. Burned at the stake. I was mauled by, um, wolves, I was killed in a car crash.
Bethany Valenti 28:08
What?
Kiara Brown 28:08
And that, yeah, like there's just like, it just depends on like where you go in your past life or like what happens and
Bethany Valenti 28:16
So you always go to a different one when you do it?
Kiara Brown 28:21
yeah.
Bethany Valenti 28:22
Oh. So when you do it like you're only like doing it like once and then you find go to one life and then you go to another at another time.
Kiara Brown 28:32
So like once you go to one past life, that channel is always open so you can go back to it whenever you want to, to get more information from that life to see what you need to learn.
Bethany Valenti 28:43
Uh huh.
Kiara Brown 28:43
but I'm kinda like in the well of like how like Hindus and Buddhists believe in reincarnation. I'm kinda like in that realm too. So like we've gone through like numerous lifetimes and. It just depends on like what your soul is ready to do, how and how old your soul is.
Bethany Valenti 29:04
is it always like violent death that you're like going back to like, when you're thinking
Kiara Brown 29:11
No, not,
Bethany Valenti 29:11
you ever just been like on a deathbed, like,
Kiara Brown 29:14
yeah.
Bethany Valenti 29:15
like you're just like, you're just like, you know, I was burned at a stake. I was killed by wolves. I was in a car accident. I was like, man, like your past lives have, have really been through it.
Kiara Brown 29:25
I mean, yeah, like there was one that I've gone back to where I was like a frontier woman and I just died of old age,
Bethany Valenti 29:33
hmm.
Kiara Brown 29:34
like, yeah, I just died in my sleep.
Bethany Valenti 29:37
Hm.
Kiara Brown 29:39
I think it's like the thing too, like people think of past life regression. They think of like, oh, I'm gonna be Cleopatra, or I'm gonna be like Napoleon, or I'm gonna be like some like famous goddess or
Bethany Valenti 29:47
Nah.
Kiara Brown 29:47
goddess person. But that's not a always the case. I mean, sometimes you might have been someone famous back there.
Bethany Valenti 29:53
I was reacting to just to the ones you said that had nothing to do with being
Kiara Brown 29:56
Yeah,
Bethany Valenti 29:57
I was like, okay, you were mawled by wolves. Like, should we talk about that? Like, are you like, are you okay? Like, you're
Kiara Brown 30:04
yeah,
Bethany Valenti 30:05
oh, and it actually really helped me. It was, I'm just imagining be regressing and going into a past life and experiencing my death as being burned at the stake or being mauled by wolves. And how is that healing? Sorry, just like, do you know what I'm trying to say? Like
Kiara Brown 30:24
yeah. So it's not.
Bethany Valenti 30:26
I'm just gonna go do that and just come out and be like, ahhh...
Kiara Brown 30:29
so like, that's just like the, that's the traumatic part that people say is from past life is like, going to your death can be traumatic,
Bethany Valenti 30:36
Okay.
Kiara Brown 30:36
But before you get there, you go to three different events in that lifetime to get like a message. So, so like for instance, in the lifetime where I was mauled by wolves, I was exiled from my village that I was in, and I was like, as like a nomad was a group of women and we were like going around and like, we were essentially, we called ourselves Seers, like medicine women. But the reason why I, the message that I got from that life was like, I had to leave my past behind me and like not let family ties or like cultural ties hold me back and like be willing to go out on my own and step out and just experience and like learn on my own without say like the negative Nancy's behind me essentially. So you get like those type of messages and you heal and integrate them. It kinda like relates to like your current life, but things that might be going on in your current life?
31:33
Hey there. I just wanted to hop in and remind you that this episode is brought to you by me. I am a licensed psychologist. My practice is 100% virtual if you feel like I would be a good fit for what you're looking for. I also have PSYPACT, and I can see clients in 43 states. I do offer free consultations that last about 15 to 20 minutes if you want to have a conversation about whether we could be a good fit to working together. So let me make sure you know where to find me. You can go to my website at bethanyvalenti.com. B-E-T-H-A-N-Y V-A-L-E-N-T-I.com. My website and other information, including social media links, can be found in the show notes, as well as our guest information. So take a look if you're interested. All right. Back to the episode.
Bethany Valenti 32:25
Did you feel being mauled by wolves and being
Kiara Brown 32:27
No.
Bethany Valenti 32:28
burned at the stake?
Kiara Brown 32:29
No.
Bethany Valenti 32:30
You just
Kiara Brown 32:30
You just, you just see it. It's like you as like whenever, like you go there, you like, you just observe it like you're observing a movie. Kinda like whenever people do EMDR and say you observe, like what happens in the past, like you're observing a movie. It's all you do. Like you just like, you pull back from it and you are like watching it and you just see what,
Bethany Valenti 32:48
Mm-hm.
Kiara Brown 32:48
see it happen. And then after you're like, you see, okay, this happened. All right. And then you go to like what's called the in-between place and that's where you do the deeps healing. You are like, you see like, hey, so what was the message we got here? How can we integrate it? And then like, did you need to forgive someone from that past life? You need to forgive yourself from that past life. And you do like the deep healing work there.
Bethany Valenti 33:09
Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 33:11
And then you like reintegrate it all back to your current life and then you come back and it's like, I, I've always felt like so calm from it and it's been, it's been huge too, but I lately was more in, it was like, you can get really, really in depth into it. And just because the past life regression can take an hour and a half to two hours to really get into it and like go like really thorough and like really dive into it.
Bethany Valenti 33:40
Yeah, it sounds like a long time. Sounds like it would also be hard to do virtually, but do you do it virtually?
Kiara Brown 33:46
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Bethany Valenti 33:46
Okay.
Kiara Brown 33:47
Yeah. I've like, so my coach and the person that I work with a lot, she's, and I meet virtually for it and I've, I've met with her in person and I've done it virtually and I haven't, for me personally, I have not noticed any difference between being in person doing it versus. Virtual, but I'm also, I can feel the energies around me a little bit differently. And like even like through a computer screen, I can feel like energies and like, know, okay, I'm cool, I'm safe. Like she's got me. You have to, you have to really trust person that you're doing it with too.
Bethany Valenti 34:24
Yeah, I was gonna say, when you're doing it with people, when you're guiding people through this, like it is not, I'm guessing, session one, like let's just jump right into your past lives and see like take your big life lessons and like see how you died, y-you know?
Kiara Brown 34:42
I mean, some people can come for just past life stuff like, but most people that come for just past life stuff are really, they know a lot about the metaphysical world and they've done other forms, like they've done like tarot readings, orbital card readings, and hypnosis themselves. but not a lot of people that know hypnosis also know the past life stuff. They usually just do hypnosis. So they go to someone that actually was trained in past life, and they can do that. So it is, it can't be like a one-off thing. or
Bethany Valenti 35:12
What's that like? Just doing that do you make sure that they know what they're getting into first? Like is there a screening thing, like you said that you're like, oh, most of them have done, like, did you say, are you calling it
Kiara Brown 35:22
like me, like metaphysical, like the, yeah.
Bethany Valenti 35:26
wasn't sure if the mic picked it up 'cause I didn't hear it very well and I
Kiara Brown 35:29
yeah,
Bethany Valenti 35:29
sure I got it.
Kiara Brown 35:31
it's okay. I just got this certification in past life, I've been like learning the hypnosis piece But my coach, she has done things like one-off with people for past life
Bethany Valenti 35:43
Okay.
Kiara Brown 35:44
and they have done like other hypnosis sessions, they've done stuff with like oral cards, tarots, that type of thing. And then they're more like, oh yeah, I wanna do this 'cause I've done like this other research and I've done this other healing work. I wanna go deeper.
Bethany Valenti 35:58
Okay. And so she's a coach. Is she a therapist as well?
Kiara Brown 36:02
Yeah.
Bethany Valenti 36:03
So she's like, like you basically.
Kiara Brown 36:06
Yeah. She's an LCSW and I'm just an LPC, so like
Bethany Valenti 36:09
Okay. There's you using that "just" again, "she's an L I'm just an LPC". No, I need my cat to come back. No, no, no.
Kiara Brown 36:22
I don't have to like use "just". Like I don't value because I know I do, but it's just, I don't know, like there's always like, like every, every licenser has like a different. A way
Bethany Valenti 36:32
yep,
Kiara Brown 36:34
thing with them. And I'm just like, I don't wanna feel like, I don't want people thinking I'm like thinking myself. Hi, might, I'm not.
Bethany Valenti 36:39
Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 36:39
just, I'm just me. I'm just Kiara.
Bethany Valenti 36:41
just, okay, so what you're saying is I am certified to do past life stuff with clients, but I currently have more experience as being someone who like did the past life work
Kiara Brown 36:54
Yeah.
Bethany Valenti 36:54
on the client side versus providing it.
Kiara Brown 36:58
Right. But I know how to, and I'm confident that I can, I can do it. 'cause I've done, as we've,
Bethany Valenti 37:04
Yeah,
Kiara Brown 37:04
as we've been practicing, as we've been learning it, all of us in the cohort that learned it,
Bethany Valenti 37:09
it
Kiara Brown 37:09
we're, we're doing it together.
Bethany Valenti 37:11
Okay. Yeah. Good to go.
Kiara Brown 37:13
I think like having with the client piece too is like really helpful 'cause I can help guide them, be like, okay, so I was like, I've been in this position so I can know like what can come up and help talk 'em through it, but like this could come up. This is how we can like navigate it
Bethany Valenti 37:27
Yeah,
Kiara Brown 37:28
and like keep, keep 'em at ease.
Bethany Valenti 37:31
What exactly would you say would make someone a good candidate when you're working with them? Like for. Anxiety, trauma, whatever that makes you think, you know, let's, let's maybe do some hypnosis, maybe do some past life regression stuff.
Kiara Brown 37:51
I mean, the biggest thing for me is like they have to trust me first and foremost. Like we have to have that, that rapport and that trust built up first. But that's not to be open and willing. And like give to, to go there because it's know, hypnosis have been around for like ever, but they have to be willing because anyone can be hypnotized because technically we get hypnotized daily if we're on our phones. So we get hypnotized driving, like if we can get hypnotized daily. But you have to be willing to give up that control
Bethany Valenti 38:20
Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 38:21
and just, essentially consent to it.
Bethany Valenti 38:24
Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 38:24
So as long as they're like, open to it, I'm game. And we'll go and like I go at their own pace. now like if, like with my established clients, they've been, and that they've moved me through like the whole journey, right? And it's like we've done things here and there and like they've gotten a lot of work too. Like you don't always have to do a past life. You can just do a, regression to cause in this lifetime. Just kind like with EMDR where like you go to, to get the touchstone memory, but with a regression to cause like you just let your mind take you back. You don't have to know where it is
Bethany Valenti 38:56
Did you
Kiara Brown 38:56
healing.
Bethany Valenti 38:57
to cause, is that what it
Kiara Brown 38:59
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Bethany Valenti 39:00
Regression to cause. And so can you explain again what is that?
Kiara Brown 39:05
So it's where you can go back to what caused like you to have, like if you had trauma that you suppressed, let's say you didn't go back to like when that moment happened and like what age you were
Bethany Valenti 39:17
Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 39:18
and like how you process that and heal your inner child and then like grow them up to where you are now with the lessons that you learned since then. And you do it like for three stages, like through three ages. Like you go back to the earliest memory. Well like the most recent one, like a middle aged one, like teenagers. Early, early kid, like late kid years to like really, really young, depending on, like, where it happened
Bethany Valenti 39:43
Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 39:44
and you just kinda like integrate with your current life with like where you are now with your age.
Bethany Valenti 39:49
So, so that is one where you're taking it from your current life, but you're going, you're regressing within the current life
Kiara Brown 39:58
Yeah.
Bethany Valenti 39:59
go back to that and kind of trying to integrate the two together. Because, so from what my, what I'm thinking when I hear that is of the times we, see with my clients all the time. Judge our past selves,
Kiara Brown 40:17
Mm-hmm.
Bethany Valenti 40:18
like with information that we have now. and just, or without information, like, without kind of knowing better, like, so
Kiara Brown 40:24
Yeah. Right.
Bethany Valenti 40:25
people still thinking that they should have been better as a kid even though they were just a kid kind of thing. So if they are able to regress and then see themselves as like a child not being able to do whatever it is they assume they should have been able to do or what potentially like a parent, you know, like we talked about sort of might be saying they should have done, like then bringing that back and being able to like forgive their past self or like have that healing. Is that.
Kiara Brown 40:57
Yeah. So I've done it with a client that was sexually assaulted by a sibling and they were able to go back to, and like they have a lot of, like, they had to constantly solve everyone's problems or like they had to be better to prove that they didn't deserve this or like they did something to deserve like that assault.
Bethany Valenti 41:16
Mm.
Kiara Brown 41:19
actually, we didn't go back to when the assault first happened. They went back to when their mother left them At a really young age to realize that whenever that happened, that in their mind, laid the lay, the groundwork for them to become the victim later on in life. You know, not being good enough, not being enough to keep their mother there and those things. But really it was, it was her actions. It wasn't theirs.
Bethany Valenti 41:45
Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 41:46
he was able to like, heal themselves and, recognize that their mother made their choice and they can heal and forgive and move past it. And the older, the older self came to the younger self as like, and gave all the positive things that happened in their current life. And like, we can get through this and like heal it that way. Like that was a really intense session for us. But they got so much healing out of it because we were doing EMDR on it. It wasn't cooking in his head because he was getting too stuck in his logical mind, which as you know, the also get into emotions, but we did the hypnosis and his body and his mind probably able to integrate so much better, faster than like the past 20 session that we had done. We had like one regression of the cause session and he has had so much progress since then.
Bethany Valenti 42:42
Mm-hmm. Yeah, because I think what I'm also reflecting on as we're talking about is that, yeah, there might be something from past lives that could be hindering or helpful or however we wanna reflect on that, but they're also like, our experiences in our present life are
Kiara Brown 43:00
Yeah,
Bethany Valenti 43:00
very, very powerful to impact us.
Kiara Brown 43:04
yeah. Saying like, you can do either one. I, it's always just like everyone's, everyone's options and like whatever they would want. So I was like essentially like I always call him, it's like there's this tool, my toolbox. I like where they're at. I can do straight CBT if they want straight CBT. I can just do mindfulness. If they don't want mindfulness, I can do the EMDR. They don't want EMDR and the hypnosis and past life just like another toolbox, another tool in a toolkit. And we just get them to where they wanna go, however they wanna do it.
Bethany Valenti 43:33
Yeah.
Kiara Brown 43:33
Um, and just pull them all in.
Bethany Valenti 43:37
Yeah. Is there anything else that you would want us to know about all that?
Kiara Brown 43:43
I honestly think just like knowing your journey, like people just need to know like their journey and like if they've been in therapy for years and it's just been like straight talk therapy and they're like, I want, they wanna try something different. Hypnotherapy is great because it gets you outta your own way. It's literally what it's meant to do is go your own way.
Bethany Valenti 44:01
Yeah.
Kiara Brown 44:02
Because like people love to be in the logical mind 'cause it feels the safest. It's what culturally we're told to do is just be logical. Not all of us are meant to be a logical people.
Bethany Valenti 44:12
Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 44:13
or some people are meant to be emotional. Some people are meant to be like just instinctual or like, have the gut response or like go from your heart. It just all depends on like what you're meant to be
Bethany Valenti 44:23
Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 44:24
doing and just kinda like trusting that and it's incorporating those pieces in
Bethany Valenti 44:30
Yeah.
Kiara Brown 44:33
it's ready to be open to new things essentially.
Bethany Valenti 44:36
How would you describe and maybe like elaborate on how some people aren't really meant to be purely logical. I think that you could argue that, I don't know if anybody should be right? Like should anybody be a hundred? I mean, I think in, especially in DBT world, like I don't think they believe that. You should be in a hundred percent, one or the other, right? Like, not ever a hundred percent logical, not ever a hundred percent emotional. but being able to utilize both where you can, where it's meaningful.
Kiara Brown 45:08
Yeah.
Bethany Valenti 45:09
and so what would you say.
Kiara Brown 45:13
So, I talked on this like a little bit ago, but everyone has like our own human design. And I'm still learning this piece too, but from what I've learned, it's we each have our own inner authority, and that's like kind of with the emotional ideological, the instinctual gut responses like are kind of like. Put in there. So I think it's going based off of that is like how, what our, like our souls instantly respond to is like people that are instinctual, they can walk into a room or walk into a situation and be like, this is right for, this is, yeah, this is, this is for me. Or like, no, this is not for me. And they can just leave. I mean, honestly, we need, we do need to have logical processes for things, but I don't know, just anything's really important to you just to understand like you can't just listening to who you need to be as a person without like the outside world's influences coming in. 'cause a lot of people have like, well the culture that I'm in must be like this. Or My family wants to be like this, but I wanna be like this. And so it's more to like, I wanna be like this. It's like your own, who do you wanna be ignoring Everything else. Yeah.
Bethany Valenti 46:19
I think also reflecting on, you know, like you said, like gut instincts and different things. That's, that's also information that's our body. Like trying to tell us something, you
Kiara Brown 46:30
Yeah.
Bethany Valenti 46:31
picking up on body, spirit, whatever is picking up on something as well as that like helps sometimes. yeah, I guess I feel like, uh, in, in, in its own way, it is like logical, you know what I mean? Like, it's
Kiara Brown 46:46
Yeah.
Bethany Valenti 46:46
When I look at it, I'm like, yeah, I mean that's its own kinda logic. Like something feels wrong, you
Kiara Brown 46:50
Right.
Bethany Valenti 46:52
there's an
Kiara Brown 46:53
Yeah.
Bethany Valenti 46:53
that you're picking up on something. Yeah.
Kiara Brown 46:55
Yeah. So my, my,
Bethany Valenti 46:57
take my logical brain to figure it out, but.
Kiara Brown 47:00
so,
Bethany Valenti 47:01
figure out what that thing is.
Kiara Brown 47:04
so, like, if someone's like an instinctual person, like there's not, there's not gonna be like, it's really a logical reasoning behind it that it's gonna know right. So I think that's where it's, people get, get hung up with like, well they have to prove it to other people, like why they don't wanna do the thing. When it's, if you're logical, if you're an instinctual person, you're not gonna have the logic behind it. You just gonna know, like your body's saying, like, listen to me.
Bethany Valenti 47:27
Right.
Kiara Brown 47:28
part of that too is I think with learning the human design piece, a lot of people go through traumas. Their bodies, like I said, are disconnected. So like they're, they're an instinctual person. They have lost their ability to listen to their instincts 'cause they've, so, they've gotten so much into their mind and they getting stuff into they more situations 'cause they're not listening to their instincts. So it's like, again, like getting, get back in touch with your body, listening to that, listening to where you're meant to be based on your design, and then having your life flourish from there.
Bethany Valenti 48:00
What kinds of things, like do you find that people are often trying to overexplain? Because as we are trying to navigate our relationships and work and all of that, there's some stuff that like we can't necessarily just like not do, but also
Kiara Brown 48:17
Right.
Bethany Valenti 48:18
I think that's just sort of the what your thoughts are on that. Or is it just that like feeling pressure from family or society in general, you know.
Kiara Brown 48:27
And it could be, it could be a lot of things, like if someone is, If someone has like an instinct, like they wanna be with someone, but like on paper, they might not be like the perfect match, but they know like there's something about that person just really clicks with them. And then you really connect that person, like listening to the instinct again, like, this is, this is my person. But then if someone's like, well, why would you want this person like. Say like he's conservative and like that per like, and you're liberal. Like that's two different ideologies. But they could be like, they couldn't be like as conservative as like people think they are. Like something like that can be,
Bethany Valenti 49:03
Okay. That's helpful. I'm also thinking, 'cause when you started to tell it before you gave that example, that spec that, that detail of the example, I was like, but what if they're abusive? You know what I mean? I think it's hard, not especially like with trauma where it's just like, well this person feels safe, but like, what if they feel safe because of. Their past trauma.
Kiara Brown 49:25
so that would be where I would say it. They're still in their, in their mind, they're not listening to their instincts. They're just saying in their mind like saying, well this is the pattern that I've been into for so long. I'm used to this pattern. And they just don't wanna stay in that pattern so that they can't want trying to logic their way out of it, but they're not listening to their bodies feel like this, this person is dangerous. I'm gonna get away.
Bethany Valenti 49:45
Interesting.
Kiara Brown 49:46
Because even if people that are in abusive relationships, I would say they still have, like, they're in their instinctual, they had like, I need to get away from them. But then they's, they're so stuck in logical mind, like say that they, they're married this person and this person's the breadwinner and they're a stay at home mother. Like, well, I don't have the funds to leave. I have to take, they're the ones taking care of us. There's all these like, logical reasons to stay with this abusive person, you know? And essentially they know I need to leave, but they would
Bethany Valenti 50:12
Right.
Kiara Brown 50:13
that instinct for like those other reasons. And I gave them like, listen, like your instinct is telling you to leave for a reason. And then I, I would help that person get set up with resources to get outta a situation like talk, talking to like domestic violence support group or like a shelter or someone to get them out of there, to get them housing, to get them where they need to be so that they, they can leave safely as safely as possible. But I mean, leaving them as a violence is. Never easy. I never, I will not downplay that for anyone,
Bethany Valenti 50:44
No.
Kiara Brown 50:46
try to help them get the supports that they would need in that situation would be what I would help them to actually get back in touch with their instincts.
Bethany Valenti 50:55
Okay. Yeah. I appreciate you walking us through all that. I was not expecting
Kiara Brown 50:59
Yeah,
Bethany Valenti 51:00
us to go in that direction today, but yeah, I appreciate it. So thank you for taking us on that journey, uh, and letting me kind of have some of my genuine reactions to it. You were mauled by wolves, you weren't affected by that? Oh. thank you. Okay,
Kiara Brown 51:21
yep. Welcome.
Bethany Valenti 51:22
first wrap up question. where are you licensed?
Kiara Brown 51:26
I am currently licensed in Pennsylvania, Vermont, South Carolina, and Florida.
Bethany Valenti 51:31
Oh, wow. do you have openings?
Kiara Brown 51:33
I do. I currently have openings a lot for like the morning time, but I also have some weekend hours open too.
Bethany Valenti 51:40
Okay. And, do you take insurance?
Kiara Brown 51:44
Only in Pennsylvania if they're out of state, I am not taking insurance.
Bethany Valenti 51:49
so what's your current fee
Kiara Brown 51:52
currently for self-pay it's $200 an hour.
Bethany Valenti 51:55
And you said you do just online or are you online and in person?
Kiara Brown 51:59
Just virtual. Yeah.
Bethany Valenti 52:02
Okay. And what do you like to nerd out about?
Kiara Brown 52:05
Oh god. Well, I'm currently like nerding out about human design, but also. Anything with fantasy or books. I am a huge book dragon. Like I would just devour and hoard books like crazy,
Bethany Valenti 52:20
Yes. Yeah,
Kiara Brown 52:21
like,
Bethany Valenti 52:21
I was actually gonna ask you, when we were talking earlier, if you had read, it's a novella by Gwenna Laithland. She just came out with it. she's mama cusses. If you see her, on stuff, it's called the Souls. Guide to the after death, I think. Let me see. I have it in my audible, gimme a second. I don't know if it would, I don't know. Are you just fantasy? Are you just into fantasy?
Kiara Brown 52:47
I mean, no, I do,
Bethany Valenti 52:48
Okay. All sorts of stuff.
Kiara Brown 52:50
I do all kinds of stuff. Yeah. Oh, except for horror. I don't do horror, do horror thrillers or mysteries. I'm not, I
Bethany Valenti 52:55
Okay.
Kiara Brown 52:56
get enough of that with, with my work. I don't
Bethany Valenti 52:58
Yeah.
Kiara Brown 52:59
about it.
Bethany Valenti 52:59
Yeah. I don't do horror so much, but I'll do the other ones that you mentioned. so yeah, the Souls Guide to the After Death by Gwenna Laithland. so it's about this person who dies and like learns all about like past lives and lessons going into the next life and stuff. So,
Kiara Brown 53:20
Actually really cool. I haven't heard of her, but yeah. No, that sounds really cool.
Bethany Valenti 53:23
Yeah, I think it's her first. 'cause her first book was like a parenting type book. and then this is, I think her first like fiction I think she just released a second, another third book called like Thinky Thoughts or something like that.
Kiara Brown 53:35
Cool.
Bethany Valenti 53:36
of like, more like her first one I'd say. so yeah, I wonder if you would like that one. I also just read the Midnight Library, but that has like, they, they kind of have some overlap, about like life, death and deep stuff like that. But they both have some overlap about like decisions that you make in one life and like different versions of you and like what you could have done differently and all that kind of stuff. but I feel like the Soul's Guide to the after death has more like about like past lives and future lives and stuff. So. I like that one
Kiara Brown 54:09
I have to go check that one out. That really sounds like super cool.
Bethany Valenti 54:12
it's a, since it's a novella, it's not that long. I think it was like, I dunno what it was, uh, I think it was like a four hour audiobook. So I don't, I feel like that's longer than other novellas I've had on audiobook. I feel like those are usually like two hours. But, yeah, that's one I was thinking about. What's, what, what are you currently reading right now?
Kiara Brown 54:30
So I'm currently in a couple books. I'm currently reading, the last book in Secrets of the Fairy Crown. Oh, I forget what the title of it. I haven't picked it up in a couple days.
Bethany Valenti 54:44
That's, that's fine. I'll look it up. I also just finished assistant to the villain. Have you read that one at
Kiara Brown 54:49
Yes. I read the, I read the whole true little joy
Bethany Valenti 54:53
one. Oh. I just started the second one. like, I like it so far.
Kiara Brown 54:57
and I like the, I like the humor in it. I do wish it is a little bit of a faster burn. It's definitely,
Bethany Valenti 55:03
a slow burn. It's
Kiara Brown 55:05
it's a really slow burn.
Bethany Valenti 55:07
It's an incredibly slow burn given the amount of tension as well.
Kiara Brown 55:11
Yes. I'm like, okay. Like there needs to be more like it.
Bethany Valenti 55:16
You like more spice
Kiara Brown 55:17
I,
Bethany Valenti 55:18
or more like movement in the story
Kiara Brown 55:21
I mean, slow burn is fine, but if it's slow burn and it takes multiple books to get there,
Bethany Valenti 55:28
Yeah.
Kiara Brown 55:29
too slow
Bethany Valenti 55:30
That's
Kiara Brown 55:30
me
Bethany Valenti 55:31
Okay.
Kiara Brown 55:31
at like,
Bethany Valenti 55:32
slow.
Kiara Brown 55:32
at least for the end of the first book, something needs to be happening. At least needs to be some heavy kissing or some petting or something has to happen.
Bethany Valenti 55:41
Yeah. I think I was ready for like it, not to fully happen in the first book, like I accepted that, but like I. Their reunion on in the second book that I just got to like, I'm like frustrated that it didn't like happen like
Kiara Brown 55:56
Exactly.
Bethany Valenti 55:56
you
Kiara Brown 55:57
Yes.
Bethany Valenti 55:57
Yeah,
Kiara Brown 55:57
Yeah.
Bethany Valenti 55:58
right at the beginning of the second one or something like that. So, okay. So does it not, do I just need to prepare myself that nothing happens in book two? Like do I just like, you don't have to spoil anything, but like, do I just need to know that like the burn is gonna just keep on burning.
Kiara Brown 56:14
The burn gets a little bit burner, but it's not inferno yet.
Bethany Valenti 56:18
Okay. Helpful. I'll take that. Don't take that. That's fine. I don't need like, you know. What do you, what's inferno level spice, you know, or like everything. Like I appreciate that there's a little bit more of a slow burn and books out there that's not entirely like super spicy, but given, like I said to a friend who I was recommending it to, I was like, if they don't ultimately have like a sex scene because of like the way that they're building up to this, like at some point I'm gonna be kind of disappointed. Like if this is just sort of like a, oh, like the curtains were drawn or something like that and we don't get details, like, I'm gonna be shocked. I will be kind of disappointed. So,
Kiara Brown 57:00
I mean it's, except it's definitely does not get to like a level five spice. And I have definitely read and enjoy the books that were more spice than plot. Like those have been something,
Bethany Valenti 57:12
I like plot heavy, lighter spice, but I will read more spice. Some spice heavier. I like, I like spice, but like I'm not like the just spice, I don't need much plot kinda thing.
Kiara Brown 57:24
I mean, I like, I like both. So I, I has this be like one or the other. But for me, like if you're not gonna have a lot of spice, there needs to be. Really good world building and character building.
Bethany Valenti 57:38
Yeah. I think
Kiara Brown 57:38
Like there has to be like
Bethany Valenti 57:39
this,
Kiara Brown 57:40
Yeah, it does. And
Bethany Valenti 57:41
this, which is
Kiara Brown 57:42
it, and it
Bethany Valenti 57:42
me. Yeah,
Kiara Brown 57:43
also does like a lot too, like the side characters too, which I really like. And it kind of,
Bethany Valenti 57:46
we're getting more side character stuff and I was really hoping for that in the second book. So yeah, that one's called Apprentice to the Villain for our,
Kiara Brown 57:54
Yeah. So it's like, I like that piece, like whenever you get like the decent world building at this point, that's why it cuts me in there. 'cause like the slow burn was definitely frustrating. But the world building and like just their quips and like Evie's, just her effervescence was just like so
Bethany Valenti 58:12
Yeah. Enjoyable. Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 58:13
Yeah.
Bethany Valenti 58:14
infectious. Yeah. I like her a lot.
Kiara Brown 58:16
Yeah. So like that, that kept me there.
Bethany Valenti 58:18
Good. Okay. Um, what is something that you find comforting?
Kiara Brown 58:27
Hmm. Keeping answered a lot of things actually, but. Usually just like if I can just be with my husband and just like him and I just like have the time to ourselves or even
Bethany Valenti 58:36
together, you
Kiara Brown 58:36
just, just being together Also too, like when I can just like snuggle with my babies, like that's also really comforting too. I love just, I'm more, I am more of a homebody, so like if I can just like snuggle on the couch and have my book and my kids just be like with me, I'm good.
Bethany Valenti 58:51
yeah. Yeah. I love that.
Kiara Brown 58:53
Yeah,
Bethany Valenti 58:53
pets?
Kiara Brown 58:54
I do. I have two dogs. They're my annoying fur babies. I love them, but they're also really needy and annoying sometimes and just like, because I don't go to anyone else's in the house but me,
Bethany Valenti 59:08
Hmm
Kiara Brown 59:08
they're, I have like just declar to me and so like all their attention needs come to him onto me. Which is fine, but also can get annoying.
Bethany Valenti 59:17
Yeah. Sure.
Kiara Brown 59:19
Yeah.
Bethany Valenti 59:19
You're like, I get it. And I do still want some space.
Kiara Brown 59:22
Yeah.
Bethany Valenti 59:24
and are you into coffee or tea?
Kiara Brown 59:28
Tea. I do not drink coffee at all.
Bethany Valenti 59:30
coffee. No coffee. No
Kiara Brown 59:31
Nope.
Bethany Valenti 59:33
What is, uh, your least favorite misconception about the work that we do?
Kiara Brown 59:40
That we give advice.
Bethany Valenti 59:42
Mm mm
Kiara Brown 59:43
Okay. And then we, and then we have all the answers. Because I'm just, I'm a human too. I have my own life experiences. I have my own struggles. Like I don't have magic wand to be like, Ooh, problem solved
Bethany Valenti 59:53
know. Yeah. And there are times where I'm just like, like, what do you think I should do? I was like, well, I have some ideas, but you know,
Kiara Brown 1:00:00
Yeah.
Bethany Valenti 1:00:01
I don't know what I should tell you. so especially when you first start working with them.
Kiara Brown 1:00:05
Yes. There's like, help. It's like, just solve me. Be like, do it for me. I'm like, I can't, like, I can't do it for you.
Bethany Valenti 1:00:12
can't, sorry. Wish I could. And where can people find you?
Kiara Brown 1:00:18
they can find me on my, on my website, which is lunar-counseling.com.
Bethany Valenti 1:00:22
Mm-hmm.
Kiara Brown 1:00:23
Or I'm on Facebook at Learn Counseling LPC, and I'm also on YouTube. It's, Kiara Brown-Lunar Counseling.
Bethany Valenti 1:00:32
Yeah. What's the name of your podcast? Does it
Kiara Brown 1:00:36
just, just my name. I just call it the Lunar Counseling, just Lunar Counseling podcast essentially.
Bethany Valenti 1:00:40
Okay. I love it.
Kiara Brown 1:00:41
Yeah.
Bethany Valenti 1:00:42
All right, Brown. Thank you so much for your time today.
Kiara Brown 1:00:46
Yeah. Thank you for having me. This is fun.
Bethany Valenti 1:00:48
Yeah, had fun.
