My Story of Surviving to Thriving
“Compassion is not a relationship between the wounded and the healed. It’s a relationship between equals. It’s knowing our darkness well enough that we can sit in the dark with others.” ~ Pema Chodron
Hi! I’m Laura Rain. Thank you for your interest in working with me and for getting to know me a little better. I’m going to be vulnerable here and it’s a little uncomfortable, but I’ll dive in anyway. I am a person who understands intimately what it takes to go on a healing journey. Although I have learning that comes from books, the most valuable learning has come from my own experiences. I have done and continue to do the inner work required after surviving trauma that began in my early childhood. I know how terrifying it can be to dive off the cliff into the unknown of a healing journey. I went through that. I’ve been on my healing journey now for close to twenty years. The first ten years were a lot of hard work, courage, and dedication to healing the shame that kept me from loving myself and being okay with myself as I had always felt something was wrong with me. When I healed enough and began to love myself enough, I realized not only is nothing wrong with me, but I am whole, not perfect, but whole and worthy. I am loveable, strong, capable, and so very worthy of having authentic connections, reciprocal, healthy loving relationships, and living a beautiful, joy-filled, prosperous life.
I’m a regular person out there in the world living a busy, but pretty balanced life. I’m a mom, stepmom, wife, daughter, sister, friend, & community member. I’m both a counselor and a client, a teacher and a student, a mentor and a mentee. I continue to grow and do my own inner work as I continue to help others grow and do their inner work. There is a quote that the best therapists do their own therapy. While I am an ordained spiritual counselor, and not a therapist, I do believe that the inner work I do helps me be in the best place I can be in order to assist and be a guide to others. In my work, I use many tools from my own healing journey, as well as tools I have learned through my studies in natural health & healing bodywork modalities, yoga, breathwork, meditation, mindfulness, tantra, & shamanism.
The approach I have to offer is to deeply listen to you and your story. As I listen from a deep space of listening not only with my ears, but with my heart, I can help guide you into the intuitive knowing of your soul, to access your answers, to help guide you into where your feelings and emotions live inside your body and what they are telling you, to help you discern the voice of your inner knowing vs. the voice of your inner critic or fear, and to help you access the parts of yourself that need healing. I can hold both a deep space and a bright light to help you get through whatever you are going through and come out on the other side. When people give me the privilege of using my gifts to assist them in their healing journeys, it makes what I have gone through have greater meaning and purpose. In this way, it is also a gift to me.
Thank you for reading. Many blessings to you and to your journey.
Laura Rain
“When I was going through darkness, Laura was the person shining the light on the path for me to keep going, knowing that I’m going to be okay. She helped me find my way. She gave me permission to be the person that I am. I knew I could share anything, the good, the bad, the ugly, and Laura wouldn’t judge me. She is that person”. ~Remona
Credentials, Accomplishments & Acknowledgements:
Published Author of Not From Here? A Spiritual Misfit’s Guide to Finding Purpose and Belonging, 2020
Public Speaker, Walk the Talk on Mindfulness, a Ted Talk inspired speaker series, 2017
Ordained Minister & Counselor Madonna Ministries, 2010
Shamanic High Priestess – Shamanic Priestess Process with Anyaa McAndrew, 2010
Certified Ipsalu Tantra Kriya Yoga Teacher/Mentor/Coach – Ipsalu Tantra, Inc, 2007
200 Hr. Registered Yoga Teacher, Yoga Alliance, 2005
Thank you to all of my teachers, counselors, and mentors who have helped me along my path.
Bodhi Avinasha, Pat Sheehan, Richard & Antionette Asimus, Gary Woodcox, Anyaa McAndrew, & the many, many others. May you all be blessed. Thank you for helping me become who I am today.
Laura Rain is a Holistic and Mindfulness-based Spiritual counselor, speaker, author, and teacher with a background in natural health, yoga, tantra, meditation, and shamanism.