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COURSE

12 Practices For LGBTQ+ Mental Health

With Shannon Moyer

Letting your guard down in a safe and welcoming environment is something all people deserve, yet something the LGBTQ+ community rarely experiences. In this course, we will cover topics such as body dysmorphia, gender euphoria, tackle the inner critic, and allow ourselves an opportunity to show up in our truest expression of self - all taught from an inclusive and gender-affirming lens. Please reach out via the course classroom or Insight Timer inbox! This is about learning, growing and embracing who we are, ridding ourselves of shame and societal expectations.

An introspective and inclusive approach to gender affirming mental health.

12 Days

243 students

No ratings

13 min / day

English

About this course

Meet your Teacher

Shannon Moyer

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London, ON, Canada

Shannon Moyer-Szemenyei is a Mental Health Counsellor from London, Ontario. As part of the LGBTQ+ community, Shannon believes in access to mental health services for all humans and leading with an open heart and understanding that everyone deserves the right to identify themselves within their own determination. She processes emotion and inner thoughts through art and writing, leading her clients to do the same so as to understand themselves on a deeper level. Shannon is a believer in fundamental rights, standing up for oneself and being a kind and compassionate human being, leaving a positive impact wherever possible.

View Profile

12 Days

243 students

No ratings

13 min / day

English

Lesson 1

The Inner Dialogue

How we speak to ourselves, internally and externally, has a massive impact on our self confidence, esteem and overall concept of self. In this lesson, we will first consider our inner self talk during a short meditation, then use directed journal prompts to process this information, challenge our mindset, and grow through a daily practice.

Lesson 2

Body Dysmorphia

Within the realm of Body Dysmorphia, we spend a great deal of time focusing on our flaws and for the LGBTQ+ community that can mean focusing on a body that does not match our gender identity. In this weeks session, we will use a mirror meditation coupled with a love letter to the body to nurture the soul and accept the self.

Lesson 3

Gender Euphoria

In this weeks session, we seek to understand the concept of gender and celebrate with esophoria. We take a look at the intersections created by our past, present and future selves so as to come into a full understanding of our presentation.

Lesson 4

The Inner Critic

The inner critic is the voice inside that tells us all of the reasons not to do something, how we might fail, ramps up our anxiety and can even gaslight us when we least expect us. In this lesson, we will learn how to challenge the inner critic, move past it and reclaim our identity.

Lesson 5

Gender Affirmations

Now that we have dealt with the inner critic and challenging that voice, it is time to refill that narrative with some positive affirmation work centered around gender expression.

Lesson 6

Creating Safety Within

For folks in the LGBTQ+ community, finding safe spaces where we can feel accepted, included and embraced can be difficult. Sometimes, the spaces are inconsistent and sometimes they don't exist readily available to us. In our session this week, we seek to create that space within.

Lesson 7

Boundary Mapping

As you create a support circle, you may reconsider and examine your relationships within that circle. Our lesson this week takes a look at creating boundaries, honouring the self and plotting relationships within a boundary map.

Lesson 8

Protection And Shielding

Through a guided visualization, you will learn how to create and assemble emotional armor - an important technique to use when faced with toxic environments, people and places and one that can grow and evolve as you do within your identity.

Lesson 9

Circle Of Control

Now and then we are faced with situations where we take on emotions, feelings, words and actions that we are simply not responsible for. Using a Circle of Control can help give context and rationalize a situation that is otherwise overwhelming and confusing.

Lesson 10

Finding Community And Home

This week, we take a look at the feeling of community and home. We consider how our past concept of community has changed with our evolution of self, and map out what our ideal sense of community and home is.

Lesson 11

Inner Child Nurturing

Through meditation, visualization and intentional letter writing, we meet with our inner child. We will follow them as they show us what it is that they need to feel supported, and then continue nurturing them through letter writing.

Lesson 12

Final Reflections

What have you learned about yourself within your gender and sexual expression throughout the lessons in this course? How will you take these lessons as a supportive guide and use them to nurture yourself going forward?