Soulfully Approaching Teens

Hey Friends!

This episode is inspired by a dear friend, confident, and trusted advisor - Clementine Moss. She asks about ways to connect with teenagers to have soulful conversations and introduce spiritual practices. Connecting with teens at a soulful level is essential. They're navigating the demands and slipperiness of school, peers, social media, hormones, adolescence, relationships, and everything in between! They need reliable resources.

Today, I'll share a few approaches for parents and practitioners to consider when you soulfully connect with teens.

So let's dive in.

Confession

I'm not an expert on this topic. But I am a parent of two teenage daughters and a Depth Hypnosis and Shamanic practitioner. I have used many approaches to spark a soulful connection with our daughters. Most of them had our daughters feel at the helm as they access steady, trustworthy resources. Admittedly, this can be easy and tricky at the same time. It's easy because it relies on the language and processes I regularly use as a practitioner. It's also tricky because I'm their parent and attached to the outcome. So my guiding light is to steer them, so they feel they're leading the way.

While I continue to finesse my approaches, I'll offer a few for you to consider.

Again, my intention is to help practitioners and parents. I want to help practitioners like Clementine connect with teens and be of greater service to them as they navigate today's rough terrain. I also want to help parents who wish to introduce spiritual practices to their teens but are unsure how to do so.

Rough Terrain

Let's first talk about this rough terrain. Whether you're raising teenagers, near teenagers, or of service to them - you probably know how prickly they are. Yet, at the same time, they're seemingly lost, detached, and overwhelmed. And while all this is a normal part of development for teens, there's undoubtedly a massive increase in mental health disorders for teens. 

As a matter of fact, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that 49.5 percent of adolescents has had a mental health disorder at some point in their lives. So, roughly 1/2 of our teens suffer or have suffered in their lives! And we're not even weighing in on how Covid has impacted their mental health. This is terrifying, right?

On a lighter note, while the data is not quite as straightforward, some sources estimate that 75-95% of teens believe there's a higher source. They may name that source God, Divine, Light, Creator, or whichever name feels right for them. Yet, only a sliver of teens has a meditative or spiritual practice to tap into for relief and to access peace, clarity, meaning, and even harmony.  

This is why (quick PSA here) we, as parents, need to start early and connect our young children with a power animal or spirit animal. Young kids have brilliant imaginations and are willing to be led through a mediation to make this connection. This access allows your young one a place to return for support and help. And each time they do, it reinforces the practice and pathway to Source. And as they get older, it invites them to connect with other guides and helping spirits. I've seen how beautiful this connection is. My daughters established a relationship with their power animal when they were 5. I'm still in awe of how powerful this resource has been for them. Perhaps this deserved a separate discussion for another time, another episode.

So, connecting with our teenagers to have soulful conversations and introduce spiritual practices is imperative. By the way, I reference "spirituality" as accessing higher levels of consciousness and connectedness. Because when we do, we operate at a higher vibration, feel more alive and capable of navigating whatever life shows us.

OK...so I'll share three approaches so you can massage them into something that feels right for you and your teen.

1 - Try Something New

Start a conversation with a gentle suggestion to consider something new. A question like "would you be willing to try something new and different to provide you relief from the anxiety you're experiencing?". Of course, you'd use whichever emotion or sensation your teen is suffering from.

I'll expand on this from a parent's angle. So, I found a conversation like this works well when my teen and I are neutrally charged. For us, it's usually when I lie next to her before she goes to bed. Then, I'll ask if I can share something I noticed, which is almost always greeted with a "sure." 

I share what I sense they're experiencing and relate to them by sharing when I had that same feeling as a teen. That way, she feels she's not alone, and we share the same emotion. Then I mention how I wish I had other tools and resources to help me and ask, "would you be willing to try something new and different to access solace and help?".

If I encounter hesitation or receive a firm "no," I'll ask if they'll sleep on it. Then, I begin to wrap up the conversation by sharing a time when I tried something new and found it unexpectedly helpful before encouraging them to consider it. Finally, I ask when's a good time to check back with them and tell them I love them no matter what.

Now, as a practitioner, I find most teens are open to solving old problems in new ways. They're more willing to experiential healing practices than adults. Yet, similar to how I introduce this work to an adult - I ease into the conversation. I lead by saying there are other ways to help people get out of their own way than traditional western methods. Then I'll ask if they'd like to connect with a deep inner knowing through a guide or helping spirit by relying on earth-based wisdom and practices. There seems to be an openness; typically, they don't need much more explanation to engage.

Sometimes a gentle suggestion to consider something different is all a teen needs to explore a new healing modality or spiritual practice.

2 - Enjoy Sacred Things Together

While most teens want nothing more than to spend time with their friends, remember to make time to enjoy sacred things together. I encourage you to attend spiritual ceremonies together, so you get to experience sacredness together. You can share your experiences and how it moved you, what thoughts shifted, and how you feel afterward.

I'll make this relatable and share a story. One of my daughters and I participated in a Cocoa Ceremony. She was the youngest in the circle yet learned from her elders and her momma. She observed what it's like to be vulnerable and share an experience within the sacredness of a tightly held circle. She felt how the warmth of the cocoa releases feelings and leaves freely and willingly. Afterward, we shared our experiences and learned from each other. Our drive home was like a timeless capsule of bliss and peace. We will always have that moment with us and in us.

In addition to a Cocoa Ceremony, other sacred things you and your teen may consider enjoying together could be...

• Participating in a yoga class and experiencing the serene moment when you're both in the Savasana pose at the end of a class
• Attending a sound healing and feel the clearing move through your body
• Observing nature's wonders - like a stunning sunrise or sunset - and taking in the magic of the moment
• Attending an art or creativity workshop together

These soulful experiences allow for soulful conversations and soulful connections. Each of you accesses a part of yourself, and together it creates a unique bond between you - whether you talk about it or not. This sacred connection is a resource for your teen to return for comfort and grace.

And if you're a practitioner, I offer these as ideas you weave into your own offerings as you serve teens and their parents.

3 - Allow Them to Be at the Helm

Through self-exploration, your teen can access insights and wisdom to navigate whatever turmoil they're experiencing - especially when they have difficulty seeing or knowing their issues. 

So through interactive meditation, like a Shamanic Journey grounded by a practitioner, a teen can access their deeper self and connect with guidance. They access resources within and outside themself. It's an approach like this where they step into their own personal power through a balanced, integrated way for remarkable spiritual healing.

When a teen is at the helm in a mediation like a Shamanic Journey, while a practitioner grounds, it takes the teen's charge to look inward. While at the same time, this fabric removes the charge of whatever situation, emotion, or feeling they're experiencing. 

If your teen (or you, for that matter) wants to explore this further, then let's have a conversation. And if I'm not your person, I'm happy to introduce you to other Shamanic practitioners. It's more important to me that you and your teen have the right person to guide you along your healing journey than to have me be that person.

Full Circle

So to come full circle, our teens need us. They don't need to suffer alone while navigating the rough terrain of their teenage years in today's era. So connecting with our teens to have soulful conversations and introduce spiritual practices is imperative. When they access higher levels of consciousness and establish meaningful connections - they operate at an elevated level. They feel more alive. And they're capable of navigating whatever life shows them.

Main Takeaways

The main takeaways from today's episode are the three approaches I offer you and your teen.

1. Try something new and different to access relief from whatever heaviness you're experiencing.
2. Experience sacred ceremonies together, which encourages soulful conversations and soulful connections.
3. Consider a meditation, like a Shamanic Journey, where your teen is at the helm connecting with guidance and accessing their deeper self.

That's it for now.

See you in next week's episode.

I honor the divine in you.