S2E6| The Healing Power of Art, Symbolism & Shadow Work with Leslie Burke

S2E6| The Healing Power of Art, Symbolism & Shadow Work with Leslie Burke

What if creativity isn't just something we do, but a pathway to healing? In this episode of The Woo Woo Therapist Podcast, I sit down with Lesley Burke, LPC, ATR-BC, to explore the connection between art therapy, symbolism, shadow work, trauma healing, and nervous system regulation. Lesley shares how Hurricane Katrina unexpectedly changed the course of her life, leading her from being a professional artist to becoming a licensed therapist and board-certified art therapist who helps others use creativity as a tool for healing. We also discuss her experience participating in MAPS psychedelic-assisted therapy research and training, and how that work expanded her understanding of trauma, creativity, and the healing process. Whether you're a therapist, artist, or simply curious about your own creative process, this conversation invites you to see creativity as more than self-expression. It can become a powerful tool for self-awareness, reflection, and transformation.Key Takeaways * Creativity can become a gentle pathway for healing when words are difficult to find. * Symbolism often reveals emotions, beliefs, and parts of ourselves that are ready to be seen. * Shadow work invites us to approach ourselves with curiosity rather than judgment. * Healing can happen through both conversation and creative expression. * Supporting the nervous system creates more space for creativity, resilience, and self-awareness. * You don't have to be an artist to experience the healing power of creating. The process itself is where transformation often begins. Connect with Lesley Burke, LPC, ATR-BC Learn more about Lesley's work as a licensed professional counselor, board-certified art therapist, and visionary artist. Website: www.lesleyanneburke.com [https://www.lesleyanneburke.com] Instagram: @lesleyanneburke [https://www.instagram.com/lesleyanneburke/] Join the conversation: If you're a therapist, witch, energy practitioner, professional tarot reader, astrologer, medium, or healer integrating psychology and spirituality, I'd love to connect with you. Interested in being a guest on The Woo Woo Therapist Podcast? Please reach out to:⁠ hello@kathleenstark.co⁠ [ hello@kathleenstark.co] To connect with Kathleen Stark: Instagram: ⁠woo_woo therapist ⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/woo_woo_therapist/] YouTube: ⁠The Woo Woo Therapist Podcast⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@TheWooWooTherapistPodcast] Website: ⁠https://www.kathleenstark.co/⁠ [https://www.kathleenstark.co/] Thank You for Listening: If this episode resonated with you, I'd be grateful if you left a review or shared it with someone who might need to hear it. Every review, every share, and every conversation helps this community grow and reminds others that they don't have to choose between the practical and the magical. Until next time, stay curious, trust your intuition, and remember that your healing journey is uniquely your own. Take what resonates, leave what doesn't, and keep showing up for yourself. I'll meet you back here soon. Blessed be. 💜 Disclaimer: The content and conversations shared on this podcast are offered for educational purposes, self-reflection, and community connection. They are not a replacement for psychotherapy, mental health treatment, or professional advice, and listening to this podcast does not establish a therapist-client relationship. Please take what resonates and leave the rest.

S2E5 | Embracing Spirit and Healing with Amber Thuston, LPCC

Prepare to be inspired by Amber Thuston, LPCC, founder of Healing with Amber, where grief therapy and spiritually integrated support come together to create space for deep healing and transformation. Amber's work blends evidence-based clinical care with psychospiritual practices, offering grief counseling, spiritual counseling, evidential mediumship, intuitive tarot guidance, and community education. Her practice is rooted in compassionate, culturally aware care, with a special focus on supporting BIPOC women navigating loss, life transitions, and the search for deeper meaning. In our conversation, Amber shares her personal journey through grief, the unfolding of her mediumship, and what it means to reclaim her authentic self while honoring both her clinical training and spiritual gifts. We explore the importance of ethics, discernment, community, and trusting your own inner wisdom as you walk a path that is both practical and deeply magical. Whether you're a therapist, a healer, or someone finding your way through loss and transformation, this conversation is a beautiful reminder that healing doesn't ask us to choose between science and spirit—it invites us to honor both. Key Takeaways * Amber shares the prophetic experience surrounding her grandfather's passing and how it became the catalyst for embracing her gifts as a medium and healer. * Healing doesn't have to choose between evidence-based therapy and intuitive practice. Amber explores how integrating both creates space for deeper transformation. * Learn about Amber's psycho-spiritual grief model: Acknowledge, Embody, Reconnect, Integrate, and Transform—a compassionate framework for moving through loss. * From mediumship to therapy, Amber discusses why strong boundaries, mentorship, and humility are essential for anyone doing spiritual or healing work. * We explore questioning inherited beliefs, honoring ancestral wisdom, and creating a spiritual practice that feels authentic rather than performative. * Amber speaks candidly about imposter syndrome, self-trust, and embracing the dark night of the soul as an invitation to deeper self-love, community, and personal evolution. To connect with Amber Thuston, LPCC: Website: Healing With Amber [https://www.healingwithamber.co/] Substack: Healing With Amber on Substack [https://healingwithamberco.substack.com/] YouTube: Healing With Amber YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@healingwithamberco] Join the conversation: If you're a witchy or woo-woo therapist, energy practitioner, professional tarot card reader, astrologer, or medium who'd like to be a guest on the show, I'd love to connect with you. Please reach out to: hello@kathleenstark.co [ hello@kathleenstark.co] To connect with Kathleen Stark: Instagram: woo_woo therapist [https://www.instagram.com/woo_woo_therapist/] YouTube: The Woo Woo Therapist Podcast [https://www.youtube.com/@TheWooWooTherapistPodcast] Website: https://www.kathleenstark.co/ [https://www.kathleenstark.co/] Thank you for being part of today's conversation. If something in this episode resonated with you, I'd love for you to leave a review or share it with someone who might need to hear it. Every review, every share, and every conversation helps this community grow and reminds others that they don't have to choose between the practical and the magical. Until next time, stay curious, trust your intuition, and remember: your healing journey is uniquely your own. Take what resonates, leave what doesn't, and keep showing up for yourself. I'll meet you back here soon. Blessed be💜 Disclaimer: The content and conversations shared on this podcast are offered for educational purposes, self-reflection, and community connection. They are not a replacement for psychotherapy, mental health treatment, or professional advice, and listening to this podcast does not establish a therapist-client relationship. Please take what resonates and leave the rest.

S2E4 | Healing Beyond Words: Blending Clinical and Sound Healing with Connor Romanowsky

Connor Romanowsky, a dual-licensed psychotherapist and intuitive healer, shares her inspiring journey of blending clinical expertise with spiritual practices like tarot, astral projection, and energy work. If you've ever wondered how to ethically incorporate magic and intuition into therapy or healing, this conversation is a must-listen! In this episode: * The ethics of weaving tarot and spiritual tools into clinical practice * How somatic therapy unlocks trauma healing through the body * Connor's journey through generational trauma, religious wounds & spiritual awakening * Why safety and ethical practices are the foundation of holistic healing * Astral projection and meditation for trauma recovery * The role of intuition in breaking generational cycles Connect with Connor: Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/somatichealingandwellnessnj [https://www.instagram.com/somatichealingandwellnessnj] Website: http://www.somatichealingandwellness.com/ [http://www.somatichealingandwellness.com/] Email: connor@somatichealingandwellness.com [connor@somatichealingandwellness.com] Join the Conversation: If you're a witchy or woo-woo therapist, energy practitioner, professional tarot reader, astrologer, or medium who'd like to be a guest on the show, I'd love to connect with you. Please reach out at: hello@kathleenstark.co [hello@kathleenstark.co] Connect With Kathleen: Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/woo_woo_therapist/⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/woo_woo_therapist/] Email: hello@kathleenstark.co [hello@kathleenstark.co] Website: ⁠https://www.kathleenstark.co/⁠ [https://www.kathleenstark.co/]

S2E3 | The Many Deaths and Rebirths That Made Me

Some stories don't start with a breakthrough. They start with just getting through moments in life, one step at a time. This is part of mine. In this episode of the Woo Woo Therapist Podcast, I am not holding back on the journey I have walked through, which includes childhood trauma, domestic violence, guiding my daughter through her own healing, along with many different health crises that brought me to my knees, and ultimately cracked me wide open. Every loss, every ending, every version of me that had to die — this episode is about what those deaths made possible. Raw, real, and full of hard-won wisdom, I'm sharing for the first time. In this episode: * Growing up in survival mode — what it did to my body, my nervous system, my sense of self * Leaving a dangerous relationship — and why "just leave" was never that simple for me * Holding my children through their own pain while barely holding myself together * The health crises — and my son's cancer diagnosis — that cracked me open and led me to my spiritual awakening * How witchy practices, intuition, and ritual became central to my own healing * Why I now dedicate my life to walking alongside others in their healing journey Connect With Kathleen: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/woo_woo_therapist/ [https://www.instagram.com/woo_woo_therapist/] Email: hello@kathleenstark.co [hello@kathleenstark.co] Website: https://www.kathleenstark.co/ [https://www.kathleenstark.co/] Join the Conversation: If you're a witchy or woo-woo therapist, energy practitioner, professional tarot reader, astrologer, and/or mediumship who'd like to be a guest on the show, I'd love to have you on the show. Please reach out at: hello@kathleenstark.co [hello@kathleenstark.co]

S2E2 | Embracing Spiritual Wisdom with T. Sherna "Iya Ọṣun Iṣe Ṣe" Bush: Exploring Discernment, Practices, and Community

Join us for an enlightening conversation with T. Sherna "Iya Ọṣun Iṣe Ṣe" Bush, LMT, the visionary Founder of Sherna’s Synchronicities, LLC. With a rich background as an Ifa Priestess, Ordained Minister, Ègún (Ancestor) Medium, Death Doula, TJCL Podcast Co-Host, Reiki Practitioner, and Licensed Massage Therapist. Sherna brings a wealth of wisdom and experience to the table. Sherna's journey is deeply rooted in spiritual practices and community healing. Her work emphasizes the importance of respecting cultural traditions and understanding the nuances of closed and open practices. In this episode, she joins Kathleen Stark to explore the significance of spiritual discernment and the role of lineage in spiritual work. Together, they discuss the importance of creating sacred spaces within communities, fostering healing, and nurturing spiritual growth. This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of spirituality and community building. Join the Conversation: If you're a witchy or woo-woo therapist or energy practitioner who'd like to be a guest on the show, I'd love to have you. Please reach out at: hello@kathleenstark.co Connect with Kathleen: Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/woo_woo_therapist/⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/woo_woo_therapist/] Email: hello@kathleenstark.co Website: ⁠https://www.kathleenstark.co/⁠ [https://www.kathleenstark.co/] Connect with T. Sherna "Iya Ọṣun Iṣe Ṣe" Bush: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shernassynchronicitiesllc [https://www.instagram.com/shernassynchronicitiesllc?igsh=MWNieXB3ejludnJybg==] Podcast: This Journey Called Life Podcast. Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcast, YouTubeWebsite: http://www.shernassynchronicities.com/ [http://www.shernassynchronicities.com/] Email: contact@shernassynchronicities.com