The Many Faces of Healing - Shohreh Davoodi (she/her)
Hello and welcome to The Many Faces of Healing Interview Series!
I started this journey because I wanted to interview other healers in different areas of expertise. I specialize in working with hardworking overachievers who are tired of running in circles and embodied chaos in their lives. They typically struggle with perfectionism rooted in past negative life experiences and are ready to find healing for their whole self.
Because I work so closely with anxiety and trauma, I was curious to see how other professionals see trauma and anxiety come up in their work. I also wanted to find and connect with more awesome professionals as a resource for when something outside of therapy is helpful for the clients I work with and for people in general! I truly believe that to take care of ourselves and our mental health, often times more than therapy is necessary. That’s why I love connecting in with all types of specialties!
If you are in the state of Florida (or even work nationwide) and see clients with anxiety, trauma, or perfectionism- I would love to hear from you! My goal in this is to create a network of amazing people who know what I do and how I can help while also building a resource for people to find the help they need, when they need it from awesome professionals whose goal is to help people build a life they love.
How long have you been working in the profession you are now? How do anxiety and trauma typically show up in your work with people?
I've been a coach in some capacity for going on five and a half years. Because I work primarily with queer folks and people with other marginalized identities, trauma and anxiety are par for the course with my clients. The impact and stress of rejection from family and friends, frequent microaggressions, and overarching systemic oppression commonly show up in my work.
What is your experience and thoughts of how trauma shows up in the body?
In my own experience and my experience working with dozens of people who have experienced significant trauma, trauma absolutely does show up in the body in the form of aches, pain, general discomfort, intrusive thoughts, etc. Thankfully, there are so many things that can help alleviate the impact of trauma on the body, from massage to exercise to meditation to making art. It's really a matter of figuring out what works best for each individual and what they're able to tolerate at each stage of their healing journey.
What do you generally find the most frequent obstacle clients report as it relates to anxiety, perfectionism, trauma, or overall mental health?
In my work, a barrier for most of my clients who struggle with anxiety and perfectionism is something I like to call "the ghosts of self-doubt." The ghosts of self-doubt live rent-free in our heads, and they come from our upbringings and years of programming and socialization. They work to convince us that the voices in our heads telling us what we "should" do belong to US, even though they actually originated from others. People are haunted by familial and personal ghosts (like the voices of parents and caregivers, teachers, old roommates, friends, or colleagues), trauma ghosts (from abuse, neglect, bullying, mistreatment, and marginalization), systemic and societal ghosts (like patriarchy, diet culture, white supremacy, ableism, and homophobia), and dozens of others. The danger of these ghosts is that they drown out our inner voices, which makes it really difficult to make decisions that feel in alignment with who we are.
Tell me more about the work you do as a healer?
I'm a self-trust coach for queer folks and our accomplices, and I'm dedicated to helping people move through self-doubt and shame so they can live their lives with intention and step into their motherf*cking magic. My mission is to help come home to themselves, both for the sake of individual well-being and for the collective healing required to build a more just and compassionate world.
My coaching is a loving container for folks to get more rooted in their authentic selves and more confident about where they're headed. Together, we examine all of the things that are keeping a person stuck so they can build a path forward that's based in self-awareness and thoughtful decision-making.
People come to me with a variety of goals and struggles. Coaching might be for you if: you're exploring your sexual orientation and/or gender identity; you want to break free from the cycles of rigid, all-or-nothing thinking you've been stuck in so that you can live a more colorful and vibrant life; you desire to truly get to know yourself, including your likes, dislikes, dreams, passions, values, wants, and needs; you feel strongly about living in a more just world and require assistance navigating identity, power structures, and privilege; or you're tired of talking shit to yourself and holding yourself to impossible standards but don't know how to change.
I currently offer one-on-one coaching, consultations, and a year-long membership program called Follow Your Arrow that opens for enrollment twice per year.
What do you wish more people knew about in terms of your work? What about in terms of healing trauma or anxiety?
I wish more people understood that deepening self-trust is a worthwhile pursuit for anyone who desires to feel more courageous, confident, and centered. I also wish more people realized that self-trust work isn't selfish - just the opposite, actually. Self-trust work not only has a positive effect on the person undertaking it, it also benefits everyone around that person too.
How can people find out more about what you do and how you can help? How can they reach you?
The best places to find out more about what I do are through my website, https://shohrehdavoodi.com, and my social media accounts. I'm @shohrehdavoodi on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. I also host a bi-weekly podcast called Conjuring Up Courage (available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, etc.), which is a fantastic free resource, and I regularly send out an email newsletter called The Queer Agenda, which you can sign up for at https://shohrehdavoodi.com/subscribe.
Want to know more about Shohreh??
Shohreh Davoodi (she/her) is a self-trust coach for queer folks, a writer, and the host of the Conjuring Up Courage podcast. She's dedicated to helping people move through self-doubt and shame so they can live their lives with intention and step into their motherf*cking magic.
Shohreh works and plays in Austin, Texas, on land that is the unceded territory of the Tonkawa and Comanche tribes. She's almost too gay to function, a fire sign (shocking, right?), and an overall rainbow glitter bomb of a human. When Shohreh's not in front of her computer, you can find her on her trapeze, shooting her compound bow, traipsing around in nature, playing music, doing crafty shit, and loving on her girlfriend and two pups.
Hey there! I really appreciate you reading my blog, I hope it has been helpful and given you some meaningful information.
If you are struggling to find help with trauma or anxiety, are looking for an anxiety therapist here in Tampa or EMDR therapy here in Tampa (or virtually anywhere in Florida), schedule a free 15-minute consultation. I’d love to chat and help you get where you want to be.
You can find more information about me, and what I do, as well as weekly inspirational messages on my Instagram @soulmission_therapyandyoga or on my Facebook page.
-Kandace
