About Elena Laning
Welcome to Santosha. I'm Elena Laning and I'm a Certified Grief Coach trained in trauma-informed care and somatic therapy, dedicated to providing a safe and supportive environment where clients can explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences around grief without judgement - the raw, real, unfiltered realities of it. The truth is, we live in a grief phobic, grief-illiterate society where we are not taught the tools to support ourselves or our loved ones through the most universal and normal experience that is grief. For some reason (as with many mental health topics) we have relegated it into corners and shadows, brushed it under the rug, expected a quick turnover time, and have so many not so subtle judgements about the way people grieve. I would like to throw that all out the window.
I believe that normalizing and de-stigmatizing conversations around mental health and grief is not only life changing but world changing work. Throughout our entire lives we will continue to face changes, navigate loss, and endure emotional dysregulation. Learning better ways to navigate these challenges will not only make your life much less painful, but make you a better friend, partner and citizen of the world. If only they taught emotional regulation in school imagine the things we could have avoided! *sigh*
I know i know it's not that easy. It's true that healing really is lifelong work, a journey, not a destination. I too have faced soul crushing grief and I'm still a work in progress. But I can tell you first hand how life changing these practices have been for myself, my mentors, loved ones and clients. So lets work together and do the damn thing. Because it's so much better to have some support than trying to grit your teeth and bear it through life, isn't it?
approach
Holistic & proven methods
I like to utilize a holistic approach in my coaching approach, focusing on the unique needs of each individual. We are never aiming to fix or heal your grief, but to learn to have a healthier relationship with our grief and learn how to process the waves of emotions that will continue to come with it. We believe grief is sacred and we want to find ways to honor it, manage it, and make your life enjoyable, free and joyful. By utilizing narrative techniques, mindfulness practices and somatic therapy, we focus on client agency and empowerment to help clients identify and challenge thought patterns. By fostering a safe and supportive environment, we encourage open communication and self-exploration, allowing clients to gain deeper insights into their emotions and behaviors. We aim to empower individuals to cultivate resilience and develop effective coping strategies for grief and loss and all of life's challenges. By learning effective ways to regulate our nervous systems and process emotions through the body using a variety of techniques like breathwork, somatic movement, mindfulness techniques and sound, we can become more resilient and empowered individuals.