Welcome to The True Self Project with Maraya Rae

Healing trauma. Awakening truth. Come home to your embodied, authentic and whole self.

Hey there, and Welcome!

You are likely reading this because you are already on my newsletter, blog or email list. If you opened my last email you would be expecting this post, and if not this will be a surprise to you. I have moved my personal email list over to Substack, and from now on most of my emails, in particular this newsletter, will be coming from here.

And if you are totally new here and have found this welcome post, welcome!

This newsletter, and the community we build here together is called ‘The True Self Project’.

A newsletter and community for people walking the path of inner transformation; a space for insight and education around trauma + early conditioning, evidence based psychotherapeutic methods, somatic wisdom and spiritual growth, coming together to support those who are ready to move beyond trauma and old patterns, into a deeper connection with their true, authentic self.

This newsletter and this space is ultimately about re-connection.

• To your own truth.

• To your essential qualities.

• To the wisdom that lives beneath the surface of the mind.

• To your body and the intelligence and sacred remembering that emerges when we inhabit the body.

• To your heart.

• To the calm, clarity and courage that exist within.

And to something greater, that holds us all.

Healing, whether emotional, psychological or physical is ultimately a path of awakening; a journey inward that asks us to remove the masks that no longer serve us, meet our pain with compassion, reconnect with our essence, and soften into presence, remembering who we truly are beneath the strategies we have designed to survive.

This newsletter and all that is offered alongside it is designed to help you deepen your understanding of how to release the binds of the past, and navigate the pathway back to your true essence, after trauma and early conditioning have shaped you to be someone you are not.

Welcome.

Who am I?

My name is Maraya Rae Rodostianos, and I’m a trauma-trained, integrative somatic therapist, working in private practice.

I didn’t arrive at this work by accident, nor did I set out to be a trauma therapist. Far from it actually, in my previous life I was in fact, an artist. My path and the destination I am currently in, was shaped by profound loss, heartbreak, and the kind of life events that crack you wide open and teach you things about life that most of us don’t ever want to learn. The suicide of my partner when I was 5mths pregnant with our second son, the unraveling of my health, and the pain of repeated dysfunctional relationships turned my world upside down, and forced me to look at myself, inside out.

These experiences stripped away who I thought I was and revealed deep, unresolved layers within me; emotionally, psychologically, physically, and spiritually. I tried many paths to heal. Each offered something, and slowly I moved forward. But something still felt incomplete.

It wasn’t until I began working somatically; deeply engaging with the body, the nervous system, and the imprints of trauma; that things truly started to shift. For the first time, my healing felt whole. My life began to make sense. This work met me where nothing else had; at the intersection of trauma and spiritual growth.

Because healing trauma isn’t just about feeling better. It’s about coming into deeper presence. It’s about returning to the truth of who you are.. your essence. And that is a profoundly spiritual process.

You can read more about my journey here.

I’m here because I care. Deeply.

About people, about healing, about love, about connection and about truth.

Our time together will see us diving into the foundations of healing, how trauma and conditioning create adaptations and survival patterns that shape our habits, patterns, thoughts, beliefs, perceptions, behaviours, physical, emotional and psychological health, and ultimately our identity; who we are, how we know ourselves to be in the world and how we relate to ourselves and others.

And of course, what it takes to dismantle all that doesn’t serve us, and heal. Or come home.

This is a place for learning, growth, reflection, ideas and actionable takeaways that you can immediately apply to support your pathway back to the the truth within.

I want you to unfold into the very nature of your true essence, the you that exists beneath who the world told you that you needed to be, in order to be safe and loved. I want you to find safety in your own body, enough-ness in your own being, and a connection to the quiet wisdom that’s always been there; beneath the noise, beneath the patterns, untouched by trauma, never broken and always worthy of love.

So why is this newsletter called The True Self Project?

The idea is simple.

We were born into our true essence. Into our embodied, authentic and whole self.

And then life happened.

Our true nature, our connection to our innate qualities and strengths, our connection to our body, emotions and all that makes us who we are authentically, was shaped and sometimes distorted by our culture, family, environment, and experiences that led us away from what is true, and into an adaptive or conditioned self. Designed to keep us safe, but often keeping us feeling disconnected and trapped in patterns that bring pain and suffering into our emotional, psychological, physical and relational lives.

The life project we have all been given, is to find our way back home to our true self. A full circle journey.

This pathway can be challenging. Often we are initiated into it in some way.

A relationship breakdown, a career fall, a health or financial crisis or an inner sense of unrest shows us that the way we have been living, is not in alignment with who we truly are.

And so we are called inwards.

Whatever the gateway, when we are in it, we need support.

We need others who have forged a path before us, friends to hold our hands and people to journey with. This space is designed to help you access all of those resources. And ultimately it will help you turn inwards and find the ground beneath your own feet and the truth that lives in that part of you that is ‘beyond’ conditions.

Each week, I’ll be sharing reflections, resources and practices to support your healing and growth, including:

• Foundational insights on trauma, the nervous system, emotions, and the mind-body connection

• Somatic tools and practices to help you work with your body, emotions, and patterns

• Teachings to support your return to truth, presence, and inner connection

• Research and grounded advice you can apply

• Stories; both personal and timeless; that offer perspective, meaning, inspiration and carry lessons for the heart and soul

• Practical guidance for creating deep, lasting transformation

• And a whole lot more…

Note: At the moment this is a free publication, but as I start adding resources to help you build the foundations for healing, there will be paid options for those who want to go deeper.

I’m thrilled you’re here, and if you ever have thoughts or feedback about what you’d like to see more of in The True Self Project, feel free to hit reply. I would love to hear from you.

I’m so grateful to welcome you to my community.

Warmly,
Maraya Rae Rodostianos

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