Media

Hidden Gems: Meet Molly Mitchell-Hardt Field of Vessel Collective - Central Coast Voyager

Excerpt:

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Vessel Collective?
I began as a solo private practice therapist and more recently have expanded into a group practice where I supervise burgeoning clinicians. The group practice is called Vessel Collective, vessel being the healing container in which transformation occurs.

At Vessel, we are depth psychology trained and somatically oriented, this means that we are fundamentally interested in the deeper workings of one’s being, beyond the symptoms that are arising in life. We are also interested in the ways in which we have all internalized the distortions of patriarchy and unraveling the ways this has made us unwell. We view symptoms and triggers as communication, our psyche’s intelligence pointing us in the direction of healing.

This is the approach we take to relationship struggles, communication issues, boundary work, anxiety, depression, complex trauma, ADHD and HSP, and the many life transitions that leave us vulnerable and in need of support.

The perfect fit for us is someone who is open to something a little bit different than traditional talk therapy, who is willing to slow down enough to move beyond thought and story and begin to unveil the often forgotten language and wisdom of the body. It is through this process that true integration becomes possible, when we stop trying to think our way through our problems and begin the night sea journey of truly encountering ourselves. The beautiful thing I see unfold again and again is through this encounter, which initially can be uncomfortable, clarity, vitality, and access to beauty and joy start coming back into people’s lives.

We do this work with teens, adults, couples and groups. Our passions lie in the realm of the triple goddess, the maiden, mother, and crone. Associate therapist, Anja Svensson, wrote her graduate thesis about the intersection between the menstrual cycle and mental health. I wrote my graduate thesis about navigating pregnancy and birth within the patriarchy. Collectively we share the intention to support people through life’s many passages and allow for a space for the sacred to enter and be guide to the process.

Through my somatic experiencing work, I also offer touch work, which is simply another somatic modality that supports the nervous system by using the most primal language we have to communicate presence and holding. It is through this work that I have learned how much our human physiology needs and craves safe physical contact, especially when so many of us hold our overwhelming life experiences all on our own, in our own psyche and soma.

I have also started offering more intensive work with clients that can range from a package of working on something specific for three days close together for 2.5 hours each day to having sessions that are longer than the traditional 50 minute therapeutic hour or scheduling longer sessions once per month during a cycling person’s luteal phase, when they might need more holding and support.

We offer our services both virtually throughout California and in person in Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara areas.

Meet Molly Mitchell-Hardt Field - Canvas Rebel

Excerpt:

Hi Molly, thanks for joining us today. What was your school or training experience like? Share an anecdote or two that you feel illustrate important aspects or the overall nature of your schooling/training experience.

It was in graduate school that I was first introduced to the mytho-poetic perspective and that prismatic shift in orientation transformed the way I relate to myself, my clients, and the world. It was like seeing the world in black and white and then suddenly the whole spectrum with nuances in between. The concept of the shadow was especially impactful, the shadow being any part of self or the collective that we are not consciously related to or that we are actively turning away from. The first important piece is that everyone has a shadow, aspects of self they enact unconsciously that may diverge from how they present through their conscious personality. This is a great equalizer, it normalizes the experience of having many parts of self with different and sometimes competing motivations.

Midlife Crisis to Midlife Reset: Molly Mitchell-Hardt Field On How To Use A Midlife Crisis as an Opportunity to Embrace Change and Unlock New Possibilities - Medium

Excerpt:

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to your particular career path?

I always had a penchant for the philosophical and psychological. I was curious about the micro, my own behavior and the behavior of those around me, and the macro, the laws of the universe and the impact of the over culture’s influence on our psychology. This combined with suffering my own struggles over many years compelled me toward a pilgrimage to strip away the layers of illusion to reveal something more essential about humanity and life itself. I was fortunate to be supported by many skilled and soulful healers along the way that helped guide me to my calling.

You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

Curiosity. Despite many years of education, I did not connect with my own desire for learning until I graduated from undergrad. It was then I discovered, that when it is a subject that excites me, my desire for learning is insatiable.

Aligned community. I feel very lucky that my line of work and study has come with a community of like hearted people. Having this community to consult with and be inspired by is a gift that keeps on giving.

Listening to my calling and answering the relativizing call of reality. I was always a bit of an idealist and could not wrap my head around doing work I did not whole-heartedly believe in, this posed many challenges along the way, but in the long run I believe is contributing to an overall sense of fulfillment.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

Right now I am offering a support group for women in the perinatal stage rooted in Somatic Experiencing and Depth psychology, a space for women to create deep community during a time that can typically be isolating.

In addition I will be launching a new offering in the new year, this will be therapy intensives, giving people who might want to work on something very specific such as a single traumatic event or who may not have time to fit weekly therapy into their lives to benefit from doing more time intensive sessions on a condensed schedule.