Join Topaz Healing as we swing into Summer with a somatically focused plant walk series.
Together we will hike mild to moderate trails, deepening our sense of self and relationship to place by engaging our senses. In this series, we will practice becoming more attuned to our ecological selves and be in dialogue with nature using our more subtle perceptual pathways.
This series is a practice of being with, rather than doing and figuring out. While there will be some fun discussions around plant identification + ethnobotanical relationships to plants, the emphasis of this series is to notice what happens when we allow our analytical thinking mind to move over, and allow our wild animal self to take the wheel.
No prior plant, herbalism or botanical knowledge necessary to attend.
Topaz Healing will be providing a first-aid kit, but all individuals are responsible for their own safety and well-being while attending this series.
The Details
When: Sunday June 29, 2025 from 11 am to 1 pm - ish
Location TBD: Meeting locations will be within 45 mins driving distance of Salt Lake City. You will receive an email one week prior to the meet up day to confirm location. August location will likely be a bit further (in the Uintas) — carpooling options may be available.
Investment: $20 minimum donation, additional donations welcomed. (If cost is a current barrier, I am happy to explore energy or service trades. Please email me at info@topazhealing.com to inquire).
Who: Adults with a desire to grow their subtle perceptual skills, build relationships with land, plants + people and learn a little ecological education along the way. (Walking on an uneven trail will be required, physical mobility may be prohibitive for some plant walks. In-person gathering will be limited to 10 people).
What to bring:
Plenty of water
Sunscreen
Snacks to keep you satiated
Clothing suitable for hiking in all weather conditions (closed toed shoes might be best, a hat, sunglasses, rain jacket or light long sleeve shirt to protect from sun are recommended)
A journal + writing utensil
Current, former, and non-client folks are all welcome to sign up. Feel free to bring your friends or family to participate with you.
Meet the Facilitator
I’m Caroline Pegram, LCSW, Founder of Topaz Healing. We are a somatic and trauma therapy collective humbly practicing on Shoshone, Paiute, Goshute, and Ute lands known as Salt Lake City, Utah.
I am a white, able-bodied, person, leaning on collective and internal liberation approaches to find healing. I have learned from intersectional feminists, environmentalist + abolitionist activists, and queer theorists and embrace the perspectives offered by these mentors.
I am passionate about group work and the healing power it holds. With a deep understanding of somatic practices, I skillfully facilitate sessions, providing an intentional and nurturing environment for connection to ourselves and others.
Somatic Lineages:
Neuro-affective Touch – Aline LaPierre
Focusing - The International Focusing Institute Building on the Work of Eugene T. Gendlin
Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (300 hours) – Center for Trauma and Embodiment in Brookline, MA, with David Emerson
Trauma and Release Exercise (TRE) – Yoga Calm Portland, OR
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy – Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute
Somatic Experiencing - PESI, 50 hours with Peter Levine
Foundations in Embodied Ancestral Inquiry - Marika Heinrichs, Stevie Joy Leigh, Wildbody Somatics, Weaver and Rose Somatics
Community Based Yoga Teacher Training (250 hours) – Asheville Community Yoga
Ground Works - Ecological Field Study 32 hours
Guide to the Practice
We will assume positive intent from those in the community with us.
We will refrain from offering unsolicited touch, tissues, or feedback.
We will practice knowing that we can both care and be activated by each other, as we often serve as mirrors for one another.
We will be intentional about the time and space we take up, knowing that this is a community space to share the air.
Every part of the practice is an invitation, not a requirement. Saying no to what we do not want or need in the moment is a potent form of medicine for many of us.
We will honor our biological cues and needs and take breaks as needed.
This practice is more experience-centered than content-focused, your context and story are important to me and we only have so much time for verbal processing.
Privacy is not guaranteed in this space, but it is deeply valued. We are conscious of how privacy keeps this practice feeling accessible and do not share parts of group that are not ours to share.
We honor that this is a practice of repetition, a deepening - we are not reaching for a particular landing place or arriving at a hierarchical destination.
As stated by my mentor Marika Heinrichs of Wildbody Somatics: “Capitalism teaches us to value novelty over consistency; practice grows and becomes embodied with repetition. Each cycle reveals something new, another layer. We trust in embodied practice, in cycles and rhythms and honouring the time required for change and transformation.”
Experiences from Clients
