I am Irene Mary Tomkinson. Professionally I am a teacher and writer and an alternative body-centered therapist. I have a counseling practice. David and I have owned and operated Pathways to Personal Growth our retreat and counseling center for 15 years. Our work is based on the belief that we human-beings bury our emotional pain and trauma not only in our sub-conscious but also literally in our bodies. We believe to experience complete healing we must not only understand (mind) what our pain is all about but also physically release (body) our pain.
We see therapy as a process with a beginning, middle and end. It is a process that is meant to bring us home to our stories in such a way that we learn how our stories impacted us, what we choose to do with the impact and recognize how this impact (our history) is running our present life.
The more we are conscious of our legacy the more we are empowered to live our lives from choice. We have options. We are no longer at the mercy of our imbedded history.
When I was in graduate school my research professor suggested we investigate something that would be personally challenging. At that time nothing challenged me more than my relationships with my daughters who were 31 and 32. “Think of a question that you frequently ask yourself,” he instructed. Immediately I thought,
“Parenting, when is the job done? When does it get easy?”
Initially, I dismissed my questions. I convinced myself I was joking. But the more I thought about it the more I knew I was dead serious. I hated admitting it but parenting for me was a frustrating experience.
From these questions sprung my research which blossomed into my workshops and then finally my book. I am enjoying the journey. My writing has called me to grow in ways that no other path could have taken me. I continue to be blessed with more and more wonderful people entering my life through the book and workshops. People like you. And the best part…my relationships with my daughters is better than I ever imagined possible…because my relationship with myself has healed.
I would love to hear from you.
Blessings,
Irene
"The level of honesty from this women is astonishing. The book is compelling with poignant humor and deep insight. I give this book to all my friends."
- Karen F. NYC
"Not Like My Mother is a self-help book that reads like a compelling novel. I couldn’t put it down. This woman gets it."
- Kate P. California
"Irene has a very special talent in addressing the universal topic of parenting with love, humor and grace."
- Donna, York, ME
"In several short hours I realized that I parented from my unique reference point, and
it's this very blind spot that obstructed the view of my child's equally unique needs, feelings and experiences."
- Nancy, Brentwood, NH
"Irene teaches with stories of her own life and other's who have shared with her. She speaks from
the heart and from a place of non-judgement."
- George, Portsmouth, NH
"I truly believe Irene was put on this planet to help heal our souls and to help us forgive ourselves for any perceived mistakes we made with our children." - Rosemary, Newburyport, MA
"Irene taught her Parenting workshop with such warmth, wit and humor that I felt truly blessed to have participated!"
- Linda, Hampton, NH
"My wife talked me into going to the workshop, and wow.... I didn't know I had so much to talk about! Irene is a great communicator, and the writing exercises really helped me see myself and my pattern of parenting so clearly. I highly recommend it to anyone who has raised kids!"
- Ed, Haverhill, MA
"I laughed, I cried, I identified, I ached...and in the end, I found compassion for myself and my children. Thank you, Irene, for addressing a topic that we may muse about, but don't understand. I left the workshop feeling less alone in my struggle of how to effectively parent my grown children."
- Barbara Ann, Portland, ME