Sacred Rivers Wellness

What you are currently experiencing, might not actually be YOURS.

You DO NOT need to remember your past to heal from it. The memories that have been wreaking havoc on your mental, physical and emotional health can be accessed and released THROUGH the body.

Your experience is valid. Don't let someone tell you that your pain "isn't as bad as someone else's".

Nervous system dysregulation can happen from what did happen but wasn't supposed to OR what didn't happen that was supposed to.

The hard truth is if you want to truly heal... discomfort is inevitable. BUT it must be in small enough amounts that you can "metabolize" it. This is a fine line to walk, but as you bring awareness to your nervous system and survival responses, becomes much more simple.

I've helped my clients to lean into discomfort in order to heal and I can help you do the same. Reach out for a free no-pressure consultation.

Which state do you feel that you spend the most time in? Although it may not be serving you anymore, this was at one point a very efficient protective mechanism to help you survive. Each of us have the capability to spend more and more time in safe and social with proper rewiring and regulation of the autonomic nervous system.

What changes did you notice in your body, thoughts or emotions during this exercise? Let me know in the comments below.

There is nothing wrong with you if you nervous system is dysregulated. This is a NORMAL response to ABNORMAL situation(s). Humans are the only species that have created a way of living that harms us. As such, our bodies are responding as they should.

There's much more than meets the eye if you are dealing with unexplained and "untreatable" symptoms.

Being stuck in survival mode is extremely hard on your mind and body. You feel constantly overwhelmed, anxious, panicked, burned out, numbed, exhausted, and disconnected. You don't have to live this way. By rewiring the cues of safety, danger or threat you can enjoy life with the mental clarity, energy and health that you desire.

Nervous system dysregulation is often overlooked or misdiagnosed as something else. Many people never become aware of this root cause and as such suffer endlessly for no reason.

Radical acceptance can help us to move through tough times with the most ease possible. Mental Resistance only makes matter worse.

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Hello everyone!

As the new year is approaching very quickly I am putting out an offer for you to get a head-start to make your goal or resolution a reality for 2023!

I am working toward finding my specialty as a coach. To do this, I am extending an offer of a free coaching session to 10 people in exchange for a few moments of your time at the end to help me gain insight into how I was helpful for you.

A few reasons people hire a coach are to:
• Find purpose or direction
• Resolve a work, or relationship issue
• Build a deeper relationship with themselves
• Change a habit
• Help execute a new behaviour
• Start a business

Coaching is unique as it helps the client to explore their issues in depth through insightful questions and exercises asked by the coach.

If you are interested, message me. Also feel free to extend this invitation to anyone you feel might be interested.

This is a great way to get valuable insight to inspire the changes you want to make so you can coast into 2023.

Resolution, clarity, insight, relief and better relationships are right around the corner!

Great reads for anyone who has or know someone who deals with CPTSD or similar symptoms.

6 Must-Read Books for Complex Trauma Survivors These books provide validation, vital information, interventions, and hope.

You are a sovereign being - let it show!

Change Starts Within🌱

How Change Starts Within Yourself Personal transformation is systemic transformation.

I saw all of the comments on my last post with the “HOW do we self soothe?” So I made this guide. You can bookmark to save for later.

Just committing to the practice of self soothing is a big deal. It’s a step in re-parenting. In learning how to take care of yourself, your needs, + your emotions.

This may feel super weird or even awkward. You may want to laugh at the idea of having an inner child or tell yourself you should “get over it.” That’s just the voice of the critical parent. You can remind yourself that you’re taking care of yourself now— no matter what thoughts come up. I’d it feels uncomfortable, that’s a good thing.

All growth comes within discomfort

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What is your practice for caring for your mind, body and soul?

Guilt and shame only lead to further trauma. When we experience adverse and overwhelming events in our lives, we often have a normal reaction to an abnormal situation; there is nothing wrong with you!

Very important work to learn how to do as we all continue to learn how to navigate the current state of the world 🌎

Have you ever dealt with anxiety?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I know I have. it's that horrid knot in your stomach, worst-case-senario racing thoughts, sweaty palms. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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What if I told you that the way I was able to take ahold of these experiences was through a change in my perception. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Let me ask you something, what happens on your body when you get really excited (I mean really excited, like can't contain yourself excited)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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For me it was the same body sensations, and positive racing thoughts vs negative one. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Whenever I experience anxiety, and trust me I still do, I re-frame my perception of what is going on in my body. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Instead of "I am feeling anxious" I change it to "I am feeling super excited." The same branch of the sympathetic nervous system is activated - the only difference in these two situations are your thoughts, narratives and beliefs about them.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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It is simple but can be difficult and may take a couple tried before you notice a difference so don't get discouraged if it doesn't take on the first, second or third try. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Scientists all over the world have shown us just how powerful our mind really is - the simple act of changing your perception can make all the difference.

For some of us, it can be difficult to have "happy" holidays. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Many factors, such as the distance between friends and family, can contribute to the holidays can be a time of a a heavy heart. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Instead of forcing false positivity, I instead wish you gentle holidays. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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May we be kind to one another, as we never know what someone is going through.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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May we do what is best for us, even if that means not getting together with toxic family members. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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And most importantly, may we be kind to ourselves as we navigate the twists and turns of life.

Resilience is not a given...⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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When you've experienced trauma in your life, we gradually lose the capacity to deal with daily stressors. Even the smallest of things can send us spiralling - well at least for me this was the case. I would often end up on the verge of losing my "cool" at the sight of the smallest inconvenience. This all changed when I was able to build my own resilience. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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How *exactly* did I do this you may ask? Well, there are a couple practices that worked really well for me. The one I will mention here is form of breath work I was told to be called chaotic breathing. For this, you essentially initiate hyperventilation in order to release adrenaline into the body causing a stress response. 10 deep breaths in through the nose, 10 deep breaths out through the mouth. After your last exhale, hold at the bottom of the breath until you feel called to inhale again - repeat this process for for 1 - 5 minutes.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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*WARNING* for those who are prone to panic attacks, fainting ect I would say that this isn't something to be practised alone but with a trained professional. *⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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The trick here is to notice the sensations in your body when your nervous system is activated. To be able to notice this and still sit in stillness and calm is teaching your brain and body how to *stay* calm in times of stress. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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According to research being done by Dr. Andrew Huberman among others at Stanford University School of Medicine, self-induced stress (for short duration, under 5 minutes per day), can improve your resilience to stress in the real world.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Mobilizing breathing techniques like the one I listed above, ice baths or cold showers, and exercise can greatly help with your stress response. The key with techniques like these are that *you* have to be in the drivers seat - choosing to put yourself in the drivers seat of the short experience.

Why doing "the work" is DAMN. HARD.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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When your in the thick of it, trying to change old patterns, rewire certain beliefs and change reactions that happen 300x faster than your mind can process them, it can feel *really* hard. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Like, trying to learn Spanish on the plane to Spain, hard. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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So, when you get into the same argument with your partner for the 100th time, or take on yet another obligation you really didn't have the time for and you find yourself asking "WHY am I this way!?", I invite you to meet this part of yourself with compassion. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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This isn't all in your head, and NO, your not crazy. When your running on autopilot your body literally uses less calories than when you are being actively conscious. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Yup, you heard that right! It is actually easier for your body and mind to stay right where it is. The brain always wants to take the easiest route to preserve energy. In this case, the easiest route is being on autopilot. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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The good news is that you can make "the work" easier on yourself. 2 things that really worked for me to be able to make this process easier were:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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1) Show yourself compassion in the moments where you are kicking yourself in the butt for doing *that* same thing, again. "If being hard on yourself worked, it would have worked by now" -author unknown.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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2) Make sure you are well resourced. Being resourced = being resilient. Some resources may include making sure you are getting enough quality sleep, your properly hydrated, your well nourished, your limiting screen time (especially before bed!), your getting at least 5 minutes of sun exposure per day (preferably in the morning), and your connecting with people/pets who make you feel good. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I'm curious, let me know in the comment or my DMs, what kind of beliefs, patterns or behaviours have been the hardest for you to move past?

The 5 stages of burnout are important to know so you can recognize them in yourself and others, especially in today’s world.

Burnout is not something that will just go away if you ignore it, there has to be some type of shift.

Whether this shift is...
Physical, like changing your situation or working with the body
Mental, like working on your limiting beliefs and mindset or
Spiritual, like connecting to something that is larger than you and the realization that we are all connected

The aim is to bring yourself back to homeostasis, and this will be different for each person. The best general advise I can give is to take the biggest step back that you can in the area of your life where you are feeling burnt-out.

Doing so will give you enough space to really understand what your priorities are and make changes accordingly.

I also want to name that burnout is NOT just from work. It can stem from any area (or multiple areas) of your life where you are feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or helpless. For the past 18 months, we as a collective have had to make radical changes in our day-to-day lives and routines.

We have been on edge, not knowing what will happen next. Some have been affected more than others, such as minority groups and those with pre-existing traumas and conditions, but we are all feeling some sort of burnout and longing for normalcy.

As I name this truth, I will do my best to attend to this situation and provide as much help and support in a generalized manner that I can, knowing that each person will require a different approach and tools.

I invite you to follow along on Instagram () as a lot of the content I post doesn’t make it to Facebook.