Live embodied

As a holistic psychotherapist, I believe that the body is inherently wise and knows exactly how to heal itself given the right conditions. Everywhere we look, we are being sold “the cure” but the truth is, everything you need is already within you. I want to support you to reconnect to your inner knowing and resources so that you can remember what you have known all along. 💎

— I am a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), RCC and CCC with three years of training in Somatic Experiencing®. I currently have room on my case load for a few more (Canadian🇨🇦) clients from BC, ON, SK, MB, NL, YT, NT & NU. Feel free to book a free consultation at www.liveembodied.ca if you would like to explore if we might be a good fit to work together 🌿

When you experience something that overwhelms your ability to cope, it often results in you not being able to execute or complete the self-protective response that was automatically initiated within your body.

So for example: as a child, I was bit in the face by a dog. Our bodies are wired with primitive survival instincts, just like animals are. So in the split second that my body was perceiving that I was about to be bit in the face by this dog, it initiated multiple biological processes to support me in mitigating the threat via fighting it off, or running away from it (fight or flight). However, it happened too fast for me to be able to protect myself. So therefore, all of the energy my body prepared to mobilize to protect me never got the chance to go anywhere. The self-protective response never got the chance to complete. Which left this high charge energy frozen in time in my body, and my body believing that the threat was still present for years and years after, despite my mind rationally knowing this is not true.

The body has a natural automatic process of restoring its equilibrium, and when it gets interrupted, our body never gets the memo that the threat has passed and we are no longer in danger.

Somatic experiencing aims to support the body in completing the self-protective responses that never got to happen, so that the frozen in time survival energy can mobilize and the body can finally get the message that it is safe now.

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If you are interested in exploring Somatic Experiencing therapy, I am currently accepting new clients from BC, ON, SK, and MB 🇨🇦 Please visit www.liveembodied.ca to learn more and to book a free 15min consultation to determine whether we would be a good fit to work together.

something that is not talked about enough, is that nervous system regulation begins with addressing sleep and nutrition.

if our body is not getting the proper nutrients and rest that it requires to be able to fulfill the basic physiological processes that keep us functioning as human beings, it is indeed threatened. and of course we are going to be stuck in survival mode!

if our body is not getting its basic needs met, it is highly unlikely that any other nervous system regulation tools/practices we add to the mix will have any lasting impact or create any significant shifts.

we need to go back to the basics and create a solid foundation from which to do this work from. a foundation that starts with questions like: how much sleep are you getting every night? is it restful? are you eating regular meals including breakfast, and are they well-balanced with carbs, fats, and sufficient protein? and if not - how might we support improvements here first?

slow is fast in nervous system regulation work. and if we are looking for deep, lasting change - we must start with the basics.

it all begins with creating the conditions for your body to feel safe and stable again.

it’s no easy feat to explain the nuanced and complex modality of somatic experiencing in a few concise, easy to digest slides in an instagram post. but for simplicity’s sake - this should give you a pretty good idea.

our bodies have highly sophisticated mechanisms embedded within us to ensure our survival. when we feel threatened, a cascade of biological processes gets triggered into action automatically to support us in mitigating the threat and getting to safety. with animals, they are able to let these natural processes fully unfold and come to completion, which signals to the brain and body that the threat has passed and they can return to the rest and digest state.

however, us humans have a more evolved brain than animals that is capable of logic and reasoning and sometimes this function results in the interference of the completion of the threat response cycle. when the survival energy that was initiated in our system does not get the chance to mobilize, our brain and body never get the memo that the threat has passed and we can return to rest and digest state. this results in this survival energy continually cycling within us thinking the past threat is still present.

these emotions, sensations and impulses that were repressed need to be mobilized and expressed in order to restore balance in the body. this is where somatic experiencing comes in. when we can feel these things in a regulated and connected body, our body can release them and we can heal.

did you know your nervous system is the foundation of everything you think, feel, and do? it strives for harmony, but trauma can disrupt that connection.

this is where Somatic Experiencing® comes in. by tuning into our bodily sensations, we can build interoceptive awareness — essentially, learning to recognize what’s happening inside us. this awareness helps us reclaim our sense of unity and balance, leading to greater emotional resilience and well-being.

let’s start the conversation: how do you connect with your body?

feeling overwhelmed and disconnected?

ever find yourself caught up in your thoughts, feeling like you’re living entirely in your head? it’s a common response when life gets overwhelming, but it can leave you feeling disconnected from your body and your true self.

i believe that within each of us is a wise inner healer just waiting to be heard. my holistic approach to counselling is all about bringing your mind, body, and spirit back into harmony. let’s work together to reconnect with the parts of yourself that you might have lost touch with, so you can experience the fullness of who you are. 🌞

i’m here to offer a safe, supportive space where you can deepen your connection with your body and intuition. let’s explore where your mind, body, and soul may be out of sync and find ways to bring everything back into balance again.

if this resonates with you, i’d love to chat more.

please visit www.liveembodied.ca and book a “meet the therapist” call to get started ✨

🕯️

there is so much beauty to be found in simplicity.

- like taking in the warmth of the sun hitting your face as you wake
- strolling through the farmers market in awe of all of the colours and shapes of nature
- sitting outside of a coffee shop sipping slowly, while noticing the changing colours of the falling leaves and all of the different ways to be a human as people pass you by

we must make time for mindful moments. the striving and chasing and busyness will always be there, but this moment won’t ever come in the same way again.

“how can i let the beauty of ordinary things anchor me in the now?”

this is the essence of nervous system regulation. allowing yourself to slow down and be content with who and where and what you are in this very moment, without trying to change it.

spoiler alert: there is no destination. there is endless amounts of growth and evolution available to you always. this imagined place you dream of where you won’t have anything more to do or to learn or to work towards is a figment of your imagination. there will always be more. we are spending our entire lives chasing an endpoint that doesn’t exist.

you’ve got one wild and precious life. i implore you to be present in it. truly allow yourself to take in the extraordinary beauty of it, as it all unfolds. ✨

“this life is the only thing that is truly mine, and i refuse to feel guilty for wanting tranquility.”

— .anthony

As a trauma therapist, I talk a lot about safety with my clients. It is always the first step in trauma healing - establishing safety and stabilization. In your environment, in our therapeutic relationship, and in your body.

Although it is not a topic many of us really think about very often, safety is the ground on which we build our lives. It is absolutely foundational.

So, I invite you to explore:

What does it mean to feel safe? Not just safe from physical harm, but emotionally, mentally, and spiritually safe? Safe as in, your nervous system feels calm and regulated, and your body feels relaxed. You can express yourself and your needs without fear of repercussion. You aren’t consumed by trying to anticipate danger.

Where are you when you feel safest? Who are you around? What are you doing?

More of that, please. 💟

The brain hierarchy is 1. safety and 2. efficiency. And it is not wired by conscious thoughts, but rather, the encoded experience of our bodies and nervous systems and the meaning made out of these experiences.

So when we are engaging in a habit or pattern we are not fond of and want to change, we must first recognize that this habit or pattern is trying to protect us from something. What is it trying to protect us from? Rejection? Loneliness? Feeling our feelings?

If we use the metaphor of driving, our brain is not just going to willingly jump onto a brand new road full of gravel that doesn’t even have a name yet. Who knows where that will lead? It would rather choose a familiar hell over an unfamiliar heaven. We need to build up a wealth of evidence to prove that this new route is a safe one before it will even consider the possibility of changing paths.

And this takes time, and repetition. It takes awhile for our protectors to trust that we can keep ourselves safe without them. We are bombarded with so much stimuli everyday, that these automatic default programs were necessary at some point in our lives. Efficiency, right? One less thing for us to think about.

But to grow out of autopilot protection mode, we must find a new way to meet that need and create a new, paved and study highway to get there. And eventually, our system will realize this new road is 1. safe and 2. efficient and will eventually be able to let go of the old one.

Now accepting new clients! 🌿 www.liveembodied.ca

and on the days when nothing seems to be going right
and you don’t know what you’re doing “wrong”…

find a way to keep breathing.
find a way to keep loving.

do not fear the wave.
ride it, as you have so many times before.

stay with it and be open to where it wants to take you.

…you will find yourself there. 🏄🏻‍♀️

I think Stutz put it perfectly when he said that there are three aspects of reality that no one can avoid: pain, uncertainty, and constant work.

if we can accept that pain will undoubtedly continue to show up in varying manifestations throughout the course of our lives, we can then work to build a relationship with it instead of playing a never-ending game of whack-a-mole with our pain points.

our pain wants to be seen, felt, heard, witnessed and known. just like children. and it can act like a screaming child too - the more we “shush it” and try to tune out its experience, the louder it will yell.

we want to increase our capacity to hold our pain, just like we would hold a young child. instead of turning away from it, looking it in the eye and allowing ourselves to fully feel it. without judging it, without trying to change it. and sometimes, in doing this alone, it will settle and dissipate.

other times, we can bring a resource into our experience and practice holding both at once. a sense of calm, groundedness in one hand, and pain in the other. seeing if we can use the energy from the resource, to support our pain. noticing how we can hold a dual awareness, and in that, seeing if we can allow our awareness of resource to become bigger than our awareness of pain.

pain is a messenger. are you listening?

GROUP BREATHWORK STARTS MONDAY SEPTEMBER 26 🌱

hi everyone. thank you for your patience over the summer as i took a bit of a pause. i’m ready to get back at it with a months worth of introductory pricing group breathwork sessions!

i will be offering these classes for only $11 on September 26 & October 3, 10, 24, and 31. feel free to sign up for one, or all of the sessions. each week i will feel into the collective consciousness and come up with a theme and mantra for the session.

these sessions will be geared toward beginners (meaning i will be going over a lot of things at the beginning of the session so everyone is on the same page) but i will also include adaptations if more advanced breathers are wanting to up the anti a bit.

please feel free to share this with anyone who might be interested and message me here if you have any questions.

xx hunter 💟

YOU WILL INSPIRE SOME & TRIGGER OTHERS. BOTH ARE MEDICINE. 🌱

« 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐞 » 👁
—

you’re very hard to control when you’re healthy.
you’re very hard to manipulate when you’re clear.
you’re very hard to influence when you’re sovereign.

what is it costing you to not be your authentic self? and is it worth it?

being who you believe the world wants you to be, requires you to abandon yourself. abandoning yourself disconnects you from the brilliance of your heart and the intelligence of your gut, which in turn puts you completely out of touch with who you really are and what you need and want in each moment. this is the greatest cause of illness.

you have a decision to make. what is worth more to you?

words inspired by

🦁 AUGUST 8th, 2022 🦁

The Lions gate 8/8 portal is the opening of a galactic gate that delivers an immense amount of powerfully charged light energy to earth to activate a major consciousness awakening. The portal occurs when the earth aligns with the star system Sirius, and it will reach its peak on August 8 (8/8). As we walk through this powerful portal we must pay close attention to what our energy is focused on. Our thoughts are energy, our words are energy, our emotions are energy, and our reality is created with that energy. This is an incredibly powerful time for us to pinpoint the reality we want to create and focus our attention on becoming a vibrational match to it.

I invite you to join me on August 8th in tapping into the potency of these powerful energies with a meditative group breathwork journey.

Date: August 8, 2022
Time: 5:30pm - 6:45pm PST (75 mins)
Location: Online (Zoom)
Energy exchange: $22 CAD
Register: calendly.com/live_embodied
~ no experience necessary ~

Feel free to DM me with any questions!

xx Hunter

allow the processes of integrity, intensity, and intimacy to evolve you 🪶

“take a deep breath, put a hand on your heart and repeat out loud: it is safe for me to be seen as the villain in someone else’s story, if it means staying true to my heart.”

now booking 1:1 heart-centred breathwork journeys for july & august ✨ link in bio 🔗

this is 30. 🦋

“i am a woman that a younger me had always admired but never really imagined they’d be and that is my greatest accomplishment”

the most productive thing we can do in this moment is align our energy to our vision so that we may become a vibrational match to it 🧲

resource yourself.
find a way to connect with the universal energies you wish to embody.
play.
be in wonder. 🌈

act as if it’s already done
and move through life as if you are already living your vision as reality.

the thing you desire most will come when you are energetically ready to hold it 🧿