Alquimia Integrative Healing

Although I am thrilled to see folks starting to understand the impact that a dysregulated nervous system has on their everyday lives, it’s crucial to know that we cannot “reset” as easily as some may have you believe. Its not like shutting a computer off and on again to reboot ( even though Sometimes a nap will serve a similar feeling!)

If your nervous system has been on overload for weeks, months, or even years, it will take time and intentional practice to acquire the tools to regulate yourself. And even so, there will be days that you won’t be able to regulate, and that’s part of the learning process.

Be patient with yourself, find a grounding practice that resonates with you, and stick with it ✨

I get asked a lot about how to actually help regulate the nervous system, as it’s become kind of a hot topic these days, with misinformation everywhere. To be clear, there is no “resetting” the nervous system. You can’t just clear patterns with one “system update.” You’re not going to automatically feel safe after one regulation exercise.

Feeling safe and regulated takes time.

Try some of these exercises before your next therapy session, whether it’s with your talk therapist, massage therapist, acupuncturist, hell, even your hairstylist (we all know they get trauma dumped on a regular!). See if it allows you to get a little less in your head and more in the moment.

Let me know how it goes!

I can spend an endless amount of time working on someones muscles, trying to impose myself and my pressure on to them. But if that person doesn’t feel safe with me, or within their own bodies, the progress will be extremely limited. Sometimes, it even can make things worse and they tense up harder and feel beaten up the next day.

So much of my work is about facilitating a feeling of safety for folks, which I think in our current cultural and political climate can feel extra difficult. I do my best to meet people where they are, and as long as I listen more than anything, the body will usually respond positively and assist in releasing tension.

When the nervous system is in fight or flight, there is no way that they can respond fully to bodywork they are receiving. The muscles remain contracted and persons mind is usually still racing, still anxious, still tense. Motions like rocking at the beginning of a session (as I am doing above) show to greatly assist folks in transitioning from sympathetic “fight-or-flight” mode into parasympathetic “rest and digest” mode.

It’s one of the many tools I use to create a sense of safety, and definitely a fan favorite!

So if you’ve ever felt tense while receiving a massage, know that it’s more common than you think, and I’m here to help you with the transition

This time of year makes it really hard for us to get up and move around. We weren’t meant to be so active in the winter. However, that doesn’t mean we should abandon our bodies completely.

Eastern and indigenous medicine focus largely on retaining warmth in our bodies in order for our systems to function at their best. This is done by the food we consume, as well as incorporating gentle movement to maintain our joints well lubricated and our blood flowing efficiently.

Movement also greatly affects our mood. It really doesn’t have to be a whole ordeal, just a couple of minutes of range of motion in the morning can go a long way. Take it easy, take it slow, and you may slowly begin to feel better and less achy.