My introduction into the world of healing actually started with my mind. I was all about mindset and personal development. I read all the books, listened to all the podcasts, and continually took thoughts captive. I have a strong will. I found I could WILL myself to think a certain way, feel a certain way, and perform at a certain level. I could WILL results to happen for myself and my teams. If something needed to get done, it would get done well and with a positive mindset.
However, years later, the full impact of my own trauma began to emerge and I discovered that mindset alone would not cut it. This is because trauma is not stored in the prefrontal cortex of the brain (where mindset work happens). There's more to the story...
Healing is a multi-faceted work, but for me and the angles I work at with my clients, here are the big three:
1) Bottom-Up Nervous System Work (Biology)
Do you every feel "talked out" or feel like your body is betraying you?
If trauma is stored in the brain, nervous system, and body, then it makes sense that we must work with the body in order for that to be released. If someone would have told me this 5 years ago, I would have thought, "work with the body", what kind of wacky statement is that? (Just being honest!) But when you understand the BIOLOGY of the nervous system and how it impacts your thoughts and emotions, so many missing pieces of the puzzle fall into place.
You can learn more about the nervous system and its automatic responses to stress and trauma HERE.
2) Inside-Out Inner Healing of Emotional Wounds (Psychology)
Have you found yourself wondering, "why won't these certain thoughts, feelings or behaviors just go away"?
Beyond mindset work, I actually spent years walking people through a deep spiritual and emotional healing practice that I was trained in. More recently, I've been trained (and am continuing to get training) in a form of psychotherapy called Internal Family Systems, or IFS. These methods are similar in so many ways, but having a clearer understanding of human psychology has provided for even deeper breakthrough for me personally and with clients.
IFS essentially takes the external family systems therapy model and applies it to what happens internally. During trauma, it's like a part of us gets frozen in time and that information is stored within the brain and nervous system/body. The neuroscience that is continuing to come out on this is fascinating! The IFS healing process is specially designed to access that protected information in a gentle way so that burdens, hurts, and wounds from the past can be RELEASED, resulting in greater internal and physical peace.
I find that when someone experiences a barrier with nervous system healing, there is inner healing work to be done, and visa versa. Doing these two together is a powerful combo! Out of that, one is able to identify untrue stories that are being believed and flip the script through #3, which is...
3) Top-Down Thought Life Work (Psychology)
There is so much research around the importance of "thinking well". There is actually imaging within the brain that shows neurons detaching in one place and reattaching in another. A common statement is that "Neurons that fire together, wire together." In doing nervous system and inner healing work, clients often get ah-ha moments of how negative thought patterns have been impacting their lives. Mindset work rewires those patterns and pathways.
Beyond this, there are also other areas of healing to consider:
Are there health issues that have yet to be diagnosed and treated?
What about nutrition and exercise?
Is your skeletal and muscular system in alignment (gotta love chiropractors!)
And if spirituality is important to you, how does that integrate into your healing process? **Based on my background, it's important to me that you get to bring as much of your faith and spirituality into our work together as you desire. You lead the way on this.
Each person's healing journey is so different, and each layer seems to build upon another.
How about you? Is it your time to focus on top-down mindset, bottom-up nervous system healing, or inside-out emotional healing? Or is it a combo of all three?
If you're thinking, "yep, it's my time to do something about what I'm experiencing," reach out to me and let's talk about what your healing process could look like.
Click HERE to set up a complimentary call with me. I look forward to connecting soon.
Liza :)