Ecosys Wellness Center

08/11/2025

and most people will happily do 5 years time for less than $122 million.

10/09/2024

Antidotes to environmental dread

As a therapist focused on trauma, anger and the long term effects of childhood experiences, I’m seeing rising levels of environmental angst. Particularly among those in their first few decades of life.

The “environment” often seems overwhelming, but it’s made up of many smaller pieces which can be changed one step at a time. Recognizing this can empower us to step out from under the dread, have hope, make choices, and influence governments and companies with our votes and spending to stay focused on creating better paths forward.

There are very real environmental challenges, but rapidly growing numbers of researchers, universities, companies and governments of all levels are working towards creating a sustainable future. The following are just some of the resources are available without paywalls. Enjoy.

Goodnewsletter, www.goodgoodgood.co
Cleantechnica https://cleantechnica.com
www.thecooldown.com
https://happyeconews.com/
www.anthropocenemagazine.org

The world's top writers, designers, scientists, and entrepreneurs explore how we can create a sustainable Human Age we actually want to live in.

10/11/2022

Fight, Flight, Freeze Responses. The missing piece.

Most of us are aware of the three go-to subconscious responses to situations we find highly stressful. The more stressed we feel, the more the blood flow is diverted from the logical fore brain to the survival parts. The subconscious then assumes no one is flying the plane, so it must take over.

But our subconscious core beliefs are laid down by about age six. This means when we’re highly stressed, in effect our young inner child is trying to take the controls.

1st choice is fight, which includes anger, unreasoned stubbornness, and physical assault. If that doesn’t seem safe, the 2nd choice is flight. This includes actual running away, avoidance, and procrastination. If neither of these seem safe, the freeze reflex is the last ditch attempt at safety. This may be expressed in many ways. Inability to speak, inability to physically defend ourselves, or outright paralysis.

These are all involuntary subconscious responses to extreme stress. Whether real or perceived doesn’t matter. To the subconscious mind, vivid imagining is the same as reality.

But there is another manifestation of the freeze response which is not commonly recognized. That is collapse/submit. To the subconscious mind, when none of the above are safe, collapse/submit is the only option left. Because it is not commonly recognized as part of the “freeze” response, people who have experienced it may feel deep shame and self/judgement afterwards.

Examples of this may include men or women who remain in physically abusive situations, people who remain in highly abusive work situations, people whose bodies have involuntarily responded to assault, and many others. These are very often completely involuntary states. The subconscious mind is trying to protect each person the best way it knows how. Given earlier life experiences, programs and perceived resources. Guilt or shame have no valid role here.

Recognizing these truths about our past action or inactions may be freeing. Allowing us to recognize we did the best we knew how at each moment. And that’s all anyone can do.

This is why I love trauma work. I get to support clients in compassionately teaching their young subconscious minds, more of the rest of the story. Freeing them to take on new understandings and resources.

I wish you all emotional freedom as you consider these words, and I’m here for you should you ever need me.

Yours in good mental and emotional health.

Send a message to learn more

09/13/2022

Depression. A hidden cause of anger and irritability in men.

One of the many reasons men come to me for therapy is because anger and irritability are interfering with their lives. Many boys in Western society grow up in an environment where expressing feelings is not manly. The strong silent type in movies, the brave adventurer in stories. Big boys don’t cry, don’t be a sissy, and many other stereotypes. The only masculine negative feeling they see portrayed, is anger.

For many men, the vocabulary for negative feelings simply doesn’t exist. Even if it does to some degree, the subconscious mind censors it, because “big boys don’t cry”. Now only two states remain. “I’m fine”, or “I’m pissed”.

This is particularly true for boys who in their young years have experienced Adverse Childhood Events frequently. Commonly known as trauma, but trauma isn’t always what we think. There are big T and little t traumas. Any experiences which cause a young child to feel like their emotional bonds or needs with care givers are insecure or unmet are traumatic. And those which cause them to feel their safety is not secure, are traumatic. Safety insecurity can include perceptions of financial instability, or health instability in the child or his family.

This doesn’t mean parents are necessarily “bad”. We do the best we know how as parents, given our own experiences, resources, perceptions and subconscious programs. Whether childhood insecurities are real, or only perceived, doesn’t change the trauma responses. Researchers have found that repeated exposures to these little t adverse events have consequences which are at least as far reaching as occasional big T traumas.

One of these, is automatic all or nothing thinking. When a child is in “survival” mode, the subconscious mind has no time for subtleties. Survival always comes first. When stressed, the blood flow becomes diverted from the logical part of the brain to the survival parts. The more that happens, the more the subconscious takes over with old all or nothing thinking about how real men are “supposed” to be. Hence the “If I’m not fine, I must be pissed” syndrome.

This is only one aspect of male irritability and anger, but it is a common one. A good start for men, is downloading one of the many “list of emotions” available. When feeling irritated or angry, find the word or words that match your feelings. Approached with a spirit of enquiry and curiosity, this provides greater self-awareness and often a sense of relief and control.

Be kind to yourselves.

David EP Gilbert- Integrative Mental Health Therapist
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EcoSys Wellness Center
59 Westcliffe Rd.
Nepean (Ottawa) ON
K2H8A4
613-747-5458, 800-361-1370
David@EcosysWellness.com
www.ecosyswellness.com

Send a message to learn more

04/06/2022

Happy Expectant Mother = Happier Baby

Most expectant mothers and those seeking to become pregnant, support their baby’s healthy development the best ways they know how. Avoiding alcohol, eating well, getting some exercise. These are all valuable to Mom and baby, but there is one additional factor which is often overlooked. Maternal stress. For the longest time, medicine didn’t understand that the hormones mothers produce when feeling stressed, are also experienced by the not yet born child. The effects are particularly strong during the 1st trimester when the central nervous system is developing, and gene expression is being most influenced. But they remain relevant throughout pregnancy.

This is not to say that it’s too late once the baby is born. Secure attachments and good emotional regulation on the part of Mom and Dad can go a long way to compensating for any maternal stress effects. If those don’t exist, studies show it’s never too late to learn.

Many resources exist to reduce stress, including daily walks, meditation, yoga, Tai Chi and many others. Nutrient dense foods are highly beneficial because every cell, hormone, enzyme etc. is created from what we eat. For those needing more targeted support for stress and mood regulation, Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), and related “Tapping” techniques have been shown in numerous clinical studies, to be powerful resources for resolving the root causes of heightened stress responses.

Please note that this information is intended to empower expectant women, or those seeking to become pregnant, not frighten nor judge them. Knowledge is power and we can each only do the best we can do. Given our subconscious programming, experiences, and resources at each moment. That’s all anyone can do.

I am a parent too, so expectant Moms and those seeking to become pregnant, are invited to book a sixty minute no-charge, resource, education, and EFT/IEP Tapping session with me. Even one session will provide resources which may be safely used to support personal and fetal peace throughout the pregnancy.

To book your first pro bono session, please contact 613-981-9006 or David@EcosysWellness.com

Be kind to yourselves.

Peace.

David Gilbert, certified EFT practitioner.
www.EcosysWellness.com

To learn more, see the scholarly study links below:

Emotional Stress During Pregnancy – Associations ... - Frontiers
https://www.frontiersin.org › fpsyg.2019.02179 › full

Impact of Maternal Stress, Depression & Anxiety on Fetal - NCBI
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › articles › PMC3710585

Effects of prenatal stress on pregnancy and human development
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › articles › PMC5052760

Maternal prenatal stress phenotypes associate with fetal ...
https://www.pnas.org › content

The effects of maternal stress and illness during pregnancy on ...
https://www.nature.com › ... › clinical investigation

Effect of maternal stress during pregnancy on the risk for ...
https://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com › ar...

What is Prenatal Maternal Stress? | SPIRAL - McGill University
https://www.mcgill.ca › spiral › spiral › prenatal-stress

McGill welcomes the Quebec government's renewed commitment to its New Vic project as part of the 2022-2023 budget documents

02/10/2022

Taming the inner critic

Many of us are terribly self judgmental. Victims of all-or-nothing thinking about our performance, appearance, or worth. This often takes the form of automatic negative tapes running in our heads. Learning self compassion is a critical skill in developing emotional resiliency, so the long term effects of this self talk can be devastating. Even affecting those who love us. If we can’t accept ourselves, it’s hard to truly accept that someone else values us.

This simple fix doesn’t replace therapy in addressing root causes, but it can be the beginning of learning to accept ourselves. Changing the hypercritical self-talk and recognizing that like everyone else, we’re doing the best we know how in each moment. Given the resources, perspectives, experiences, and subconscious programs we have at any given point.

Step one: Pay attention to how you talk to yourself. Really listen to your tone and your automatic reactions to appearing or performing anything less than perfectly.

Step two: Ask yourself if you would react the same, and say the same things to a friend, family member or co-worker in the exact same situation.

Step three: Become aware of all-or-nothing thinking, by asking yourself how you would hope to respond to someone else you cared about in the same circumstances.

Another useful tool is my Limiting Beliefs Checklist. It’s a series of questions, which are answered as to how true each feels, not how true you think it is. It supports self-awareness and gives a lovely glimpse into some of the subconscious programming which may be driving the harsh self-judgements. To request a free copy, email David Gilbert at David@EcosysWellness.com or call/text 613-981-9006.

Be kind to yourselves.

Peace.

01/25/2022

From the case files
Her very first therapy session

This blog offers an example of what’s commonly experienced in a 1st therapy session with me.

As with many, this woman who came for therapy to improve her quality of life, was experiencing high stress and anxiety. We began by my explaining that no matter what happened, she would never hurt, disappoint, or offend me. It’s not that I don’t care, I have all the compassion in the world. But if I took on her emotional state, we’d both be struggling, and I would be pretty useless as her mental health coach and safety net. I went on to explain that I would never judge her. Because the plain fact is that at every point in her life, she was doing the best she knew how at that moment. Given the subconscious programming, understandings, and resources she had at the time. Furthermore, she would never shock me. Everyone has different stuff. But it all comes from the same basic roots. O over the past twenty five years, there’s very little I haven’t heard before.

Now we could start the real work. Just being aware of what is happening and using EFT and IEP Acupressure Tapping techniques to process each aspect as it occurred. Everything is connected, the physical sensations, emotions, thoughts, memories, and the conclusions we drew from each experience. Continuing to tap on specific acupressure points while being self aware and processing any aspect of these experiences, supports healing of every other aspect. Physical, mental, and emotional.

As is often the case, most of the work in the first session was processing physical sensations and emotions, rather than specific memories. As each sensation became noticeable, we processed it while using continuous tapping to create a safe space for the conscious mind, subconscious mind, and body, to collaborate in this healing process. Although many aspects occurred during this session, the process was not painful or difficult. Because we processed each, before moving on to the next. Each arrow below, indicates that the previous aspect has resolved, and a new aspect has come up.

Session notes: Tight diaphragm -> pain in mid back-> resistance to proceeding further-> pain in chest-> tears -> part of me is stubborn-> choking feeling-> throat constricted-> jab of pain in back-> what am I and why?-> tears-> choking throat-> making friends with subconscious -> jab in back -> pain in right hand-> thought, can this really work for me?-> sudden memory of traumatic childhood loss-> sadness-> childhood memory of being told “no more crying” -> thought of separation -> deep sadness-> This first 60 minute session ended with her feeling much lighter and calmer. Looking forward to her next session.

Curious to know more? Call/text 613-981-9006, or David@EcosysWellness.com to book a session or discovery phone call, to experience the power of these techniques in skilled, compassionate hands. Additional resources are freely available at www.EcosysWellness.com .

To your good mental, emotional and physical health.

My mission is to offer freedom from mental and emotional distress, with compassion and highly effective therapies to safely and gently heal the effects of trauma, guilt, grief and self sabotage.

01/13/2022

From the case files:
Emotional and physical pain vs EFT and IEP Tapping

Mainstream medicine now recognizes the intimate interconnections between the conscious, and unconscious mind, body, and immune system. It’s a continuous, and very responsive, multi-directional feedback system. The happy practical result of this, is that healing of the entire system be supported through any one or more of these pathways.

One evening, I received a call from one of my trauma clients. While dealing with the effects of a confirmed Covid infection despite being double-vaxxed, she had been severely triggered by another event. She was in such a state she could hardly speak, with breath so short she was gasping.

Using IEP therapy techniques, we quickly collaborated to restore her normal breath. Now her body could stop sending panic signals directly to her central nervous system. Once that was accomplished, which only took perhaps ten minutes, she felt safe and calm enough to wait to be fitted in for a session the next day.

At her next session, as usual, we began using IEP and EFT therapy techniques to free the emotional charges around her “trigger” and the various root causes. As we worked through these, the next issue to arise was pain she had been experiencing in one side of her chest since being infected with Covid. As is common with IEP, she was able process the pain and it faded away. Please note, this is not suggesting we “cured” her Covid. It was simply her body’s reaction to the therapy process we were using.

What was most interesting, was that as her pain faded away, a vivid traumatic medical memory surfaced. She had been hospitalized with a somewhat similar pain with bleeding, years earlier. The experience was traumatic because of uncertainty. It took some time to discover the cause. This had never come up before during therapy. But her subconscious mind, which is an amazing pattern recognition machine, had connected and amplified the trauma of both events.

While in session, we were able to rapidly release the emotional charges around the earlier trauma, and the related conclusions her subconscious mind had drawn about the experience. We then continued to process the various physical, mental, and emotional aspects of the triggered issue as they came up.

Although we weren’t treating her Covid, it’s well known that high stress depresses the immune system. So not only was her distress and physical pain relieved, we were at the very least, supporting her immune system in doing its proper job.

One more example of how we are all integrated beings. How caring for every aspect of our wellbeing, matters. The innate authority we each possess to heal, (or hurt), our bodies and minds, is amazing.

To take advantage of the many free resources available, see videos and articles at www.EcosysWellness.com

For Google reviews, see https://g.page/r/CTxsEa4oBZDpEAg/review
Here’s to a happy, healthy Winter!

David Gilbert – Integrative Therapist
Focus on stress, trauma, and self sabotage.

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01/11/2022

I'm pleased to report that I've again been nominated for "Best Mental Health Worker 2022", by Faces Magazine. Since I'd rather not put it on clients and confreres to log on and vote for me every day for a month, this is not a request for support.

It's simply an expression of appreciation and gratitude for those who may have nominated me, to Faces Magazine for the honour of inclusion, and to my amazing clients.

I wish you all an excellent year 2022.

12/31/2021

2022. A new start, and I can hardly wait.

For 2022, I’ve committed myself to something completely new. Providing pro bono, one-on-one, thirty minute courses for relieving resistance, stress, and anxiety at the "thought" of starting therapy.

These no-strings-attached, judgement-free mini sessions will quite painlessly open the door to seeing what therapy could be like. All without having to discuss issues, trauma, or having to worry about doing "well enough". The experiences and take-aways from these mini sessions, provide real benefits to day to day life regardless of next steps.

Wishing you all a rewarding New Year. One where you take pleasure in the small pleasure, wins and accomplishments, which is where life is lived most fully. So that in twelve months, we'll be able to look back on 2022 with pleasure and satisfaction.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

David EP Gilbert- Integrative Mental Health Therapist
EcoSys Wellness Center
59 Westcliffe Rd.
Nepean (Ottawa) ON
K2H8A4
613-747-5458, 800-361-1370
David@EcosysWellness.com
www.ecosyswellness.com

My mission is to offer freedom from mental and emotional distress, with compassion and highly effective therapies to safely and gently heal the effects of trauma, guilt, grief and self sabotage.

12/22/2021

From the case files:
A two day migraine vs EFT and IEP “Tapping”

It’s long been known that stress has an enormous impact on physical wellbeing. It’s estimated that 90-95% of all visits to healthcare professionals are stress influenced.

Recently, one of my trauma clients asked if she could cancel her appointment because she was still suffering from a severe two day migraine. Starting with an aura, it had hit her hard.

I asked if she’d like to try an experiment on her migraine first, and she agreed. Anything that might stop the pain. We started with her IEP tapping on the standard EFT/IEP body points, because it would be too painful to tap on her head. Normally, we would be using these techniques to gently process emotional pain, stress, and limiting beliefs. But because everything is interconnected between the mind and body, we were focused on her migraine pain.

While continuing to tap, I asked a series or questions to visualize the pain. Initially, the migraine pain was seen as dark purple with the texture of slimy gelatin, warm, and bigger than a fist. After our first round of IEP/EFT Tapping, it had changed to pink, slimy gelatin, warm and fist sized. After that round, it had changed to orange, slimy, heavy liquid, warmer, bigger than a fist and less painful. After one more round, to her delighted astonishment, the pain had entirely disappeared.

Most importantly, it also uncovered the effects of the previous few days stressors which had triggered the migraines. We then continued with a highly productive and satisfying therapy session as usual. Healing the traumas and their root causes as originally planned.

The powers we have, to hurt, or heal, our bodies and minds, are amazing, once harnessed for healing.

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas/Holliday season, however you may celebrate it.

Because the Christmas/Holliday season can bring so many mixed or painful feelings, I will be available for sessions via Zoom or in person, between Christmas and New Years.

To schedule an appointment, please call/text at 613-981-9006 or email David@EcosysWellness.com .

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12/10/2021

15 days till Christmas. Only 6 days left to book your complimentary one hour Emotional Freedom Techniques and IEP therapy session with me. Session includes teaching techniques to harness the power of the vagus nerve to unhook stress. The vagus nerve is the longest and one of the most important nerves in the body and affects every organ as well as mood.

Christmas and the Holliday season can be wonderful, but for many, the season brings mixed feelings, stress or distress.
Even one session of these powerful therapies can make a real difference and I'm pleased to be able to offer effective support to those able to accept this gift.

Sessions may be booked for later, but the booking must be done by the 16th to qualify for the pro bono program. The post Christmas time can be difficult, so I will be available for sessions between Christmas and New years.

To see other’s impressions of what working with me has been like, see https://g.page/r/CTxsEa4oBZDpEAg/review for Google reviews.

I wish you all a warm, happy, Christmas/Holliday season this and every year.

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