Serene Wave Spinal Flow

02/06/2026

Think Again: Facial Expressions Aren’t Emotional Facts, They’re Interpreted 😀☹️😳😡😲😶

One of the brain’s senses is facial expression.

We usually think of the senses as sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.
But neuroscientist Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett explains that the brain also treats facial expressions as sensory information.

Here’s the important shift in understanding:

We do not look at someone’s face and directly know what they’re feeling.

This lands personally for me.

For years, people would often say to me, “Tina, why don’t you smile more?”
The assumption was that if I wasn’t smiling, I must not be happy.

But that was not always the case.

Before getting braces in my 40s, I was self-conscious about my crooked teeth. I had been bullied and made fun of for them in elementary school, and that experience stayed with me far longer than I realized. Smiling felt vulnerable — not because I wasn’t happy, but because my nervous system had learned to protect me.

What this really shows is how strongly we’ve learned to associate a smile with happiness. A neutral face is often misread as dissatisfaction, seriousness, or emotional distance — when none of that may be true.

Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett puts it this way:
“Emotions are not universal — we build them for ourselves. We are the architect of our own emotional experience, and that has profound philosophical and practical implications.”

According to her theory of constructed emotion, the brain is always predicting and interpreting — not simply reading signals. When we see a facial expression, the brain assigns meaning based on:
• past experiences
• learned patterns
• cultural context
• and our current nervous system state

In other words, we read faces through our own history.

The same facial expression can mean something very different to different people. What one nervous system interprets as anger, another may read as concentration, fatigue, or discomfort. There is no single facial expression that universally equals a specific emotion.

This also applies inward.

Our own facial tension — a tight jaw, held breath, or guarded expression — feeds information back to the brain. The brain uses that information to shape its ongoing predictions about safety, effort, and stress.

Through my own learning and nervous system work, I’ve come to understand something important: I can have a completely neutral-looking face and be perfectly content and happy in that moment. Happiness doesn’t always need a visible expression.

This is where gentle nervous system work, including Spinal Flow, becomes relevant.

As spinal and nervous system tension patterns begin to reorganize, people often notice subtle changes: softer facial tone, spontaneous expressions, easier eye contact. These aren’t “emotional releases” to perform or analyze — they’re signs that the nervous system is receiving different information and updating its internal story.

We don’t need to label faces.
We don’t need to assume emotions.
We simply need to understand that faces are part of the sensory loop, not emotional truth-tellers.

Regulation changes perception.
And perception changes everything.

02/05/2026

3 sessions, 3 days in a row 💝✨️✨️
New client feedback!

02/03/2026

Positive results!

02/03/2026

02/02/2026

I fully trust your nervous system and all that it is capable of 💝

My goal as a Spinal Flow practitioner far exceeds only your symptoms.

Your body is your most influential teacher that you will have the pleasure of encountering.
Whether that teacher is negative or positive - these are what adaptations look like.

Safety is the key word.

Trust your journey of well-being.

01/30/2026

Why I Use Beef Tallow as My Only Moisturizer (Skin, Nervous System & Simplicity)

This photo is of the only moisturizer I use on my skin now—grass fed beef tallow.

Our skin is more than just something that “holds us together.” It is a living, sensing organ that communicates constantly with the brain and nervous system. Through touch, temperature, pressure, and chemistry, the skin is always sending signals about safety, irritation, and environment.

The outer layer of the skin is protected by a lipid barrier—made of fats and oils that keep moisture in and irritants out. When this barrier is supported, the skin feels calm and resilient. When it’s disrupted, we can experience dryness, sensitivity, or reactivity.

Many skincare products contain long ingredient lists with fragrances, preservatives, and surfactants. For some people, these can be interpreted by the body as foreign, potentially stressing the skin barrier and adding to overall sensory and immune load.

Beef tallow is different in its simplicity.

Tallow is a traditional fat that closely resembles the oils naturally produced by human skin. It contains fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins (like A, D, E, and K) that are naturally compatible with the skin’s barrier. Because of this similarity, many people find it deeply nourishing without the need for added chemicals or fillers.

From a nervous system perspective, the skin is a major sensory interface with the world. When the skin feels calm and supported, it can contribute to a greater sense of safety and regulation in the body. This is something I see often in Spinal Flow work—the body responds not just to internal cues, but also to what we place on and around it.

Chemical load is something we all face in modern life. We can’t eliminate it completely, but we can become more mindful and make small, gentle changes that ease that load over time.

If this resonates, start by checking the ingredient lists on your skincare, hair care, and makeup products. Awareness is the first step, and from there you can choose what feels most supportive for your body and nervous system.

This isn’t medical advice, and everyone’s skin is unique—this is simply what has worked well for me and one way in which I personally reduce my nervous system chemical load.

01/30/2026

Healthcare trauma is real and this is one way that it happens.

A client of mine, in a hesitation, as she did not know my stance toward "the state of the world", expressed herself negatively toward what she is witnessing.

I listened and said - "of course you feel that way" - nothing more.

I watched her whole body soften, tears well up in her eyes, she looked at me, laughed and asked "will you be my therapist? - I just came from my therapists office and said the same thing and I was told to feel differently".

In that moment, she felt safe, heard, seen and validated.

It's quite simple.

I won't be anyone's therapist.
I am a Spinal Flow practitioner.
But.
I will listen to you without judgment, without trying to fix it.
I will simply hold someone's words to allow that expression to come out.

That, in itself, is extremely releasing, healing and allows people to make connections on their own.

01/29/2026

As each day passes, I am reminded again and again, how little, information and education is taught on the effects, the patterns, and the adaptations that naturally take place to any human system within our conditioned society.
It is a massive scale.

01/28/2026

😍 New research shows that a 7-day intensive mind-body meditation retreat led to measurable changes in brain activity, immune signaling, metabolism, pain-regulation pathways, and gene expression.

This article really excited me, and I wanted to share it with you - see link in comments.

Reading this took me straight back to my own 7-day Spinal Flow immersive training. During that intensive of 170 practitioners, we received multiple Spinal Flow sessions each day, and the shifts within just one week were remarkable to witness—physically, emotionally, and in overall presence and regulation.

While we didn’t have MRI scans or blood biomarkers to measure these changes, the transformations in posture, pain levels, movement, emotional regulation, and embodied awareness were unmistakable.

Research like this helps bridge what many mind-body, somatic and nervous system practitioners observe in practice: when the nervous system is given consistent, repeated opportunities to reorganize, change can unfold in ways that most people don't expect.

This is one reason I offer Spinal Flow intensive options for those who feel ready for a more focused nervous system experience. Intensives are not about forcing change—they’re about creating a consistent, supportive environment where the body has repeated opportunities to settle, adapt, and reorganize in its own way.

Every body is unique, and experiences vary. But science is beginning to reflect what many have known for decades: whole mind-body experiences can be powerful catalysts for transformation.

If you’re curious about Spinal Flow intensives or want to explore whether they might be supportive for you, feel free to visit: www.serenewavespinalflow.ca

01/27/2026

🥱 Yawning is a natural biological response linked to the nervous system, and it can be a sign that the body is shifting into a more regulated, restorative state.
(Some say cats are the epitome of what a regulated nervous system looks like!) 😻

When I first started receiving this type of healing, I remember one session so clearly. My appointments were about 45 minutes from home, and I yawned the entire drive back—one after another, literally nonstop. When I arrived home, I messaged my practitioner and said:
“I just yawned for 45 minutes straight—it didn’t stop. They just kept coming. Is that normal?”

Her response was simple:
“Yes.”

I’ve always loved that response.

Over time, I’ve become so accustomed to how healing shows up in my body. Just last night, I was walking the dog with my mom after dinner, and she started counting how many times she heard me yawn. By the time we got back home, she was up to 21. I wasn’t tired—but I had spent the day in a stressed state. I truly believe that the walk helped my system drop some of that stored stress, and the yawns just came.

🥱 What’s happening on a biological level?

Yawning is associated with activation of the parasympathetic nervous system—often called the “rest, digest, and repair” branch of the autonomic nervous system. When the body moves out of survival-based states (fight, flight, or freeze) and into parasympathetic dominance, we often see spontaneous reflexes such as:

~~Yawning
~~Deep sighing
~~Swallowing
~~Digestive sounds
~~Eye watering or subtle emotional release

During a yawn, several physiological processes occur:
🥱 The jaw opens wide, stimulating cranial nerves that connect to the brainstem.
🥱 A deep inhalation increases oxygen exchange and may help regulate brain temperature.
🥱 Muscles in the face, neck, and upper spine contract and release, which can shift tension patterns.
🥱 There is a gentle vagal nerve response, which supports relaxation and nervous system regulation.

In a Spinal Flow session, yawning can reflect that the nervous system is sensing safety and moving toward coherence. It doesn’t mean “healing is complete,” but it can be a sign of regulation, integration, and a shift in state.

Everyone’s body expresses regulation differently. Some people yawn, some feel warmth, some feel emotional release, and some simply feel calmer or more grounded.

The body knows how to recalibrate when given the right conditions.
Sometimes, the yawn is just the nervous system saying, “It’s safe to let go.”

01/25/2026

Emotion = Energy in Motion

It has to go somewhere.
This is not Spinal Flow related, but Somatic related.
Soma = Body.
Better outward safely, than internally or externally unsafely.

Not feeling emotions doesn't make them go away.
The energy is still holding a charge in the body and its not always positive.

Let it come out, it may save a life.

01/25/2026

Collective and Individual Dysregulation IS the reality.

It is what is simply present.

It is brilliant that we are constantly adapting, even at the sake of our own health.

As one individuals nervous system becomes better regulated and one's perspectives begin to shift - as is what happens with Spinal Flow Technique - reality becomes just that.
And with that, comes individual clarity, growth, insight and healing.
Each individual affects the collective.