Inner Wellspring Integrative Therapy

09/27/2022

What does it mean to think about the shadow aspects of self?

https://vimeo.com/95856382

09/15/2022

https://www.davidkesslertraining.com/prolonged-grief-beyond-the-headlines

A panel discussion on the timeline of grief

09/07/2022

There is so much to be gained by exploring how the health of the body influences one’s mental state. What do you think about treatments that target the just brain, while ignoring systemic processes of the whole body? Here are some systemic impacts to consider:

1. Circadian rhythm cycles
2. Diet & Food sensitivities
3. Environmental exposures
4. Detoxification
5. HPA axis / hormones
6. Gut health
7. Immune system
8. Circulatory / heart health

What else? Please add more ideas in the comments below, and share your experiences of how attending to physical health has improved your state of mind.

09/05/2022

In times of loss, suffering, or grief, people who we thought were close may disappear. This can leave us feeling isolated and abandoned in our greatest moment of vulnerability and need for support. Distancing behavior may be due to other people’s lack of skill and capacity to be present with emotional difficulty. We live in a grief illiterate society where difficult emotions are sometimes bypassed, dismissed, or pushed away. Models of good support may be absent, and therefore this skill was never learned. Unfortunately, sometimes people believe that the best form of support is to withdraw and give the griever space, when space wasn’t actually requested. Alternately, there may be a tendency to immediately jump to trying to fix the griever by “bright-siding” them. This involves an attempt to push them into more positive thinking. The “fixing” impulse has nothing to do with the griever. It is reflection of the discomfort of the one who seeks to “fix” so they don’t have to sit in their own excruciating discomfort. Often the greatest form of support is a simple willingness to show up and be present with compassion. Be a kind and gentle companion who simply listens without attempting to fix or push away the pain of the griever.

09/03/2022

Trauma survivors are sometimes misunderstood. They may be judged as “too negative” by those around them. They may encounter uninformed, uninvited, and unhelpful advice. Friends and family may say, “all you have to do is think more positive.” While such advice may be well-intentioned, it can be a form of spiritual and emotional bypassing. It also shows a deep lack of understanding of the physiological effects of trauma. Trauma may involve single-events, or it may be more chronically-based. If trauma remains unaddressed over time, there can be undesirable neurobiological changes that happen. This results in symptoms of PTSD or CPTSD. Trauma is not “all in your head,” it’s also in your body. It’s usually not possible to simply think your way out of it. Suffering continues on, and the survivor can become more isolated over time if those who were once supportive distance themselves due to a lack of understanding. Although traumatic events can never be erased, finding renewed healing and growth is absolutely possible. Reaching towards transformation includes the body and mind as one complete, intertwined system that can’t be separated or compartmentalized. A few keys to healing include:

1. Supporting the health of the body.
2. Recognizing emotional needs, and getting those needs met in healthy ways.
3. Establishing a sense of safety within the self and in relationships with others.
4. Re-conditioning the threat response of nervous system to respond accurately in the present-moment,
5. Recognizing and re-organizing traumatic flashbacks and trauma response patterns.
6. Re-processing and reconsolidating trauma memories.
7. Cultivating internal and external resources including: Social support, spirituality (if that is part of your life), techniques for self-regulation, establishing new healthy habits, learning how to reach for help, etc.
8. Post-traumatic growth: Constructing new meaning, possibility, hope and purpose in life.
9. Being able to really savor and sustain the experience of this renewed health and growth on a continual basis.

Let's tap into our inner wellspring of resources. What are some other crucial keys to healing trauma that you have found important? Please share in the comments below.

08/31/2022

If you are in grief, everyday is grief awareness day. Today we try to raise awareness for others. Do you have a friend you could reach out to? What do you wish others knew about your grief?

08/31/2022

Identifying Dr. John Gottman's Four Horsemen in one's relationship is a necessary first step to eliminating them and engaging in healthy, productive communication patterns.

08/31/2022

Not everyone wants to get better. This is important to understand because when you do the work to heal, you’ll likely leave people behind. Or, relationships will change. Accepting people where they are (even if you wish it were different) is part of this work.

You can’t bring everyone with you. Many people underestimate the addiction we have to the familiar emotions we grew up within

08/31/2022

This is what I had to learn when I wanted to heal my body, and these are the steps I took when I was struggling with chronic fatigue.

It all starts with your mitochondria.

Mitochondria are very sensitive to damage. And when they aren’t working properly, you suffer all the symptoms of low energy — fatigue, memory loss, pain, rapid aging, and more. Fatigue is the most common symptom of poorly functioning mitochondria. In fact, the reason we tire more easily as we age is the constant insult and injury we inflict on our mitochondria. But this doesn’t have to happen! We can protect our mitochondria.

Boost and protect your mitochondria through the following tips.

Eat food that’s full of antioxidants and phytonutrients. Include 8 to 12 servings of fresh vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, seeds and whole grains every day.

Take mitochondria-protective and energy-boosting nutrients. These include acetyl-L-carnitine, alpha-lipoic acid, coenzyme Q10, n-acetyl-cysteine, resveratrol, and magnesium. While not a cure-all, these nutrients, taken in conjunction with a whole-food, plant-based diet, can provide metabolic support for those low on energy.

Increase omega-3 fats to help build your mitochondrial membranes. Coldwater fish, such as wild salmon, sardines and herring, are good sources of omega-3 fats, as are flaxseeds and omega-3 eggs. They all help strengthen the fragile cellular membranes that make your mitochondria work the way they’re supposed to.

Prioritize sleep: We have a second national debt crisis — sleep debt. And there is no way to trick biology and raise this debt ceiling. Get at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night. Everything in your life will look and feel better, and you will make better choices when you do this.

08/31/2022

In The Body Keeps The Score, Bessel van der Kolk summarized his four decades of experience studying the impact of trauma on the brain.