Dr. Bessel van der Kolk writes in 'The Body Keeps the Score' that trauma doesn't just live in our minds - it reshapes how our bodies respond to emotion. Sometimes, when we experience significant loss, our nervous system essentially decides that feeling is too dangerous and shuts down the whole operation.
As Valentine's Day approaches, we start enjoying images of ruby-red hearts, kisses, and holding hands-ideals of romantic love. But what happens the day or week after? For some, there are engagements and celebrations; for others, hurts, disappointments, breakups-some of those ruby-red hearts, broken or cracked. Lasting romance is built on a kind of love that requires more than sexy lingerie and roses; it needs trust, openness, and mutual acceptance.
Burnout rarely pours itself a cup of tea and airs its exhaustion. Sometimes it leaves no visible trace-no missed deadlines, tardy call times, or sloppy emails. Instead, it hides behind accolades and packed calendars. It lives in the shadowed corners of those who lead fundraisers, run meetings, and inspire audiences-only to collapse in private. It shows up in the sobs muffled by the shower, the forehead pressed to a steering wheel, the restless swirl of bedcovers at 3 a.m.
Scroll through any wellness feed, and you might notice the same whiplash-inducing pattern. Dissociation is either a dangerous sign of pathology or "a protective intelligence that deserves reverence." Trauma responses are framed as evidence of brokenness or badges of resilience. Anxiety is either a disorder to eliminate or an intuition to honor. We've flattened the rich, complex reality of the nervous system into a binary: demonize or romanticize. But neither extreme helps us understand ourselves-or decide when we actually need support.
Pranayama is the yogic art of breathing. Consider it one of the inspirations for the breath work techniques that help keep you grounded throughout the day. By mastering the three stages of the breath, inhalation, exhalation and retention, you can learn to quiet the nervous system and gain control over the emotions and constant demands of the senses. Pranayama can be difficult art to practice, one that requires years of persistence and patience.
My daughter refused to accept what she was being told and sat by my side, tapping and singing softly. She sang my Hebrew kindergarten songs, one after another, continuously without pause. These were the songs I sang to her when she was small. She sang instinctively, as if her body knew something before her mind did. As if she understood, without explanation, how to bring her mother back to life.
"The 'four F's' ― fight, flight, freeze and fawn ― refer to automatic nervous system responses to a perceived threat," Caitlyn Oscarson, a licensed marriage and family therapist, told HuffPost. "These are ingrained responses that can show up in traumatic situations, as well as everyday stress and overwhelm."
In these times of divisiveness, negative news cycles, and gloomy winter months, it can feel hard to keep our spirits up. But you have way more power over your state of mind than you realize, as my colleagues and I have researched and as I discuss in my new book SOVEREIGN: Reclaim Your Freedom, Energy, and Power in a Time of Distraction, Uncertainty, and Chaos.
This pose offers the benefits of inversions, such as increased circulation to the upper body. Like the other classical inverted poses of Sirsasana (Headstand) and Sarvangasana ( Shoulderstand), it also teaches the student poise. The nervous system controls movement through learned patterns in which groups of muscles and joints act habitually to produce desired results. In turn, this movement produces feedback, which informs the nervous system where one is in space in relation to gravity.
Most of us think of suffering as something to eliminate, avoid, or fix. But what if conflict, especially in our relationships, is actually an invitation? What if the moments that stress us most hold within them the potential for exercising our heart's capacity for compassion, connection, expansion, and intimacy? When we respond to our own or another's pain with care rather than judgment, something extraordinary happens.
"I want to live a life I'm not disturbed by." It was an intense session with a new client, a 30-something single mother baffled by a long and winding trail of chaotic relationships-from partners whose fingers kept sneaking back to dating apps, to outbursts of rage toward those she loved most, often triggered by something trivial. A kind, intelligent woman with gentle eyes and a warm demeanor,
It seems everyone, in one way or another, feels aggravated and damaged by it. I find this concerning. That's why I keep explaining that not every painful experience is or becomes a traumatic wound. Knowing how deep a wound goes-and what that implies for care-can spare people unnecessary labels and distress, help clinicians choose appropriate interventions, and free those who suffer from being defined solely by their pain.
Before we begin: Take a moment, if you're willing, to notice what happens in your body as you read the word "rest." Does your breath change? Do your shoulders tense or release? Does a subtle anxiety flutter in your chest, or perhaps a wave of longing wash over you? Whatever arises-or doesn't-is valuable information about your nervous system's relationship with stillness.
A few years ago, I caught myself doing something that made no sense. It was late evening, my kids were asleep, the house finally quiet. I'd been counting down to this moment all day-dreaming of sinking into the couch, wrapping myself in a blanket, maybe even reading a book without distractions. But when I lay down and closed my eyes, something inside me lurched.
I guess we probably all do, right? Especially at this stage in my life - a grown-ass woman with a tween and a teen who have the drama thing on lock in our house - I try to be pretty proactive about protecting my peace. And yet, somehow, chaos seems to find me. Or could it be that I'm subconsciously seeking it out?
Most people know that chiropractors help with back pain, but their expertise extends far beyond alleviating musculoskeletal aches. Chiropractic care focuses on the connection between your spine and nervous system, which affects your entire body's function. When chiropractors adjust misaligned vertebrae, they can improve nerve communication throughout your body. This enhanced nerve flow can lead to some unexpected health benefits that might surprise you. Read on to learn five perks of chiropractic care you may not have heard of.
