Every day, as part of my sensory care routine, I like to brush my arms & legs with a skin brush. It exfoliates the skin, helps with circulation, and makes me feel more awake & connected to my body.

When I engage in this soothing ritual, I think about how taking care of my nervous system is also a way to connect with my ancestors.

After all, each of our nervous systems is an ancestral inheritance.

The human meat-suit that you’re living in right now, didn’t just come from nowhere.

Every cell in your body came from somewhere and someone older than you, who experienced this earth before you ever landed here.

Even if you don’t know a thing about your ancestors, your nervous system knows a thing or two.

🌀 Your ancestors’ faces are reflected in your facial features.

🌀 Their voices are echoed in the tone & timbre of your voice.

🌀 Your most natural, automatic instincts — how you experience joy, how you hold grief in the body, how you respond to danger, and where you feel most at home — reflect both the story of your life & the story of the lives of your people.

When we pause to let that sink in, the meaning is profound:

❤️ Taking care of our nervous systems is a gift to ourselves and all the generations that came before us (& the ones who come after). It’s like saying: Thank you for this ancestral inheritance. I will treasure it for as long as I live!

The next time you take care of your nervous system, I invite you to imagine your ancestors (the wise & well ones) thanking you back.

With care,

ON THE PODCAST | EP 12 Decolonial & Ancestral Healing through Psychedelic Medicines, w/ Mariya Javed-Payne Though psychedelic medicines are often presented as a “quick fix” or “magic pill” in mainstream Western culture, the truth is far more complex than that. Join me & Mariya Javed-Payne (my dear friend & Brainspotting teacher) in a profound conversation, where we explore: 🌱 a decolonial approach to healing that divests from capitalism & honors Indigenous wisdom 🌱 why psychedelic medicines are not for everyone, but there ARE many different ways to heal, including through ancestral & spiritual practices that weave into the everyday 🌱 why all trauma work is ancestral work 🌱 a vision of a future in which we return to our roots: community, care networks, & connection with the land This episode is for anyone who is curious to explore healing beyond the mainstream approaches, in a grounded & nuanced way. LISTEN HERE (40 min) 🌻

P.S. Know someone who needs to hear this? Forward it along. New readers can subscribe ​here​.

P.P.S. If you’re interested in working together, I’d love to support you.

🌻 For folks who are overwhelmed & burnt out, but too busy for weekly therapy, I offer Nervous System Healing Intensives​ — three 90-minute sessions, using brain-body modalities (Brainspotting, IFS, EMDR) that go deeper than talk therapy & help you feel better, sooner.

Intensives are a type of short-term, accelerated therapy — for folks who prefer a hyper-focused approach to healing; who need longer than 50-min sessions to warm up & process deeply.

👉🏽 If you want to get an Intensive on the books, click here to book an intro call.

I help highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults heal their nervous systems & connect with their authentic selves.

💗 Need a nervous system reset? —> Join me for a Calm Place meditation.
📚 Curious to learn about neurodiversity + holistic healing? —> Peek at my blog.
🗞️ Want to catch up on old newsletters? —> Check out the archive.

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