Success Stories

I have studied transcendental meditation for 10 years, Buddhist philosophy, relaxation techniques, neurofeedback, biofeedback, studied interpersonal-neuropsychology for decades… I did not believe this was going to be as different as it has been.

This is nothing like any of the practices I have done for 20 years. I have found the rest within that I have needed and sought in my life.

Thank you, Irene and team Irene for the work you do. It is a different work that pulls together what many have sought for, for years.

I have skills, techniques, and the capacity to find the rest my body has needed.

I appreciate you.

Our body and it’s innate healing capacity, is truly amazing! These 12 weeks have been educational, inspirational, practical and transformative ~ on all levels and all at once. With wholeheartedness, humor and care, have we been guided on a journey back to self, embodied from head to. ❤️ Ever grateful for such a rich experience that has truly changed my roots. Thank you Irene with team ??

After feeling a creeping and growing anxiety for YEARS, I didn’t want to put up with it anymore. I didn’t want to “delve into all past stories” that didn’t seem to be there. Beating up pillows in groups didn’t do anything for me. Crying in a group, nothing. If anything, it just built my frustration! I just wanted a practical solution to start to have “better feeling”, rather than “feeling better”. I’d been trying “feeling better” solutions for years. They worked for a very short time and I was becoming less social, less active in my community and in general, I was becoming LESS ME!

I love this program as it shows me the practical physical parts of my nervous system. It teaches me how to sense into my system and get information that my brain is processing all the time. It supports me to get more into sensing in real time, rather than dealing with issues way after they’ve happened. The support is almost immediate by the team, and surprisingly supportive, authentic and real with others who are on the course too.

I’ve just done a 2nd year of SBSM and the information and lessons were much deeper. I didn’t ‘make them’ be deeper, they were. My system was ready to utilize the information and commit to the lessons. I did them at my own pace and interacted as and when I really felt I wanted.

Thanks for such a smart course that really does what it says on the packet!

I first took the short course of Irene’s and liked it so much that I signed up for SBSM. I especially liked the educational information about how the nervous system works. It helped explain some of the things that I had been experiencing that were sometimes very frightening for me. The private Facebook group that is accessible for SBSM students is invaluable, as we can post questions to the staff including Irene, and share experiences with others who are enrolled in the class. The support there was superb. 

Since taking the course several times as a lifetime member, I have found that I now have a lot of tools to choose from to deal with whatever comes my way. There is a confidence that I never felt before and a sense finally of my own true self (that I embrace).

SBSM taught me how incredibly important it is to stay connected to the body – not just emotionally, but also physically (I notice when I pay attention to my body I can avoid clumsiness and finely control my movements) and have became aware of how much trauma is still hiding in my body!

This program also has allowed me to deal with irrational stress in the smallest scenarios by enlarging my capacity. I am starting to become less irritable.

I would like to say a big thank you to the SBSM team who has created a SAFE and welcoming environment for me to start exploring the stored trauma in my body and the intense emotions that come with it.

I had a deep feeling of safety in my system in the first year of SBSM, then small shifts and a wider container.

I am now better at handling stress; I can now recognize hunger and satiety cues; I have the tools to work with my tight jaws; I overall have more energy; I am better at recognizing when is time to rest and have less guilt about it; I have a better capacity to feel “negative” feelings and not take it out on my partner 🙂 I have a better understanding of my own needs, I feel I am more myself. My posture got better by itself – it feels like I have more energy inside my body that is holding me up, before I was always hunched over – before I tried different exercises for my back and it did not work.

I feel more in my body and more regulated while working with people. I feel my personal growth is more smooth and in a way deeper. Life feels more enjoyable even if it is hard. Even my sexuality changed.

I am kinder to myself and more nurturing towards myself. I feel that I can count on myself now – still have a long way to go but this is much better than it used to be. I love the SBSM material, and I love the fact that I can keep on learning and learning and I learn something new almost every week. I feel that I am on the right path. Thank you for everything!!!!

SBSM has been transformative, even though I wasn’t able to do the entire program during the time we were together. Irene’s teachings and presence are so powerful – and her modelling of how to tune in, listen deeply, follow the impulse, and open up the space to heal is incredible.

Thank you! I look forward to joining again next year and doing the work/learning in the meantime!

Put simply, SBSM has changed my life. After 12+ years on a healing journey, now I am finally learning the basics, and realizing that the basics are the most profound!

Now that the foundations are coming into place through SBSM, the other healing work I’ve done previously is more able to integrate.

SBSM is teaching me how to stay present with my experience, how to feel my feelings and how to access my life force. I am becoming whole again. I am getting my life back. What an incredible gift. I cannot recommend SBSM highly enough. There are no words to describe the gratitude I feel for Irene, Seth and Team Lyon for the revolutionary work you do, and for modelling the work with such integrity, authenticity, compassion and passion. I had lost hope that I could heal, but now I know I can. Now I have the tools to get what I’ve always longed for: to be me. Thank you from the bottom of my opening heart.

For an online course, it was quite successful in teaching about the body’s abilities to heal. I found Irene to embody the highest integrity – I trusted them. I appreciate that there were no schemes to sell more products. I felt their mission was to really help me heal.

I love how much more I can control my body with my mind and awareness. SBSM is confirmation that what I was searching for existed. I have greater healing ability and I’m thrilled I found this program. So thankful for your work. This is life changing! It’s given me way more than I thought it was capable. Thank you for the time and effort you put into this.

I would like to just thank Irene and Team Lyon for this amazing program, and the wonderful support that comes with it! The education is huge, and I love understanding the “why” as it so informs the “how” in what I am doing. I am so deeply grateful for the tools, the support and the program. I am deeply committed to the work, AND there is A LOT of healing still to do.

I am so grateful for the brilliance of the creation of this program. Their incredible wisdom, support and encouragement of me meant so very much during a challenging journey of healing. Deep gratitude!

My biggest takeaway from SBSM is that I understand myself much much better now. My childhood traumas have become clear, and also I begin to trust my body more and more, because of the effects of the exercises. I integrate all my learning here together with my somatic practitioner, and the results are astonishing. I have found more peace inside, less inner stress, I have started to recover from a long, long journey of seeking help and understanding my life. I have never met so good of teachers, guidance and moderators ever before.

Through SBSM, I learned how to calm myself during exercise so my glucose doesn’t spike. (I’m a Diabetic).

After starting the program, in the past few months I’ve hiked 400 kms…crazy!

This gives me hope I can further bring glucose down and be less diabetic.

My daily practices now include orienting, noticing my breath, following my impulses (been a lifetime goal to be in flow, this work with the nervous system is a direction I had never tried), I “drop” my kidney and adrenals multiple times daily(!), I’m constantly reminding myself to breathe into my diaphragm.

Near the end of the program work I heard a voice say to me “THIS is the space you’ve been looking for”. WOWIE.

Through SBSM I’ve learned that it’s all energy, and I have more agency than I think. I’ve undervalued slowing down and over prioritized thinking for most of my life. This work feels radical in the context of our “normal” way of life, but also so natural and essential. I’m grateful. So grateful. Also excited to keep healing, practicing, and learning.

Taking part in SBSM was for me, a transformative experience.

I learned much more about my system in the last 12 weeks then in 15 years of different therapies, both talking and somatic.

Some of the content completely changed the way I now look at my past, my present issues and my healing potential. For the first time in my life, during one of the practices, I felt inside my chest something that wasn’t a black hollow cave, but all my organs tingling and shining with life force. There are still heavy days, but now I feel more spacious and patient with myself. It really felt like the beginning of a wonderful journey of healing and growth.

I learned how to listen to my body and honour the impulses I’m feeling. I finally allowed myself to slow down and to accept myself in a new way, not just by doing and performing.

I enjoyed the holistic approach of different modalities used for healing in SBSM. It was like living in a dream-state until I found out it existed! Not only do I use it everyday and have seen results, I have recommended Irene’s work, many of her videos, to all of coaching clients.

It was like discovering the missing piece. To be able to refer my clients to Irene’s outstanding teaching and explanations, and then use this information to inform my coaching has allowed me to help my clients to move out of “stuckness” and self-criticism. Thank you!

I think the program is absolutely amazing. The commitment and sincerity of the entire team speaks volumes. I was also very impressed by how the program website was set up, as well as the Facebook group.

I am only at the start of my healing journey, and yet, I have so much hope. I now believe I can and I will break my intergenerational trauma. Thank you.

Yahooo!! After 3 nights of orienting, pendulating & titrating my mind with gentle acceptance & thoughts, I was able to fall asleep WITHOUT using medication.

After years of nightly use, I was able to relax and sleep.

I feel like this is the beginning of a new sleeping practise. Thanks SO much for your lessons & words of encouragement!!

THANK YOU!! I LOVED the program. Each exercise was simple, short and relatively easy… almost too easy… but when you put them all together and practice them together religiously, magic happens. The implications are HUGE… and it all plays into spiritual work perfectly.

Objective signs it’s worked for me are… much calmer even under stress, confronted and then cut off a couple of coaches I was working with that turned out to be toxic (it felt like the scariest thing I’d ever done but I fucking did it), about to end my relationship with my GF of almost 4 years because it’s become clear it’s not working and I don’t feel safe, meditating more and much more focused on my spiritual work. I feel much better overall. Stronger, more powerful, less needy, much more willing to set boundaries and exercise my anger, much less ashamed of my anger, willing to cry anytime as a somatic release (after not crying for decades), and much more.

I can’t believe that more people don’t know about this stuff. I’m seriously considering moving my career in this direction. Absolutely life changing, and you’re right… this is only the beginning. Onwards and upwards baby!

I have found this work to be like the process of starting a new relationship that is leading to a marriage that lasts forever. With myself.

So the process is like courting myself.
Getting to know my own body in a whole new way.
Being gentle, slow and cherishing.
Dealing with the contrast – triggers – with curiosity and care.

I have found commitment is key.
Willingness to sit with the challenges without dumping myself.
Till death do us part.

This program has given me tools in which to handle subsequent somatic experiences with much more grace, ease and without as much fear. I’m understanding myself, others and the process of grief and nervous system response like I never thought I would.

I love that this is helping me personally but also giving me insights with which to work with Reiki clients.

I’m becoming more embodied and that is improving my intuition and therefore everything in my life!! I can feel shifts happening in many areas of my life as I begin to regulate and it’s so exciting!!!

I could probably write for a couple days on the impact this class is currently and will continue to have on me, my life, my family, my work, etc., etc.!! THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH!!!

This SBSM work is amazing and very important.

I’ve learned that I can change the capacity of my NS. It’s mind blowing! Subtle exercises can shift and improve my states, and my body is my doctor!

I love exploring SBSM and this has given me a new vocabulary. I can feel tiny shifts in my perception which to me is revolutionary and changing my life. Im a better person on the planet because of the course.

Thank you Irene for opening myself up to this new realm of understanding the nervous system and how much it impacts everything. The knowledge has been invaluable and became a filter through which I understand the world better.

My nervous system was in a state of functioning freeze. I repressed a lot of emotions. I did not like conflict. I had a tendency to go into shut down. I tried to always be nice and a people-pleaser. I felt shame around feeling “negative” emotions. I was diagnosed with colon cancer 2 years ago and had a baseball size tumor removed. I chose to take a holistic approach to my healing, and a year after working with my doctor he recommended I have a second cancer test done that is very specialized. The results came back and the numbers barely changed. I started to cry. My doctor told me that I had done a great job with my diet and supplements but if he had to give me a grade for my stress level he would give me an “F”.

The test was done on September 21 2016 and I was blessed with an email about Irene’s 3-part video series and I started SmartBody SmartMind on October 4, 2016. Just today a friend who sees my same doctor asked me what do I feel changed for me after my doctor told me that I was failing in the stress department. I told her that hands down it was taking Irene’s 12 week program.   Irene’s 12 week program provides information that is so valuable for understanding our nervous systems. The class is structured in a way that it is dosed out perfectly so that you never feel overwhelmed. I was impressed with the way the program was laid out. No matter your learning style Irene provided material to fit. I was able to read the lesson, watch a video and print off the transcripts. Brilliant!

I love that I can take this class as many times as I want, as I have a tendency to be an overachiever, but I felt for the first time with an online class that I could pace myself and if I did not complete the 12 weeks that it was okay. This took so much stress off me and it helped my nervous system.   Irene provides exercises that are great tools. I found this to be so very helpful. So often people present theory but they do not share tools that can be helpful for self-empowerment and healing. I have greatly enjoyed the private FB group as well. I have learned so much from people’s posts and comments. I feel a real sense of community as a member of this group.

Now I have healthier relationships with people and I am so much more compassionate about what people are going through. Irene encourages us to honor our bodies plus she teaches us to self-regulate. That was huge for me since I have always had a tendency to shut down or rage. I feel like I have spent so much of my life out of my body. This program made me feel safe to be in my body and to appreciate it’s wonder from a whole new level.

If you believe in the mind body connection, if you believe you are the source of your own healing, but just need the tools, then THIS is the program for you.

I used to have fibromyalgia. I used to hold everything inside me. Literally. I didn’t feel much of anything (except pain). I was “happy” enough but with no sense of joy. I felt kinda helpless to help myself beyond the physical (osteopath, naturopath, acupuncture, diet and lifestyle – all since 2002) and when my subconscious told me it was time to start taking a look at what I hadn’t seen, my mind freaked out and had no way to file or process and it resulted in a deep, dark pit of depression and despair.

Fast forward to me creating (another physical) supplement regime that avoided pharmaceuticals to stop myself from taking my life, and some excellent counselling and I was able to see that I needed something more. In September 2016, I stumbled across Irene’s free Healing Trauma intro videos that are the informational series to the 12 week program. I had done SO much myself, I had healed as much as I could, but I was at a loss with persistent dis-ease and lack of overall sense of wellbeing… The emotional side of things and the mind body connection were missing…

Watching the three-part video series, I was riveted. I felt compelled! It spoke to me in a way no other therapy had! Could I really gain the tools to help myself to heal? Could I really stop myself from responding to stress the way I always had? Really? YES! The answer is YES!

I went to the dentist the other day, ZERO anxiety. For as long as I can remember the dentist = stress response. I no longer have continual pain in my hip/body — I used to hold anger in my right hip, I now have the tools to release any pent up anger and frustration in a constructive health promoting way, no longer holding onto it to manifest as physical pain. I have such a sense of freedom. SO much has opened up in my life. I can FEEL and I am ok with that, vulnerability suits me it seems.

I feel more generous with my time – I am easily a hermit ordinarily. I see an osteopath on occasion as opposed to almost weekly as a necessity. I work through stressful situations in a flash to the point that they are no longer an issue. I can have repressed memories crop up and deal with them powerfully – not be consumed by them. Issues with people in my life? Meh, sorted in an instant without drama on my part… Illnesses around me this winter (I’m in NZ) nada, I have been exposed to SO much and had nothing at all… AND… I am experiencing JOY, every day.

My past isn’t coming back to haunt me, it is coming back to heal me. I am healthy. My bloodwork and alternative tests look fabulous. No liver toxicity, no chronic inflammation no regular pain… I had done A LOT of work myself prior to this course, and, although I have learnt a tonne and have no regrets, if I could have my time again, I would just invest in this course. And, finally, the best thing…

I have found love, I am IN love. I am in a relationship with a really awesome man (it’s a recent thing). I was single my whole life (on purpose) and unable to engage, or even if I am honest, consider the possibility of engaging prior to this course… Things are on track for happily ever after… I wondered if it would ever happen… A WHOLE lot of stuff needed to not just change, but transform before this was going to happen and now it has and IS happening. I needed to be able to love myself first… And THAT started with acceptance.

This program is a journey of self discovery, of letting go of what is not serving you, of gaining the “things” you need to live your life from a place of health… whatever that means to you… You can take it at your own pace, you can stop and start if you need to, you are accepted at wherever you are in your journey, there is no pressure, you are the skipper of your ship… There is incredible support offered by Irene and her team, but also the alumni and other participants. You are not alone. You must DO the work, but if you do, the results are INCREDIBLE. I know this, because I am living proof of it.
What are YOU waiting for? This IS it. This WILL get you results.

This course gives you the resources, knowledge, support and shows you the way for taking your health in your own hands, and it does so by creating a great environment and curriculum to support you on taking that up! Moreover, this is a truly revolutionary program bringing together SE, somatic practice, polyvagal theory and Feldenkrais, the disciplines that celebrate and investigate best the process of self-learning and self-healing.

For me, this program reflects best the hopeful future of a genuinely humanitarian view of health, where we learn how to self-regulate and self-heal. In addition, this is a program truly made with love and a sense of mission from people that have chosen to go through this healing path themselves and met their own resistances along the way and keep doing so, once you go through this work you realize how much thought and work Irene Lyon has put into this, her dedication is truly, truly admiring!

As for my experience, the first round I did 2 years ago were some of the most beautiful months of my life. In the first round I had already experienced huge changes in my health! Having said that, I have to say that when I enter the course I was totally ready to immerse myself in that process and met with very little resistance as this process resonated with me from the very start and I believed in it.

The biggest overall change is that when the course started I was in deep shut down and living in pure survival energy 24 hours a day. I had stopped working and I could hardly talk from the fatigue and pain flare-ups. I thought that I had regressed so badly it would take me months to get back on track. Well, now that feels like a different life time! I work more than ever and I enjoy it more than ever, I still need to take more days off than others and take care not to overdo it, but there is a big shift!

If it resonates with you, and if you are ready to take your health in your own hands along this nervous system path, I’d encourage you to stick with it and meet your resistances on the way with a smile! Once you experience your body being able to do little shifts towards safety a whole world of healing opens up to you. Every little internal experience of safety, is a moment where you learn to trust in your body’s spontaneous wisdom towards healing, and once you sense you can trust your body, well there’s no trust more powerful than that to keep you going!

I’ve had chronic fatigue for years. It has debilitated my social life and ability to exercise, go out, and have fun. I tried everything with diet, supplements, meditation, gentle yoga, etc.. Despite being disciplined and a saint in those areas, I was still having insomnia, migraines, difficulties focusing at work, and was exhausted all the time.

I tried releasing the core belief that “I’m not good enough” through counselling and meditation but it kept on rearing its head in unexpected ways causing suffering in my life. I could also feel fear, anger, and sadness (my old traumas) as tension stuck in my body. I tried different modalities to release them but I was impatient and they wouldn’t release. Some meditation techniques were even too cathartic and re-traumatized my nervous system instead.

Working directly with and at the level of the nervous system was the missing piece. Irene’s 12 week SmartBody SmartMind (SBSM) program helped me understand why I still had all these repeating issues and the exercises helped (and still are helping) me get unstuck.

SmartBody SmartMind is laid out in a way that releases stored trauma, creates more space, and capacity in the nervous system in a gentle way. This process is slow and takes time, but it’s potent and lasting. I didn’t finish the lessons and exercises in 12 weeks, but Irene encourages us to listen to our bodies and slow down when we need to, so I did that. I reduced my hours at work and dedicated myself to this practice last summer. I noticed improvements early on and it has accelerated my progress in healing. Even my Somatic Experiencing (SE) teacher was amazed at how far I had come along in 6 months!

I also love the science she brings into this. I’m a former PhD physicist, so it’s important to me that things make sense. Through her lessons, I learned why these neurosensory exercises work and why I sometimes must slow down. The nervous system cannot be pushed into healing. As an over-achiever slowing down has always been difficult because I believed that you must “do-do-do” to achieve, but armed with this new knowledge it’s easier to let go, rest, and trust in the wisdom of the nervous system to heal itself.

Here are some improvements I experienced from doing SBSM: The frequency of insomnia is decreasing, and I sleep better.

I have an easier time falling asleep and falling back asleep when I wake up in the middle of the night to pee.

The frequency of headaches and migraines has dropped. I take more breaks and Irene’s exercises help release some of the stuck tension.

Whereas I used to have to plan a whole week around one event or social occasion, I am starting to be more spontaneous. I have more energy to get chores done.

I don’t need as much recovery time as I used to. Of course, I still am more limited than others and I have to be careful not to expend too much energy, but the fact that I have some life energy back is huge progress.

I have more energy to handle stressful days at work. In fact, I am also generally calmer during work. I have more containment to handle being out in public and unfamiliar places. Leaving the comfort of my home, my safe space, can still be overwhelming at times, but much less than before.

As I am releasing fear in my body through this work – my actions are becoming less fear-driven and I make healthier choices now. I haven’t had a huge burnout from doing too much since I started this work.

Re-wiring the nervous system is a slow process, at times painfully slow, and sometimes you feel worse before feeling better, therefore I am also grateful for the encouraging and supportive SBSM Facebook community (the fellow participants, Irene, and her professional staff).

It was also wonderful to finally connect with a group of people that understood what chronic fatigue syndromes (CFS) is and what I was going through. I still have chronic fatigue, no stamina to exercise, and need more rest and quiet time than others, but I am more content with this condition now. I know how to work with it instead of feeling like it is working against me.

I am so mind blown by this experience that I am inspired to become an Somatic Experiencing practitioner eventually myself.

Thank you, Irene. I feel nothing but deep gratitude for you.”

Irene’s program gave me the tools to rebalance my nervous system, and to understand that my childhood experiences impacted my nervous system development and kept me locked in unhealthy patterns.   I continue to utilize the tools to reset my nervous system daily, which makes me feel calmer, safer, and gives me more self-connection and confidence. I love it!   These are life/body/emotional skills that everyone should have growing up (or to recover from growing up)!

First off, this course is a safe place to ask questions and to be vulnerable. The support from the admin team was superb and it was very comforting to have classmates who supported me. I am indebted to Irene, her team, and the beautiful people who have chosen to be on this healing journey.

I have been diagnosed with complex PTSD. It was tearing my marriage apart, despite having a very supportive husband. My mind was on high alert and anything remotely negative, judgemental, or critical of others would put me into a tailspin. I persevered though! I kept on doing the work in SmartBody SmartMind and eventually my body seemed to know that my husband did not hate me as I had perceived he did. That was the turning point. Rarely does my body get triggered any more as it did… and it is a relief beyond description.

Hope is what this course has given me. Hope and a lot of self compassion.

Wow, where to start? This has been a MAJOR life changing experience for me. I am gleaning everything I can and will continue to so it can become the new normal for my system.

My car accident in 2010 left me with injuries in my upper body that have affected every aspect of my life. These injuries produced chronic pain, foggy or confused thinking, insomnia, migraines, adrenal/chronic fatigue, unstable ribs that rotate from chronic muscle spasms, neuropathy and a sense of being unplugged in a heavy body. My legs get so heavy with Charlie horse cramps I can barely walk as my energy drains and I try to push myself. According to the multi-injury specialist because of the way my treatment was handled it totally confused my nervous system to the point where it no longer knew how to function properly. They knew it needed to be rewired but drugs were all they could offer to manage the symptoms. They had no idea how to actually rewire it. The steroids used for inflammation created early onset osteoporosis and Fibromyalgia was added to my medical chart in March of 2017 due to increasing symptoms and no improvements with any treatments.

The most tangible physical result of taking SmartBody SmartMind is that after years of new symptoms arising every 4-6 weeks taking this program stopped that downward spiral my body was on. It has now been 15 weeks since my last new symptom occurred! That alone screams success! The other physical things I have noticed are: I now have random bursts of joyful energy for a few moments at a time, although I still don’t sleep more than a few hours at a time I am slowly adding more times where I can go back to sleep. My ribs are not rotating as quickly or creating as deep of bruising from the rotations, I’m breathing more fully – not holding my breath as much, migraines and stabbing/burning sensations of neuropathy are less intense, the heavy weighted down feeling is lighter, less depressive thoughts/feelings, digestion/elimination is better, I feel more emotionally stable, and I seem to be able to relax easier – I have random moments where I feel completely safe to just be alive.

My overview of the program is this: it is very well organized, suggested outline to follow is paced well, no pressure to push through it or do it perfect, good preparation for what to expect, lessons are easy to follow, educational content is comprehensive and thorough, bonus education adds additional clarity, bonus music section helps body relax to absorb exercise lessons, good balance of educational lessons and time to absorb them, the ability to have live training and ask questions creates atmosphere of safety, the team support is stellar with quick compassionate responses, other people sharing their stories often answers questions I didn’t know I had and provides a community connection feeling of you are not crazy or alone. The ability to share what you want, when, or nothing at all creates empowerment.

This is very different from other group therapy I’ve been in. The sense of safety has allowed me to explore suppressed areas in my being. I’ve been able to release a lot of anger, guilt and shame in realizing my body is simply having a biological response to trauma. I’ve found a deep level of forgiveness and compassion for myself and others in recognizing I had birth and developmental trauma. Understanding the biology and principles of the nervous system is helping me slowly and steadily release myself from the tyranny of perfectionism and the idea I need to be constantly productive/ busy to be worthy of value. I am still strong but being a Wonder Woman who does it all can never be part of my life again and now I am learning the skills I need to become my true self. Because I’ve been working on the cognitive aspects to heal my inner being for years, this inner shift is the most amazing to me. Adding in the body feels like what I have been missing all along.

Irene’s 12-week program has been a deep multi-layer learning for me. It has brought me huge enrichment both personally and professionally.

It influenced how I am in my daily life, how I relate, how I parent, how I understand myself, how I work. It improved greatly my ability to understand and recognize my stress responses and provided me with tools to shift them and to process “unpleasant” feelings and sensation. It has been intense learning about the autonomic nervous system, stress physiology and trauma, though everything I’ve learned makes absolute sense in my work as a Feldenkrais practitioner. Actually it has been challenging and changing my thinking and practicing.

I have a busy practice in Prague. I have had many happy clients, still, I found with many of my clients I didn’t have the tools I needed to get results that stay. I’ve found that what Irene teaches is what I am searching for. Thanks to the program I have greater understanding of the tools I learnt in the Feldenkrais training and how to use them to the benefit of clients, plus I’ve learned new tools that have totally changed how I work with clients that have trauma, which I can also perceive now more clearly. Last but not least I got greater understanding of whom my work really is for, what I can offer, and when I should refer people to a trauma specialist.

My conviction after finishing Irene’s program is that it is very beneficial for any practitioner, and any human, to have the understanding and experience of autonomic nervous system regulation, stress physiology, ability to recognize trapped trauma, and know how a traumatized system will tend to respond. Irene offers us a chance to learn all of this, and to feel and sense what biological safety is and how to gain more of this quality. I recommend the 12-week program as a postgraduate education to any practitioner.

Hello Irene and team! I am super grateful for the work you are doing. This programme is excellent, well paced and respectful. Irene, you have a good balance between pushing and encouraging us but also teaching about listening to our own flow. We all need to be careful not to override but then also not to collapse either. I also appreciate the balance between the education (and I love all the extra links!) and the exercises-practising.

For myself, I have spent most of my adult life working on my mental, emotional and spiritual health BUT I have not been embodied. Finally now here’s a programme that teaches that. However, if I had not done all my other work it would have been too triggering being in my body like this without one on one support with a SE preactitioner. You do suggest this and now I am doing it that as well.

Early in this programme as I started the exercises I was blown away by the level of terror in my body – I had no idea. Feeling this so early in the programme alongside your insistence that we respect our bodies, I learnt to listen and go slow (for the first time in my life!!!), and not complete exercises (wow, that too is new for me!). I developed a deep empathy and respect for myself (again very new for me!) and a desire to be gentle and respectful with myself – also new for me!

This alone is so HUGE and life changing for me, in ALL areas. I still do have huge resistance to doing the exercises but as I can repeat and repeat your programme, I can go slow. It is so huge having this new relationship with myself, and many many times during the day I’m checking in with my body tensions and releasing, while going about my daily activities. Also listening more to my physical body’s needs-thirst, peeing etc.

Irene, I love your passion for your work and I too get very excited about the deep need on our planet for trauma education, which is actually becoming more mainstream BUT being embodied and HOW TO BE EMBODIED IS STILL MISSING! As a survivor of childhood/teenage sexual abuse (which is so rampant on our planet let alone all the other traumas, simply being in a human body on this planet is traumatic!) anyway there is still not a felt sense or understanding of how very very slow we need to go. Trauma survivors have no frame of reference, no anchor…..very very terrifying to start encountering that inner terrain until there is a sense of internal safety, which this programme helps to build.

Thank you again Irene, I am hugely passionate about your work and have been spreading the word. Doing this work is ‘walking the talk’, the most difficult but this is REAL. So many therapists need to get REAL, let alone all the other healers and teachers out there….your work is humbling and also empowering AND there is no bullshit! Thank you thank you

I came across the SBSM program by sheer ‘accident’ – I was clearing out my email Junk folder and almost deleted the email but something in the title caught my eye – something along the lines of Trauma Releasing and as I’d been through a very difficult 4 yrs and had some new trauma enter my life, and because I believe in synchronicity, I thought I’d take a look Well, that’s when my real journey began – I had been to psychologist after psychologist, tried a myriad alternative and spiritual practices which I still implement, etc. which all helped to a certain point but I knew both intuitively and physically that I had trapped emotions in my body, I literally felt them and I knew I needed to ‘get them out’ in order to heal but didn’t know how. When I watched Irene’s 3 free healing trauma videos I felt a surge of hope and I wanted to try the program out but it was quite expensive and wouldn’t be an easy journey either. It was a tough decision to initially make as I’d handed over so much money already trying to find the right thing for me and was struggling financially and knew the program was a lot of money for me to spend. After many weeks of indecision I finally came to the conclusion that this felt ‘right’ for me and if I didn’t at least try it nothing would change and I literally couldn’t keep going the way I was. So I managed to scrape the money together, made many sacrifices, and with the payment plan made it workable. Irene was also completely upfront about the commitment the program would require, financially, emotionally and physically, BUT the huge benefit was that once you became a member of the program you became a life member, had ongoing access to the content and was able to also attend the program when it was run live each time (online). I thought, wow this is indeed an investment, once paid there’s no more costs and you get ongoing support and a member’s group to connect with any time so you won’t ever feel alone or broken again AND forever! So I made the commitment and felt very nervous about all the stuff that would come up and I did struggle throughout the whole program as did many others. I did manage to go through the program completely which I didn’t know if I’d be able to as it does bring up a lot of stuff but with Irene and her team’s full support and encouragement to go at our own pace and no shame if you did drop out in this round there was no pressure, only encouragement and opportunities to challenge ourselves. I feel totally empowered now and have so many tools which I’m beginning to remember to implement in my daily life and can check in with our Facebook group anytime. I would encourage anyone who truly wants to understand and release trapped trauma and especially those who have tried everything else with little or no lasting results, to try this all encompassing program. It’s not a quick fix, there’s no certificate at the end as there is no end – this is a lifelong journey of discovery, understanding, integration and release but it is one of EMPOWERMENT and as Irene says, as we heal ourselves we heal others along the way, so we are all helping humanity release collective trapped trauma. What an awesome thing to create!

I am very grateful for having found and participated in SmartBody SmartMind. It has been both enlightening and reassuring, challenging and supportive, gentle and potent, important and necessary. Irene, I am so impressed with how you organised and delivered your body of work (especially via the internet, so that we could join no matter where we are in the world). No easy feat yet so successfully done.

I am also so touched by the group of amazing people in this program. Your vulnerable, courageous posts and comments have taught me much and inspired me greatly. I am very much looking forward to continuing to practice this work and for the next round.

I dove into this work out of desperation to heal chronic ailments that were getting really out of hand, and it changed my whole outlook on the world.

I have a deeper compassion than before for those around me and most importantly, myself. I’ve become more trusting of my feelings and am better able to let them come through. I have had big releases in my body that were stored for ages. So many emotions have poured out of me during this time which was hard, and also pleasant. The other day I got down on the ground and started doing a mixture of my own rewiring exercises that I’d learned with the program; I was led by curiosity and I felt such a deep love for myself. I feel more aligned with the cycles of the moon. More primal. I feel like we are on a journey back to who we really are.

This work really saved me. Even though it’s just the beginning for me, it came into my life right when I needed it the most. Thank you for this life long gift that I have right at my fingertips whenever I need it. The best investment I’ve made for myself.

There has been a direct positive effect on my parenting of my 4 year old, in my body awareness, allowing me to return to running (which is really important to me), in my capacity to handle the daily stresses, capacity to deal with background noise and it is also increasing my empathy toward others, which indirectly helps decrease sources of anger.

What made me realize I needed help was the numbness I felt to the environment and nature during a hike in the mountains. Something that had always made me re-energize, connect, and settle, was leaving me indifferent. I first started with Irene’s 21 Day program and then moved on to SmartBodySmartMind. I have just gotten back from hiking/running the same trail on which I had the realization last year and it is the first time that I can sense this inner feeling of energy and calm at the same time and connection with the nature around. I am so grateful to have found this work and can’t imagine how I could have gone further without it.

There has been a direct positive effect on my parenting of my 4 year old, in my body awareness, allowing me to return to running (which is really important to me), in my capacity to handle the daily stresses, capacity to deal with background noise and it is also increasing my empathy toward others, which indirectly helps decrease sources of anger.

I still have a lot of work to do and realize that it is not a linear progression but I am so grateful to have found this lifestyle and even though I still have tough decisions regarding my life ahead which are causing anxiety, fear, stress, I feel better equipped to address those decisions and am aware that my resources to deal with those reactions have developed. I am sending you all a slice of this re-found energy wherever you may be on your journey! Thank you for the opportunity to share.

“At first I was very skeptical of doing this type of work in an online setting. I was completely wrong with any hesitations I had. I LOVE it. I’ve learned so many stress-busting life skills and exercises/lessons that I can incorporate into my daily life. This new set of healthy habits I am building has had an immensely positive impact on the quality of my life.

My capacity for dealing with stress has increased greatly, I am also able to catch things before they actually become stress. I highly recommend this course to anyone interested in improving their quality of life, efficiency, coping skills and success.”

I had to admit when I started I was a little skeptical. I’ve done a lot of “inner block” work, meditation, focusing, etc. I know myself pretty well and my “stories” so I was worried we were just going to go over my same old stories and excuses.

Boy was I wrong!

In literally what seemed like a few minutes, I slowed down, focus in on myself in a new way despite all the work I’ve done.

I was able to quickly make links between problems plaguing my business life and challenges to my health. It was amazing how connecting the strands in these two different areas of my life started to uncover one solution that would work for both. I feel like I now have one simple path and solution to tackle two of the thorniest recurring issues in my life.

At the risk of sounding cliche-ish, I was a skeptic but now I’m a believer. Irene is the secret, fast-acting potion that every entrepreneur needs!