chronic illness

‘Why do we wait to hit rock bottom to heal?

2024-12-19T11:08:59-08:00Healing Trauma, Healthy Nervous System Lifestyle, Nervous System Health, Nervous System Regulation, Trauma & Survival Physiology|

The New Year is here! Late 2024, I started to reflect a LOT on the past 10 years. All of which I have dedicated to bringing this nervous system healing trauma "stuff" into the online space (for those new here, this short page talks more about this).  It [...]

The REAL Polyvagal Theory (how childhood stress can create chronic illness)

2025-05-08T06:42:02-07:00Healing Trauma, Nervous System Regulation, Pain & Chronic Illness, Polyvagal Theory|

What is the "Real" Polyvagal Theory? Good question! There is a virtual circus of misinformation in ‘somatic’ spaces these days. It’s become such a problem that I now try to avoid using the word ‘somatic.’ Sad, but true! However… There are certain things around trauma, somatic healing, and [...]

A jaw-dropping passage in Bessel van der Kolk’s book, “The Body Keeps The Score”

2024-09-06T10:57:26-07:00Irene's Musings, Pain & Chronic Illness|

If you're landing on this blog post, you have found some keynotes that Irene wanted to capture from the registration period of SmartBody SmartMind™ (SBSM) in September 2024. She highlighted an important passage from Bessel van der Kolk's book, The Body Keeps The Score, via two different social [...]

How hidden trauma shows up as chronic illness (Mitch’s story)

2024-07-18T13:14:33-07:00Anger & Healthy Aggression, Healing Trauma, Nervous System Health, Pain & Chronic Illness, SmartBody SmartMind, Trauma & Survival Physiology|

Meet Mitch. Today’s share is all about his story (which echoes the story of so many people). After a nearly 20-year journey of trying to heal from chronic disease and multiple shock traumas, Mitch finally feels like he’s found the metaphorical “needle in a haystack” that he’s been [...]

The intricacies of holistic skin healing with Rob Stuart

2024-04-20T14:35:03-07:00Pain & Chronic Illness, Practitioners & Professionals|

Today, I have a NEW special guest interview with Rob Stuart. He helps people heal from skin “disorders” like dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, and more in ways that defy the traditional medical industry.  (Please note that the quotes around “disorders” are intentional. As we’ll cover, these aren’t diseases [...]

Intergenerational trauma – on feeling (and healing) the pain of our ancestors

2024-04-20T15:42:08-07:00Parenting & Child Development|

“Pain travels through families until someone is ready to feel it.” - Stephi Wagner Intergenerational trauma is trauma that’s been passed down through generations; also known as generational, transgenerational, or ancestral trauma.  This is never a fun one to write about, but it is true that we ‘keep’ [...]

A holistic approach to restoring health at all levels with bariatric surgeon Dr. Erika La Vella

2024-04-20T15:51:47-07:00Pain & Chronic Illness, Practitioners & Professionals|

Today I have a NEW expert guest interview for you with the brilliant Dr. Erika La Vella.  She’s a board-certified bariatric surgeon (caring for patients with obesity), with a passion for preventative medicine and teaching people how to heal their gut in ways that go way beyond diet [...]