After trauma the world is experienced with a different nervous system. The survivor’s energy now becomes focused on suppressing inner chaos, at the expense of spontaneous involvement in their lives. These attempts to maintain control over unbearable physiological reactions can result in a whole range of physical symptoms, including fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and other autoimmune diseases. This explains why it is critical for trauma treatment to engage the entire organism, body, mind, and brain. Bessel Van De Kolk, The Body Keeps Score

 

 

The root cause of many chronic illnesses and conditions often sits within our past trauma experiences, our emotions and beliefs. I am grateful that my own journey with chronic illness has lead me onto this wild and wonderful plant path, with nature offering a mirror to my own inner landscape. It is from this place of experience and deep respect that I am called to share Insight Herbalism with others. Bodywork and somatic experiencing® are woven into sessions to help embody the process.

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For me, the connection between ill health and past trauma can be palpable. Research shows that many illnesses including heart disease, some cancers, fibromyalgia, IBS, autoimmune diseases and many chronic health conditions have been traced back to emotional causes rooted in trauma.

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Safety and the immune system

I like to think of disease more as a dynamic process - with great potential for change, rather than a fixed state that we are stuck with. When we are carrying around past trauma in our bodies, we are unconsciously stuck in feeling unsafe - in flight, fight, freeze and fawn responses. Our autonomous nervous system relays these messages of unsafety and translates them as being under attack, informing our immune system to respond - which it does in the form of inflammation, much as if the body was being invaded by a virus or bacteria. Inflammation is the protective response of the immune system when it is trying to fight off an attack and the root of most illnesses. This response to perceived threat, or a trauma that has happened in the past, can lead to a variety of chronic and acute health conditions.

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The good news is that these states of unsafety can be changed. When the body knows it is safe, it will heal because it knows it can finally stop trying to defend itself. When the body feels safe, the body learns to receive Love, and Love is health. 

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There is much research that proves the correlation between nature connection and improved health, wellbeing and recovery. The healing power of Nature can support both the symptomatic and root cause, the physical and emotional aspects of illness.

If are are receiving care from other medical health professionals, insight herbalism can work in partnership so you are receiving a holistic mind, body, spirit approach to your healing.

 

As well as stand alone sessions, I offer Finding Your Way Home, a 6 session package to help support you on your journey towards wellness.