Healing begins with curiosity and discovering what best supports YOU on your unique journey.
The HEAL YOU newsletter is dedicated to helping you heal chronic stress, trauma, and nervous system dysregulation, with a special focus on the lasting impact of loving someone struggling with addiction.
Welcome to this research informed newsletter to deepen your understanding of various healing modalities and discover what resonates most with you (this is a no AI zone, evidence-informed research only!!).
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My Healing Journey Timeline
Well, I dislike the cliché sound of it…. “my healing journey” …in essence though, that’s the focus of this weeks newsletter. I often get asked from clients and friends, where did I start, what’s the process been, how did I end up where I’m at today in my own recovery from living around and loving those that struggle with addiction. Most of the time when asked, people are looking for answers with tough realities and desperately grasping for hope within their difficult situations.
So, before we begin the details of my curious journey towards increased acceptance and ability to experience joy (there’s my current definition of healing journey), I want to preface my story with this…..remember, it’s my story. My journey. My process. My route. My recipe. And EACH of us have our needs and experiences which require a different process to ignite change and heal. Please take this timeline as additional ideas for curiosity, not a road map guaranteed growth and change. No one has a road map that is certain to work for anyone else.
Again, NO ONE has a road map that can guarantee successful healing for anyone else. It’s all personal experimentation.
There are lots of studies, shared experiences, research based techniques that have helped many people……but we are so vastly different from each other and require a different “concoction” of healing modalities, supportive communities and experiences for growth and change.
As I explain to clients upon entering our therapeutic relationship, it’s all about curiosity to understanding your unique needs, and helping you explore what is most resonate for YOU. So, my suggestion is to use my experiences as inspiration for what might spark your curiosity. And don’t worry, I will be exploring, in-depth, each category below in upcoming newsletters!
So, where and when did it all start…..
Somewhere around 2010 - As the severity of addiction in my loved ones increased, so did the uncertainty in my life. Lots of stress. Lots of physical pain. Chronic back and sciatica pain. Increased digestive complications. Overwhelming chaos. Constant headaches. Lots of doctors appointments. A kidney removed. So. Much. Confusion. Anger and rage became all consuming. Heightened irritability, decrease enjoyment of pleasurable activities, replaced with burnout and overwhelm. Both physical and emotional pain increased constantly over a decade or more, with persistent high levels of stress and physical conditions that continuously had no medical explanation according to my Western medically. Frustrated and confused, I started to branch outside of traditional doctors to understand my persistent physical complications, wondering if my outter world, and the constant stress contributed to my unanswerable physical conditions.
Books - It started with literature. Reading and podcasts gave me information on subjects I had never explored or been exposed to before. "You Can Heal Your Life" and other books by Louise Hay (exploration of thought patterns associated with physical ailments), "Back Pain" by Dr. Sarno (first glimpse into mind body connection), "Codependency No More" by Melody Beattie (realizing I needed recovery just as much as my loved ones), "Your Money or Your Life" by Vicki Robinson (actually a financial book that got me thinking about personal values and investing time and money towards finding my “enough”) and big player during the early years was Julia Cameron’s "The Artists Way", which revolutionized my ideas about taking time to remember how to play and enjoy life.
Candlelight Yin Yoga - During the same time that I got curious reading about the mind-body connection, I started going to yoga. And NOT because I had been enlightened about the mind-body connection….I just thought I wanted to get flexible and take a small moment out of the week to focus on me and my body again. What I thought was just a steps towards increased mobility (and it did help with physical strength and mobility), I realized quickly this yoga happened to be really powerful in accessing emotions….something that I had been stuffing down and hiding for a lifetime. In the soft light, calm music, and gentle postures of the Candlelight Yin Yoga, I began to unfurl a lifetime of hidden anger and resentment. This was my true gateway into the mind-body connection.
All kinds yoga practices - I found Hatha Yoga and Restorative, which continued to increased my physical strength and connection to my body, but it was the Yin Yoga that stole my heart and I became a regular at the Tuesday night, 7pm class at the workout gym where I was a memeber. The studio wasn’t fancy, all classes were included in my membership and the gym was literally two minutes from my home, so timing worked to leave my little one at home for just an hour and ten minutes total.
Meditation - My aunt-in-law shared a book she had read on simple mediation, The Ziva Technique. It was a thread of Transcendental Meditation (TM), and it was simple with a focus on a single mantra. It was said to reduce stress and increase ability to find calm, this was my first introduction into any formal meditation practice.
Foot Reflexology - During a visit to my partners family in Seattle they took me my first foot reflexology. An hour long of sitting in a reclined position while a practitioner methodically applied pressure to different areas of the foot, rubbing and moving energy. Of course, aftwerwards, my feet felt like I was walking on coulds, while the overall relaxation throughout the entire body was radiating from the ground upwards. It felt as though I was melting, some kind of physical "defrosting".
Talk Therapy - Counseling - Psychotherapy - A series of increased traumatic events with family members led me to search out counseling. I still didn’t believe my experiences warranted seeing a therapist, but I couldn’t shake the anger and rage that persisted internally and it started to scare me. I was boiling and indifferent to those in my life that struggled with addiction and created increased chaos constantly, and I was also unable to access joy, enjoyment, or excitement without an embedding doom that circled my field at all times. My first therapist listened really well, I mean, it was a perfect fit at the time. She listened, validated, and helped me understand that I had every need to be in therapy, the same as anyone else.
Gong Bath- My partner gifted me a sound healing Gong Bath as a Valentines Day present. We attended together, which looking back….WOW!!! We were so early in our curiosity, and this was definitely OUT THERE for us youngsters back then!! AND…..we fell in LOVE with sound healing. The way the sound moved through the body, and the overwhemling relaxation that overcame every asepct of the physical and mental body.
200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training - I wanted to learn more about this Yoga I had been practicing and see how it could improve my life. I never really thought about teaching for real, just wanted to learn more at this time.
300 Hour Yoga Teacher Training - REALLY loving the learning (not a surprise), while working as a Mechanical Engineer I finished this yoga training too. I found a community of others that loved talking healing and yoga and loved finding strength in the body through movement. This course also taught meditation and in-depth yoga techniques.
200 Hour Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training - Within these practices I began to find the ability to pause and notice my patterns of rage and anger. I practiced this yoga for a year before joining the training, and I really loved the repetitive movements that were less like yoga and more focused on the mind-body-emotion connection. Over time, as the scandals of this group of teachers has emerged, I have shifted away from teaching this methodology. I have taken the nuggets from this practice and use them in my practices, as they were very effective for rewiring unwanted patterns, like the rhythmic movement. I no longer teach in the kundalini methodology due to the allegations of the leaders within the community.
Daily Somatic Practice - Daily movement, breathwork, and meditation practices began around here. A space to connect the mind and body, and allow emotions to process and move through, as needed, in a daily practice. A space to learn to trust myself to show up, again and again, through the joy and sorrow, and trust that I would be ok. A space to increase physical, emotion and spiritual awareness. A space to cultivate deep compassion for myself and others.
More Books- Another game changer book for me was “What Happened to You.” by Dr. Bruce D. Perry and Oprah. This book explained the WHY behind what I was doing in my kundalini practices, the reason it was working to shift and rewire old patterns. It was this book that sparked my curiosity within the academic world to understand my healing from a researched based lens, not just holistic approaches.
Somatic Coaching - Shifting from talk therapy to somatic coaching I began to understand what was beneath the surface of the mind and body, and began listening to the body as an important navigation for healing. This was very much like somatic therapy as the practitioner took me into my body to investigate where and what was present in the body as we discussed difficulty experiences within my past and present.
The Core Rising - Somatic Teacher Training - Widening my understanding of the movements of the body and the connection of the mind through rhythmic movements, vocal activation, mindfulness, mediation and parts work.
Somatic EMDR Training - Eye Movement Dessentation and Reprocessing Certification, combined somatics with EMDR to support my growing desire to understand trauma, the brain, and how to use the body to navigate through experiences that sometimes leave us stuck in old patterns.
Somatic Therapy - This time a somatic practitioner that was also a licensed therapist! Cool! We did a lot of Somatic EMDR work and continued to process past and current difficult experiences and patterns that felt difficult to heal on my own.
Yoga Nidra and Sound Healing Certification - A yummy guided mediation that happens while laying down and supported by blankets and cushions and immersive sound bowls.
Al Anon - Free group dedicated to those that live with loved ones that struggle with addiction. I’m excited to dive deep into this topic during a weekly newsletter, as this is a really great free service that works for many…..while also is difficult for many. So yes, I also enjoy it at times for many reasons, while I also find challenges within this group as well. We will dive in more later!
Walking meditations - Finding mindfulness during time in nature and increasing awareness while meditatively walking. I used at the dog park mostly at first. Slowing down, staying present, one step at a time.
Acupressure - The body is like magic! There are points all over the body that support with regulation and energy movement, weaving them into my daily practices is a must! And using them “on the fly” for regulation is incredible.
Creativity - This is ongoing, has been ongoing throughout the entire time since I’ve began this journey to reclaim my joy, as creativity has always been a BIG part of my life, and is often the first to go when stress or increased demands enter my world. So, after decades of living around addiction, with increased chaos, it has taken years to revive my creativity, and it is an ongoing process. Actually, for the month of September my art will be on display at Night Heron, a super cool coffee shop that I love in town! A combo of linoart prints combined with healing phrases I’ve used over the years.
Retreats - Before I started offering retreats I attended various reatreats of all sorts. Some for writing, others for yoga, anything that sounds fun, interesting, or has to do with healing and travel, count me in! And now, I host several each year too, combining many aspects of healing, community and travel with others too.
Sweat Lodge - Temazcal - One retreat offered a sweat lodge experience through the native community member of the land…..WHOA. Incredible and super challenging, so excited to share this experience more in-depth!
Hydrotherapy - Enter the world of the Nordic Spa and I’ve been forever changed. My first experience with hot and cold immersion techniques was at Alyeska Nordic Spa in Girdwood, Alaska (hey….thats where the upcoming retreat is!!) After a full day of the hot, cold, rest cycles on repeat, my body was engulfed in the most ease it's ever felt! Relaxed is an understatement. This started my rigorous investigation into all sorts of hot and cold experiences. Sauna. Steam. Hot Tub. Hot Springs. Cold Plunges. My body has never been the same, in a good way.
Group Therapy - Together healing is sometimes super scary at first, and can be so instrumental in the process. I’ve found emmense healing in groups, and also find they are the hardest to locate and join!
Trancedance - Okay, I love dance….but blindfolded dance….I was a little leary at first…..and now, I’m obsessed! No one is watching. Just moving and grooving to epic playlists, curated for energy movement and processing, and time to express whatever arises…..I’m 100% sold on trancedance.
Masters in Mental Health Counseling - The research, evidenced based side of many Western ideals of mental health healing today. Theory time…think of the most common types you hear out there these days…Psychodynamic Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Humanistic Therapy, Exposure Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)….list goes on and on! We will explore many here within this newsletter!
Vipassana Retreat - A week of silence. Meditation. Teachings. Stillness in nature. LOVED THIS! And was super challenging at times too, and can imagine integrating one of these retreats into my life yearly.
And here we are….August 2027. I am still healing, in small ways, everyday.
I’ll end there for today….though I know this is not an exhaustive list of everything I have explored over the past few decades of growth and change (but I know... this is supposed to be a short newsletter to quickly inspire change and ideas for curiosity….and this is NOT SHORT!). I'm working on keeping them short still!
Remember, this was to spark curiosity….it is only over time, with small curiosities that I’ve experienced so many incredible healing modalities, and woven many into my world on a consistent basis.
Start small. Small choices can make a difference over time.
Thanks for being here. Thanks for embarking on your own healing. It is the most brave work you can do, and we are all better off when we are each showing up and working on the hard stuff.
Because when we heal, it ripples out to those around us. And right now especially, the earth could use more of us rippling out joy!
Stay curious friends!
Sending so much light + love,
Heidi
Website to access all the happnenings ---> lifenflow.com
1) DIY: FREE 40 day Somatic Practice ---> LINK HERE
2) DIY: Year of Somatic Daily Practice Library with Workbook ---> LINK HERE
3) Individual Somatic Therapy ---> Space Opening Soon!
Private 1:1 therapy sessions offering personalized support through compassionate, trauma-informed care, somatic practices, and mindful exploration to help you reconnect with yourself, gain clarity, and cultivate meaning (ONLY in person and online for clients within Wyoming).
4) Retreats ---> LINK HERE
Immersive Somatic and Breathwork experiences designed to reconnect you with your body, regulate your nervous system, and cultivate healing through breath, movement, mindfulness, and embodied awareness. All are welcome!
SUBMERGE Alaska 2026 - Registration open!! ---> LINK HERE
SUBMERGE Tulum 2027 - Registration open!! --->LINK HERE
ONLINE MEETINGS:
1) The Heart of Recovery -
A weekly meeting that joins Buddhist meditation and spiritual step work, in order to connect to and engage in a commitment to recovery from addiction, and the everyday addictive behaviors and patterns in our lives. Anyone is invited to participate. Learn more here.
2) Al-Anon Meetings -
Al-Anon is a mutual support group for those that live around addiction. Anyone who's lives have been affected by another person’s addiction is welcome. Online electronic meeting information found here.
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT:
1) Podcast: HOPESTREAM - Hopestream Community™ is the not-for-profit destination for support, education and resources for parents of teens and young adults struggling with substance misuse and mental health challenges.
2) Website: SAMHSA - Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administraion -Resource for Families coping with mental health and substance abuse disorders.
3) Website: RECOVERY RESEARCH INSTITUTE - A Guide for family members.
4) Books: Titles that might help you understand addiction and various forms of healing modalities:
Codependent No More - Melody Beattie
In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts - Gabor Mate, M.D.
You Can Heal Your Life - Louise Hay
The Untethered Soul - Micheal Singer
The Body Keeps the Score - Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D.
What Happened to You - Bruce D, Perry , M.D. Ph.D.
The Dance of Anger - Harriet G. Lerner, Ph.D.
A Monks Guide to Happiness - Gelong Thubten
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