Dr. Sara O'Neill

04/08/2026

New blog! The Firefly Effect

Every summer, when I was a kid, the woods across the road from my parents’ house would be alive with fireflies. Banks of them, like fairy lights, would light up the trees at night. Thousands upon thousands of them magically shining and twinkling in the forest. Walking at night along the path was an incredible experience.

I recently learned that the signalling a firefly does as an adult is for communication and mostly to find mates. As larvae or juveniles, it's a warning signal to ward off predators, like snails and slugs. When used for communication in mating, one firefly will light up, and others of the same species (apparently, there are actually thousands of different firefly species!) close by will light up in response. Many of the flashing patterns are male/female call-and-response patterns.

Essentially, one individual lights up, and then so do the others in response. They light each other up.

I thought this was so lovely; reciprocal lightening up.

We also called them lightning bugs rather than fireflies when I was little.

It got me thinking that we as humans are the same. Our light is contagious.

It reminds me of a quote by Sir Thomas Browne. "Life is a pure flame, and we live by an invisible sun within us."

When we allow ourselves to lighten up, others around us lighten up as well. When we let that sun burning away at our core to shine out, others around us begin to shine.

Keep reading online here: www.liveyouralivelife.com/blog/the-firefly-effect or click the link below.

The Firefly Effect Every summer, when I was a kid, the woods across the road from my parents’ house would be alive with fireflies. Banks of them, like fairy lights, would light up the trees at night. Thousands upon thousands of them magically shining and twinkling in the forest. Walking at night a

04/06/2026

Quote of the week: "Whatever may be the tensions and the stresses of a particular day, there is always lurking close at hand the trailing beauty of forgotten joy or unremembered peace." - Howard Thurman

04/02/2026

April's Newsletter is now available on the website. The feature article focuses on taking things seriously (or not) and how that impacts your body.

Dr Sara’s Office News - April 2026 Edition Featured Article: Seriously We have a quote of the week in the office - outside on the sandwich board. This week's quote was from the developer of chiropractic, BJ Palmer, about being serious.   "Don't take yourself too damn seriousl

03/30/2026

Quote of the week: "Somewhere in the innermost recesses of our consciousness lie the answers to the questions all mankind seeks." - Syd Banks

03/25/2026

This week's blog is called Simple Experiments to See Thought in Action and Unlock Love Storms

Here are some fun and simple experiments to see things “out there” as less solid and unchanging than they seem.

Experiment 1: Change What You Think About Something
Pick something you have a definite opinion about but a low attachment to, like a piece of furniture, a recent event, a conversation.

Focus on it. Notice what you like or dislike about it.

What if you thought the exact opposite? Or even no thought at all? How does that change your experience?

What is something you have zero opinion or thought about? How do you feel about that zero-opinion thing?

Experiment 2: Taste Without Labels
Take a favourite food, a hated food, and a neutral one.

What would they each taste like if you didn't know how you felt about it? Drop all expectations. What if you'd never eaten that food before?

When I tried this with foods, dropping thoughts felt like tasting for the first time.

Some foods I'd prejudged. I realized I'd never truly experienced them free of judgment before. This was mostly foods that "I didn't like". Some of them I knew I liked; I didn't enjoy them as much without the idea that I "liked" them.

One surprise: the Smokey Cowboy BBQ sauce my husband loves—I'd decided I hated it. Hadn't really tasted it without prejudice in years. It's delicious. I was wrong. My husband is delighted. We are currently living our happy Smokey Cowboy BBQ sauce life.

What do you notice for yourself?

Experiment 3: See People Fresh
What preconceived ideas do you have about family, your spouse, or friends?

Statements like “You always…” or “You never…” are signs that you are interacting with your idea of them, not actually them. We perceive others based on our expectations of them.

Who are they without your thinking? Have you met them "clean"?

To read the rest of the experiments, visit www.liveyouralivelife.com/blog/simple-experiments-to-see-thought-in-action-and-unlock-love-storms

Simple Experiments to See Thought in Action and Unlock Love Storms Here are some fun and simple experiments to see things “out there” as less solid and unchanging than they seem.   Experiment 1: Change What You Think About Something Pick something you have a definite opinion about but a

03/23/2026

Quote of the week: "Don't take yourself too damn seriously!" - BJ Palmer's Rule #9, Law of Life

03/18/2026

This week is part 5 of the six-part series. Why Stress Isn't Inevitable – And How to Walk Away From It

We feel our thoughts, conscious or unconscious.

A full experience of life flows through all emotions. No problem there.

The trouble starts when we misunderstand where feelings and sensations come from.

They are the expression of our predominant thoughts. We use the limitless creativity of the Universe through Thought.

Attention + Thought = Lived Experience

In this formula, you can see that if you put your attention elsewhere, your lived experience changes. If you have a new thought, your lived experience changes.

When people see this clearly, life transforms on its own.

We don't need to manage our thoughts. Our natural system handles it: thoughts arise as needed, then dissolve back to formlessness. Effortless.

Trying to force a clear mind often backfires, making thoughts repetitive or sticky. Engagement keeps them alive.

Once this understanding lands, life shifts from stuck frames to fluid flow. No cliffs, no overwhelming waves – they were 'mind-made'. This directly dissolves stress, anxiety, and triggers.

Stress isn't natural or unavoidable. It's what happens when we ignore the body's alarm and keep overthinking.

Anxiety is the signal: “Too much fast thought! Slow down!”

Natural emotions pass through. Overthinking creates the toxic buildup we label as “stress.”

See it for what it is, and you can walk away in a heartbeat. No techniques. Just insight: feelings come from thought, not circumstances.

When that clicks, triggers lose power. They're seen as passing thought energy, not solid threats. The startle response is not our body telling us about life. It's our brain asking us if something needs attention.

You can read the full blog here:

Untriggered: Discovering the Three Principles That Dissolve Triggers, Anxiety, and Stress A six-part blog series for regaining the power to live your life how you want.   Part 5: Why Stress Isn't Inevitable – And How to Walk Away From It We feel our thoughts, conscious or unconscious.

03/16/2026

Quote of the week: "The stars began to burn through the sheets of clouds, and there was a new voice, which you slowly recognized as your own." - Mary Oliver

03/10/2026

This week is part 4 of the six-part series of blogs I've been sharing about life's first principles, and it focuses on the third principle.

The third principle is called Thought.

This is different from our personal thinking, individual thoughts, habitual thoughts, inspiration, positive thinking, ideas, opinions, psychology, personalities—all habits of thought.

The principle of Thought is the creative force or energy resident in the Universe that is without form until we bring it into being as personal thought in all its various forms. We use this creative potential to shape our world.

The power at the tip of our minds is boggling. It's limitless. We are nexuses of pure life energy, taking unformed raw creative potential and constantly creating and forming powerful forces into being—unconsciously—with every breath, every heartbeat.

This might seem obvious. Yes, human beings think. Duh!

But stop a minute to think about it (ha!). The fact that we think and the fact that we can think are actually incredible.

Nothing exists until we give it thought. We create our entire world out of Thought. The creative energy of existence.

Our feelings and emotions come entirely from this creative power. Sometimes it's pretty one-to-one: I think something is sad → I feel sadness. I think something is wrong → anger. Scary thoughts → fear.

At other times, we think and think, going around in circles fast. We feel tired, fuzzy, confused. We double down, trying to think our way out—and become anxious. Anxiety, worry, tension aren't really emotions. They're the body's alarm system: “Slow down, stop the fast thinking—it's harming the system,” like pain telling us to change behaviour. Pull your hand off the hot stove! ...

To read more of the blog, visit the website at

Untriggered: Discovering the Three Principles That Dissolve Triggers, Anxiety, and Stress A six-part blog series for regaining the power to live your life how you want. Part 4: Thought – The Creative Power That Shapes Your Entire Experience  The third principle is called Thought. Thi

03/09/2026

Quote of the week: "Then stirs the feeling infinite, so felt in solitude, where we are least alone." - Lord Byron

03/04/2026

Check out Office News for March! Now available on my website.

Dr Sara’s Office News - March 2026 Edition Featured Article: Spring Clean Your Life There are two approaches to dealing with anything in life:  restore or reorganize. In healthcare, we mostly look at the restoration option. When we are sick, we want to go back to not being sick. Wh

03/02/2026

Quote of the week: "Our feelings are the barometer of the soul. They are the measure of our thinking." - Syd Banks