Balance and Renewal Center

02/10/2026

PTSD is often misunderstood. It doesn’t only affect soldiers or require flashbacks and nightmares. Trauma can stem from various experiences—car accidents, na...

02/06/2026

A great article about coping with the fear that many are experiencing from the founder of Internal Family Systems, Dick Schwartz.

Over the past while, I’ve been sitting with a few thoughts on fear, cruelty, vulnerability and courage.
This piece shares some of those reflections through an IFS lens, and what can help us stay connected to our humanity.

If it feels supportive, you’re welcome to read it here: https://hubs.ly/Q0428klT0

01/20/2026

You may have seen the term functional freeze lately. It’s resonating because a lot of people quietly recognize themselves in it.

Functional freeze isn’t a diagnosis. It describes a nervous system state where you keep functioning, but mostly on autopilot.

You go to work, answer emails, keep routines, show up socially. From the outside, life looks fine. Inside, things often feel flat, stuck, or disconnected.

That’s usually where the guilt shows up. “I’m doing everything I’m supposed to. So why do I feel this way?”

From a trauma perspective, this isn’t laziness or a character flaw. It’s a nervous system that learned how to stay operational under ongoing stress by dampening feeling and conserving energy. And as long as we see this as a flaw, we won’t give it the care it actually needs.

Insight alone rarely shifts this state. You can understand what’s happening and still feel stuck. From a nervous system perspective, this isn’t shutdown. It’s survival mode.

In my work, I don’t try to push people out of functional freeze. I get curious about what the nervous system is still protecting against.

Instead of asking “What’s wrong with me?” I often invite questions like:

– What has my system needed to stay functional?
– What might it be protecting me from?
– What helps me feel even slightly more settled in my body?

That shift, from pressure to understanding, is often where things begin to ease.

If this term resonates, let it be information, not an identity. A starting point for curiosity, not another reason to judge yourself.

01/12/2026

Building trust is like a marble jar…

01/11/2026

Trauma expert Bessel Van Der Kolk talks about the experience of trauma being a "reliving".

01/08/2026

I think IFS is the most potent and respectful form of modern psychotherapy I’ve yet found in 50 years of search, mainly motivated by my own intense need for healing.
- Robert Falconer

P.S. Don't forget about free webinar with Bob -> https://lifearchitect.com/spirit-foundation-for-healing-ifs-therapy-webinar-bob-falconer/

01/01/2026

The importance of individual work before couple’s work.

01/01/2026

In a traumatic world, it is better to assume danger than to trust safety, so the brain and body don't recognize that the threat is over.

It l takes practice to focus on the proof that you survived – no matter what happened.

01/01/2026

We all carry parts of ourselves that learned to survive hard things — 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘹𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴, 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘮𝘦𝘥, 𝘴𝘩𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘴. Therapy can be a place where those parts are met with 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 instead of judgment.

I’m a licensed clinical social worker who helps people gently work with their inner world, rather than trying to “fix” or fight themselves. My approach is compassionate, collaborative, and paced to feel safe for you. 𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐰𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐬.

I have advanced training in trauma-focused therapies and regularly support clients and other therapists in this work. I am also IFS level 1 trained and EMDR Certified.

Whether you’re processing past experiences or simply wanting to 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧, I’d be honored to walk with you.

https://balanceandrenewal.com/
https://adam-nickell.clientsecure.me/

I am in network in Idajo with Blue Cross, Regence, Mountain Health Co-Op,
and SelectHealth. I can also see clients with Aetna, Cigna, and Quest Behavioral Health through the Headway website. I’m also licensed in Utah as an LCSW.

12/31/2025

Frustration tolerance is connected to how much you can learn at one time