Beth Nawrocki, Somatic Experiencing

14/02/2022

11/01/2021

What activities are you naturally attracted to as a relief from stress? When the moment arrives, do you immediately consider solutions or go out for a walk or run? Maybe you move into meditation or prayer, or you let the emotions arrive in full force.

We all have a combination of these tendencies, and one habit isn’t necessarily better than the other. Each activity or behavior flows into the larger picture of our capacity to heal from stress and encourages us to locate the resources that support us most. Our overall goal with this exercise is to help you move with fluidity between each behavior and into a healthy way of coping and engaging with the world.

To visualize this best, practitioners like myself break these habits/activities down into four categories: intellectual, physical, spiritual, and emotional. As you can see from the graphic, we have four pieces at 25% that add up to 100%. In this case, each piece has an equal value and demonstrates their collective ability to work alongside each other.

Our overall goal is to flow with ease between each of these categories. Someone who’s at 100% but isn’t able to sense how to move with fluidity might cope like this:
- 50% physical (working out or focusing on diet and nutrition)
- 10% emotional (tearful or upset)
- 15% intellectual (looking for solutions)
- 25% spiritual (prayer or meditation).

As you can see, this example demonstrates someone who dominates in certain areas over others, and we want each coping response (physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual) to have presence. (By the way, “spiritual” defines our ability to connect and belong to something greater than ourselves. You can do this through prayer or meditation. These are just examples. 🤗)

During our one-on-one sessions, we’ll work together to develop your individual breakdown so we can plan on how to bring more flow for you among these four states of relief. Being able to move between each behavior as easily as you can will inspire the innate resilience you and your system already possess. It’s just a matter of journeying there.

04/12/2020

In almost any environment in which you find yourself, orienting is a practice that can help initiate calm and a sense of safety. It’s as easy as focusing on what feels most natural to you. Soften your gaze, and locate something that looks pleasing to you. Focus on this, and then think to yourself what you see. Notice what happens in your body. Is anything shifting for you? Continue to allow yourself to take in the environment, observing what you can hear, smell, see, or touch that's pleasurable.

As you begin to appreciate your surroundings, your nervous system will begin to regulate and find the homeostasis it needs to help you experience the feeling of safety.

(I recorded this video in October in Carlsbad, CA. At the time, I was grateful to be near the beach; now I’m back in Arizona, safe and sound and always taking necessary safety precautions.)

25/11/2020

Getting a good night’s sleep is important for our healing minds and bodies ☺️. As a way of inspiring you to restful sleep, I wanted to share with you how I get ready for bed:

For me, taking time to prepare for sleep is essential. This nighttime ritual often includes a nice warm bath with candles all around. While in the bath, I let myself take in the sensation of the water, encompassing and encouraging me to feel calm.

I also like to create an environment where my senses can be at ease. I grab my soft, silky eye mask because the pure silk doesn’t irritate my skin and it blocks out light. I’ve tried several different brands of these, and my favorite one is from the company, Lunya. I love their silk pillowcases as well because they keep my hair from snagging or becoming tangled.

The other thing that’s key for me is my sound machine. It blocks out all outside sounds, and since I’ve started using it, I’ve found that I rest more deeply and easily without waking up to every little noise around me.

There are many sound machines on the market, but the one I like best is from Adaptive Sound Technologies. It’s called the LectroFan and offers a variation of fan sounds and white noise. It’s been a game changer for me in achieving a more rejuvenating and restful sleep. 🌙 (Please know I’m not being paid to promote any of these items. I just love the positive impact they've had in how I sleep 🙏.)

What are some important pieces of your nighttime ritual? What practices or things help you sleep more easily?

20/11/2020

While there’s no way to keep stressors from coming, there is a silver lining: we possess the ability to manage our responses to them. Our bodies (and those of our animal friends) are wired to handle the effects of stress, but when we don’t let our bodies naturally release it, potential issues, like anxiety, depression, or an autoimmune illness, could form down the road.

It’s because stress exhausts the body of its resources, and when we expose ourselves to it for too long without rest, we feel tired or depleted. This is where I’d like to discuss the Allostatic Load because it will illustrate why you might feel like you need more space and time than others to recuperate.

I like to imagine the Allostatic Load as a cup, or your ability to manage stress in your daily life. Maybe your cup is large, and you can handle many stressors at once without this debilitating you for weeks at a time. Opposite of that, perhaps you can’t fill your cup any further because there’s no space; if you do, this action will take you over the edge.

As your partner in healing and resilience from stress, we work together to expand your cup and discover the resources in your life that will bring you and your body back into homeostasis.

Homeostasis is the balance our bodies need to optimally function. Resources that encourage this balance and help us manage our Allostatic Load are:
-Sleep
-Eating
-Taking a break from work or a tense situation
-Exercise or any form of gentle movement
-Reaching out to a supportive friend
-Seeking the care of practitioners who provide a nurturing relationship so you feel your best

Remembering to nourish yourself in this way will contribute to how you treat others and inspire compassion for yourself. In these current times, this mindset shift is especially key. ✨

18/11/2020

You’ve seen my nature shots and how I love to turn to Mother Earth for inspiration in my practice and whenever I’m stressed. I’m not alone in this, and as we move through these current times, it’s incredible to see how others are tapping into nature, even when they aren’t able to hike the trails or feel the sand on the beach. Sometimes, all you need to do is “imagine” you’re there and experience a similarly healing impact. For some of our brave doctors and nurses, long hospital shifts have been made easier with the integration of "recharge rooms" or spaces that involve natural design elements for recovery from mental and physical exhaustion. Check this out here ☀️⛰: http://ow.ly/I6xV50CnvMA

04/11/2020

Healthy nervous system development begins with our parents. As children, our parents were in charge of helping us regulate when we encountered stress, encouraging safety when the threat had passed. Through them, we learned how to develop boundaries and engage with others in our relationships.

Maybe, though, our parents didn’t have their needs met when they were children, and they weren’t aware of the generational trauma they carried. Because of their unique circumstances, you might not have been provided with the co-regulation you required to healthfully navigate the world and its various stressors.

As best as you can, take a moment to find compassion for this and to recognize the gifts your parents offered you. Rather than focusing on the trauma they shouldered, notice the moments where they did the best they could with what they had. 🙏

When we have empathy for our parents, we have compassion for ourselves. From there, this mindset shift can foster the self-love we need to start healing. 💜

23/10/2020

Trauma is complicated for all of us. We cope in our own ways because we’ve had to adapt. (Even Mother Earth has her own strong process of acclimating.)

While the world around us may not understand our unique patterns of protection, I want to empower you with the idea that you can heal. You are so capable of connecting with others in your own powerful way.

Healing from trauma is never linear. Whenever these patterns or selves you’ve developed to cope with the stress surface, try your best to have compassion for yourself.

21/10/2020

Healing from trauma or stress is an individual process. We each encounter unique experiences that paint the way we understand the world. This understanding informs many of the things we did as children, or do as adults, because we developed these behaviors out of an attempt to feel safe.

While the doctor might have a common diagnosis and treatment plan for a physical ailment, trauma practitioners like myself must learn and discover the distinct details that outline a client’s daily life while tuning into the client’s nervous system. This process requires patience and the ability to hold space for your story.

Wherever you are in your journey, your past experiences don’t need to define you. Healing from trauma comes from a place of knowing what your individual capacity is and working within that framework to ensure your engagement with stressors can truly be on your terms. Within this, we begin a path toward interacting with life from a place of wholeness, self-advocacy, resilience, and resonance. From there, we’ll start to see the process of boundaries form, and it’s amazing to witness ✨.

16/10/2020

When you’ve experienced trauma, the ability to handle daily stressors can be overwhelming, and while much is uncertain in our world right now, one of the best ways I’ve been able to manage this stress is through acts of service to others. From this place, I develop gratitude for the gifts in my life and the connections I have with others.

For me, acts of service to others looks like:
-Being a friend to someone
-Filling the role of big sister to a kiddo who’s having a hard time
-Phonebanking for causes important to me
-Getting flowers from my local farmers market and giving them to a friend
-Buying groceries for my dad

What are some ways you give back to your community?

14/10/2020

Nervous system regulation work is truly transformative! I love receiving feedback like this and knowing that our healing partnership can bring vitality and resonance to almost every aspect of daily living ☺️.

01/10/2020

A resource can be anything that brings you comfort and peace. This could be something like eating a good meal, exercising, or immersing yourself in nature.

Our resources can also include the friends and relationships that nourish us. In one of my previous posts, I discussed the ventral vagus nerve complex, which is responsible for social engagement.

While there is a clear biological implication within the ventral vagus nerve complex, I want you to focus on the ways in which loved ones and friends bring you joy and happiness. Perhaps they truly respect your boundaries and understand and have compassion for your most embarrassing or darkest moments.

This is just as nourishing as a healthy diet or exercise, and I encourage you to approach your life in a way that brings all of these pieces together 🙏.

29/09/2020

What are you reading these days? Reading is something I love to do. It’s de-stressing and puts me in my best headspace 🥰.

This stack among the honeysuckle is what I'm currently reading 🙏. I tend to pour over several books at once and jump to different topics. While some of these titles contain more dense material, I always make sure I’m balancing it out with an uplifting book or two that keeps me open and positive. The book on the bottom, “Outrageous Openness,” is one I grab daily.

I would love to learn what your favorite books are!

P.S. One of my favorite things about honeysuckle is the way it smells. It’s been a dry year for us where I live, and no flowers have bloomed on our honeysuckle. Despite this, the variation and limitation reminds me that, as humans, sometimes we don’t have our flowers either. Without flowers, we still continue to grow and expand. 🤗

24/09/2020

Did you know our bodies are wired for social engagement? Aside from the “rest and digest” state I’ve talked about previously, we also possess another part in the parasympathetic system called the ventral vagal complex. According to the Polyvagal Theory from behavioral neuroscientist Dr. Stephen Porges, the ventral vagal complex is responsible for our connection to others and comes on board when we have a sense of safety.

When a stressor arises, notice the impulse to connect. Reach out to a safe person, like a friend, loved one, or coworker, for support. This person (or pet) encourages you, no matter what. The interaction allows you and your body to feel safe, thanks to the ventral vagal complex. 🙏

While many people won’t understand your individual experience, there are characters in your life, who have shown you safety in your darkest moments. Remember who these people are and know that integrating social engagement is valuable for a healthy you. 💞

22/09/2020

The Fall Equinox is here, when we have equal parts daylight and nighttime. It’s the first day of fall and a time to start gathering the fruits of the seeds we planted in the spring and have cultivated all summer long. Envelop these fruits, or gifts, with as much gratitude as you can.

Even during these turbulent times, we are still cultivating life and joy for ourselves, and from these intentions, we can utilize the benefits received.

Fall, or autumn, is also the time in the Earth’s rotation when the theme of letting go surrounds us. The air cools, plants begin to fade, and the leaves from the trees start to fall. The potency of the sunlight from the Summer Solstice proceeds to wane, and the light gives way to more darkness.

I love to be in tune with the natural life cycles of the Earth. Nature inspires us to look deep within ourselves and tap into our inherent rhythms. Listening and honoring these rhythms, and having compassion for our individual patterns, are significant steps in understanding how we can better support ourselves. What can the season of fall remind you to release? What gifts, or fruits, can you relish?

As we look forward to the renewal of light and new life in the Winter Solstice, remember to have gratitude for the bounty you have now, and notice the things (habits, routines, and mindsets) that no longer serve you. Begin to part ways with them as we move through the next few months. 🍂

10/09/2020

I love this sentiment from my friend and teacher, Tom Fleischner of the Natural History Institute. Natural history allows us to go deep within ourselves and acknowledge the curiosity and connection we have to the world around us. Understandably, isolation can feel safe for us if we’ve experienced trauma or stress, but there is a beautiful nurturing process only nature can provide. We can discover ourselves by observing what already surrounds us.

If you’d like to read the article where this quote comes from, click here: http://ow.ly/helk50Blt51. Tom soulfully navigates the idea of kinship and natural history. Enjoy! 💜

09/09/2020

Do you have a spiritual practice? What does this look like for you? During our sessions together, we’ll take a look at your resources, including how you celebrate your connection to the world around you. Honoring how you are a part of something greater can cultivate peace and purpose, whether or not you are religious.

In her research for the book, “The Gifts of Imperfection,” Brené Brown discovered that the women and men who practiced what she analyzed and defined as Wholehearted Living, or engaging in life from a place of worthiness, possessed faith in something greater than themselves. Brené explained her results like this, “Faith is a place of mystery, where we find the courage to believe in what we cannot see and the strength to let go of our fear of uncertainty.”

By tapping into a resource of this nature, we can begin to locate the encouragement we need for engaging in our daily lives without resorting to behaviors that might not serve us best.

To give you an idea of what this looks like for me: my spiritual practice is embracing a universal power that is beyond us all but still wants to connect with us. This power has my best intentions in mind, always guiding my path and seeing the bigger picture for me. It wants good things for me and seeks the desires of my heart. Blessings come without performance because I am enough. 💜