Blog Posts
What if your nervous system needs something different?
Your unique imprint for connection,
You are incredibly unique—inside and out. From your fingerprints to your nervous system, no one else moves through the world exactly like you.
And thank goodness for that. Imagine a world where we were all the same—how dull would that be?
Yet, because we’re wired for belonging, it’s natural to adopt things that may not actually align with our unique design.
Take nervous system regulation, for example:
One person might find deep ease in breathwork, while another feels tension.
Energy work might feel expansive for some, while others check out completely.
These are all valuable tools, but the key is finding what resonates with your system. Based on your history and imprinting, some inputs will naturally support you more than others. And as your capacity and resilience grow, new pathways to connection may open.
There are four primary inputs for nervous system connection:
Touch
Breath
Movement
Energy
Which one feels most natural to you? This is often your primary pattern of connection. Some people have multiple, and others may have untapped ways of connecting they haven’t yet explored.
Signs your nervous system is down-regulating and finding deeper connection:
A sense of relaxation
Deeper breath
Softer focus
More flexibility
A greater sense of well-being
Clients: Scroll down for an opportunity to explore this in person!
Everyone else: Stay tuned—I’ll be sharing more ways to deepen your connection over the next few weeks.
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With love & appreciation,
Dr. Jessica
Nourishing sleep,
Sleep is when our system processes and integrates events of our day, regenerates, and rejuvenates the body and mind. We know the importance of it, but sometimes it can be helpful to initiate a fresh start, and to be intentional with this supportive natural rhythm.
Here are a few ways to set yourself up for nourishing sleep:
spend time outside in the morning, during lunch, and evening when possible, these increments of sunlight on your eyes helps set your circadian rhythm which will help make you ready for sleep when it comes.
if you're depleted, nap! 20-minute naps are brief and often refreshing because we do not enter deeper sleep cycles. Some folks will benefit from longer naps if they're missing sleep at night, hello mamas! If you're having trouble with feeling tired at night, skip the nap to feel more ready for rest at night.
having a wind-down ritual in itself is restorative, before you switch to wind-down journal out about the important tasks you have for the next day, prep kid's lunches, etc so that your mental load is reduced.
anywhere from 1-2 hours before bed, turn away from technology, and connect with loved ones, read a book, enjoy a cup or tea, or take a warm bath as part of your wind-down ritual.
for sleep, keep your bedroom dark, cooler in temperature, and leave the phones in another room.
you may find that using an eye mask, a restful meditation, or supportive pillows will help you find the most ease and comfort, let your bed be your nest where you are fully supported and all the days work is done.
for most, aiming to fall asleep between 9pm-11pm and sleeping for 6-8 hours is restorative.
If you wake up in the night, try to resist checking the clock. Can you instead allow yourself to maintain a relaxed state, perhaps listen to a relaxing meditation or focus on gratitude while you fall back asleep?
Interesting sleep tidbits:
-body rejuvenation happens in the first half of your nightly slumber, whereas mental rejuvenation happens in the latter half of your night.
-sleeping in a position that allows your spine to maintain alignment (think: flat on your back with a knee pillow, or on your side with a pillow that keeps your neck and a knee pillow that keeps your pelvis aligned) allows for even more somatic waves to pass through and regenerate tissues, and can have a positive impact on your posture during the day.
Rest well tonight x
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With love & appreciation,
Dr. Jessica
How to have more energy in 2025
Energy from within,
Was is you that was wishing and hoping to experience more energy this coming year?
Energy is the life force that fuels inspired action,
it's the overflow necessary to heal & remain in balance,
it's the unique heartbeat of our soul & how we make the world a brighter place.
If you've been trying to crack the code on the flow of energy... Let me help.
Here are 3 practices that will increase your sense of vitality & inherent energy:
1. Brain Dump & Intention
When looking to cultivate energy, it's important to examine "what might be blocking it from naturally flowing?"
Start with a pen and a blank piece of paper and allow yourself to as specifically as possible "dump" all of your thoughts, worries, & to-do's out on to paper. The simple act of moving them from mind to paper lightens the mental load that can weigh you down.
Finish this brain dump by breathing and connecting internally, you may imagine a clean slate and to ask what quality or state would you like to start fresh with to carry you throughout your day?
Examples of this quality or state would be - gratitude, trust, connection, or anything that speaks to you!
2. Move your body & Flush your Lymph system
Your body is a brilliant & complex organism, working in your favor to keep you balanced. Your body also needs your proactive support to produce energy & maintain vitality. One staple need is movement. Movement is one way that we release tension on the system and change the chemical cocktails called hormones that influence how we feel and function.
Three movements that I prioritize everyday are the spinal ranges of motion. Since the majority of unintegrated tension patterns are stored along the spinal column, moving your spine in these motions are vital to increase energy flow. They are as follows: cat-cow (flexion/extension), side-bending, and twisting.
If you're feeling overly groggy, you may need to flush your lymph system. The lymph system is like the waste recycling system of your body, it needs to flush out the gunk, but it does not have a pump to circulate like your blood, it relies on movement. You can support your lymph to flush by taking a 20 minute walk outside, by raising your heels and dropping them down to the ground, and by rebounding on a trampolene.
I prioritize one of those simple movements everyday, and if you want to take it a step deeper, explore the beautifully written "The Book of Lymph," by Lisa Levitt Gainsley, she shares numerous self-care practices to enhance immunity, health and beauty.
3. Follow your Inspiration
"You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you." - Alexander den Heijer
Get into a daily or weekly practice of asking yourself what inspires you? Find ways to make the leap or even the smallest step in this direction.
Is it dancing? Put on your favorite tunes and do your thing! Is it a podcast? Great, play it even if your kids are in the car. Is it making art? Going on a grand adventure? Start planning, exploring or learning more about what you want to do.
Time in inspiration is going to spark energy, and I urge you to be compassionate with yourself if you've been away from it for sometime or are in a season of life where it feels less accessible. Even allowing yourself to dream and make plans for the future will bring your inherent energy forward.
Bonus** 4. Sleep, sunlight, rest, & rejuvenation - we will talk more about this one next week! For now, think how can I prioritize sleep, sunlight, and rejuvenation?
💜
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With love & appreciation,
Dr. Jessica
Rest, reflection, and renewal with simple, restorative habits
The new year offers us a chance to reflect & realign, to start fresh, to shift our perspective or habits, to refocus on callings or purpose.
I find that to harness this potential we must both honor the external seasons (winter in the western hemisphere) that are inviting us to slow down, drawn inward, and make space for rest. Alongside the internal seasons you experience individually.
Internally you may have a combination of the following in different facets of your life:
Spring - new ideas, intentions, rebirth
Summer - action, being seen
Fall - receiving, releasing
Winter - tending, listening, death
This winter season offers a chance to tend, listen, and let die the parts that are no longer serving.
Within the art of listening you can gain clarity, peace, maybe even energy or direction.
If you find yourself comparing, or feeling lack, can you remember with gentleness the art of tending, and listening as a "compass" back home?
A few simple winter focuses that are allowing me to open up to new capacity this year:
💜 Sleep
💜 Movement
💜 Nourishment
💜 Breath & Meditation
I plan to share a small snippet through the lens of vitality & bioenergetics about each of these in the coming weeks, to jump spark your own capacity!
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With love & appreciation,
Dr. Jessica
The tip of the the iceberg,
Sometimes we think we know what rest and relaxation is but actually there are deeper layers of peace to discover.
Just as there's a tip of the iceberg to our traumas/challenges (so much lives beneath the surface stored in the tissues and the subconscious) there's also a tip of the iceberg to our peace, joy, and contentment.
There comes a point when we recognize there's more to be lived, felt, and experienced than pain and struggle, or just getting by. There are greater levels of love, abundance, vitality and they're not outside of us, but actually accessed from within.
Surfacing more of the iceberg takes a slowing down, patience, trust, commitment, and often moving through new or challenging spaces.
It's sometimes a little easier with someone who knows the path, has been there, won't judge you, and a willingness to receive their support.
Here a few reflection questions to embrace your "iceberg:"
What has surfaced this year because of my healing?
What more would I like to feel, experience, live?
What part of surfacing do I struggle with? Slowing down, trust, patience, commitment?
What's wanting to surface from within you in 2025?
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January weekend immersion- Journey to Optimal
If this concept of you've only experienced the tip of the iceberg intrigues you - you may wish to join our half day experience with an intimate group of four wonderful folks where we will dive more into nervous system integration, and rewiring our response for optimal. In this nourishing, slow, spacious workshop we combine body work (integration sessions, yes a series of them in the same day, to deepen the unwiring of the familiar and rewiring of optimal) and space to explore the deep layers of wisdom and insight your body holds, combining the two to rejuvenate your senses, activate deep healing, and open your perception system to truly live from your new reality.
Date: Saturday, 1/11 from 1-4pm
Location: Heart of Life
*Because there will be a very limited availability of space for this opportunity, please save your spot here.
Current clients, send me a reply to this email for a 15% off code, while spots are available.
______________________
With love & gratitude,
Dr. Jessica
Obstacles lead the way 💜
The obstacle as the way,
Most of us have experienced heartbreak of some form, but can you recall a few fleeting moments after heartbreak where your heart felt more open to love? Moments where time was non-linear and you had more capacity, noticing and richness of sensation after feeling the pain of loss or change?
A concept that dates back to the stoic, Marcus Aurelius, said “the impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” Or more simply put, within the moments of intensity or in the face of an obstacle we find what we are seeking.
It's really common for our human nature, when unchecked, to try to avoid pain at all costs. It takes a certain amount of integrity to face challenge and see the way through. If you are reading this, I know you are someone who has moved through challenge and tasted the sweet fruit of that labor.
Nervous system integration is the process of making meaning of those experiences. Through integration we become more whole with our life’s experiences. We open our capacity to all shades of life. We experience more sunshine & rainbows AND we have the depth to handle the storms & dark days.
Feelings of gratitude, neutrality, or peace are signs that our system has deeply integrated an experience. Whereas charged emotions such as feelings of bitterness, anger, sadness, are signs that deeper integration is necessary for it to not have an impact on our daily choices, habits, and life.
Here a few reflection questions to embrace the obstacle as the way in your life today:
💜 What challenges have I moved through in the past that deepened my capacity on the other side?
💜 What obstacles are coming up for me now?
💜 Notice with compassion: do I ignore them or stuff them down?
💜 How can I build my resources so I can move through them instead?
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January weekend immersion- Journey to Optimal
If this concept of the obstacle is the way intrigues you - you may wish to join our half day experience with an intimate group of four wonderful folks where we will dive more into nervous system integration, and rewiring our response for optimal. In this nourishing, slow, spacious workshop we combine body work (integration sessions, yes a series of them in the same day, to deepen the unwiring of the familiar and rewiring of optimal) and space to explore the deep layers of wisdom and insight your body holds, combining the two to rejuvenate your senses, activate deep healing, and open your perception system to truly live from your new reality.
Date: Saturday, 1/11 from 1-4pm
Location: Heart of Life
*Because there will be a very limited availability of space for this opportunity, please save your spot here.
______________________
In gratitude & good health,
Dr. Jessica
Rewire Your Response
"Tension is who you think you should be, relaxation is who you are."
The quote above is one of my favorite Chinese proverbs. The first time I heard this I stopped in my tracks. It resonated so deeply, as I could feel the areas in my life that contributed to my tension and the areas of life where I was feeling free and relaxed to be me.
As we enter our last month of this year, one that can be packed full of to do's, stretchy obligations, an abundance of marketing emails, I am returning to it.
In order to preserve this precious season's opportunities to slow down and appreciate the magic and beauty around us, I am not just pulling out Christmas decor, but also feel as if I am pulling this old quote out of a storage box to place in my eyesight and as a guide within my body as I navigate this season.
If this resonates with you, I invite you to explore:
💜 What this quote means to you
💜 What tension & relaxation feel like in your body
💜 How you might use this to return to your relaxed and powerful center
With love & gratitude,
Dr. Jessica
The Root of It All
You know that tension you carry—the kind that settles at the top of your shoulders, month after month? Maybe for you, it’s in your neck, your jaw, or your low back.
Wherever it shows up, it’s more than just tight muscles. That tension holds layers of stories, patterns, and energy. The good news? Those layers can be explored, softened, and healed—right down to the root.
The roots of your current reality exist in:
Your physical body,
Your nervous system’s response to life,
And your energetic patterns.
It’s natural to notice the tension first—the sore muscles asking for release. But if that tightness keeps returning, it’s a sign there’s more to discover.
Peeling Back the Layers
The Physical Root: These tension patterns can arise as a response to stress. They change the way you breathe, move, and even how your blood flows—keeping your body in a loop of “fight or flight.”
The Nervous System Root: Stress, whether it’s small and persistent or large and unresolved, activates your sympathetic nervous system. This creates cycles that keep tension alive.
The Energetic Root: Beyond the body and nervous system lie the energetic imprints—belief systems, childhood conditioning, cultural norms, and even ancestral patterns.
Maybe you feel the weight of others’ burdens on your shoulders.
Perhaps you guard yourself from hurt by holding tension in your upper back.
Or maybe control and safety challenges manifest in your neck or lower back.
Healing the Roots
True transformation happens when we address all three layers:
Connecting with your physical tension to release what’s stuck.
Easing your nervous system to interrupt the stress loop.
Shifting the energetic roots to align with harmony, safety, and growth.
Take a deep breath with me. Place your hand on the area where tension calls your attention.
What patterns are no longer serving me?
How might my body, my nervous system, and my energy all play a part?
The answers you seek aren’t far away—they’re within you, waiting to be explored, acknowledged, and transformed.
Come home to yourself,
One of our participants in Journey to Optimal shared that she had been trying to release a knot of tension between her shoulders for weeks, and that after one touch on the table it melted away.
Now, this wasn't because I found some magic button... this is what's possible when you are in a safe space, you have enough spaciousness to slow down, you are willing and open to connect with the deeper messages of your body, and we match the tone of what's stored there.
The combination is powerful and it's a chance to peel back the layers and come home to yourself.
Closing your eyes, & placing your attention on your heart, ask yourself: how can I come home to myself this week?
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Journey to Optimal is coming around again in January!
So, if you're ready to shed doubt, anxiety, and to really address the missing piece in your healing journey - this space is for you. This last round went deep into their nervous system re-patterning and had fun doing it! They walked away feeling lighter, a knowing that they can continue to create this new slow space for themselves, and a coming home to optimal (a true version of optimal for them, not anyone else). Even current clients shared they're getting next level integration from their sessions with this new awareness.
If you know you want to be a part of the next transformation, save your spot by registering below.
Date:
Saturday, 1/11, 1-4:30pm
Save your spot here.
There will be just 4 spots available to keep this event intimate.
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With love & gratitude,
Dr. Jessica
From habit to healing ritual - creating rituals of relaxation
The definition of ritual is a ceremonial act or action or an act or series of acts regularly repeated in a set precise manner.
I like to think of rituals as intentional habits. Certain habits can be rather unintentional, like hitting snooze instead of getting up for your meditation. Whereas rituals are a choice to nurture an aspect of yourself, support, or a need.
If you were to look at your life... what rituals do you have?
What simple acts or actions do you return to regularly?
If you don't have many rituals, or feel you could be more intentional, start with this question:
What are one or more needs that I have, that I feel are not being met?
Some common ones that I hear from folks:
Connection/friendship
Support
Touch
Purpose
Relaxation
Now, to get curious and creative!
What's the most simple thing I can think of to get this need met?
Here are a few examples:
Book an appt with my therapist
Schedule a massage
Read a book about purpose
Take a walk in nature
Now, comb through and refine any answers towards something that feels nurturing for yourself.
What would be possible if I chose just one of these needs to be met consistently, by setting up a ritual?
What would be different in me, if instead of meeting this need once it feels urgent, making it a ritual and a steady anchor to return to?
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With love & gratitude,
Dr. Jessica