AS YOU START TO WALK ON THE WAY, THE WAY APPEARS – RUMI
When walking a new path, words to yourself may sound like, “I’m not sure what this road entails, but I feel I need it.” or “I feel lost, and I’m not sure where to go or what to do next.” Take a breath. I speak from personal experience and working with others when I say that most people have these thoughts of fear, uncertainty, and need when taking steps on the paths less traveled.
It takes a lot of courage to begin on a route you know will encourage deep healing and awakening your true self. This healing thing can feel confusing and terrifying when you overthink it. I’ve learned from my healing work and seeing my clients that things begin to make sense once you start walking on the path. How funny is that? Our very first step is trusting and listening to ourselves.
Most of our lives consist of planning and preparedness so we understand what we’re getting into. However, the Universe, yourself, the Gods, or whatever belief you have tells you the opposite. It is time to trust your current gut feeling telling you, “It is time.” You may not know what that is, but you know that it means action – any kind of action. You know you need to move and take one step in front of the other.
My friend, I know it is scary thinking about your first step. That step is not only the beginning of change but also the beginning of growth, truth, and understanding. Trust that as you continue to move, things will come to fruition. Keep walking even when there is darkness. You must do the very thing you are afraid of – therein lies the growth.
Healing – the loneliness and the heartbreak of healing are often overlooked.
When we look at the definition of “heal,” it says, “To become sound or healthy again. Alleviate a person’s distress or anguish”.
Now, looking at that definition, healing sounds beautiful. To heal means we will begin to experience our tailored version of happiness, introduce ourselves to the real us, and see the world in a new beautiful light. The pain that hurt us before no longer hurts us, or we have found healthy coping strategies. The triggers that, once triggered, are no longer effective. The anger we once had no longer exists. Healing is a beautiful thing.
It is also important to remember that once you step on the self-healing path, it is an authentic and raw experience. It can also be full of loneliness and heartbreak. When these aching feelings and thoughts pop up, most believe they’re not doing this healing thing correctly. But, as I tell most of my clients, it is a hint that you’re moving in the right direction. This is not to say that if you do not feel pain continuously, you are not healing. To feel some pain and loneliness on the healing path is expected.
Let’s look at Heal’s definition: “To become sound or healthy again. Alleviate a person’s distress or anguish.”. To become something means you are of something other than what your eyes or soul set on becoming. To want to become sound or healthy means, we are currently in a place where we are unhealthy and troubled. Solving a person’s distress or anguish means healing the areas that cause pain.
Where does the heartache come from? Healing patterns that have become destructive can look like changing routines, responses, and how we engage with people. We can only truly make changes by understanding the root of our patterns. Most of the time, this is done by digging up painful history, events, and trauma. Healing relationships with people in your life – This healing can change the relationship where there are more inclusions in each other’s lives. You may realize you must reduce interactions because the relationship adds unhappiness.
Once you begin healing mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically, you agree to a soulful detox. Though it is impossible to take our past and our patterns with us into this new chapter we crave, it does not stop us from trying. The heartache comes from understanding we cannot become who we’re meant to be until we let go of the things that keep us from Being our complete selves. Loneliness comes when we realize most of those patterns and distress also come with most of the people we surround ourselves with. So, as we let patterns and pain go, we also allow those people to go.
There will be beautiful moments, and there will be raw painful moments. This post is not to deter you from healing but to encourage more understanding and, therefore, better preparation.
The beauty in the healing path? This change allows us to introduce ourselves to the raw versions of ourselves and the rest of the world. As we continue to live as ourselves, others on the same energy wave will begin to gravitate toward us and us to them. Change is raw and painful, but the benefits are healing and beautiful.
When you begin to experience the rawness of healing, know that if you continue, you will experience and notice healing moments. You will see a trigger no longer triggers. You will notice healed reactions instead of wounded reactions. When you need support, contact your team: Therapist, Craniosacral Therapist, Shamanic Healer, Life Coach, Family, Friends, Mentors, and coping strategies.
Spring is beautiful due to the plants in bloom, the sun showing more, and the warming temperature. However, with such a gorgeous season, you probably wonder, “Why do I feel so much anger and frustration, and why am I quick to tears?”
The season change is always an interesting time for me and my work because, with massage, craniosacral, and shamanic healing, I always see a pattern in us all. During spring, I witness its beauty, energy, and the mental, emotional, and mental changes it encourages in us. While I experience frustration and pain in the hip, ribs, and jaws, I notice many clients also have this experience. If you feel what I just mentioned regularly, then you are probably seeing you feel them even more so now.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, it’s believed when you live your life based on the ways of nature, you will live a healthier life. So, what exactly happens in spring? The tree’s leaves begin to press past its buds, the flowers do the same, the sun warms the earth, and the grass rises through the dirt. All these things use their ascending energy to rise to the surface. During winter, everything receded to protect its energy and inner core from being depleted by the cold. When the sun warms everything in winter, it is also generous with its energy – that energy needs to be let out or rise.
Now, let’s look at ourselves during winter while having nature in mind (because we are also nature). We have this energy rising inside us that has hibernated throughout the winter. As the season changes and the energy shifts, our bodies are screaming to release this energy we’ve protected during the cold. The issue we run into? We do not allow this energy to come forward. When this release does not happen, we may experience judging others harshly, angry outbursts, muscle tension, headaches, digestive disturbances, menstrual irregularities, sciatica, and rib pain or stuffiness.
So, how can we help this yang energy to gently release?
Move – exercise or go on hikes and enjoy the coming of spring.
Look at your nutrition – In traditional Chinese medicine, spring is linked to the liver; spring is the perfect time to detox and rid the body of toxins you’ve collected from stress and the foods you’ve consumed. The best way to begin is by eliminating fried foods, sugar, and dairy.
Spring Cleaning – eliminate the things in your home that create or add to any chaos.
Drink water to help flush the body of toxins and add lemon to help the liver.
I also mentioned how the season change causes spiritual, mental, and emotional changes. Spring is a perfect time to ask yourself what new patterns and energy you want to create and let go of the old that keeps you stagnant. During spring, we can feel more anger, be more judgemental, and be on the edge of tears. These emotions form from an established base – it is an excellent time for contemplation to understand the root of these emotions. Anger is a healthy emotion to experience; it is when we dwell in it or suppress it that it becomes destructive.
How can we help ourselves Spiritually, Mentally, and Emotionally during this Spring equinox?
Close your eyes – Breathe and do a body scan. How are you feeling? What are you feeling? Why are you feeling this? Where are you feeling this?
Journal – Write your answers into a journal or piece of paper. Journaling increases self-awareness and helps us create new patterns.
Cry – Are there emotions you are burying? Do you tell yourself you never have time to explore them? It is time to make time. Releasing buried emotions helps release stagnant energy in the liver.
Take a hike – Go for a hike and look at nature blooming – grab some inspiration on releasing this energy.
Have a fire – Write down things you wish to leave in the past and burn them.
Becoming more in tune with ourselves will help us understand our feelings and how to release or live with them. Use these tips to take care of yourself and your liver.
Slow down and enjoy the Spring Equinox (Monday, March 20, 2023)
“While many focus on healing the symptoms, if not addressed, the root cause will continue to harm us in other ways.” – Erica Ware
How many of us not only wait until we feel pain in our bodies to see our practitioners for bodywork, but we go in with all the hope in the world that it will “fix” the pain in one session? Don’t be shy; most of us do it, so go ahead and raise that hand if you do.
I remind my clients that bodywork is more of a holistic approach to healing and not one of big pharma where you take a pill for a quick or temporary fix. Understandably, we think this because, for so long, we’ve been taught that a prescription can quickly fix all of our ailments. We’re starting to understand that’s not very true, and we are experiencing the side effects of “quick fixes.”
What is the holistic approach? The holistic approach involves healing the whole body, mind, and spirit or healing you mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Taking the holistic healing path means your symptoms are not the main focus. Instead, the goal is to understand and heal the root of the problem, thus healing the symptoms. The holistic approach can take time; depending on the person and conditions, it can take longer.
Think about the condition you currently have, how long you’ve been experiencing it, and how long it may have taken to develop. You may have been dealing with your condition for weeks, months, or years, so expecting to heal after one session becomes an unrealistic outlook. Consistent bodywork will open channels, or pathways, in our bodies and remind the body of how to function healthily.
Think of it this way, here are the benefits of massage and craniosacral therapy:
Pain Relief
P.T.S.D
Anxiety
Chronic Pain
Headaches/Migraines
Scoliosis
Ease MS
Improve Immune Function
T.M.J. Pain
Helps Insomnia
Mental & Emotions Stress Relief
Spiritual Clarity
Helps Spinal Cord Injuries
Increases Blood Circulation
Lowers Heart Rate and Blood Pressure
& More
That is a list of great benefits. Now, think about how your mind, body, and soul would feel if you received those benefits consistently. We’ll notice things improving like our energy, alertness, immune system, mental health, muscle energy, etc.
So, what is a consistent schedule for bodywork? You want to be sure the practitioner and bodywork you’re receiving are working for you. If you do not feel a connection with your practitioner, take notice of this – this may not be a good fit, and it can create problems on your healing path. I always recommend trying four sessions, at least three, so your body has real-time to respond to your sessions. This is why I offer a four-session package with an additional fifteen minutes to your session. Depending on your condition, you’ll want to have one session every week, two weeks, or every month.
A huge goal of my practice is self-empowering. Get in tune with your body – you know what you need and when. You know what’s working for you and what’s not. If you feel better even a little bit, but the pain returns, your body is telling you, “Hey, this is working for me, but we also need to do this more consistently because the pain returns in five days.” If you know the pain returns in five days or a week, when should you have your next session scheduled?
Again, most wait until they feel the pain, but if you know, it returns in a week, set your appointment for five days from your last one.
The goal is not for you to come in every week for the rest of your life; this is where you are right now. The goal is to remind the body of a healthier way to function so it can perform these actions without weekly help.
When we are patient and understanding of this route, and ourselves, we will begin to see and feel healing in ways we didn’t know were possible.
Interested in scheduling a session with me? Check out my services and four session packages to get started!
We convince ourselves that, for some reason, we do not deserve happiness and we need to stay where we are a little, or long, while longer.
What keeps you stagnant?
Sometimes what keeps us from healing or experiencing happiness is ourselves – many don’t want to hear that. We convince ourselves that, for some reason, we do not deserve happiness and we need to stay where we are a little, or long, while longer.
Some people, like myself, at one point, may realize they even understand what it takes to heal and create change, but they just will not do it. In those moments, I sit with myself and ask, “what keeps me where I am? What is the reason I refuse to move forward? How do I feel about doing the work to move forward and be happy?” I’ve discovered that we will give the answers when we are courageous enough to ask ourselves questions.
The answers? Well, I cannot give your answers to you; only you can do that. I can share some answers I’ve experienced and heard.
Reasons we may not permit ourselves to be happy and live:
Guilt because of something you’ve done or didn’t do.
Accustomed to living in chaos.
We’ve been taught to sacrifice our wants and needs for others.
Fear of your light and power.
Fear of adversity.
Fear of facing ourselves.
So, what can help us out of stagnation? As I said above, sit with yourself and ask tough questions. Some people may feel frozen and numb and, because of that, find it difficult to speak with themselves and find answers. This is where I come in with craniosacral therapy and shamanic healing – these two therapies will help restore you and dissipate energetic, emotional, and physical blocks. When those blocks are released, it helps bring things to the surface or bring the shadows to the light. This may look like a release from pain, emotional release through crying or laughter, realizations, clarity, mental liberation, etc.
For some, this may take time, depending on the person and their situation. If you feel these therapies are for you, I recommend arriving with little to no expectations. Just grant yourself the ability to receive what you are to experience.
Your tired body, soul, and mind are waiting for your permission to rest, especially if there is no danger around every corner. There is no reason to live in fight or flight if you do not have to. Permit yourself to be happy and at peace – you deserve it, and now is the time to help yourself believe that.
Grief, pain, and your shadowsare inevitable, but during Winter the energy grows. Winter is the perfect time to use this energy as a helping hand to heal and understand our shadows.
The winter solstice was December 21st, and its energy lasts three days after and is often celebrated until the first of January.
Many of us have a hard time with winter because of its long nights and short days, its frigid cold temperatures, and its symbolism of death and letting go. If you think about it, these are things we tend to ignore and avoid.
Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year and forces us to be in the dark and within our shadows. It encourages us to figure out how to create our light or understand that we are the light within the shadows – many times, burning yule logs enforce this.
This time is vital because, without the shadows, we wouldn’t appreciate the light and wouldn’t have transformation. Do you have a hard time with winter?
Winter solstice is a perfect time to transform your shadows into gold – an ideal time to be your light in the shadows. Ask yourself, “What does winter represent for me?” Some may say death, coldness, pain, or dormant. Ask yourself what your representation is and encourage yourself to go deep within yourself.
Winter represents death. When we hear “death,” we probably think of fear and danger mainly because we only think of the end of the physical body. After understanding where my hate of death came from (fear of change, the unknown, and trusting myself), I saw that death brings new beginnings, and avoiding it only keeps me stagnant and in pain.
To me, death is the end of cycles that no longer fit in my life; death means making room for new energy, and it means new beginnings.
What does winter represent to you, and how can you explore yourself to turn these shadows into gold and light?
Traditions of the Winter Solstice:
Have a fire to create a symbol of light
Journal and list the things you’d like to let go of – burn the list.
List things you’d like to heal within yourself – burn the list.
After the solstice, the days get longer. Invite in the light by creating a list of energy you’d like to bring in or build on. Keep this list and place it somewhere safe.
Have a feast.
Light candles and incense, sit and meditate, or just Be.
EricaChinise – Owner & Healer of Holistic Bodywork
Around this time (late autumn), many of us feel a shift in our bodies with the time change. We begin to experience a ray of emotions like sadness, anxiety, depression, bursts of anger, and grief. Experiencing these emotions is not coincidental – most likely, it is Seasonal Depression or Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.). With the feelings mentioned above, we may also notice a lack of energy, loss of interest in activities that would usually help us out of our funk, fatigue, being withdrawn, and feeling worthless or hopeless.
S.A.D. is a vital thing to speak on continuously. I can’t begin to tell you how many clients have come to me thinking something is wrong with them and not understanding what’s happening. I have also been confused, and it takes me days to know what I am feeling.
The seasonal change usually triggers S.A.D, but we mainly notice this in late autumn and winter. In these months, we see the length of daylight shift. Why is sunlight so vital? Vitamin D is called the sunshine vitamin because it is produced by the sun. When we are vitamin D deficient, we notice a drop in serotonin which creates hopelessness and sadness – sounds familiar, right? With vitamin D deficiency, we also feel bone pain, hair loss, poor sleep patterns, muscle weakness, and loss of appetite.
Remembering to change with the seasons is important, but sometimes our bodies need help adjusting. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (T.C.M.), autumn is tied to the lungs, and grief and sadness are the emotions linked to the lungs. Autumn is a time to tonify the lungs, but remember we are in late autumn going into winter, which is kidney season. The kidneys carry sadness and fear. What helps the kidneys? Warmth, especially from the rays of the sun. T.C.M. also recommends stimulating our Qi (energy) to keep away from stagnation which also leads to fatigue, depression, sadness, etc. Here are some tips to tonify, stimulate, and warm your body:
Exercise – it doesn’t have to be strenuous.
Soak in the sun – I know it is the colder months, but there are still so many activities we can partake in to soak in that afternoon sun. Skiing, going for walks, or hiking.
Check your diet – around this time, we want to consume warm broths, fish, mushrooms, and other fatty fish. You also want to eat foods high in Vitamin D, like beef liver (also in capsule form), Kale, Parsley, and Spinach.
Acupuncture can help tonify qi and organs in the body, which will help you transition into these dark seasons. Try Turtle Tree Acupuncture.
In shamanic healing and other spiritual practices, when dealing with seasonal depression, we encourage people to turn inward as well. What is your current situation in life? Is it stressful? How is your self-talk? Is it harmful? Autumn is the season of letting go; what within or around you are you having a hard time letting go of? We are entering dark seasons, which coincides with a phase in healing – we have to reveal the shadows of ourselves to heal. We mainly feel the pull of this energy during autumn. It makes sense this is the season of letting go, right? When we are within our bodies, we are more intuned with the changes, and when we are intuned with the changes, we can prepare ourselves for the shifts happening around us (seasons).
Finding the combination of things that works well for you is essential. Many things exist to help us heal, and many work exceptionally well together. Rarely do I find that one thing solved or helped everything for someone. As the saying goes, it takes a village.
There has been a theme these past few months. Let me know if you connect with this: To be where you need to be, you must accept where you are.
When I’ve said this to people, I’ve noticed two reactions: people are either hit with clarity or immediately feel angry. Whichever you’re met with when hearing or reading “accept where you are to get to where you’re going,” ask yourself why that is your reaction.
Is the clarity you experience after trying to push your way to where you want to be? Is the anger you’re experiencing during years of you trying to make your way to where you want to be? Or is it due to fear? Maybe grief?
If we are constantly living in the future, how can we provide what we need for ourselves in the present?
For example, a client with an inflammatory disease experienced excruciating pain and found herself in a wheelchair. She desperately searched for things to help ease her pain and help her walk again. She did find some relief, but she felt the pain immediately creep back in and was still unable to move without a wheelchair. Every day, this person would experience anger, depression, and sadness due to the effects and reality of this condition.
When you’re in pain, it becomes your total focus. You search only for things that will help ease that pain, which is understandable. Most of the time, what we find can help reduce the pain temporarily, and/or it makes it worse in the long run. When people hear, “Accept where you are,” they think of defeat because many feel they’re being asked to “give in” to the disease. But, you are actually choosing to listen to what your body needs at the moment. It is not defeat; it is quite the opposite.
My client accepted her current situation by admitting the unknown time length of her condition, accepting this condition came with discomfort, and realizing the uncertainty of being mobile without a wheelchair. Her mindset began to shift. Instead of focusing on a place she is not, she started researching her inflammatory disease to understand how to support herself within the condition.
My client discovered that specific foods triggered her pain, so she completely changed her diet. After self-exploring, there was clarity on what eased pain at the moment. Making changes also makes her mentally accept the unclarity of how long she will be in the wheelchair. All of these changes she made not only shifted her mental & emotional health but it helped her pain physically.
We’re trying to heal a physical body that is not there in the future. When we shift our mindset to the here and now and understand where we are with our conditions, we begin to experience mental, emotional, and physical healing.
So, again, I say this isn’t defeat, but quite the opposite. You’re taking your power back and changing your mindset. There’s so much power in understanding what you can control.
My client no longer needs a wheelchair and is just fine while managing her inflammatory disease.
Everyone’s body and situations are different. Healing comes in various forms.
“When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When diet is correct, medicine is of no need.” – Ayurvedic Proverb.
Our diet is crucial for a healthy body, mind, spirit, and soul, but it is also one of the things we abuse. Most of us are too busy to take the time to prepare meals, don’t understand what our body needs, and are unaware we have unhealthy diets or are on a cookie-cutter diet. So many illnesses, diseases, pains, and even mental and emotional upset come from poor diets.
Did you know things like inflammation in the body (arthritis, asthma, gastritis, etc.), seasonal allergies, mood, and energy are affected by your diet? All these listed depend on a healthy gut (stomach, intestines, spleen).
The next time you wake up with a crushing headache, sinus pressure, and sneezing, ask yourself, “What have I been eating?” Have you consumed dairy, sugar (bread and pasta), processed and deep-fried foods? If you have, this can encourage a slow-moving digestive system which allows everything to sit in your body a little longer than it should, turning into phlegm or inflammation. Now, I’m not saying 100% of your ailments come from your diet; it is just a really, really good place to start, and what you eat can exacerbate your symptoms.
When my clients see me about herbal medicine, I always recommend they see Jessica Hill Powell, the health & wellness coach at Meridian Integrative Wellness. Most of the time, we have an attachment to our diets – Jessica helps us figure out that attachment and create a healthy relationship with food. When diet is taken care of, my clients tell me they feel at least 90% better.
Did you know herbs used in Herbal Medicine can be included in your diet? Yeah, food is your medicine. Herbs like dates, blackberry, red grapes, and other things encourage a healthy heart, kidneys, and arteries. Dan Gui (women’s ginseng) root is often used in soup or stir fry.
Want to increase your health or begin healing your pains and disease? Take a look at your diet. Pharmaceuticals have their place and can work wonders when absolutely needed, but I wonder where our health would be if we put effort into understanding the perfect diet for ourselves.
Interested in Herbal Medicine? Get more information Here.
Interested in Health Coaching? Get more info Here.
Emotions can be tricky, or instead, we make them tricky. We label them as “Good” and “Bad” feelings, which encourages us only to feel specific emotions and run away from others.
Let’s look at what most call “Good” emotions:
Happiness
Love
Pleased
Inspired
Motivated
Relaxed
Peaceful
Amused
And now the “Bad” emotions:
Depressed
Heavy
Upset
Jealousy
Rejected
Abused
Angry
How do you feel when you see the emotions you sometimes or frequently experience listed as “Bad”?
I’ll share how I feel: I felt “bad” or broken when I was told I should not be feeling jealousy, anger, depression, or sadness. I felt there was something wrong with me. I then masked those emotions with the “Good” feelings. The masking is the beginning of us losing our identity – we cover up what we feel and eventually who we are so that we fit in with a world that loves to tell us who we should be. Losing our identity takes us down the rabbit hole of continuous masking, and others’ identities become our own.
What happens when we suppress our emotions? Stress translates to physical pain and, of course, mental and emotional upset. Some may experience bursts of anger, frustration, and weeping when feelings are hidden. Many people may feel this physically as low back pain, rib pain, or blockage in the throat. We are all living a different life than the next, and everyone’s body is not the same, so the same emotion can bring pain in other areas depending on the person. While I experience rib pain and low back pain when I feel anger, someone else may experience rib pain and stomach issues – it all lies at the root of the emotion.
Emotions are human nature; they are essential for us to feel. They are vital to experience good health. Our emotions do not create illness within us; dwelling in emotion or stagnation of emotion is what harms us. We either decide to live our lives through these emotions, or we decide to evade these emotions by stuffing them down – this creates stagnation. This creates a loss of identity. This creates tension physically, mentally, and emotionally.
How can you release your emotions? Again, this depends on the person, but here is a list of things that may help everyone and is healthy to partake in:
Breathing Meditation
Nature Walk
Barefoot Walk – Earthing
Craniosacral Therapy
TaiChi
Yoga
Journaling
Acupuncture
Exercising
Massage
Therapy
Another thing essential to the list, and it’s the most important thing, is You. Get to know yourself. Sit with yourself. Many say, “I don’t know how to do that” or “I don’t know where to start.” Well, you’re already doing the work by reading this blog. Ask yourself, “What brings me joy, happiness, calmness?” or to bring about the locked away emotion, ask, “What makes me emotional? Why?” When you think you’ve asked “Why?” enough, ask it again. When you feel that emotion arise, let it come, and at the moment, ask yourself, “What am I feeling? Why?”
Why do we label emotions as “Bad”? I believe it is a scary and shadowy path to walk down, and many are afraid of losing themselves, but it is in the shadows where we find the light. We don’t have to take it all on at once; we can do it slowly.
There are zero “Bad” emotions – they just “Are.” When we work to let them come, feel them, and understand them, we can let them go. This is a continuous reminder for myself, for all of us – it is a journey. While you’re on that journey, please remember that I, and your other practitioners, are here to walk beside you in the shadows.
Holistic Bodywork 