Dr. Rachel de Simone, DPT & Therapeutic Pain Specialist

Repost from 2024 in honor of Bear Island New Year — AKA the day when the beaked hazelnuts (Corylus cornuta) bloom. The bravest little flower in the world! #plant #plants #flower #flowers #nature #brave #forest #forester #stem #vermont

#Spring is also a time of #tending and growing #roots, which takes tremendous energy. Remember that seeds grow DOWN away from the light before they rise up. #Change is exhausting. We need extra rest, nourishment, and support to build #roots strong enough to sustain us through this #growth spurt..

#Spring is a time of #transition, and this is the year of the wood #snake. We are being called to shed our skins and be part of an #emergent process of creation. There can be grief and a sense of loss in this shedding that must be metabolized. Give yourself extra love & nurturing during this change.

#craniosacraltherapy client feedback describing less #pain and better #sleep after one session!

#craniosacral therapy is so magical for #painrelief. I love sharing this gift with others and hearing how quickly it helps them feel better. Plus, better #sleep is essential for #healing.

Need any Doctors of Physical Therapy?

As an anatomy teacher, the phrase “bleeding heart liberal” is fascinating. When we are injured, the body heals itself by dilating the blood vessels to send extra blood to the wound. This delivers immune cells to the injured area to help the tissue repair. We can’t #heal if we don’t bleed.
#mindbody

I saw so many beautiful examples in the past few days. From the economic blackout, to VT interrupting Vance's ski trip, to Lucy Welch, the Sugarbush ski conditions reporter who used her platform to denounce this administration's anti-climate, anti-science, and anti-humanity policies. Keep going!

The physician John Tennant said, “All chronic disease begins with an organ that loses its power supply.” If we want #fascism and #authoritarianism to die, we need to cut of their #power supply. This means refusing to participate in the othering and remembering our #collectivepower.

People fall in line under #bullies because they feel threatened. Their nervous system's response is to fawn to appease the bully so they aren't also targeted. #Fawning is a stress response to danger. All of our elected officials need #nervoussystemsupport right now to build the #courage to #resist.

Same. Also not willing to give the orange Julius any airtime!

NO ONE IS FREE UNTIL WE ARE ALL FREE. When we don't stand up to bullies, we are all in the shadow of control because we know that they can easily change their targets. We take away their power when we refuse to cave to that fear. We don't want their approval anyway, right?

#nervoussystem #resist

Bullies hoard #power to dominate & control, which is rooted in fear & othering. To work, there has to be a target that is deemed unworthy. This gives the #bullies an excuse to treat that group badly & incentivizes #bystanders to adhere to implicit norms to avoid being perceived as unworthy too.

Bernie Sanders is doing this and getting a great response in conservative areas. He’s been to Nebraska and IowA so far. This weekend he is headed to three cities in Michigan.

What is #craniosacral therapy? CranioSacral Therapy uses gentle, healing touch to relax and balance the nervous system and relieve pain. It can be helpful for relieving #chronicpain, #stress, #burnout, #fatigue, #headaches, #whiplash, #braininjuries, #nervepain, pain due to #injury, #fibromyalgia, #PTSD, & any condition that stems from an overloaded nervous system. It supports the body's natural healing capacity and builds #resilience. Learn more about how this healing practice can help you #healyournervoussystem at https://www.lotusvt.com/blog/what-is-craniosacral-therapy

CranioSacral Therapy uses gentle, healing touch to balance the nervous system and relieve pain. It can relieve chronic pain, stress, burnout, fatigue, headaches, whiplash, brain injuries, nerve pain, pain due to injury, fibromyalgia, PTSD, etc. Learn more at www.lotusvt.com/blog/what-is...

If your voice held no power, They wouldnt try to silence you

When the enormity of the challenges we are facing get too big and overwhelming, I try to think about how I can make a difference to at least one starfish.

Focus on your zone of influence. Make a difference to one starfish. Breathe. Trust the process.

This is #yoga

#activism is #nervoussystem work

"There are miles and miles of beach and hundreds, if not thousands, of starfish. How can you possibly make a difference?"

The kind soul picked up a starfish and, delivering it back to the water said, "I made a difference to this one."

Have you ever heard the parable of the starfish?

One day, a slew of starfish washed up onto a beach, and got stranded as the tide went out. A kind soul intervened, and one by one started returning the starfish back to the ocean.

A passerby stopped and said,

Inhale for four seconds.

Gently pause for seven. 

Exhale for eight.

If breathwork isn't your speed, aerobic exercise is another great option. It helps your nervous system feel like it is mobilizing against danger, and it gets you to breathe!

#vagusnerve #pranayama #breathe #nervoussytem #yoga

Try 4:7:8 breathing to support your vagus nerve. It helps you complete the stress cycle by holding the breath and then letting it go, the way you might when danger has passed. Adjust the ratio based on your breath capacity. 

Here's how to practice:

Please note that this is stimulating and warming practice, so if you already feel overstimulated and overheated, it might not be the best option for you. Instead, sing or hum your favorite tune.

#nervoussystemsupport #vagusnerve #pranayama #bhramari #healingthenervoussystem #yoga #ayurveda

As you breath out, make a buzzing sound from the back of your throat (not from your lips), keeping your mouth closed and your lips relaxed.

Repeat 1-5 times.

Always listen to your body, and adjust to meet your needs. Ask your doctor if this practice is appropriate for you.

Bhramari pranayama (bumblebee breath) is a great example.

To practice, close your mouth and bring the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth towards the back of your hard palate.

If you'd like, you can close your ears with your fingers.

Breathe in through your nose.

The vagus nerve leaves the brainstem and travels down the sides of the neck. On the way to the gut, it gives off branches to the pharynx, larynx, and heart. Singing, humming, or buzzing stimulates the vagus nerve to calm the nervous system. From an Ayurvedic perspective, this is vata-balancing.

Thank goodness for the American Medical Association. Here is their YouTube page. Please share far and wide. Right now bird flu is spreading throughout our country and most people have no clue. Please stay updated and bookmark this page for your health and well-being.

www.youtube.com/@americanmed...

This simple but powerful practice comes from Stanley Rosenberg's excellent book Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve: Self-Help Exercises for Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, and Autism.

Try it and let me know how you feel!

#healingthenervoussystem #vagusnerve #nervoussystemsupport #trauma

3, Hold your eyes to the right until you feel a physiological sign of relaxation (sigh, yawn, swallow).

4. Bring your eyes back to center and pause.

5. Then look to the left, keeping your head still. Wait until you sigh, yawn, or swallow.

6. Bring your eyes back to center and notice how you feel.

Try this to unfreeze your nervous system:

1. Lie on your back. Interlace your hands behind your head with your elbows open wide. If you can't reach with both hands, hold your head with one hand.

2. Without moving your head, look to the right as far as you can without straining your eyes.

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Writing my weekly newsletter is one of my favorite practices, and people tell me all the time how much they love to read them. I share messages to inspire courage and nervous system resilience, with special offers for subscribers. Subscribe at www.lotusvt.com/newsletter

#vtwomenpreneurs #newsletter

If you feel so overwhelmed that you don't know where to start or what to focus on, that is by design. The fear immobilization response is inhibitory, and it shuts down our social engagement circuit and our ability to engage in courageous action. Sound familiar?
#nervoussystem #vagusnerve #overwhelm