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What burnout actually does to your nervous system and body and how to recover

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 11:54:45 GMT

Burnout is not a mindset problem or a sign you need a holiday. It is a physiological state that changes your brain, your hormones, your gut and your immune system. Here is what is actually happening and what real recovery requires.

The most dangerous thing about burnout is how normal it feels by the time it arrives. You have been running on empty for so long that empty has become your baseline. You wake up tired. You push through the day on willpower and caffeine. You tell yourself you just need to get through this week, this month, this project. And then one day your body stops cooperating. The tiredness that used to lift with a good night's sleep no longer lifts at all. The motivation that used to return after a weekend away does not come back. Something has shifted at a level that rest alone cannot touch.

That shift is not psychological weakness. It is physiology. And understanding what burnout actually does to your nervous system and your body is the first step toward genuine recovery rather than the cycle of temporary relief followed by relapse that most people experience.

What Burnout Actually Is

Burnout is not simply being very tired or very stressed. It is the endpoint of a process in which your nervous system and stress response systems have been chronically activated beyond their capacity to recover. The World Health Organisation recognises burnout as an occupational phenomenon characterised by exhaustion, increased mental distance or cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy. But this clinical definition barely scratches the surface of what is happening in the body.

A 2025 comprehensive review published in Frontiers in Psychology covering over 2000 studies across 45 reviews confirmed that chronic stress and clinical burnout are consistently associated with HPA axis dysregulation, immune impairment, autonomic imbalance and elevated allostatic load. This is not a metaphor. These are measurable, physiological changes that take place across multiple body systems simultaneously.

Burnout does not happen overnight. It progresses through phases. Research suggests that in the early stages of chronic stress, cortisol rises as the body tries to meet the demand placed on it. In intermediate states the system is straining but still partially compensating. By the time full burnout sets in, something changes. Cortisol levels often drop rather than rise. The system that was running too hot has burned through its resources and can no longer mount an adequate stress response. This is why people in burnout often do not feel acutely anxious. They feel flat. Empty. Unable to care.

What Happens to Your Stress Hormones

At the centre of the burnout story is the HPA axis, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, the primary neuroendocrine system that regulates your body's response to stress.

Under normal circumstances this system works beautifully. A stressor is perceived, the hypothalamus signals the pituitary gland, which signals the adrenal glands to release cortisol. Cortisol mobilises energy, sharpens focus, temporarily suppresses the immune and digestive systems and prepares the body to meet the challenge. When the stressor passes cortisol drops and the body returns to baseline. This is acute stress and the body handles it well.

The problem is chronic stress. When stressors are persistent and recovery is insufficient, the HPA axis is kept in a state of sustained activation. Cortisol remains elevated. Over time the body's cortisol receptors become less sensitive in an attempt to protect against the damaging effects of chronically high cortisol. The system begins to dysregulate. And eventually, in many people with clinical burnout, the HPA axis shifts into hypoactivity. It can no longer produce adequate cortisol even when it needs to. This is sometimes called adrenal fatigue in popular language though the more precise term is HPA axis dysfunction.

The result is a nervous system and endocrine system that can no longer mount appropriate responses to demands. You feel exhausted but cannot sleep deeply. You feel flat but cannot fully rest. Your body has lost its capacity to regulate itself and the recovery that should come naturally no longer comes.

What Happens to Your Brain

Chronically elevated cortisol does significant damage to the brain, particularly to two regions that are central to your mental and emotional health.

The hippocampus, your brain's primary centre for memory, learning and emotional processing, is highly sensitive to cortisol. Sustained high cortisol causes neuronal death in the hippocampus, reducing its volume and impairing its function. This is why people in burnout often describe a strange cognitive fog, an inability to retain information, difficulty making decisions and a sense that their mental sharpness has gone. This is not imagined. Research published in 2025 in PMC confirms that prolonged HPA axis activation disrupts cortisol regulation and leads to neuroinflammation and cellular damage that directly affects hippocampal function.

The prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for rational thinking, empathy, impulse regulation and executive function, is also compromised. Under chronic stress the prefrontal cortex becomes underactive while the amygdala, the brain's threat detection centre, becomes overactive and oversensitive. This is why burnout is so often accompanied by heightened emotional reactivity, difficulty tolerating frustration, a hair trigger stress response and an inability to access the calm, clear thinking that was previously available.

What Happens to Your Immune System

Chronic cortisol dysregulation directly suppresses immune function. The immune system and the stress response system are deeply interconnected. When cortisol is chronically elevated it progressively impairs the immune system's ability to mount appropriate responses, leaving the body more vulnerable to infection, inflammation and autoimmune activity.

This is why people in burnout get sick frequently. Why they often develop new intolerances and sensitivities. Why inflammatory conditions flare. Why they are more susceptible to viruses. The immune system has been running a deficit for months or years and it is showing.

Simultaneously, chronic stress promotes systemic inflammation. Inflammatory cytokines increase. The gut becomes more permeable. The delicate balance of the microbiome, which both influences and is influenced by the stress response, is disrupted. This creates a feedback loop in which inflammation drives further nervous system dysregulation and nervous system dysregulation drives further inflammation. This is one of the reasons burnout is so often accompanied by digestive issues, food sensitivities, skin conditions, joint pain and hormonal disruption.

What Happens to Your Hormones

Cortisol is produced from the same biochemical precursor as many of your sex hormones. Under chronic stress the body prioritises cortisol production, effectively stealing the raw materials that would otherwise be used to produce oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone. This is sometimes called the cortisol steal and it is one of the primary mechanisms through which burnout disrupts hormonal health.

For women this shows up as irregular or absent menstrual cycles, worsening premenstrual symptoms, accelerated entry into perimenopause, reduced libido and difficulty with fertility. Thyroid function is also commonly affected, as chronic cortisol elevation suppresses thyroid hormone conversion and can trigger or worsen autoimmune thyroid conditions.

This is why burnout so often cannot be separated from hormonal disruption. They are not two different problems. They are the same problem presenting at different layers of the same system.

What Happens to Your Gut

The gut and the nervous system are in constant communication through the vagus nerve and the gut-brain axis. Under chronic stress, blood flow is diverted away from the digestive system. Digestive enzyme production decreases. Gut motility slows or becomes erratic. The tight junctions of the gut lining loosen, creating intestinal permeability. The balance of the microbiome shifts toward pathogenic bacteria and away from beneficial ones.

The gut contains approximately 100 million neurons and produces around 90% of the body's serotonin. When the gut is dysregulated the entire neurotransmitter landscape shifts. This is a significant factor in the low mood, anhedonia, anxiety and emotional flatness that characterises burnout. You cannot address the mood symptoms of burnout without addressing the gut.

Why Rest Alone Is Not Enough

This is perhaps the most important thing I want you to understand. Burnout is not a deficit of holidays. A week away, a long weekend, even a month off, can provide temporary relief but will not address the physiological dysregulation that drives burnout at its root. People return from sabbaticals feeling somewhat better and then find themselves back in the same state within weeks or months because nothing in their nervous system has fundamentally changed.

Real recovery from burnout requires addressing the nervous system directly. The HPA axis needs time and the right conditions to recalibrate. The brain needs new experiences of safety and regulation to begin rebuilding its capacity. The gut needs targeted nutritional support to restore its integrity and microbiome balance. The hormonal system needs the cortisol steal to be reversed. And the energetic and emotional roots of the patterns that drove the person into burnout in the first place need to be addressed, or the cycle will simply repeat.

What Genuine Recovery Actually Requires

Recovery from burnout is not a single intervention. It is a process of systematic repair across multiple body systems simultaneously. Here is what I know from over 15 years of working with clients in burnout.

The nervous system needs to be regulated before anything else can work. When the nervous system is in a state of chronic dysregulation it cannot receive nutrition, therapy, rest or any other intervention fully. The first priority is creating safety in the nervous system through somatic work, breathwork, gentle body based practices and therapeutic relationship. Without nervous system regulation everything else lands on soil that cannot hold it.

Nutrition is medicine at this stage, not optional. The body in burnout is in a state of profound nutrient depletion. Magnesium, which is critical for nervous system function and HPA axis regulation, is depleted by chronic cortisol. The B vitamins, which support adrenal function and neurotransmitter production, are depleted by sustained stress. Vitamin C, which is used heavily by the adrenal glands during stress responses, is commonly low. Omega 3 fatty acids, which reduce neuroinflammation and support brain repair, are insufficient in most people's diets. A targeted nutritional approach that addresses these specific depletions alongside gut repair is fundamental to recovery, not complementary.

Sleep is not just rest, it is repair. During deep sleep the body repairs tissue, clears inflammatory metabolites from the brain, consolidates memory and resets the HPA axis. Burnout disrupts sleep architecture profoundly, and yet sleep is the very mechanism the body most needs to recover. Supporting sleep quality, not just sleep duration, through nervous system regulation, nutrition, light management and reducing cortisol driving stimulants in the evening, is a non-negotiable part of genuine recovery.

The emotional and energetic roots must be addressed. Burnout does not happen in a vacuum. It happens in the context of patterns, beliefs, relationship dynamics, ancestral patterns and survival strategies that have led a person to consistently override their body's signals in service of external demands or internal driven perfectionism. These patterns live in the nervous system and the energy field. Until they are addressed at their root, the conditions that created burnout will simply recreate it.

Movement must be appropriate not aggressive. Exercise is important for recovery but the type, intensity and timing matters enormously. High intensity exercise during burnout recovery further taxes an already depleted HPA axis. Gentle, regulating movement, walking in nature, yoga, somatic movement, swimming, activities that activate the parasympathetic nervous system rather than the sympathetic, support recovery in ways that intense training does not.

Connection heals the nervous system. We are social mammals and the nervous system is a social organ. Safe, attuned relationships are among the most powerful regulators of the HPA axis available. Isolation, which often accompanies burnout, maintains dysregulation. Reaching out, being met, receiving care and support without needing to perform or produce, is itself medicine.

How Long Does Recovery Actually Take?

This is the question most people want a clear answer to and the honest answer is that it depends on how long the burnout has been building, how severe the physiological dysregulation is and whether the recovery approach addresses all the layers involved.

What I see in practice is that people who work systematically across all layers, nervous system, nutrition, sleep, emotional roots and lifestyle, begin to notice meaningful shifts within six to twelve weeks. Full recovery of HPA axis function, brain health, hormonal balance and gut integrity typically takes between six and eighteen months of consistent supported work. This is not what most people want to hear. But it is the truth. And working with a clear understanding of the timeline prevents the discouragement of expecting to feel fully recovered after a few weeks of rest.

The most important thing I want you to know is this. Burnout is not permanent and it is not a sign that you are broken. It is a sign that a highly intelligent organism reached the limit of what it could sustain without adequate support and recovery. Your body has been trying to get your attention. The symptoms of burnout are not failures. They are messages. And when you finally listen to them, genuine recovery becomes possible.

If you are experiencing burnout and want support that works at every layer, body, nervous system, nutrition and energy, I work with clients in person at my clinic in Balaclava Melbourne and online across Australia and internationally.

Book your session: www.bmelifestyle.com/book-somatic-therapy-consultation-melbourne

Learn more about somatic therapy and nervous system healing: www.bmelifestyle.com/somatic-therapy

Learn more about stress and burnout support: www.bmelifestyle.com/somatic-therapy/stress-counselling-melbourne

What Is Interoception and Why Learning to Listen to Your Body Is the Most Powerful Thing You Can Do for Your Health

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 11:45:41 GMT

Your body is sending you signals every single moment. Interoception is your ability to receive them. Here is what the science says and why it changes everything about healing.

There is a conversation happening inside you right now that most people never learn to hear. Your heart rate shifting in response to a thought. A subtle tightening in your chest before you even consciously register that you are anxious. A drop in energy that tells you something is off long before any test would confirm it. A warmth in your belly that signals yes before your mind has caught up.

This constant stream of signals from your body to your brain is called interoception. And science is now confirming what body based healers and somatic practitioners have understood for decades: your capacity to sense and interpret these signals is not just interesting. It is fundamental to your physical health, your emotional wellbeing, your ability to regulate your nervous system and your capacity to know and trust yourself.

In over 15 years of working with the body I have come to believe that learning to listen to your body is one of the most transformative things a person can do. Not as a concept. Not as a practice you squeeze into your morning routine. But as a fundamental shift in how you relate to yourself and to life. This is what I teach. This is what interoception makes possible.

What Is Interoception?

Interoception is your nervous system's ability to sense, interpret and respond to signals arising from inside your body. It is sometimes called the sixth sense, the hidden sense or the felt sense. Unlike your other senses which point outward to the world around you, interoception points inward. It monitors everything happening within: your heartbeat, your breathing, hunger and fullness, temperature, pain, tension, fatigue, nausea, pleasure, the felt quality of your emotions in your body and the subtle energetic shifts that tell you something about your environment or a situation before your rational mind has processed it.

The word itself comes from the Latin intero meaning within and capere meaning to receive. You are a receiver of your own inner landscape. The question is how well you have been taught to tune in.

The primary brain region involved in interoception is the insular cortex, also called the insula, a deeply folded structure sitting inside the cerebral cortex that receives and integrates signals from every organ and tissue in the body. The insula is also deeply involved in emotional processing, empathy, self awareness, decision making and your sense of the present moment. This is not a coincidence. It tells us that your ability to feel your body and your ability to know yourself, regulate your emotions and connect with others are all part of the same system.

Why Most of Us Have Lost Touch With Our Bodies

Most of us were never taught to listen to our bodies. In fact most of us were actively taught the opposite. We were taught to sit still when our bodies needed to move. To stop crying when our nervous systems needed to discharge. To eat at set times regardless of whether we were hungry. To push through pain, fatigue and illness in service of productivity. To prioritise the rational mind over the felt body.

Over time and often from very early in life, we learn to disconnect from internal sensation. For many people this disconnection begins as a survival strategy. When what you feel inside is frightening, overwhelming or unwelcome, not feeling it becomes the safest option. The body learns to turn the volume down. Interoceptive signals become muffled, distorted or absent.

This is what researchers call interoceptive disruption and it is remarkably common across a wide range of conditions including anxiety, depression, trauma and PTSD, eating disorders, chronic pain, burnout, autoimmune conditions and disconnection from self. In fact a 2024 review in Frontiers in Psychiatry found that interoceptive awareness is consistently disrupted in people with PTSD, and that restoring it is a key pathway to healing.

What I see in my clients is exactly this. People who have learned not to feel. Who describe a numbness or blankness where their body awareness should be. Who have been making decisions from their head for so long that they have lost access to the most fundamental source of guidance they have: themselves.

The Science of What Interoception Actually Does

The research on interoception has expanded dramatically in recent years and the findings are striking. Here is what we now know.

Interoception is the foundation of emotional regulation. You cannot regulate an emotion you cannot feel. Research consistently shows that people with higher interoceptive accuracy, meaning a clearer and more accurate sense of their internal bodily signals, have greater capacity to recognise, tolerate and regulate their emotional states. They are less reactive, less overwhelmed and more able to move through difficult emotional experiences without being consumed by them.

Interoception shapes your decisions. Neuroscientist Antonio Damasio's somatic marker hypothesis proposes that decisions are guided by bodily signals that carry the emotional residue of past experiences. Every choice you make is influenced by how your body feels in relation to it. When interoception is impaired, decision making suffers. When it is clear and well calibrated, you access a form of knowing that is faster, wiser and more aligned with your actual values than rational analysis alone.

Interoception is central to your sense of self. The insula does not just process body signals. It is involved in constructing your subjective sense of being a person with an inner life. Research published in 2024 in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews found that disruptions to interoceptive pathways directly impact bodily self awareness, meaning your sense of inhabiting your own body and knowing who you are. Dissociation, identity confusion and the felt sense of not being in your body are all related to interoceptive dysregulation.

Interoception regulates your nervous system. The vagus nerve, the primary pathway of the parasympathetic nervous system, is bidirectional. It carries signals not just from brain to body but from body to brain. The quality of your interoceptive awareness influences how effectively your nervous system can regulate itself, how quickly you can recover from stress and how much access you have to the states of safety, connection and ease that support health and healing.

Interoception is trainable. This is the most important finding of all. A 2025 meta-analysis published in Scientific Reports found a consistent positive effect of mindfulness and body based interventions on interoceptive awareness across 29 randomised controlled trials with over 2000 participants. Research on biofeedback, somatic therapy, yoga, breathwork and mindfulness all confirms the same thing: interoceptive capacity improves with practice. The body can learn to listen again.

Interoception, Trauma and the Body

For those who have experienced trauma, interoception is both the wound and the medicine. Trauma disrupts the body's internal signalling system in profound ways. The nervous system that once used interoceptive signals to navigate safely in the world now finds those same signals threatening. Heart rate increases feel like panic. Tension in the body feels like imminent danger. Hunger or fullness signals become unreliable. The body that was once a source of information becomes a source of threat.

Peter Levine, Bessel van der Kolk and other somatic trauma pioneers understood this before the research confirmed it. Trauma is stored in the body. It lives in the nervous system. And healing requires going back into relationship with the very body that was the site of the overwhelming experience.

This is where somatic work, interoceptive training and body based healing approaches are so powerful. They create the safety and the guided attention needed to begin receiving body signals again without being overwhelmed by them. Slowly, carefully, the nervous system learns that it is safe to feel. That sensation can be information rather than threat. That the body can be trusted again.

The research published in 2024 by the interoception and PTSD scoping review found that interoceptive awareness training was associated with reduced PTSD symptoms, improved emotion regulation and greater capacity for positive bodily experience in trauma survivors. This is not a side effect of healing. It is one of the primary mechanisms.

What Poor Interoception Looks Like in Everyday Life

You do not have to have experienced trauma for interoceptive disruption to affect your health and your life. Here are some of the ways poor interoceptive awareness shows up that most people never connect to this underlying issue.

You eat past fullness regularly or rarely feel genuinely hungry. You often do not notice you are tired until you crash. You have difficulty identifying what you are feeling emotionally until it has built into overwhelm. You make decisions that consistently go against your deeper knowing and then wonder why. You push through pain, tension or illness because you genuinely do not register it clearly until it becomes impossible to ignore. You feel disconnected from your body or describe yourself as living in your head. You struggle to know what you actually want, need or feel as distinct from what others expect of you. You often feel a vague sense that something is off but cannot locate it.

These are not personality flaws. They are the predictable consequences of a nervous system that has learned to turn the volume down on its own signals. And all of them can be changed.

How to Begin Rebuilding Interoceptive Awareness

The good news is that interoception is not fixed. It is a capacity that can be cultivated at any age, regardless of what you have experienced. Here are the foundations.

Slow down and create space for sensation. You cannot hear a whisper in a loud room. Most of us move through our days at a pace that makes it impossible to receive subtle body signals. Pausing several times a day, even for one minute, to ask what am I feeling in my body right now creates the conditions for interoceptive signals to become conscious.

Practice naming sensation without interpretation. There is a difference between feeling a tightness in your chest and immediately deciding that means something is wrong. The first step is simply noticing and naming physical sensation without rushing to explain it. Tight. Warm. Heavy. Light. Spacious. Contracted. This builds what is sometimes called body literacy, the vocabulary and the tolerance for your own inner experience.

Bring awareness to the breath. The breath is the most accessible entry point to interoception because it is always happening, it is always available and it links the voluntary and involuntary nervous systems. Simply noticing the actual physical sensation of breathing, where you feel it, how it moves, whether it is shallow or full, begins to re-establish the connection between attention and body.

Work with the body in therapy and healing. Reading about interoception is useful. Actually practising it in the context of a safe, attuned relationship is where real change happens. Somatic therapy, energy healing, bodywork and breath practices all develop interoceptive capacity in ways that thinking alone cannot.

Reduce the noise. The more your nervous system is flooded with external stimulation, screens, constant stimulation, high stress, poor sleep, inflammatory food, the harder it is to hear the subtler signals from within. Part of restoring interoception is reducing the interference.

Interoception and the Body Led Life

In my work I talk a lot about body led living. What I mean by this is not that you abandon rational thought or ignore external reality. I mean that you bring your body back into the conversation. That your decisions, your choices, your understanding of your own needs and your navigation of your life begin to include the information your body is constantly offering.

This is the foundation of the INBODISH method and everything I do at B.Me Lifestyle. Not because it is a nice idea but because I have seen, in client after client over 15 years, what becomes possible when a person reclaims their relationship with their own body. The anxiety that was unmanageable becomes navigable because they can feel where it lives and how it moves. The chronic symptoms that persisted for years begin to shift because the nervous system is no longer fighting against itself. The decisions that were made from fear or habit or other people's expectations begin to be made from genuine inner knowing. The sense of being lost in your own life gives way to something clear and real and yours.

Your body is not your enemy. She is not a problem to manage or a machine to maintain. She is a living intelligence that has been trying to tell you something important for a very long time. Interoception is how you begin to listen.

And when you do, everything changes.

Ready to come back into relationship with your body?

I work with clients in person at my clinic in Balaclava Melbourne and online across Australia and internationally through somatic therapy, energy healing and integrative nutrition. If any of this resonates and you are ready to begin, I would love to hear from you.

Book your session: www.bmelifestyle.com/book-somatic-therapy-consultation-melbourne

Learn more about somatic therapy: www.bmelifestyle.com/somatic-therapy

Learn more about energy healing: www.bmelifestyle.com/energy-healing-melbourne

What Is Interpersonal Neurobiology and Why It Changes Everything About Healing

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 11:39:20 GMT

our brain was shaped by your relationships. It can be reshaped by them too. Here is what that means for your health, your nervous system and your life.

There is a phrase I come back to again and again in my work with clients: you cannot heal alone. Not because you are not capable but because the science of the brain tells us that healing has always happened in relationship. This is not a spiritual idea. It is neurobiology.

Interpersonal neurobiology, or IPNB, is one of the most profound and practically useful frameworks I have encountered in over 15 years of working with the body, the mind and the energy field. Developed by psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr Daniel J. Siegel in the 1990s, it changed how I understand what the mind actually is, why some people heal and others remain stuck, and what it truly takes to create lasting transformation in the nervous system and in life.

If you have ever wondered why talk therapy alone has not shifted the thing you most need to shift, why you keep repeating the same emotional patterns no matter how much self-awareness you have, or why certain relationships feel so regulating and others so destabilising, interpersonal neurobiology has the answer. And it is one that makes complete, beautiful sense once you understand it.

What Is Interpersonal Neurobiology?

Interpersonal neurobiology is an interdisciplinary framework that brings together findings from neuroscience, psychology, physics, mathematics, linguistics, anthropology and attachment theory to ask one fundamental question: what is the mind, and how does it develop a state of health?

Siegel's central proposition is both simple and radical. The mind is not located inside the skull. It is an emergent, embodied and relational process meaning it arises from both what happens inside your body and what happens between you and other people. Your mind is shaped by your biology and by your relationships simultaneously and inseparably.

This means that what happened in your earliest relationships with your mother, your father, your caregivers did not just shape your personality or your emotional patterns. It literally shaped the physical architecture of your brain. The neural connections, the size and function of brain regions, the way your nervous system regulates itself, all of this was influenced by the quality of attunement, safety and presence you received in your earliest years.

And here is the part that carries so much hope: because the brain retains neuroplasticity throughout the lifespan, those patterns can be changed. The connections that were formed in dysregulation can be reformed in safety. What was wired in wound can be rewired in healing relationship.

The Triangle of Wellbeing

At the heart of IPNB is what Siegel calls the Triangle of Wellbeing, three interconnected aspects of human experience that are always influencing each other simultaneously.

The first is the brain and body, the physical structure of the nervous system including the brain, the spinal cord, the gut with its 100 million neurons, and the vagus nerve connecting them all. This is the hardware. It is constantly being shaped by experience.

The second is the mind, the emergent process that regulates the flow of energy and information both within the body and between bodies. Not a thing but a process. Not located in the brain but arising from it and from relationship simultaneously.

The third is relationships, the interpersonal connections through which energy and information flow between people. From the first moments of life, relationships shape how the brain develops, how the nervous system learns to regulate, and what we come to believe about ourselves and the world.

And holding all three together is integration, the process by which separate parts of the system become linked into a coherent whole. Integration across these three domains is the foundation of mental health, resilience and vitality. Its absence is the root of suffering.

What makes this framework so useful clinically is that it gives us a map. When someone is suffering, whether from anxiety, trauma, chronic illness, relational pain or a deep sense of disconnection from themselves, IPNB helps us understand why. Not just psychologically but neurobiologically. The suffering is not a character flaw or a weakness. It is a nervous system responding exactly as it was shaped to respond given what it experienced.

Integration and the Foundation of Health

Siegel defines mental health as the experience of living in what he calls the river of integration, a state of flow between two banks of suffering. On one bank sits rigidity, the frozen, stuck, shut down, dissociated, emotionally numb experience of a nervous system that has learned to protect itself through contraction. On the other bank sits chaos, the flooded, reactive, overwhelmed, dysregulated experience of a system that has lost its capacity to contain and process what it feels.

Most of the people who come to me are oscillating between these two banks. Sometimes in the same day. The work of healing, whether through somatic psychotherapy, energy healing or any other integrative approach, is to support the nervous system back toward that river. Back toward flow. Back toward the capacity to differentiate experience and then link it into a coherent whole.

Siegel identified nine domains of integration that are essential for a healthy, resilient mind.

Consciousness integration, differentiating the observer from the observed.

Vertical integration, connection between higher brain regions and the body.

Horizontal integration, left and right brain hemispheres working together.

Memory integration, making sense of past experiences without being controlled by them.

Narrative integration, a coherent, flexible story of who you are across time.

State integration, moving fluidly between different emotional and physiological states.

Interpersonal integration, attuned connection with others while maintaining a sense of self.

Temporal integration, holding past, present and future in an expanded awareness.

Transpirational integration, connection to something larger than the individual self.

When any of these domains is blocked or fragmented we experience it as suffering. When integration is restored we experience it as health.

How Relationships Shape the Brain

One of the most significant contributions of IPNB is its synthesis with attachment theory. The work of John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth showed us that early attachment patterns profoundly shape emotional development. IPNB gives us the neuroscience to understand why and how.

When an infant is distressed and a caregiver responds with presence, warmth and attunement, something remarkable happens in the baby's brain. The nervous system learns that distress is survivable, that help is available, and that the world is safe enough to explore and return to. Each of these attuned interactions is literally building neural architecture, growing the prefrontal cortex, strengthening the circuits for self regulation, and creating what Siegel calls the capacity for mindsight: the ability to perceive one's own mind and the minds of others.

When attunement is absent, inconsistent, frightening or overwhelming, the nervous system learns a different lesson. It adapts. It contracts or it floods. It develops strategies for managing the unbearable, dissociation, hypervigilance, people pleasing, emotional shutdown, that were wise at the time and become patterns that no longer serve.

The brain is a social organ built by experience. The connections that were formed in the context of your earliest relationships continue to shape every relationship, every physical symptom and every moment of your life, until something changes the pattern.

Why This Changes How We Think About Healing

If the brain was shaped by relationship, it follows that the most powerful context for healing is also relationship. This is one of the reasons why information alone rarely creates lasting change. You can read every self help book ever written, understand your patterns intellectually, have profound insights in therapy and still find yourself back in the same emotional state under stress, because the body has not been part of the learning.

IPNB tells us that real change happens when three conditions are present simultaneously.

First, safety. The nervous system must feel safe enough to allow new experience in. Without safety, a genuine embodied sense of safety, not just an intellectual decision that something is safe, the survival brain remains in charge and new learning cannot be integrated. This is why the quality of the therapeutic relationship matters more than any technique.

Second, presence. Real healing happens in the present moment, in real time attunement between a nervous system that is hurting and one that is regulated and present. This is why embodied, present moment relational work reaches places nothing else can.

Third, integration. The new experience must be integrated, meaning the nervous system has the opportunity to process, digest and weave it into its existing patterns, creating new neural pathways. This is why sessions often need to be followed by rest and why the days after deep healing work can feel unusual as the system integrates.

What This Means for Your Body and Your Life

From an IPNB perspective, almost every symptom, physical or psychological, can be understood as a form of disintegration. Pain, fatigue, hormonal disruption, anxiety, depression, chronic illness, relationship patterns that keep repeating, these are not random misfortunes. They are the body and nervous system speaking the language of an unintegrated experience.

Ancestral trauma is another layer of this. The patterns passed down through your family line, the fear, the contraction, the hypervigilance, the disconnection, are not just psychological inheritances. They are embodied. They live in the nervous system. And they can be seen, traced and cleared energetically in ways that go beyond what conventional therapy accesses.

This is why my work integrates somatic psychotherapy, nutrition, energy healing and channeling. Because the human organism is not just a brain. It is not just a body. It is an energetic, relational, multidimensional being whose health depends on integration at every level, neural, somatic, relational, ancestral and spiritual.

The Hand Model of the Brain

One of Siegel's most practical contributions is what he calls the Hand Model of the Brain, a simple way of understanding what happens in the nervous system under stress that I use constantly in my work with clients.

Hold your hand in front of you with your thumb folded across your palm and your fingers closed over it. Your wrist and palm represent the brainstem, the most primitive part of the brain responsible for basic survival functions like heartbeat, breathing and the fight flight freeze response. Your thumb represents the limbic system, the emotional centre, the seat of attachment, memory and the stress response. Your fingers represent the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for empathy, self awareness, wise decision making, impulse regulation and the capacity to make sense of your experience.

When you are regulated and integrated, your fingers are closed over your thumb. The prefrontal cortex is connected to and moderating the limbic and survival systems. You can think clearly. You can access empathy. You can respond rather than react.

When you are overwhelmed, frightened or in survival mode, what Siegel calls flipping your lid happens. Your fingers fly up and back, the prefrontal cortex goes offline and the limbic and survival systems take over completely. In this state you cannot access your best thinking, your empathy, your compassion or your wisdom. You are running on pure survival programming.

Understanding this changes how you relate to your own reactivity, your own patterns, and the patterns of the people you love. It creates compassion where there was previously judgment. And compassion, IPNB tells us, is one of the most powerful neurological regulators available to us.

Neuroplasticity and the Possibility of Change

Perhaps the most life changing insight of interpersonal neurobiology is this: the brain is plastic throughout the lifespan. The connections that were formed in the past can be changed in the present. What was wired in fear can be rewired in safety. What was learned in disconnection can be relearned in attuned, present, caring relationship.

This is not wishful thinking. It is documented neuroscience. Studies consistently show that new relational experiences including therapeutic relationships, mindfulness practice, embodied somatic work and attunement create measurable structural and functional changes in the brain. The prefrontal cortex grows. The amygdala calms. The capacity for self regulation deepens. The old patterns lose their charge and begin to dissolve.

Siegel describes this beautifully with the phrase neurons that fire together wire together. Every time you have a new experience of safety, of being seen, of feeling your body, of moving through an emotional wave rather than being consumed by it, you are building new neural circuitry. You are literally growing a more integrated brain.

Where Somatic Work Comes In

IPNB aligns profoundly with somatic approaches to healing. The body is not separate from the brain and the mind. It is their substrate. The gut, the heart, the fascia, the nervous system running through every tissue, all of this is part of the information processing system that Siegel calls the mind.

This is why somatic therapy, working directly with body sensation, breath, movement and nervous system state, can reach things that purely cognitive approaches cannot. The body holds the memory. The body holds the pattern. And the body must be part of the healing.

In my practice I work at the intersection of all of these layers. Nutritional medicine supports the biochemical foundation of a regulated nervous system. Somatic psychotherapy creates the relational container for embodied healing. Energy work accesses the deeper template, the ancestral, karmic and soul level patterns that underlie and often drive the nervous system dysregulation we experience in the body and in our lives.

You Were Meant to Heal in Connection

If there is one thing I want you to take from this exploration of interpersonal neurobiology it is this. The fact that you struggle in certain relationships, that you repeat certain patterns, that your body holds certain symptoms, none of this is a sign that something is fundamentally wrong with you. It is a sign that you are a nervous system that learned what it learned in the relationships it had. And it is a sign that you are ready for something different.

You were not designed to heal alone. The very architecture of your brain, with its mirror neurons, its social engagement system, its exquisitely sensitive capacity to read and respond to the nervous systems of those around you, was built for connection. Built for attunement. Built to be shaped and reshaped by the quality of presence you receive and offer.

This is not weakness. This is the most extraordinary design. And when you find the relationships, therapeutic, personal, spiritual, that offer genuine safety, attunement and presence, the healing that unfolds can be profound, lasting and entirely your own.

Ready to experience integration for yourself?

I work with clients in person at my clinic in Balaclava Melbourne and online across Australia and internationally. Whether you are drawn to somatic therapy, energy healing, channeling or an integrative approach that works across all layers, I would love to support you.

Book your session here: www.bmelifestyle.com/book-somatic-therapy-consultation-melbourne

Or explore how energy healing and somatic therapy can support your nervous system, your body and your healing journey at www.bmelifestyle.com

How Energy Healing and Somatic Therapy Work Together and Why the Combination Goes Deeper Than Either Alone

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 11:48:37 GMT

Somatic therapy works with the body. Energy healing works with the field. Together they reach layers of healing that nothing else can access. Here is how and why.

People often ask me which comes first, the somatic work or the energy healing. The honest answer is that in my practice they do not really separate. They are two different entry points into the same whole. Two ways of working with the same living, breathing, intelligent organism from different but deeply complementary angles.

Understanding how these two modalities work individually, and what becomes possible when you bring them together, changed how I practice. And understanding it may change how you think about your own healing journey, particularly if you have tried one or the other and found that something was still just out of reach.

What Somatic Therapy Actually Does

Somatic therapy is a body based approach to healing that works directly with the nervous system. Rather than accessing healing primarily through thought, narrative or insight, it works through the body itself: through sensation, breath, movement, posture and the felt quality of your inner experience in real time.

The foundation of somatic work is the understanding that trauma, stress and unprocessed emotion are not stored in the mind as memories. They are stored in the body as nervous system patterns. As Peter Levine and Bessel van der Kolk demonstrated, the body holds the unfinished business of overwhelming experiences as activation, tension, contraction and dysregulation that can persist for years or decades after the original event has passed.

When you are in a threatening or overwhelming situation and your nervous system activates but cannot complete its response, that activation does not simply disappear when the threat passes. It becomes stored as a chronic pattern in the nervous system and the tissues. This is why people with trauma histories often find themselves in states of fight, flight or freeze that feel disconnected from anything currently happening in their lives. The nervous system is not reacting to the present. It is completing an interrupted response from the past.

Somatic therapy creates the conditions for that completion. By working gently with body sensation, breath and movement within a safe, attuned therapeutic relationship, the nervous system gets the opportunity to do what it was not able to do at the time. To discharge the activation. To complete the interrupted response. To reorganise from a state of survival into a state of safety.

The research supports this clearly. A 2025 review found that the global somatic therapy market is growing at 17.5% per year, reflecting the increasing scientific validation of body based healing approaches. Studies on Somatic Experiencing, sensorimotor psychotherapy and related approaches consistently show reductions in PTSD symptoms, improved nervous system regulation, greater interoceptive awareness and more stable emotional functioning.

What Energy Healing Actually Does

Energy healing works at a different layer of the human organism. Not the nervous system layer directly but the biofield, the electromagnetic and energetic field that surrounds and interpenetrates the physical body and that researchers are increasingly recognising as a fundamental aspect of biological function and health.

The human body is not just matter. It is energy. Every cell generates an electromagnetic field. The heart generates the largest electromagnetic field of any organ in the body, detectable several metres away. The brain produces measurable electrical patterns. The nervous system runs on electrochemical signalling. The idea that there is an energetic dimension to health and healing is not mystical. It is physics.

The biofield acts as a kind of template or blueprint for the physical body. Disturbances in the biofield, whether from trauma, stress, ancestral patterns, karmic imprints or energetic interference, can precede and contribute to physical and psychological symptoms. Energy healing works to identify and clear these disturbances, restore flow and coherence in the field and support the physical body in reorganising itself toward health.

A landmark 2025 scoping review published in the Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine examined 353 studies on biofield therapies across four major research databases. Of those studies, nearly half reported positive results in favour of biofield therapy for all outcomes being investigated. Conditions studied included pain, anxiety, cancer care, trauma and general wellbeing. The research is growing and it is increasingly consistent: working with the energetic field has measurable effects on physical, emotional and neurological health.

What I bring to energy healing that goes beyond standard biofield therapy is direct soul connection, channeling and the ability to access the deeper layers of the energetic template including ancestral patterns, karmic imprints and multidimensional aspects of the self that are beyond what most practitioners work with. This is not something I learned in a course. It is something that opened in me through my spontaneous awakening several years ago and continues to deepen. When I work with a client's energy field I am not just moving energy in a general sense. I am seeing their specific tethers, their template, their soul record and clearing what specifically needs to be cleared for their healing and evolution.

The Problem With Working on Only One Layer

Here is what I see consistently in people who come to me after having tried either somatic therapy or energy healing alone, but not both together.

Those who have done somatic work alone often describe a sense that they have made real progress at the level of the nervous system and the body but that something underneath all of it still feels untouched. They are calmer, more regulated, more in their bodies and yet there is a layer they cannot quite reach. A pattern that keeps returning. A heaviness or a limitation that seems to have roots that go deeper than the personal, deeper than this lifetime, deeper than what they can access through body sensation and nervous system work alone.

Those who have done energy healing alone without the somatic foundation often find that shifts occur during sessions but do not integrate stably into the body. They may feel lighter, clearer, more open immediately after a session and then find that the old nervous system patterns, the old survival responses, the old body held tension reasserts itself because the physical body and nervous system have not yet been reorganised to hold the new energetic state.

This is the core of why the combination is so powerful. Somatic work reorganises the nervous system and the body so that new experiences of safety, regulation and connection can actually land and become stable. Energy healing accesses and clears the deeper template, the ancestral and karmic roots, the soul level patterns that are driving the nervous system dysregulation in the first place. When you do both together, or in appropriate sequence, you are working from the root through every layer simultaneously.

How the Two Modalities Support Each Other

Somatic work creates the container for energy healing to integrate. When the nervous system has developed greater capacity for regulation and the body has more access to states of safety and presence, it can receive and integrate energetic shifts more fully. The client has more body literacy, more interoceptive awareness and more capacity to track what is happening internally during an energy session. They can feel the shifts rather than simply being told they occurred.

Energy healing deepens and accelerates somatic work. When ancestral patterns, karmic imprints or deeper energetic disturbances are cleared, the nervous system patterns they have been driving often shift more rapidly and more completely than somatic work alone could achieve. Clients who have been working with the same nervous system pattern for years sometimes find that a single energy session reaches the root of it in a way that reorganises everything that was built on top of it.

The body and the field are in constant conversation. The nervous system and the biofield are not separate systems. They are different aspects of the same organism. What changes in one changes the other. When energy flows more freely in the field, the nervous system receives that information and has the opportunity to reorganise. When the nervous system becomes more regulated and integrated, the biofield reflects and amplifies that coherence.

This is why I created the INBODISH method. It is not a combination of two different things glued together. It is a unified approach that recognises the body, the nervous system and the energy field as three inseparable layers of the same living intelligence. Working with all of them together, in appropriate depth and sequence for each individual, is what creates the kind of lasting, integrated healing that I see in my clients over time.

What This Looks Like in Practice

In a session that integrates both approaches, the work tends to move between layers fluidly and organically depending on where I am guided and what the client's system is ready to receive.

We might begin with somatic grounding, bringing awareness into the body, tracking sensation, supporting the nervous system into a state of regulated presence. This creates the foundation of safety from which deeper work becomes possible.

From there I may move into energy work, connecting to the client's soul and field, seeing where disturbance or blockage lives and what is ready to be cleared. This might involve clearing the energy template, releasing ancestral or karmic patterns, removing interference, restoring flow or facilitating channeled guidance from the client's guides or soul record.

As the energetic clearing happens the body often responds with physical sensation, breath changes, trembling, warmth, release of held tension, tears or a deep settling. These are signs that the somatic layer is integrating the energetic shift in real time. I track these responses continuously and work at the pace that the nervous system and the energetic system can actually integrate.

The session ends with grounding and integration, helping the body and field consolidate what has shifted before the client returns to ordinary activity. Integration continues in the days following as both the nervous system and the biofield continue to reorganise.

Who This Kind of Work Is For

This integrated approach is particularly well suited for people who have already done work on themselves, who understand something of their patterns and yet feel that they are still not getting to the root of them. People who have a sense that what they are carrying is not entirely theirs, that it goes back further than their own life. People who are ready to work at the level of the soul as well as the body.

It is also for people who have experienced profound disruption, whether through trauma, grief, spiritual crisis, illness or a sense of fundamental disconnection from themselves, and who want to be met at every layer of that experience, not just the psychological or the physical.

And it is for people who are not in crisis but who are genuinely committed to their own evolution. To becoming more fully themselves. To living from a place of alignment, vitality and authentic expression rather than survival, reactivity and unconscious pattern.

If any of this resonates, your body already knows what it needs. The question is simply whether you are ready to listen.

I work with clients in person at my clinic in Balaclava Melbourne and online across Australia and internationally. Sessions integrate somatic therapy, energy healing and channeling according to what each individual needs.

Book your session: www.bmelifestyle.com/book-somatic-therapy-consultation-melbourne

Learn more about energy healing: www.bmelifestyle.com/energy-healing-melbourne

Learn more about somatic therapy: www.bmelifestyle.com/somatic-therapy

Diet for Depression - How Nutrition & Depression Are Connected

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 04:42:55 GMT

Diet for depression

Depression is often approached through psychology alone, yet mood is deeply shaped by what is happening in the body. Food influences brain chemistry, nervous system regulation, inflammation, gut health and energy production every single day.

As an Integrative Dietitian , Somatic Therapist and Sound Therapist working with depression in Melbourne , I see how nutritional patterns can either support emotional healing or quietly reinforce low mood, fatigue and anxiety.

Diet does not replace therapy.
But it strongly influences the biological terrain in which healing occurs.

How Nutrition and Depression Are Connected

Depression is associated with changes across multiple body systems, including:

• Neurotransmitter production
• Inflammation and immune activity
• Blood sugar regulation
• Gut microbiome balance
• Stress hormone output
• Cellular energy production

Food provides the raw materials that these systems depend on. When nutrition is inadequate, inconsistent or highly processed, the nervous system struggles to regulate and emotional resilience declines.

Sugar, Processed Foods and Mood Instability

Diets high in added sugar and refined foods place significant stress on the nervous system.

Refined carbohydrates and sugar cause rapid rises and falls in blood sugar. These fluctuations can drive:

• Irritability
• Low mood
• Anxiety
• Fatigue
• Emotional reactivity

Over time, repeated blood sugar instability places strain on stress response pathways and worsens symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Highly processed foods also tend to be low in vitamins and minerals required for brain function. This creates a situation where calorie intake may be high, yet nutrient availability is low.

The result is a nervous system that is under fuelled and over stressed.

Alcohol, Mood and Nutrient Depletion

Alcohol has a direct effect on the brain and nervous system. While it may feel calming in the moment, it disrupts neurotransmitter balance and acts as a depressant over time.

Importantly, alcohol also depletes key nutrients involved in mood regulation, including:

• Magnesium
• B vitamins
• Zinc
• Other metabolic cofactors

Alcohol increases nutrient loss through the kidneys and impairs absorption in the gut. Over time, this can contribute to fatigue, low mood, anxiety and reduced stress tolerance.

For people already experiencing depression, alcohol often worsens symptoms rather than relieving them.

Magnesium and Emotional Regulation

Magnesium plays a central role in nervous system regulation.

It is involved in:

• Stress response modulation
• Neurotransmitter balance
• Muscle and nerve relaxation
• Sleep quality
• Emotional steadiness

Low magnesium intake has been associated in research with higher rates of depressive and anxiety symptoms.

Diets high in sugar, processed foods and alcohol increase magnesium demand while providing very little magnesium in return. This combination can significantly strain the nervous system and worsen emotional symptoms.

When Genetics Increase Sensitivity to Diet and Stress

Not everyone responds to food in the same way.

Research in nutrigenomics shows that genetic variation influences how individuals process nutrients, regulate stress and produce neurotransmitters. Certain genetic patterns can increase sensitivity to nutrient depletion and metabolic stress.

When these genetic susceptibilities are present, diets high in sugar, refined foods and alcohol can have a more pronounced impact on mood, anxiety and stress regulation.

This does not mean genetics determine outcome.
It means that personalised nutrition becomes even more important.

Inflammation, Diet and Depression

Chronic low grade inflammation is increasingly linked with depression.

Processed foods, excess sugar and alcohol contribute to inflammatory signalling in the body. Inflammation affects brain function, neurotransmitter activity and energy metabolism.

Anti inflammatory nutrition supports:

• Brain health
• Emotional regulation
• Energy levels
• Nervous system resilience

Whole foods and dietary diversity are key protective factors.

What a Supportive Diet for Depression Looks Like

Rather than restriction or perfection, a depression supportive diet focuses on nourishment and consistency.

This typically includes:

• Regular meals to stabilise blood sugar - eating every 3-4 hours
• Adequate protein at each meal
• A wide range of vegetables and plant foods- more than 1/2 plate for lunch and dinner
• Healthy fats from whole food sources- keep to avocado, olive oil, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, walnuts
• Fibre to support gut health
• Adequate hydration and mineral intake- including herbal tea (no caffeine pls)

Consistency matters more than strict rules.

Appetite Changes and Depression

Depression often alters appetite and motivation around food.

Some people eat very little. Others rely on convenience foods due to low energy.

Both responses are understandable.

Nutritional support for depression focuses on meeting the body where it is and building capacity gradually rather than adding pressure.

Nutrition and Nervous System Healing

From a somatic perspective, the nervous system cannot regulate without sufficient fuel.

Low blood sugar, mineral depletion and inflammation all increase nervous system stress and make emotional processing more difficult.

When nutrition is stabilised, therapy becomes more effective and integration improves.

This is why I always assess nutrition alongside somatic and emotional work.

Diet Is Not a Standalone Treatment

It is important to be clear.

Diet alone does not resolve depression. Depression is multi layered and influenced by nervous system patterns, emotional history, life context and stress exposure.

Nutrition supports the body so that healing work can land and be sustained.

Diet for Depression Support in Melbourne

If you are seeking depression support in Melbourne that integrates nutrition, nervous system regulation and emotional healing, an integrative approach offers a more complete and supportive pathway.

Food is information for the body.
When the body is nourished, it has greater capacity to regulate and recover.

Ready for Personalised Support

If you would like support with diet for depression alongside somatic therapy and nervous system regulation, I invite you to book a session.

Together, we address the biological foundations that support mood, energy and emotional resilience.

Book your nutrition or somatic therapy session here

Sending love,
Anca Vereen

Integrative Dietitian, Somatic Therapist, Sound Therapist

Nervous System Symptoms of Trauma & Treatment Options

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 03:21:59 GMT

Trauma Healing with Somatic Therapy

Trauma is not defined by what happened.
It is defined by how the body and nervous system responded.

As a Somatic Therapist , Sound Therapist and Integrative Dietitian working with trauma in Melbourne , I see this every day. People often arrive knowing their story, understanding their past, and having done years of talking therapy. Yet their body still feels tense, reactive, shut down or unsafe.

This is because trauma is not stored as a memory alone.
It is stored as a nervous system pattern.

How Trauma Lives in the Nervous System

When an experience overwhelms the body’s capacity to cope, the nervous system shifts into survival.

Fight.
Flight.
Freeze.
Shutdown.

If the body is unable to complete these survival responses, the energy remains stored in the nervous system. Over time, this can show up as symptoms that feel confusing or disconnected from the original event.

Common trauma based symptoms include:

• Chronic anxiety or hyper vigilance
• Emotional numbness or dissociation
• Fatigue and heaviness
• Startle responses
• Muscle tension or pain
• Digestive issues
• Sleep disturbance
• Difficulty feeling safe in relationships
• A sense of being on guard or collapsed

These are not signs of weakness. They are adaptive nervous system responses that once served a purpose.

Why Trauma Cannot Be Healed Through Talking Alone

Talking can help make sense of experiences. But trauma does not live in language.

It lives in sensation, reflex and physiology.

When trauma is approached only cognitively, the nervous system may remain unchanged. This is why people often say they understand their trauma but still feel affected by it.

Somatic trauma therapy works because it communicates directly with the nervous system.

What Is Somatic Trauma Therapy

Somatic trauma therapy is a body based approach that supports the safe release of stored survival energy.

Rather than revisiting traumatic events, we focus on what is happening in the body in the present moment.

The work is slow, respectful and guided by your nervous system.

In my practice, somatic trauma therapy focuses on:

• Creating a felt sense of safety in the body
• Increasing nervous system capacity and flexibility
• Tracking physical sensation without overwhelm
• Supporting completion of interrupted survival responses
• Re establishing connection to the body
• Integrating emotional and physiological regulation

Healing happens not by reliving trauma, but by allowing the body to finish what it could not at the time.

How Trauma Is Released Safely in Somatic Therapy

Safety is the foundation of trauma work.

In somatic therapy, we do not push, force or flood the system. We work in small increments that the nervous system can integrate.

This process may involve:

• Noticing subtle body sensations
• Allowing gentle movement or impulses
• Supporting breath regulation
• Orienting to the present environment
• Using pauses and resourcing
• Allowing the nervous system to settle between activations

This prevents retraumatisation and supports lasting regulation.

The body leads the process. Not the story.

The Role of Sound Therapy in Trauma Healing

Sound therapy is a powerful support in trauma work because it bypasses the thinking mind and communicates directly with the nervous system.

Used intentionally, sound can:

• Support down regulation of hyper arousal
• Gently awaken shut down systems
• Improve vagal tone
• Support emotional processing without verbalisation
• Create a sense of containment and safety

Sound therapy is integrated clinically as part of a broader somatic approach.

How Nutrition can Support Trauma Biology

As an Integrative Dietitian, I also assess the biological impact of trauma.

Long term nervous system stress can affect:

• Blood sugar regulation
• Digestive function
• Hormonal balance
• Nutrient absorption
• Immune function
• Energy production

Supporting the body nutritionally helps stabilise the system so somatic work can land and integrate.

Trauma healing is not just psychological. It is physiological.

What to Expect in Somatic Trauma Therapy Sessions

Sessions are paced, collaborative and responsive to your system.

T hey may include:

• Nervous system education
• Somatic awareness and tracking
• Grounding and orientation practices
• Breath and gentle movement
• Sound therapy
• Nutritional guidance when appropriate
• Integration and resourcing

There is no pressure to disclose details or relive experiences.

We work with what your body communicates in the present moment.

Trauma Therapy in Melbourne That Prioritises Safety

If you are seeking trauma therapy in Melbourne that respects your nervous system and works at the level trauma actually lives, somatic therapy offers a deeply effective and safe pathway.

Trauma releases when the body no longer needs to stay in survival.

Ready to Begin Your Trauma Healing Journey?

If you feel ready to explore trauma healing in a grounded, body based and supportive way, I invite you to book a somatic trauma therapy session.

We work together to support your nervous system toward safety, regulation and reconnection.

Book your somatic therapy session here

Sending love,
Anca Vereen

Somatic Therapist, Sound Therapist, Integrative Dietitian

How Sound Therapy Helps Anxiety and Depression by Regulating the Nervous System

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:20:16 GMT

Sound healing for anxiety and depression

As a dietitian, somatic therapist , and sound therapist, I see anxiety and depression differently to how they are often described. They are not problems of weak thinking or lack of motivation. They are expressions of a nervous system that has been under prolonged stress and has lost its capacity to regulate.

Many of the people I work with have tried everything. Talking therapy, mindset work, medication, supplements, lifestyle changes. They understand what is happening intellectually, yet their body still feels tense, flat, overwhelmed, or disconnected. This is because anxiety and depression live in the body and nervous system, not just in the mind.

Sound therapy works because it meets the body where it is.

Anxiety and depression are nervous system states

Anxiety reflects a nervous system stuck in chronic activation. The body is in fight or flight. Thoughts race, sleep is disrupted, muscles hold tension, digestion is affected, and the system struggles to settle.
Depression often reflects the opposite pattern. The nervous system has shifted into shutdown. Energy drops, emotions feel dulled, motivation disappears, and the body feels heavy or disconnected.

Both states are forms of dysregulation. Until the nervous system feels safe enough to move out of survival mode, symptoms tend to persist regardless of how much insight someone has.

How sound therapy works with the body

Sound therapy works directly with the autonomic nervous system through frequency, vibration, and rhythm. The body does not need to analyse or understand sound. It responds instinctively.

Specific frequencies help slow brain activity, regulate breathing, soften muscle tension, and send signals of safety to the nervous system. When the body begins to feel safe, it can finally release patterns of stress that have been held beneath conscious awareness.

In my practice, I see sound therapy gently guide the nervous system out of chronic fight flight or shutdown and back toward balance. From this place, anxiety settles and depressive states begin to lift without force.

Why sound therapy feels safe and accessible

Many people with anxiety or depression feel exhausted by having to explain themselves or revisit painful experiences. Sound therapy offers a non verbal, non invasive pathway into healing.

There is no pressure to talk, perform, or relive past events. The body is supported to unwind at its own pace. This makes sound therapy particularly helpful for people who feel burnt out, emotionally overloaded, or disconnected from their body.

Sound creates a felt sense of safety. From this state, the nervous system can begin to reorganise naturally.

Emotional release without re activation

As a somatic therapist, I am deeply mindful of how easily healing approaches can overwhelm a sensitive nervous system. Sound therapy supports emotional release without forcing recall or re exposure.

As the nervous system s ettles, emotions that have been held down or held tight can soften and move through in a contained and supported way. Clients often describe feeling calmer, lighter, clearer, and more connected to themselves after sessions.

Supporting lasting change through integration

Sound therapy is not a quick fix. In my work, it is part of an integrative approach that includes somatic therapy, nutritional therapy, and lifestyle support.

As a dietitian, I also address the physiological foundations of nervous system health, including blood sugar balance, nutrient status, inflammation, and gut brain communication. When the body is nourished and the nervous system is supported, healing becomes far more sustainable.

Over time, clients often notice:

Reduced anxiety and emotional reactivity
Improved mood and energy
Better sleep and digestion
Increased resilience and clarity
A stronger sense of connection to self

A different way to heal anxiety and depression

Sound therapy offers a gentle, effective, body led way to support anxiety and depression by working with the nervous system rather than trying to override it.

If you feel stuck despite understanding your symptoms, it may be time to support your body, not just your mind.

If you are ready to explore this approach, you are welcome to book a session and begin your healing in a way that feels safe, grounded, and supportive.

Sending love,
Anca Vereen
Somatic Therapist, Sound Therapist, Integrative Dietitian

Nervous System Regulation Techniques That Really Work

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 03:39:31 GMT

Nervous system healing with somatic therapy

When stress, anxiety or burnout build over time, the nervous system rarely gets a chance to reset. Many people try to rest, think positively or push through, yet their body remains tense, alert or depleted.

In my work as a Somatic Therapist , Sound Therapist and Integrative Dietitian in Melbourne, I see this daily. Regulation is not about doing more. It is about supporting the nervous system to return to balance through simple, consistent signals of safety.

The nervous system does not reset through force.
It resets through experience.

Why Nervous System Regulation Matters

Your nervous system shapes how you experience stress, emotions, focus, sleep and energy.

When it is overloaded, you may notice:

• Constant tension or restlessness
• Feeling wired yet exhausted
• Difficulty switching off
• Emotional reactivity or numbness
• Digestive discomfort
• Poor sleep
• Brain fog or low motivation

These are signs that the system is spending too much time in activation and not enough time in recovery.

Regulation restores flexibility. This allows the body to respond to life without staying stuck in stress.

What Regulating the Nervous System Actually Means

Nervous system regulation does not mean being calm all the time.

It means having the ability to move between activation and rest smoothly.

A regulated nervous system can:

• Mobilise when needed
• Settle when the demand passes
• Recover efficiently
• Maintain energy and clarity

Somatic approaches work because they communicate directly with the nervous system rather than trying to override it.

Simple Nervous System Reset Practices You Can Use Daily

These practices are gentle, accessible and effective when used consistently. They are not techniques to master, but experiences that support regulation.

1. Orientation to Safety

Take a moment to slowly look around the room. Notice colours, shapes and points of stability. Let your eyes land on something neutral or pleasant.

This signals safety to the nervous system and supports settling.

Use this when you feel anxious, overwhelmed or disconnected.

2. Grounded Breathing

Place one hand on your chest and one on your lower ribs or belly. Allow the breath to deepen without forcing.

Slower and longer exhalation supports parasympathetic regulation and helps reduce internal tension.

A few minutes is enough to shift state.

3. Gentle Movement

Small movements such as rolling the shoulders, swaying, stretching or standing and shifting weight can support nervous system organisation.

Movement helps discharge accumulated stress and restores circulation and awareness.

This is especially supportive during long periods of sitting or mental load.

4. Sensory Regulation

Notice what soothes your senses. This may include:

• Soft lighting
• Reduced noise
• Warmth
• Comfortable textures
• Natural light or greenery

Reducing sensory input gives the nervous system space to recover.

5. Sound Based Regulation

Sound can support nervous system settling without requiring mental effort.

Gentle sound, rhythm or vibration can help regulate breath, heart rate and emotional state. This is why sound therapy is so effective for stress and burnout.

Listening with awareness rather than distraction allows the body to respond.

Regulating Stress Anxiety and Burnout Over Time

Short resets help in the moment. Sustainable regulation comes from repetition and pacing.

Burnout often develops when recovery is consistently postponed.

Supporting your nervous system daily helps prevent stress from accumulating and improves resilience over time.

The Role of Nutrition in Nervous System Regulation

As an Integrative Dietitian, I always consider biological contributors to nervous system stress.

Common factors include:

• Irregular eating patterns
• Blood sugar instability
• Inadequate protein intake
• Mineral depletion
• High stimulant use
• Chronic stress demands

Nutritional stability supports nervous system resilience and makes regulation practices more effective.

When Self Regulation Is Not Enough

There are times when stress, anxiety or burnout overwhelm the nervous system’s capacity to self regulate.

This is where somatic therapy becomes valuable.

Somatic therapy provides guided support to help the nervous system settle, reorganise and build capacity safely.

Nervous System Support in Melbourne

If you are seeking nervous system support in Melbourne that integrates body based therapy, sound therapy and nutritional foundations, somatic therapy offers a grounded and effective pathway.

Regulation is not about fixing yourself.
It is about supporting your system to return to its natural rhythm.

Ready to Go Deeper

If stress, anxiety or burnout feel persistent and you would like personalised support to regulate your nervous system, I invite you to book a somatic therapy session.

Book your somatic therapy session here

Sending love,
Anca Vereen

Somatic Therapist, Sound Therapist, Integrative Dietitian

Signs of ADHD in Adults & Different ADHD Treatment & Therapy Options

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 03:32:48 GMT

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Many people seeking ADHD therapy describe the same experience. Focus comes and goes. Overwhelm builds quickly. Energy fluctuates. The body feels either overstimulated or depleted.

In my work as a Somatic Therapist, Sound Therapist and Integrative Dietitian , ADHD consistently presents as a pattern of nervous system regulation rather than a simple cognitive or behavioural issue.

Attention, motivation and emotional regulation are all shaped by how the nervous system processes stimulation, stress and safety.

How ADHD Is Experienced in the Nervous System

ADHD commonly involves challenges with regulating arousal. This affects how the body responds to internal and external input.

People may experience the following ADHD symptoms:

• Rapid mental and physical activation
• Difficulty sustaining attention
• Sensory sensitivity to sound light or touch
• Restlessness or internal agitation
• Emotional intensity
• Mental fatigue and burnout
• Difficulty transitioning between tasks
• Periods of shutdown after overstimulation

These experiences are mediated through the autonomic nervous system, which governs attention, energy and emotional regulation.

Why Focus Fluctuates Under Stress

Focus depends on nervous system stability.

When the system is overstimulated, attention fragments.
When it is under activated, energy and motivation drop.

Many people with ADHD notice that focus improves in states of interest or urgency and deteriorates under pressure, overload or fatigue. This reflects shifts in nervous system activation rather than effort or intention.

Somatic ADHD therapy supports regulation so attention becomes more accessible and sustainable.

What Is Somatic ADHD Therapy

Somatic ADHD therapy is a body based approach that works with the nervous system to support regulation, sensory processing and emotional capacity.

Rather than trying to override symptoms, therapy focuses on creating internal conditions that support attention and resilience.

In my practice, this includes:

• Supporting nervous system regulation
• Improving sensory integration
• Increasing awareness of internal signals
• Reducing chronic overwhelm
• Supporting transitions between activation and rest
• Building capacity rather than control

As regulation improves, focus and clarity tend to follow.

How the Body Contributes to ADHD Patterns

ADHD is often accompanied by physical patterns such as:

• Tension or restlessness in the body
• Shallow or irregular breathing
• Digestive discomfort
• Sleep disturbance
• Rapid fatigue after periods of effort

Somatic therapy works directly with these physical patterns, helping the nervous system organise more efficiently.

The Role of Sound Therapy in ADHD Support

Sound therapy is a valuable tool in ADHD work because it supports regulation without cognitive effort.

Sound and vibration can help:

• Settle sensory overload
• Support sustained attention
• Reduce internal noise
• Improve sleep and recovery
• Support emotional regulation

Sound is used intentionally and clinically as part of an integrated somatic approach.

How Nutrition Influences ADHD, Focus and Regulation

As an Integrative Dietitian, I assess biological factors that influence nervous system stability.

These may include:

• Blood sugar variability
• Inadequate protein intake
• Micronutrient depletion
• Gut irritation or inflammation
• Stimulant sensitivity
• Stress related nutritional demands

Supporting the body nutritionally helps stabilise energy and improves the effectiveness of therapy.

What to Expect in Somatic ADHD Therapy Sessions

Sessions are structured, responsive and adapted to your nervous system.

They may include:

• Education on nervous system regulation
• Somatic awareness and tracking
• Breath based regulation
• Gentle movement to support focus
• Sound therapy
• Nutritional guidance when appropriate
• Practical integration strategies

There is no expectation to sit still, concentrate continuously or engage in therapy in a rigid way.

Sessions meet your system where it is.

ADHD Therapy in Melbourne That Works With the Whole System

When therapy addresses the nervous system directly, people often notice improvements in focus, emotional regulation, energy and resilience.

Somatic ADHD therapy offers a grounded and effective pathway for those seeking ADHD therapy in Melbourne that integrates body, nervous system and biology.

Ready to Begin your ADHD Healing Journey?

If focus and overwhelm are impacting your daily life and you are seeking ADHD support that works with your nervous system, I invite you to book a somatic ADHD therapy session.

Book your somatic therapy session here

Sending love,
Anca Vereen

Somatic Therapist, Sound Therapist, Integrative Dietitian

The Differences Between Brainspotting & EMDR Therapies

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 04:29:58 GMT

How Brainspotting gives better results than EMDR

If you are searching for trauma therapy in Melbourne , you have likely come across both Brainspotting and EMDR. While both approaches work with the brain and nervous system, the way they engage the body and support integration can feel very different.

In my work as a Somatic Therapist , Sound Therapist and Integrative Dietitian in Melbourne, Brainspotting consistently supports deeper regulation, safer processing and more sustainable change for many people, particularly those with complex trauma, chronic stress or nervous system sensitivity.

This is not about one method being right or wrong. It is about how the nervous system responds and what allows healing to unfold safely.

How Trauma Is Stored in the Nervous System

Trauma is held below conscious awareness in parts of the brain responsible for survival, sensation and reflex. These systems respond to safety, pacing and attunement rather than logic or effort.

When the nervous system has been overwhelmed, it may remain in patterns of hyper alertness, shutdown or oscillation between the two. This is why trauma often continues to affect the body even when the story is understood.

Effective trauma therapy must work at this nervous system level.

Brainspotting vs EMDR: Key Differences

Both Brainspotting and EMDR use eye position and bilateral input, but their clinical application and nervous system impact differ.

How EMDR Works

EMDR follows a structured protocol that involves recalling specific memories while bilateral stimulation is applied. This can be effective for some people, particularly when the nervous system is relatively stable.

For others, especially those with complex or developmental trauma, the pace and structure can feel activating or overwhelming, making integration more difficult.

How Brainspotting Works

Brainspotting identifies eye positions that access subcortical brain regions where trauma is stored. Once a brainspot is located, the nervous system is given space to process organically.

There is no requirement to relive memories or explain experiences verbally. The process unfolds through body sensation, nervous system shifts and internal regulation.

This allows the body to lead the healing process.

Learn more about brainspotting .

Why Brainspotting Often Feels Safer for Trauma Healing

Safety is central to trauma recovery.

Brainspotting prioritises nervous system regulation before integration. The pace is slower, more contained and responsive to moment by moment signals from the body.

People often describe Brainspotting as:

• Deeply grounding
• Subtle yet powerful
• Less overwhelming
• Easier to integrate between sessions
• Supportive of emotional and physical settling

Because the nervous system sets the pace, defensive responses are less likely to activate.

Brainspotting as a Somatic Trauma Therapy

Brainspotting is inherently body based.

Sessions are guided by:

• Changes in breath
• Muscle tone and posture
• Sensation and movement impulses
• Emotional shifts
• Autonomic nervous system responses

Attention stays with present moment body experience rather than narrative. This allows trauma to release at the level it is stored, without forcing or retraumatisation.

Integration Matters More Than Speed

One of the most important factors in trauma therapy is how well changes integrate into daily life.

When processing moves faster than nervous system capacity, people may feel unsettled, fatigued or emotionally reactive after sessions.

Brainspotting supports integration as part of the therapeutic process. This often results in:

• Greater emotional stability
• Improved sleep
• Reduced reactivity
• Increased capacity over time
• Fewer post session after effects

Healing becomes steady and sustainable rather than intense and destabilising.

The Role of Attunement in Brainspotting

Brainspotting places strong emphasis on therapist presence and attunement. Trauma healing occurs in relationship and safety.

Feeling seen, paced and supported allows the nervous system to relax protective patterns that have been held for a long time.

This relational safety is one of the reasons Brainspotting is often experienced as deeper and more effective.

Supporting Brainspotting With Sound and Nutrition

In my practice, Brainspotting is often integrated with sound therapy and nutritional support.

Sound therapy supports nervous system regulation during and after sessions.
Nutrition supports the biological foundations needed for processing and recovery.

Trauma healing is not only psychological. It is neurological and physiological.

Is Brainspotting Better Than EMDR for Trauma

Brainspotting is often particularly helpful when:

• Trauma is complex or long standing
• There is nervous system sensitivity or overwhelm
• Dissociation or shutdown is present
• Talking feels difficult or exhausting
• Previous therapies have not fully integrated

The most effective therapy is the one your nervous system can stay present with.

Brainspotting Therapy in Melbourne

If you are seeking Brainspotting therapy in Melbourne that works deeply with the nervous system, body awareness and regulation, this approach offers a grounded and respectful pathway to trauma healing.

Healing does not need to be forceful to be effective.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Brainspotting safe for trauma
Yes. Brainspotting is designed to prioritise nervous system safety and pacing.

How many Brainspotting sessions are needed
This varies. Some people notice shifts within a few sessions, while complex trauma work may be longer term.

Do I need to talk about my trauma in detail
No. Brainspotting does not require verbal retelling of experiences.

Can Brainspotting help if EMDR was too intense
Yes. Many people choose Brainspotting after finding other approaches difficult to integrate.

Ready to Explore Brainspotting Therapy

If you are curious about Brainspotting or seeking trauma therapy in Melbourne that works at the level of the nervous system, I invite you to book a session.

Together, we support safe regulation, integration and lasting change.

Book your Brainspotting or somatic therapy session here

Sending love,
Anca Vereen

Somatic Therapist, Sound Therapist, Integrative Dietitian

Why Talk Therapy Alone Often Falls Short for Trauma, Anxiety, and Depression

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 00:30:57 GMT

Holistic Somatic Therapy help for Anxiety, Depression & Trauma

As a Somatic Therapist, Sound Therapist, and Dietitian , many of the people who come to see me say the same thing.
They understand their story. They can explain what happened. They know why they feel the way they do.
Yet their body is still tense, anxious, shut down, exhausted, or emotionally flat.

This is where talk therapy alone often reaches its limits.

Trauma, anxiety, and depression live in the nervous system

Trauma, anxiety, and depression are not thinking problems. They are nervous system states.

Trauma reflects a body that learned to survive overwhelming or unresolved experiences.
Anxiety reflects a nervous system stuck in ongoing activation.
Depression often reflects a system that has collapsed into shutdown after prolonged stress.

These patterns are stored in the body through muscle tension, breath restriction, hormonal shifts, immune changes, digestion issues, sleep disruption, and altered brain chemistry. Talking can bring insight, but insight does not automatically regulate the nervous system.

You can understand everything and still feel stuck.

Why insight alone does not create change

Talk therapy works primarily through the thinking brain. It helps you name experiences, make sense of them, and reframe beliefs. This can be helpful, but it assumes the body is already regulated enough to integrate what is being discussed.

For many people with traum a, anxiety , or depression, the nervous system is not in that state.

When the body is in survival mode, it does not respond to logic, reassurance, or positive thinking. It responds to cues of safety or threat. If safety is not present at a physiological level, symptoms persist regardless of insight.

This is why people often say:

I know it is not rational but my body reacts anyway
I understand my trauma but I still feel on edge
I can talk about it but nothing shifts
I feel worse after sessions

When talk therapy can increase overwhelm

For sensitive or traumatised nervous systems , talking can sometimes increase activation. Revisiting experiences verbally can trigger the same physiological stress response that originally formed the pattern.

This does not mean talk therapy is wrong. It means it is incomplete when used on its own for nervous system based conditions.

Without supporting the body, therapy can feel effortful, draining, or repetitive.

How a somatic approach changes the outcome

Somatic therapy works directly with the body and nervous system where trauma, anxiety, and depression are held.

Rather than analysing or retelling events, somatic approaches support the nervous system to settle, reorganise, and regain flexibility. When the body feels safe enough, thoughts, emotions, and behaviours shift naturally.

In my work, I use body based methods that support regulation first. As regulation increases, clarity, emotional range, and resilience return without forcing change.

This is where talk therapy becomes effective again. Not as the driver, but as an integrative tool layered on top of a regulated system.

Supporting healing at the root

True healing happens when the body is included.

This means:

Supporting nervous system regulation
Restoring physiological safety
Addressing nutritional and metabolic stressors
Working with sensation, breath, and internal awareness
Allowing emotions to move without overwhelm

When the body shifts out of survival mode, anxiety settles, depressive states lift, and trauma responses soften. Not because they were talked away, but because the system no longer needs them.

A somatic and holistic approach to trauma, anxiety, and depression therapy

Talk therapy can be valuable. But for many people, it is not enough on its own.

If you have tried talking and still feel stuck, overwhelmed, or disconnected, it may be time to work with your body rather than against it.

A somatic and integrative approach supports healing from the inside out, where lasting change actually occurs.

If you are ready to explore trauma therapy, anxiety treatment, or depression therapy that works with your nervous system and whole physiology, you are welcome to reach out at www.bmelifestyle.com and book your first somatic therapy session.

Your body already knows how to heal when it is given the right conditions.

Sending love,
Anca Vereen
Somatic Therapist, Sound Therapist, Integrative Dietitian

Anxiety Treatment: How Somatic Therapy Calms Anxiety in the Body and Nervous System

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 01:17:36 GMT

Anxiety treatment using somatic therapy

If you are living with anxiety, you already know this truth
Anxiety is not just in the mind.
It lives in the body.

As a Somatic Therapist , Sound Therapist and Integrative Dietitian working with anxiety every day in Melbourne, I see this over and over. People come to therapy having tried to think their way out of anxiety. They have insight, awareness and intelligence. Yet their body remains tense, alert, reactive and exhausted.

This is because anxiety is a nervous system pattern, not a mindset problem.

Anxiety is a Body Based Experience

Anxiety shows up through the autonomic nervous system. This is the part of your system responsible for survival, safety and threat detection.

When the nervous system perceives danger, whether real or remembered, the body responds automatically through:

• Tight chest or throat
• Shallow breathing
• Gut discomfort or nausea
• Racing thoughts
• Muscle tension
• Restlessness or freeze
• Sound and light sensitivity
• Poor sleep and fatigue

No amount of positive thinking can override a nervous system that is stuck in protection mode.

This is where somatic therapy becomes essential.

What Is Somatic Therapy for Anxiety

Somatic therapy is a body based approach to healing anxiety. Instead of analysing symptoms, we work directly with the sensations, signals and responses held in the body and nervous system.

In my practice, somatic therapy focuses on helping your system learn safety again.

Not conceptually.
Physiologically.

We work with:

• Interoception your ability to feel inside your body
• Nervous system regulation
• Breath and vagal tone
• Movement and micro regulation
• Touch and grounding when appropriate
• Sound and vibration
• Nutritional and biochemical support

Anxiety reduces when the body no longer feels under threat.

How Somatic Therapy Calms the Nervous System

Anxiety is driven by sympathetic nervous system dominance. This is the fight or flight response.

Somatic therapy gently guides the body back toward parasympathetic regulation, where rest, digestion, repair and emotional processing occur.

In sessions, we slow things down. We track sensation. We notice what the body is doing before the mind explains it.

This allows the nervous system to discharge stored survival energy rather than recycling it as anxiety.

Over time, the body learns:

• I am safe in this moment
• I can settle without forcing
• I can feel without becoming overwhelmed
• I do not need to stay on guard

This learning happens at a cellular and neurological level.

The Role of Sound Therapy in Anxiety Treatment

Sound therapy is a powerful nervous system regulator.

Sound bypasses the thinking mind and communicates directly with the body and brainstem. Specific frequencies help downshift arousal, soften muscular tension and support vagal nerve activation.

In anxiety treatment, sound therapy can:

• Reduce hyper vigilance
• Support emotional release
• Improve sleep quality
• Calm digestive symptoms
• Create a felt sense of safety

I integrate sound intentionally and clinically, not as a performance, but as a regulation tool that works with your unique nervous system.

Nutrition and Anxiety Are Deeply Connected

As an Integrative Dietitian, I always assess the biological foundations of anxiety.

Anxiety is often amplified by:

• Blood sugar instability
• Mineral deficiencies
• Poor protein intake
• Gut inflammation
• Caffeine sensitivity
• Hormonal shifts
• Chronic stress depletion

Nutritional support does not replace therapy, but it creates the internal conditions for regulation to hold.

A nervous system cannot settle if the body is under nourished or biochemically stressed.

Why Talk Therapy Alone Often Falls Short for Anxiety

Talking about anxiety can be helpful. But when anxiety lives in the body, insight alone is not enough.

Many people understand why they feel anxious yet continue to experience symptoms.

Somatic therapy works because it meets anxiety at its source.

The body.

When the body feels safe, the mind follows.

What You Can Expect from Somatic Therapy Sessions

My approach is personalised, paced and collaborative.

Sessions may include:

• Nervous system mapping
• Somatic awareness and tracking
• Breath and grounding practices
• Gentle movement
• Sound healing for nervous system regulation
• Nutritional guidance where relevant
• Space for emotional integration

There is no forcing, no pushing and no reliving of trauma.

We work with what your system is ready for.

Anxiety Treatment in Melbourne That Works With Your Whole System

Anxiety does not mean something is wrong with you.
It means your system has learned to protect.

When we work with the body and nervous system directly, anxiety can soften, regulate and resolve at the root.

If you are looking for anxiety treatment in Melbourne that goes beyond coping strategies and actually supports lasting regulation, somatic therapy may be the missing piece.

Ready to Begin

If you feel called to work with your body rather than against it, I invite you to book a somatic therapy session.

Together, we support your nervous system to settle, regulate and find its natural rhythm again.

Book your somatic therapy session here

Sending love,
Anca Vereen

Somatic Therapist, Sound Therapist, Integrative Dietitian

Sound Healing for Emotional Trauma: A Safe Way to Release What Words Cannot

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 00:42:18 GMT

Sound healing therapy for trauma

As a somatic therapist , sound therapist, and integrative dietitian , I often work with people who have already done a lot of talking. They understand their trauma. They can describe what happened. They know how it affected them. Yet their body still feels tense, overwhelmed, numb, or stuck in survival.

This is because emotional trauma is not stored in language. It is stored in the nervous system.

Sound healing works because it reaches the body in a way words cannot.

Emotional trauma lives below conscious awareness

Emotional trauma is held through patterns of muscle tension, breath restriction, altered nervous system responses, and changes in brain chemistry. These patterns form automatically as the body learns how to survive experiences that felt overwhelming, unsafe, or unsupported.

The thinking mind may move on, but the body remembers.

This is why many people experience symptoms such as:

Chronic tension or pain
Anxiety or emotional reactivity
Low energy or emotional flatness
Difficulty relaxing or sleeping
Feeling disconnected from self or others

These are not failures of insight. They are signs of a nervous system still doing its job.

Why sound healing is uniquely supportive for trauma

Sound healing works directly with the nervous system through vibration, frequency, and rhythm. The body responds instinctively, without needing to analyse, recall, or explain anything.

Unlike approaches that rely on verbal processing, sound therapy allows the nervous system to soften and reorganise at a physiological level. This makes it especially supportive for emotional trauma, where safety and regulation are essential.

Sound creates a felt sense of containment. From this state, the body can begin to release stored stress gradually and safely.

A non verbal pathway to emotional release

Many people with trauma find it exhausting or overwhelming to talk about their experiences. Sound healing offers a non verbal pathway to release without forcing expression.

As the nervous system settles, emotions that have been held beneath the surface may gently move through. This often happens without images, stories, or cognitive effort. Clients frequently describe feeling lighter, clearer, calmer, or more present after sessions.

This is emotional healing through the body, not through reliving the past.

Supporting safety for sensitive nervous systems

One of the reasons sound therapy is so effective for trauma is that it works within the body’s tolerance. There is no pushing, no re exposure, and no demand to process faster than the nervous system can handle.

For people with developmental trauma, medical trauma, chronic stress, or emotional overwhelm, this gentle approach can be profoundly regulating.

Sound supports the autonomic nervous system to shift out of survival states and into rest and restoration. From here, healing becomes possible.

Integrating sound healing with somatic therapy

In my work, sound therapy is often combined with somatic therapy to deepen integration. Somatic approaches support awareness of internal sensations, restore brain body communication, and build the capacity to stay present without overwhelm.

Sound helps the body settle. Somatic therapy helps the body reorganise. Together, they support emotional healing at the root.

This integrated approach allows trauma patterns to resolve naturally, rather than being managed or suppressed.

A different way to heal emotional trauma

You do not need to relive what happened to heal. Your body does not need more explanations. It needs safety, regulation, and support.

Sound healing offers a gentle and effective way to release emotional trauma by working directly with the nervous system, where healing actually occurs.

If you feel stuck despite understanding your story, this approach may offer a path forward that finally feels supportive.

When the body is given the right conditions, it knows how to let go.

Sound healing sessions can be done remotely or in person in Melbourne .

Book your sound healing sessions here

Sending love,
Anca Vereen
Somatic Therapist, Sound Therapist, Integrative Dietitian

Common Signs You May Need Support With Depression & What To Expect During Therapy

Tue, 11 Nov 2025 03:13:55 GMT

Depression signs indicating you need somatic therapy

Depression rarely arrives loudly.
More often, it settles quietly into the body.

As a Somatic Therapist , Sound Therapist and Integrative Dietitian working with depression in Melbourne , I see many people who delay seeking support because they are still functioning. Working. Caring. Showing up.

Yet inside, their body feels heavy, flat, tired or disconnected.

Depression is not just a mood.
It is a whole body experience.

Common Signs You May Need Support for Depression

Depression does not look the same for everyone. You do not need to feel hopeless or unable to get out of bed to benefit from therapy.

Y ou may want to consider support if you notice:

• Persistent fatigue or heaviness in the body
• Feeling flat, numb or emotionally muted
• Loss of motivation or joy
• Disconnection from yourself or others
• Brain fog or slowed thinking
• Changes in sleep or appetite
• A sense of shutdown or withdrawal
• Anxiety alongside low mood
• Your body feels stuck, tense or collapsed

These are not character flaws or weaknesses. They are nervous system signals.

Why Depression Is Felt in the Body

Depression is often the result of a nervous system that has been under prolonged stress.

When stress or emotional load continues without enough safety or resolution, the body may move into a conservation state. This is a biological response designed to protect and preserve energy.

In this state, the body may reduce:

• Energy output
• Emotional range
• Motivation
• Digestive and hormonal efficiency
• Engagement with the world

This is why depression cannot be fully addressed through mindset alone.

The nervous system needs support.

What Is Somatic Depression Therapy

Somatic depression therapy is a body based approach that works directly with the nervous system rather than focusing only on thoughts or behaviour.

Instead of asking you to talk your way out of depression, we listen to what your body is communicating and support it to move toward regulation and vitality again.

In my work, somatic therapy for depression focuses on:

• Restoring a felt sense of safety
• Gently bringing energy back into the body
• Supporting emotional processing without overwhelm
• Increasing body awareness and connection
• Helping the nervous system come out of shutdown

This happens gradually and respectfully, at the pace your system can tolerate.

What to Expect in Somatic Depression Therapy Sessions

Sessions are calm, grounded and tailored to you.

Depending on your needs, sessions may include:

• Nervous system education so you understand what is happening in your body
• Somatic awareness and tracking of physical sensation
• Breath based regulation
• Gentle movement to support energy flow
• Sound therapy to support nervous system settling
• Nutritional guidance when biology is contributing to low mood
• Integration and reflection

There is no pressure to relive past experiences or explain everything intellectually.

We work with what your body is ready to process.

The Role of Sound Therapy in Depression Support

Sound therapy is especially supportive for depression because it works below the level of thought.

Sound and vibration can:

• Gently stimulate a shut down nervous system
• Support emotional release without verbal processing
• Improve sleep and relaxation
• Increase body awareness and presence
• Create a sense of internal spaciousness

Sound therapy is used intentionally as part of an integrated approach, not as a standalone experience.

Nutrition and Depression Are Closely Linked

As an Integrative Dietitian , I always consider the biological foundations of depression.

Low mood and fatigue are often influenced by:

• Blood sugar instability
• Inadequate protein intake
• Mineral and micronutrient depletion
• Gut inflammation
• Hormonal changes
• Chronic stress load

Nutritional support helps create the physiological stability needed for therapy to be effective and sustainable.

Why a Body Based Approach Is So Effective for Depression

Depression is not something to push through.

When therapy works with the nervous system rather than against it, the body can gradually re engage with life.

As regulation improves, people often notice:

• Increased energy
• Greater emotional range
• Improved sleep
• Clearer thinking
• A sense of connection returning
• More capacity to engage with work and relationships

These changes happen because the body is no longer conserving energy for survival.

Finding a Depression Therapist in Melbourne

If you are looking for a depression therapist in Melbourne who works holistically with the body, nervous system and biology, somatic therapy offers a deeply supportive pathway.

You do not need to wait until things feel unbearable to seek support.

Ready to Take the Next Step towards a More Integrated you?

If you feel that your body and nervous system are asking for support, I invite you to book a somatic depression therapy session.

Together, we work gently and effectively to support your system back toward balance and vitality.

Book your somatic therapy session here

Sending love,
Anca Vereen

Somatic Therapist, Sound Therapist, Integrative Dietitian

How You Experience Anxiety & Depression In Your Nervous System

Sat, 01 Nov 2025 03:05:00 GMT

Depression and anxiety treatment in Melbourne

Depression and anxiety are often spoken about as mental health conditions. Yet if you live with them, you know this is only part of the story.

They are felt in the body.

As a Somatic Therapist, Sound Therapist and Integrative Dietitian working with clients across Melbourne, I see daily how depression and anxiety show up physically long before they are understood emotionally or cognitively.

Low mood, heaviness, shutdown, anxiety, restlessness, tension, fatigue and numbness are not thoughts.
They are nervous system states.

Depression and Anxiety Are Nervous System Experiences

Depression and anxiety sit on the same nervous system spectrum.

Anxiety reflects a system stuck in mobilisation.
Depression reflects a system that has collapsed or shut down after prolonged stress.

Both are protective responses of the body.

You may experience this as:

• Tight chest or pressure
• Heavy limbs or exhaustion
• Shallow or restricted breathing
• Gut symptoms and appetite changes
• Brain fog or slowed thinking
• Emotional numbness or overwhelm
• Poor sleep or early waking

These are not random symptoms. They are signals from your nervous system.

Why You Cannot Think Your Way Out of Depression or Anxiety

Insight does not automatically create regulation.

Many people understand their story, patterns and triggers, yet their body remains dysregulated. This happens because the nervous system does not respond to logic. It responds to safety.

When the body does not feel safe, it stays in survival mode.

Somatic therapy works because it communicates with the nervous system directly.

What Somatic Therapy Is and Why It Works

Somatic therapy is a body based approach that supports healing by working with sensation, movement, breath and nervous system regulation.

Instead of analysing symptoms, we gently explore how your body holds depression or anxiety and what it needs to settle.

In my work, somatic therapy focuses on:

• Restoring safety in the body
• Supporting nervous system flexibility
• Increasing capacity to feel without overwhelm
• Reconnecting awareness to physical sensation
• Rebuilding energy and vitality over time

Healing happens when the body learns that it no longer needs to stay in protection.

How Depression Lives in the Body

Depression often reflects a nervous system that has moved into conservation mode.

This can feel like:

• Heaviness
• Low motivation
• Emotional flatness
• Slowed digestion
• Chronic fatigue
• Withdrawal from connection

Somatic therapy gently brings movement, sensation and energy back online without forcing or pushing.

Small shifts create safety. Safety allows vitality to return.

How Anxiety Lives in the Body

Anxiety reflects a nervous system that is constantly scanning for threat.

This can feel like:

• Restlessness
• Tension
• Racing thoughts
• Digestive upset
• Shallow breathing
• Inability to fully relax

Somatic therapy helps the body complete stress responses and return to regulation rather than staying locked in alert.

The Role of Sound Therapy in Depression and Anxiety

Sound therapy works directly with the nervous system through vibration and frequency.

It supports:

• Downshifting arousal
• Emotional processing without overthinking
• Regulation of breath and heart rate
• Improved sleep quality
• A felt sense of safety and grounding

Sound bypasses the thinking mind and meets the body where it is.

The Importance of Nutrition in Nervous System Healing

As an Integrative Dietitian, I always assess the biological contributors to depression and anxiety.

Common factors include:

• Blood sugar instability
• Low protein intake
• Mineral deficiencies
• Gut inflammation
• Hormonal shifts
• Chronic stress depletion

Without adequate nourishment, the nervous system struggles to regulate.

Nutrition supports the physiological foundation that therapy builds upon.

Why a Body Based Approach Creates Lasting Change

Depression and anxiety are not signs of weakness. They are adaptive responses to stress, trauma and overwhelm.

When therapy works with the body rather than trying to override it, change becomes sustainable.

Somatic therapy allows healing to occur at the level where depression and anxiety actually live.

The nervous system.

What to Expect in Somatic Therapy Sessions

Sessions are personalised, paced and responsive to your system.

They may include:

• Nervous system education
• Somatic awareness and tracking
• Breath and grounding practices
• Gentle movement
• Sound therapy
• Nutritional guidance where appropriate
• Integration and reflection

There is no forcing and no pressure to perform.

We work with what your body is ready to process.

Depression and Anxiety Therapy in Melbourne

If you are looking for depression and anxiety support in Melbourne that honours your whole system, somatic therapy offers a deeply effective pathway.

When the body feels safe, energy returns.
When energy returns, clarity and connection follow.

Ready to Begin your journey back to Yourself?

If you feel ready to work with your body and nervous system in a supportive and grounded way, I invite you to book a somatic therapy session.

Book your somatic therapy session here :)

Sending love,
Anca Vereen

Somatic Therapist, Sound Therapist, Integrative Dietitian

What Nutrients and Foods Can Help Reduce Anxiety Naturally?

anca@ancavereen.com (ANCA VEREEN) — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 11:07:27 GMT

HOW NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES IMPACT ANXIETY

As a somatic therapist and integrative dietitian , I often hear this question: “Can food really help reduce anxiety?” The answer is a wholehearted yes.

Our bodies are deeply interconnected. What we eat affects our mood, sleep, nervous system, and ability to regulate emotions. But beyond just food choices, nutrient deficiencies can actually make anxiety worse. Today, I’ll share which nutrients and foods can calm your nervous system , support mood balance, and help you feel more grounded.

How Nutrient Deficiencies Impact Anxiety

When we’re low in key nutrients, our bodies struggle to:

Produce calming neurotransmitters like serotonin and GABA
Regulate stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline
Support healthy sleep – essential for resilience and balance
Maintain stable blood sugar – low blood sugar can trigger panic and irritability

If you’re experiencing anxiety, mood swings, poor sleep, or feeling overwhelmed , it’s worth considering whether deficiencies in nutrients like magnesium, B vitamins, iron, and omega-3s are playing a role.

Key Nutrients and Foods for Calming Anxiety

Magnesium – The Relaxation Mineral

Magnesium helps your muscles relax, supports deep sleep, and calms an overactive nervous system. Deficiency is common, especially in stressed individuals.
Sources of magnesium : Dark leafy greens, pumpkin seeds, almonds, black beans, and whole grains.

B Vitamins – The Energy and Mood Boosters

B vitamins (especially B6, B9, and B12) are essential for making neurotransmitters that keep you calm and focused. Deficiencies can contribute to fatigue, irritability, and low resilience.
Sources of B Vitamins : Lentils, chickpeas, leafy greens, eggs, fortified nutritional yeast.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids – Anti-Inflammatory Mood Support

Omega-3s reduce inflammation and support brain health, mood stability, and cognitive clarity. They help modulate the stress response and can ease anxiety and depression symptoms.
Sources of Omega-3 Fatty Acids : Chia seeds, flaxseeds, walnuts, algae oil, and (for non-vegans) oily fish.

Zinc – Immune and Mood Regulator

Zinc supports a healthy stress response and balances neurotransmitters. Deficiency can show up as brain fog, low mood, or anxiety .
Sources of Zinc : Pumpkin seeds, cashews, chickpeas, quinoa.

Iron – Oxygen and Energy Carrier

Low iron levels can lead to fatigue, restlessness, poor sleep, and increased anxiety . It’s essential for oxygen delivery to the brain and energy metabolism.
Sources of Iron : Lentils, spinach, quinoa, fortified cereals, pumpkin seeds.

L-Theanine – Natural Calm

Found in green tea, L-theanine promotes alpha brain waves, associated with relaxation and calm focus. It’s a gentle, natural way to support mental clarity.

Don’t Forget Gut Health

Your gut is home to trillions of bacteria that influence mood and stress resilience. When your gut is inflamed or unbalanced, your brain feels it. Ensure your digestion works properly, you are chewing your food until liquid in your mouth, take 15 minutes to finish your meals and that you are eating enough and plenty of varied fibre everyday. I recommend you aim for minimum 60 foods per week.

Your Next Step: Personalised Support for Lasting Calm

Here’s the thing: Everyone’s body and story are unique. Anxiety isn’t just “in your head” — it’s deeply connected to your nervous system, nutrient status, and lifestyle.

In my practice at B.ME Lifestyle , I combine somatic therapy , lifestyle coaching and integrative nutrition to help you:

Understand and address root causes of anxiety
Replenish your body with the nutrients it needs to thrive
Learn body-based tools to regulate your emotions naturally

If you’re ready to stop feeling overwhelmed and start feeling grounded and calm, book an appointment with me today . Together, we’ll create a plan that works with your body, mind, and lifestyle.

Sending love,
Anca Vereen

Somatic Therapist, Sound Therapist, Integrative Dietitian

How to End a Binge: A Body-Led Approach to Healing Emotional Eating

anca@ancavereen.com (ANCA VEREEN) — Thu, 01 May 2025 23:39:29 GMT

How to End a Binge: A Body-Led Approach to Healing Emotional Eating

Binge eating is not a failure of willpower — it's a message. A signal from your body, nervous system, and subconscious that something deeper within you is calling out for attention, for care, and for healing.

As an integrative dietitian and somatic therapist, I want you to know this: you are not broken, and your eating is not the real problem. It's a coping strategy — a survival response shaped by past experiences, unprocessed emotions, and limiting beliefs that got hardwired into your body and mind over time.

Let’s take the shame out of this pattern and instead listen to what your body is truly trying to tell you.

Binge Eating Is a Survival Response, Not a Lack of Discipline

So often, binge eating is triggered not by hunger, but by emotional overwhelm, nervous system dysregulation, or inner narratives that were formed in childhood. Perhaps someone once told you that you were stupid or unworthy, and that moment — and the shame it brought — never fully left your body.

When these old wounds get reactivated, your system may default into freeze, shut down, or collapse. This is your body trying to survive a threat it still perceives as real — even if that threat is just a memory. In that moment, food becomes the soothing, numbing, or distracting tool that helps you avoid what feels unbearable.

But here’s the truth: you don’t need to fight your body — you need to partner with it.

5 Somatic and Nutritional Steps to Break the Binge Cycle

1. Pause and Notice Without Judgement

Most of us go through our days bracing against stress and pressure. Your body tries to keep up — until it can't.

Look for the signs of overwhelm:

Tight neck and shoulders
Collapsed posture
Shallow or held breath
Racing thoughts or inner criticism
Numbness or emotional detachment

Instead of pushing through or reaching for food, pause and gently ask:

What am I feeling in my body right now?

Where do I feel tense, numb, or overstimulated?

This step interrupts the autopilot reaction and creates the space needed for real regulation to begin.

2. Breathe and Ground

Your nervous system needs to know it’s safe. Before anything else, bring your body back to presence with this simple grounding practice:

Sit or lie down.

Place one hand on your belly, one on your heart.

Breathe in for 4 counts, out for 6, hold for 2.

Repeat for 2–3 minutes, visualising light, warmth, or peace flowing into the tense areas you identified.

This activates the parasympathetic system — your body’s built-in rest-and-digest mode — and begins to shift you out of fight-or-flight and into calm connection.

3. Ask Your Body What It Really Needs

Once grounded, become curious:

What do I actually need right now?

Often, the answer is not food — but something deeper. You might need rest, emotional release, movement, connection, creativity, or simply to be held.

When you reconnect with your body’s true signals, you can start meeting those needs with care, not compulsion.

4. Nourish Without Punishment

If you're still physically hungry, feed your body with intention, not guilt.

Drink 1–2 cups of water and reassess.

Choose warm, grounding foods like soup, sweet potato, oats, legumes, or a veggie stir-fry with protein.

Avoid restriction or harsh control — this only fuels the binge-restrict cycle.

Tip: Don’t skip meals, especially breakfast. Skipping meals causes blood sugar and cortisol levels to spike, setting the stage for binge urges later in the day. Instead, eat every 3–4 hours to stabilise energy, mood, and appetite.

5. Get Holistic Support That Works With Your Whole System

Binge eating is not something you need to ‘fix’. It’s a pattern with roots in trauma, nervous system imbalance, emotional wounding, and disconnection from your body’s wisdom.

Healing comes when you support your:

Nervous system through somatic therapy

Biochemistry and nourishment through compassionate nutrition

Emotions and beliefs with non-judgemental curiosity and new tools

This is not a quick fix — it’s a return. A homecoming to your body, your truth, and your power.

You Are Not Your Binge. You Are So Much More.

Your body is wise. It knows the way back to balance, presence, and peace — it just needs your support.

If you're ready to stop fighting food and start listening to what your body really needs, I'm here to help.

Work With Me

I’m Anca Vereen — a qualified somatic therapist, dietitian, and sound therapist. I offer a safe, grounded space where we explore your eating patterns through the lens of nervous system healing, body intelligence, and emotional integration.

Together, we can help you:

Regulate your system

Heal emotional wounds

Rebuild your relationship with food

Feel safe in your body again

Book a 1:1 session and take your first step toward true, embodied healing.

What is Sound Healing?

anca@ancavereen.com (ANCA VEREEN) — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 09:35:09 GMT

Sound healing explained: how it can help improve your day-to-day

Sound healing , sometimes known as sound therapy or music therapy, is powerful modality to help balance your body, mind and emotions. By listening to coherent sound frequencies or having vibration directly applied to the body, this can help calm the central nervous system and create a state of coherence within the body.

Coherence means that all your systems, organs, body, mind and emotions are balanced and in rhythm. Think about an orchestra that is playing out of tune and every instrument is playing its own song. This creates noise and static which is what you experience when you are stressed and run down.

Coherence means that the orchestra (your body) is playing harmonious beautiful music which helps you feel relaxed, open and clear minded. This also results in more energy in the body which can travel without interference.

Often when we experience trauma , stress , strong emotions, injuries, surgeries, scars and body toxicity, and these can interfere with the natural energy flow of the body . Once this happens, physical, mental and emotional dysregulation can occur. As such it's important that the body can fall back into it's original settings and free-flowing energetic pathways are restored.

Traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda and many ancient traditions talk about energetic pathways in the body called meridians or nadis. Acupuncture and acupressure for example follow the same meridians and now research is showing great benefits when these are activated, resulting in resolution for numerous physical and psychological conditions. Research is a little slow on the uptake of ancient wisdom, but it is finally getting there.

Biofield Tuning - to calm and balance the body, mind and emotions

One of the sound therapies I practice and use with my clients is called Biofield Tuning which uses tuning forks on the body and in the body's energy field to help restore optimal health. The premise of Biofield Tuning is that when unable to digest and process certain events in our lives such as trauma, accidents, breakups, failures etc. this energy gets stuck in our electromagnetic field.

The human body has a measurable electromagnetic field of about 2-3 metres on each side and 1-2 meters on the top and bottom. It looks like a doughnut shape and stores all your life experiences in a stand-in wave format.

Anything unprocessed (trauma, accident, events, emotions etc) can get stuck in your field causing interference. This impacts the free flow of energy which leads to poor physical, mental and emotional health. Using tuning forks, you can provide the body with a coherent input which helps re-tune the body and help process and release any stuck energy and associated trauma, vicious patterns, emotional and mental roadblocks.

This can result in great improvements in physical and psychological health.

Some improvements from biofield tuning & sound therapy include:

less pain & inflammation
hormone balancing
resolution of chronic health conditions
resolution of anxiety, depression , PTSD, trauma and other mood disorders
better cognitive function - improved thinking, attention, concentration and memory
insomnia and sleep problems
less stress, overwhelm and frustration
balancing of emotions
more harmonious relationships and conflict resolution
having clarity with decision making
finding your purpose and meaning in life
feeling closer and more connected to your true self as obstacles are effortlessly removed.

Our bodies are not just mechanical and chemical but also energetic, a fact that has been neglected by science and ourselves for far too long. While there are many bio energetic based modalities I have found Biofield Tuning to be, so far, the most effective one.

My experience with Biofield Tuning

I came across Biofield Tuning while doing research into sound. I booked a distance session to address some irrational anger I was experiencing. Within 24 hours, and ever since, I have not experienced that irrational anger response anymore.

This was a profound change for me, as I understand the body and mind and emotions very well given my training as a dietitian , psychotherapist, breathing coach and expert in nutrigenomics but couldn't figure out this pesky emotion.

What my session revealed is that it was an inherited pattern from my father who, surprisingly, is not an angry guy and he himself inherited it from his mother. Talk about intergenerational trauma being passed on!

The best part was that I didn't need to talk about it at all because that pattern was combed out of my electromagnetic field and integrated in my body.

Needless to say, I started looking into this modality to better understand how it worked and I was convinced. The science made sense on an intuitive level and my experience and many experiences after were profound and life changing.

If you are interested in knowing more about this powerful yet gentle modality please book a session online .

Sending love,
Anca Vereen

Somatic Therapist, Sound Therapist, Integrative Dietitian

How Nutrition Affects Mood: The Gut-Brain Connection Explained

anca@ancavereen.com (ANCA VEREEN) — Sat, 12 Apr 2025 08:42:55 GMT

Nutrition for Gut and Brain health

By Anca Vereen – Accredited Practising Dietitian & Somatic Psychotherapist

Have you ever felt more anxious after skipping a meal or noticed your mood lift after a nourishing lunch? That’s not a coincidence — it’s biochemistry in action .

As a dietitian and somatic psychotherapist, I’ve witnessed first-hand how food can influence mood, focus, energy, and emotional resilience. This isn’t just about comfort eating or sugar crashes. It's about something much deeper — your gut-brain connection .

Let’s explore how what you eat directly affects how you feel — mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually — and what you can do to support your mental health through nutrition.

What Is the Gut-Brain Connection?

The gut-brain connection refers to the two-way communication between your digestive system and your brain. This pathway is known as the gut-brain axis , and it involves:

The vagus nerve , which sends messages between the gut and brain
The enteric nervous system (sometimes called the "second brain")
Neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, which influence mood and behaviour
The microbiome — trillions of bacteria that help regulate digestion, inflammation, and mental health

In simple terms, your gut doesn’t just digest food — it also talks to your brain. And what you eat influences that conversation.

How Gut Health Influences Mood

Your gut is home to over 8 0% of your immune system and produces over 90% of the body's serotonin — a key neurotransmitter that affects mood, sleep, and emotional regulation.

When the gut is inflamed, imbalanced, or undernourished, you may experience:

Low mood or persistent sadness
Brain fog and poor concentration and sleep
Anxiety or restlessness
Irritability or mood swings
Fatigue or low motivation

These symptoms often stem from gut dysbiosis (an imbalance of gut bacteria), nutrient deficiencies, or blood sugar instability — all of which affect how your brain functions and how you feel day to day.

The Role of Nutrition in Supporting Mental Health

Let’s break down a few key ways nutrition affects your mood through the gut-brain axis:

1. Blood Sugar Stability

Fluctuating blood sugar levels — from skipping meals or eating lots of refined carbs, sugar and alcohol — can cause:

Anxiety
Irritability
Energy crashes
Cravings for sugar or caffeine

What to do:
Eat balanced meals with protein, fibre, healthy fats, and complex carbs every 3-4 hours to support steady energy and emotional regulation.

2. Gut Microbiome Balance

A diverse and healthy gut microbiome supports:

Better mood stability
Lower levels of inflammation
Enhanced production of mood-boosting neurotransmitters

What to do:

Eat more prebiotic-rich foods (onions, garlic, asparagus, oats, bananas, legumes)
Include probiotic foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, and kefir
Avoid ultra-processed foods, soft drinks, alcohol and excess sugar which feed harmful bacteria

3. Nutrient Deficiencies and Mood

Certain nutrients are essential for brain health and emotional balance:

Omega-3s : anti-inflammatory, support serotonin
Magnesium : calms the nervous system, supports sleep
B vitamins : help regulate energy and mood
Iron and zinc : involved in neurotransmitter production
Iodine: supports energy, metabolism and brain function

What to do:
Work with an accredited practising dietitian to assess and correct deficiencies, especially if you follow a restricted or plant-based diet.

4. Inflammation and Mood Disorders

Chronic low-grade inflammation in the body — often linked to gut health — is now recognised as a contributing factor to depression, anxiety, and cognitive decline .

What to do:

Eat more anti-inflammatory foods (leafy greens, berries, turmeric, olive oil, fatty fish)
Reduce alcoho and caffeinel, trans fats, vegetables oils, refined sugar, and processed foods
Support gut repair with glutamine, vitamin A, Zinc, Vitamin C, bone broth, prebiotic fibres or aloe vera juice (under the professional guidance of an accredited dietitian).

It's Not Just What You Eat — It's How You Eat

Your gut also responds to how you eat . If you're eating in a rush, not chewing properly, under stress, or while distracted, your digestion — and mood — will suffer.

Try this instead:

Sit down to eat in a calm space
Chew thoroughly until food becomes liquid
Avoid multitasking while eating and eat undisturbed
Take a few deep breaths before meals to engage your parasympathetic nervous system ("rest and digest")

Final Thoughts: Nourishing the Mind Through the Body

Nutrition isn’t just fuel — it’s information for your nervous system , your hormones, and your emotional state.

The gut-brain connection is a reminder that your body and mind are deeply linked. When you nourish one, you support the other.

Want to feel more balanced, calm, and connected?

If you're struggling with anxiety, low mood, or digestive issues, I offer integrative support that combines nutrition, lifestyle, sound and somatic therapy to help you reset from the inside out.

�� Appointments available in Melbourne or online

Book your session

Let’s nourish your gut, calm your nervous system, and get you feeling like yourself again.

How Somatic Psychotherapy Supports Anxiety and Depression Recovery

anca@ancavereen.com (ANCA VEREEN) — Sat, 12 Apr 2025 08:10:43 GMT

Body based Depression and Anxiety Treatment

If you’re navigating anxiety or depression , I want you to know this — you’re not broken. You’re not doing life wrong. And most importantly, you’re not alone.

As a somatic psychotherapist and accredited practising dietitian, I’ve had the honour of supporting many women who feel stuck in cycles of overwhelm, shutdown, low mood, and disconnection. While traditional talk therapy can offer valuable insight and awareness, it doesn’t always reach the deeper layers where true healing lives — the body. That’s where somatic psychotherapy comes in.

What is Somatic Psychotherapy?

Somatic psychotherapy is a body-based approach to healing anxiety and depression. Instead of focusing solely on thoughts or behaviours, somatic therapy works with your nervous system, physical sensations, and emotional patterns to gently restore balance, safety, and connection.

Our bodies carry the imprint of everything we’ve lived through — not just cognitively, but also biologically and energetically. Chronic stress, trauma, burnout, and emotional suppression often live in the body as tension, tightness, fatigue, numbness, or racing energy . Somatic therapy gives you the tools to work with these patterns directly, not just analyse them from the neck up.

Why the Body Matters in Mental Health

Here’s something I say often: you can’t think your way out of a dysregulated nervous system. Anxiety and depression are not just mental or emotional experiences — they’re also physiological and energetic states.

Anxiety is often a sign that your nervous system is in a chronic fight-or-flight state. You may feel restless, wired, on edge, unable to relax or sleep, and always waiting for something to go wrong.
Depression can stem from a freeze or shutdown state, where ev erything feels heavy, slow, numb, or hopeless. You may withdraw socially, feel unmotivated, and disconnected from joy, purpose, or yourself.

Somatic psychotherapy helps you begin to recognise these patterns in your body and gently shift them. It’s not about forcing change — it’s abo ut building safety, awareness, resilience and capacity fr om the inside out.

How Somatic Therapy Supports Recovery from Anxiety and Depression

Here are just a few of the ways somatic psychotherapy can support your healing:

1. Regulates Your Nervous System

Somatic therapy works directly with the autonomic nervous system, helping you shift from survival states (like hyperarousal or shutdown) into regulation. This creates the internal conditions for calm, clarity, presence, and connection.

2. Releases Stored Tension and Trauma

Often, emotions and memories are stored in the body as muscle tension, digestive issues, shallow breathing, or chronic pain and disease. Somatic practices allow you to gently discharge this stored energy without needing to relive the trauma.

3. Restores Body Awareness and Trust

When you’ve lived in a state of anxiety or depression for a long time, your body can feel unsafe or unfamiliar. Through gentle movement, breath, and awareness-based techniques, you begin to feel more at home in your body again.

4. Helps You Identify and Shift Patterns

Somatic therapy teaches you how to recognise your internal signals before they escalate — things like shallow breath, clenched jaw, racing thoughts, or emotional numbness. This empowers you to intervene ea rly with nervous system regulation tools and avoid the unwanted consequence of inappropriate reactions.

5. Integrates Mind, Body, and Emotions

You are not just a brain. You are a whole person — with thoughts, emotions, intuition, energy, and a body that remembers. Somatic psychotherapy honours all parts of you and helps integrate them in a way that feels grounded, empowering, and healing.

What Somatic Therapy Looks Like in Practice

Every session is unique, but may include:

Guided body scans and breathwork
Movement or posture awareness
Exploration of physical symptoms or sensations
Emotional processing through the body
Nervous system education and mapping
Practices to build safety, resilience, and self-compassion

You don’t need to have a perfect understanding of your trauma or even know where to begin. Somatic therapy meets you exactly where you are — with kindness, curiosity, and care.

From Surviving to Feeling Alive Again

Healing from anxiety and depression isn’t just about getting through the day — it’s about feeling like yourself again, reconnecting with joy, reclaiming your energy, and creating a life that feels aligned.

If you’re tired of just talking about your symptoms and are ready to actually feel something shift, somatic p sychotherapy might be the missing piece.

Whether you're navigating burnout , emotional overwhelm, chronic fatigue, or feel stuck in a cycle you can’t name — I’m here to support you.

Book your somatic therapy session here

Sending love,
Anca Vereen

Somatic Therapist, Sound Therapist, Integrative Dietitian

Natural treatments for anxiety

anca@ancavereen.com (ANCA VEREEN) — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 11:54:44 GMT

Anxiety is strongly influenced by your physiology & biochemistry

Almost every client I have worked with has reported that they feel anxiety.

It is often not your thoughts and beliefs making you overly anxious and excessive time in talk therapy wont help you because the cause starts in your body.

It starts with an imbalanced system due to stress , poor breathing and posture, nutrient deficiencies, dehydration, toxicity, sleep deprivation and sedentary behaviour. Without addressing the physiology and biochemical aspects, talk therapy and medication are only band aid approaches which will cost you more on the long run than it is worth.

So let's talk about what a natural anxiety treatment is all about and what are some of the things you can start today to improve your health.

Learn how to breathe: Shallow, rapid, chest breathing done through your mouth is a super stressor on body and brain. When you breathe like this, it triggers your amygdala (your anxiety centre) making you anxious and unable to think.
TIP: always breathe through the nose, using your diaphragm - breathe in through the nose for 5 seconds, out through the nose for 5 seconds, hold for 2 seconds. This type of breathing support parasympathetic activation meaning you will feel relaxed in a 5 minutes of doing this. Practice this throughout the day and don't wait for anxiety to hit before using it.

Correct your posture: If you have bad posture and suffer from injuries and difficulties exercising this can stress your brain and keep your body in sympathetic overdrive, meaning you will have more cortisol, which a stress hormone, that can make you anxious and depressed. A bad posture also has negative implications for your breathing, slouching leads to more chest and shallow breathing.
TIP: Find a practitioner who specialises in posture alignment and work with them to improve your health. Thought the day ensure you keep an upright posture and avoid slouching.

Avoid being sedentary and walk daily: Sitting down for more 30 minutes leads to inflammation, insulin resistance and poor circulation. When we sit for 8 hours per day important nutrients and oxygen needed for proper brain function are not delivered optimally, meaning your mood and cognition will suffer. Further, as the body becomes more inflamed this also impacts your brain and your mood.
TIP: get off the chair every 20-30 minutes. Set an alarm or consider using a standing desk for work. Ensure that you get daily walks (preferablt in nature preferably, avoid gyms) and aim for a minimum 10,000 steps.

Keep regular sleep, wake and eating hours: Every cell in your body has a circadian clock. When you have no routine the body is confused and not running at its peak. If you keep the same sleep and wake hours then the body will know that it needs to produce certain hormones at a certain time to ensure proper sleep. The same thing happens with eating. If your body knows that at 8am you eat your brekky then it will produce more of the right gastric secretion ensuring better digestion and absorption of nutrients.
TIP: Go to bed and wake up at the same time everyday including weekends. Keep regular breakfast, lunch and dinner hours. This will create balance and hormonal regulation in the body.

Stay well hydrated and avoid feeling thirsty: Thirst already indicates you are dehydrated . When you are dehydrated nothing works properly in your body. You will experience lower energy, worse anxiety and depression , more aches and pain, migraines, dry skin, constipation and the list goes on. As you are more 70% water you simply can't afford not to drink enough during the day. This is a priority that needs to be addressed before food. When dehydrated your cells shrink and their ability to create energy, neurotransmitters and hormones reduces greatly.
TIP: Drink a minimum 2-3 litres of water per day. To calculate your required recommended fluid intake multiply your weight by 0.35 ml.

Avoid coffee and caffeine: Caffeine is known to exacerbate anxiety and worsen sleep. While many people think they need it and it gives them energy, caffeine does exactly the opposite. It makes you more tired, less likely to have a good deep sleep and more anxious.
TIP: Avoid all caffeine, including green, black, chai and earl grey tea. Replace this with a dandelion root coffee which can work wonders for your liver.

Eat organic whole foods: Organic foods contain more nutrients and fewer chemicals making it much better for your brain health.
TIP: Eat a minimum 3-4 pieces of fruit and 1 big salad daily to ensure you are getting needed nutrients.

Correct nutrient deficiencies: This is one of the main reasons people struggle with poor mental and physical health and every client i have worked with was nutrient deficient. If you are deficient you wont be able to correct through food and adequate supplementation is required. To find out what you need you are best to work with an integrative dietitian who can determine what is needed. Common nutrient deficiencies include vitamin D and C, B vitamins, magnesium, zinc and omega 3 which are needed for neurotransmitter and hormonal production.

As you can see different lifestyle factors impact on your body and brain health, but the good news is that healing is possible when you are willing to work holistically with your body.

Your journey to emotional freedom starts here. Reach out today to learn more and take the first step toward a brighter, healthier future.

Anca Vereen is a Psychotherapist, Sound Therapist , I ntegrative Dietitian & Nutritionist and Breathing Coach who specialises in stress management and creating a lifestyle where you can experience optimal physical, mental and emotional health

To learn more about anxiety please visit https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/anxiety

What Causes Us To Feel Stress?

anca@ancavereen.com (ANCA VEREEN) — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 11:35:42 GMT

Why stress is so poorly understood

Stress , while widely prevalent, is still poorly understood and often underestimated.

While many people think stress is mostly psychologically mediated many of my clients are surprised to learn that biology plays an equal part to creating stress. Let's find out what can stress your body and brain:

Dehydration. When you are drinking less water than your body needs or when you are not able to absorb it through the colon due to poor gut health you become dehydrated and your brain and body become stressed. We are more than 70% water and every metabolic reaction takes place in water. When bodily fluids thicken many functions become altered (reduced or stop working) making you feel tired, unfocused, moody, have more pain, excess weight gain and reduced ability to exercise.
Irregular meals, skipping meals and eating too much. This pattern of eating leads to unstable blood sugar levels. Your brain uses about 30% of available blood sugar. When you run out of sugar your body will produce more cortisol and adrenaline (stress hormones) which forces your liver to make more sugar needed for your brain. Running on stress hormones is damaging for the body for many reasons. This makes you put on more fat, leads to loss of muscle and bone density, acidifies the body, suppresses your immune system and can create inflammation which is the underlying driver for cancer, diabetes and many other lifestyle diseases. Further as your brain needs a stable sugar supply, if you have unstable blood sugar levels - high or low - this leads to neuronal death. That's right you lose important neurons (brain cells) when you keep skipping meals or eat to much sugar and carbs.
Being sedentary. Sitting is the new smoking. If you sit for more than 30 minutes at a time this can lead to increased risk of insulin resistance and inflammation. Your body needs to move at regular intervals as such when sitting down for 8 hours at work your circulation gets compromised which further reduces your ability to heal.
Poor sleep. Irregular, interrupted and insufficient sleep adds stress to the body and brain. I don't need to tell you that, as you know how you feel after a poor night's sleep. During sleep important repair, detox, brain repair, hormonal balancing and much more take places. Without proper sleep your body will lag and run suboptimally making you more likely to feel irritable, snappy and overeat and binge on sugar and carbs, which further stresses an already stressed system.
Toxins and chemical exposures . Chemicals and toxins are everywhere. Air, water, food, personal and cleaning products, furniture, clothes and so much more. Your body is not designed to deal with this constant bombardment and is trying hard to clean up your system everyday. However when sedentary, sleep deprived, not breathing properly, are nutrient deficient and run on stress hormones these nasties can't be detoxed properly and end up being stored in your body, fat cells, bones, organs and brain leading to very poor health.
Shallow, chest and through the mouth breathing . When you don't know how to breathe properly (which is most people) this forces you body to produce more adrenaline. For example as you breathe through your mouth and inhale cold and particle filled air this irritates the airways which constrict. To help you out your body will produce adrenaline which has a widening effect on your airways but which will also stress your body.

Book in for a stress consultation so we can discuss your lifestyle and get you on the right track to a better and more fulfilled life.

Sending love,
Anca Vereen

Somatic Therapist, Sound Therapist, Integrative Dietitian

Is Polyvagal Therapy Right For Me?

anca@ancavereen.com (ANCA VEREEN) — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 11:25:17 GMT

Unlocking the Power of Polyvagal Therapy: A Path to Emotional and Nervous System Healing

Polyvagal therapy is an innovative and compassionate approach to emotional healing and nervous system regulation.

Stemming from the groundbreaking work of Dr. Stephen Porges and his Polyvagal Theory, this therapy helps individuals understand how their autonomic nervous system influences emotions, behaviour, and overall well-being. In this blog, we’ll explore what polyvagal therapy is, how it works, and why it’s a transformative path to healing.

What is Polyvagal Therapy?

Polyvagal therapy is based on the Polyvagal Theory, which identifies the autonomic nervous system as a key player in emotional and physical health.

The theory explains how the nervous system responds to safety and threat through three primary states:

Ventral Vagal State (Safe and Social): When you feel safe and connected, your nervous system is regulated, promoting calmness, social engagement, and overall well-being.
Sympathetic State (Fight or Flight): When faced with perceived danger, your nervous system activates this state, resulting in heightened alertness, anxiety, or anger.
Dorsal Vagal State (Shutdown or Freeze): In overwhelming or chronic stress situations, your nervous system may trigger this state, leading to feelings of numbness, disconnection, or depression.

Polyvagal therapy helps you understand and work with these states, enabling you to move toward a regulated, ventral vagal state where healing and connection can occur.

How Does Polyvagal Therapy Work?

Polyvagal therapy focuses on teaching you how to recognise and shift your nervous system states.

Here’s how it typically works:

Understanding Your Nervous System: Your therapist will help you identify the signs of each autonomic state, empowering you to recognise when you’re feeling safe, activated, or shut down.
Building Awareness: Through guided exercises, you’ll learn to tune into your body’s sensations, such as changes in breathing, heart rate, or muscle tension.
Engaging Regulation Techniques: Your therapist will introduce tools like breathwork, grounding exercises, and gentle movement to help you regulate your nervous system.
Creating a Safety Map: You’ll work on building a “safety map,” identifying people, places, and activities that help you feel secure and connected.
Healing Through Connection: Polyvagal therapy emphasises the importance of safe relationships and social engagement as a pathway to healing.

The Benefits of Polyvagal Therapy

Polyvagal therapy offers a range of benefits that can enhance your emotional, mental, and physical health.

Here are some of the key advantages:

Improved Emotional Regulation: Learn to manage anxiety , anger, and other intense emotions more effectively.
Reduced Symptoms of Trauma: By working with your nervous system, you can release the hold of past traumatic experiences .
Enhanced Relationships: A regulated nervous system fosters deeper connections and healthier interactions with others.
Increased Resilience: Develop tools to bounce back from stress and adversity with greater ease.
Better Physical Health: Addressing nervous system dysregulation can alleviate physical symptoms like chronic pain, digestive issues, or fatigue.

What Conditions Can Polyvagal Therapy Help With?

Polyvagal therapy is particularly effective for individuals dealing with:

Trauma and PTSD: Supporting recovery from the physical and emotional effects of trauma.
Anxiety and Panic Disorders: Reducing chronic worry and nervous system hyperactivation.
Depression: Helping individuals move out of shutdown states and reconnect with life.
Attachment and Relationship Challenges: Building safety and trust in interpersonal connections.
Chronic Stress and Burnout: Restoring balance to an overworked nervous system.

What to Expect in a Polyvagal Therapy Session

If you’re considering polyvagal therapy, here’s what a typical session might involve:

A Compassionate Environment: Your therapist will create a safe and supportive space where you can explore your nervous system states without judgment.
Education and Awareness: Sessions often begin with understanding your body’s responses to stress and safety.
Practical Exercises: You’ll engage in techniques like breathwork, grounding, or gentle movement to help regulate your nervous system.
Collaborative Process: Your therapist will guide and support you in finding what works best for your unique needs.

Why Choose Polyvagal Therapy?

Polyvagal therapy stands out for its focus on the nervous system’s role in emotional and physical health.

Here’s why it might be the right choice for you:

Body-Mind Integration: Unlike traditional talk therapy, polyvagal therapy incorporates both physical and emotional aspects of healing.
Focus on Safety: This therapy prioritises creating a sense of safety, which is essential for lasting transformation.
Effective for Trauma: By targeting the root causes of trauma in the nervous system, polyvagal therapy offers a deeper path to recovery.
Empowering and Collaborative: You’ll learn practical tools to manage your nervous system, giving you greater control over your healing journey.

Take the First Step Toward Nervous System Healing

If you’re ready to explore how polyvagal therapy can transform your life, consider booking a session with a qualified therapist.

Whether you’re struggling with trauma, anxiety, or chronic stress, this compassionate approach can help you reconnect with safety, resilience, and joy.

Your journey to emotional freedom starts here. Reach out today to learn more and take the first step toward a brighter, healthier future.

Anca Vereen is a Psychotherapist, Sound Therapist , Integrative Dietitian & Nutritionist and Breathing Coach who specialises in stress management and creating a lifestyle where you can experience optimal physical, mental and emotional health.

The side effects of sound therapy

anca@ancavereen.com (ANCA VEREEN) — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 11:13:48 GMT

Understanding the side effects of sound therapy, the benefits, risks & what to expect

Sound therapy is becoming an increasingly popular treatment for a variety of conditions, including stress , anxiety , sleep disorders, and even chronic pain.

From sound baths to binaural beats and music therapy, the use of sound as a healing tool is gaining recognition in alternative and holistic medicine.

However, as with any form of therapy, sound therapy can have side effects, both positive and negative. Understanding these potential side effects is crucial for anyone considering sound therapy as part of their wellness routine.

What is Sound Therapy?

Sound therapy, or biofield tuning , involves the use of sound vibrations to promote healing, relaxation, and emotional well-being.

There are various forms of sound therapy, including:

Binaural Beats : Using two different frequencies in each ear to create a perceived third frequency, which can have calming or focusing effects.
Solfeggio Frequencies : A ncient tones thought to promote spiritual and emotional healing.
Sound Baths : Immersive experiences where sound waves, often from gongs, singing bowls, or tuning forks, are used to induce deep relaxation.
Music Therapy : Using music to improve emotional, psychological, and physical well-being.

Research has shown that sound therapy can help with relaxation, reduce stress, improve sleep, and even alleviate pain. However, while sound therapy offers numerous benefits, there can also be side effects that may affect individuals differently.

Common Side Effects of Sound Therapy

Temporary Headaches: One of the more common side effects of sound therapy, especially when using loud or high-frequency sounds, is the onset of headaches. Some people might experience a headache during or after a sound bath or while listening to binaural beats. This can be due to the intensity of sound waves or sensitivity to certain frequencies.

Tip : If you experience headaches during sound therapy, try reducing the volume, adjusting the frequency, or taking breaks between sessions.

Dizziness or Lightheadedness: Some individuals report feeling dizzy or lightheaded after sound therapy sessions. This could be due to the vibrational frequencies affecting the body’s energy balance or overstimulation of the nervous system. In rare cases, this may be a sign that the sound therapy is not suitable for that individual.

Tip : If dizziness occurs, stop the session immediately and rest. It’s important to stay hydrated and ensure that you are in a comfortable environment during the session.

Tinnitus or Ringing in the Ears: Another side effect, especially from high-pitched sounds or prolonged exposure to certain frequencies, is the development or worsening of tinnitus—an ongoing ringing or buzzing in the ears. For some people, sound therapy can exacerbate pre-existing tinnitus, making it more noticeable.

Tip : If you have a history of tinnitus, consider consulting with a healthcare professional before starting sound therapy. They may recommend adjusting the sound levels or using specific tones that are more suitable for your condition.

Emotional Release: Sound therapy has the potential to trigger strong emotional reactions, including crying, sadness, or feelings of release. While this is often a positive side effect that signifies emotional healing, it can sometimes feel overwhelming for individuals who are not prepared for such a response.

Tip : Be prepared for emotional reactions during sound therapy. It can help to keep tissues nearby, create a safe space, and allow yourself to experience whatever emotions arise without judgment.

Fatigue or Exhaustion: Deep relaxation through sound therapy can sometimes lead to feelings of tiredness or fatigue after a session. This is because sound therapy activates the parasympathetic nervous system (the body’s rest and digest system), which can lead to a drop in energy levels. While this is generally a positive response, it can leave some individuals feeling exhausted, especially after a long or intense session.

Tip : If you experience fatigue after sound therapy, allow yourself to rest and recover. It may also help to engage in light activity, such as walking, to restore energy.

Nausea or Digestive Discomfort: In some cases, particularly with sound frequencies that influence deep body systems, individuals may experience nausea or digestive discomfort. This could be due to the way sound vibrations affect the body’s internal organs, particularly the digestive system.

Tip : If you feel nauseous or uncomfortable during sound therapy, take a break, hydrate, and avoid lying down immediately after the session. If symptoms persist, consult with a healthcare provider to ensure that sound therapy is appropriate for you.

Discomfort with Certain Frequencies: Some individuals may have sensitivity to specific sound frequencies, such as those used in binaural beats or solfeggio frequencies. This sensitivity can lead to discomfort or even an increase in anxiety or stress, especially if the frequencies are not in harmony with the listener’s body.

Tip : If you experience discomfort, consider changing the frequency or sound type. Many sound therapy practitioners offer personalized sessions to help you find the most effective sound for your needs.

Who Should Avoid Sound Therapy?

While sound therapy is generally safe for most people, there are certain individuals who should exercise caution or avoid it entirely:

People with Seizure Disorders : Certain frequencies or rapid sound changes may trigger seizures in individuals with epilepsy or other seizure disorders.
People with Mental Health Conditions : Individuals with conditions like severe anxiety, PTSD, or dissociative disorders may find that sound therapy triggers overwhelming emotions or memories.
People with Hearing Issues : If you have hearing impairments or tinnitus, certain sound therapies might exacerbate your symptoms.

Always consult with a healthcare provider before beginning any new therapy, especially if you have underlying health conditions.

Is Sound Therapy Right for You?

Sound therapy has numerous benefits, from reducing stress to promoting deep relaxation and improving sleep. However, just like any therapeutic practice, it is essential to be aware of potential side effects. Most side effects are temporary and manageable with adjustments to the session, but it’s important to listen to your body and adjust the therapy as needed.

If you’re considering sound therapy, it’s a good idea to start with short, low-intensity sessions and monitor your body’s response. You can also consult with a professional sound therapist who can tailor the session to your needs and preferences.

Book your sound therapy session here

Sending love,
Anca Vereen

Somatic Therapist, Sound Therapist, Integrative Dietitian

References

Binaural Beats and Brainwave Entrainment . (2023). Journal of Alternative Therapies, 29(3), 143-149.
Effects of Sound Therapy on Stress Reduction . (2022). International Journal of Stress Management, 29(1), 102-109.
Emotional Response and Sound Therapy . (2021). Psychology of Music, 49(4), 455-470.

Sound healing, your biofield & trauma

anca@ancavereen.com (ANCA VEREEN) — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 10:58:25 GMT

How Does Biofield Tuning Help With Trauma?

Do you ever feel like you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders?

Trauma can be invisible, yet it can profoundly impact our lives. Unfortunately, traditional therapies and treatments don't offer enough relief for many of us. That's why biofield tuning is gaining traction as an innovative approach to healing trauma.

Biofield Tuning is also known as sound healing .

Biofield tuning is a non-invasive, holistic therapy that works with the energy fields in our bodies to address issues that may be causing emotional distress. By sending gentle vibrations through the body, practitioners can create balance and restore harmony within the body's energy system.

So let’s take a closer look at how biofield tuning can help heal trauma and provide insight into its potential benefits for those who suffer from trauma-related symptoms.

Whether you're looking for an alternative to traditional therapies or trying to understand more about biofield tuning, this blog will explain what you need to know about this unique form of healing and how it can help with trauma.

What Is Biofield Tuning?

Biofield Tuning is an innovative way to help with trauma. It's a healing modality that works with the body's subtle energies, known as the biofield. This approach allows individuals release deeply held stress and trauma from their bodies, minds, and spirits.

Through Biofield Tuning, practitioners can access and balance the energy within a person. They use gentle sound waves to identify imbalances in the body's biofield and then use those same sound waves to reduce tension and restore balance. The result is a deep relaxation response that can help people heal from physical, mental, and emotional trauma.

This healing journey takes time and patience, but it can lead to profound changes in how people respond to their environment and feel about themselves. With Biofield Tuning, practitioners can create a safe space for clients to explore their pain while releasing old patterns of thinking and behaviour that no longer serve them. It's an empowering process that equips individuals with tools to move towards greater levels of self-healing and wholeness.

What Is Trauma?

Trauma is a unique and intensely personal experience. It's an emotional response to a distressing event or series of events, such as a car accident or a natural disaster. Everyone experiences trauma differently, but the impact can be severe and lasting. Symptoms can include feelings of fear, confusion, sadness, anger, and guilt. Physical symptoms such as difficulty sleeping, headaches, fatigue, and changes in appetite may also occur. The effects of trauma can leave people feeling overwhelmed and out of control.

At its core, biofield tuning is about helping people find balance again after experiencing trauma. Through subtle vibrations that target the body's energy field (biofield), biofield tuning works to realign incoherent energy patterns that past traumas have caused. By soothing these incoherent energy patterns with gentle sounds and vibrations from tuning forks, biofield tuning practitioners help restore harmony to the body's energy field so that healing can take place.

This type of treatment helps those suffering from PTSD reclaim their lives by addressing the underlying causes of their distress and enabling them to move forward with more confidence.

How Does Biofield Tuning Help With Trauma?

Trauma is a very real and challenging psychological experience that has far-reaching implications on mental health and well-being.

Unfortunately, for many, the effects of trauma can continue to be felt long after the traumatic event itself. Fortunately, biofield tuning offers a new way to help those struggling with trauma.

Biofield tuning is a holistic healing method that helps people identify and release emotional blocks in their body's biofield. Through this process, people can address their emotional responses to traumatic experiences by understanding the root cause of the trauma – often stored at an energetic or emotional level – and then facilitating its release.

By helping people clear out old patterns and beliefs that have been holding them back from living in harmony with their true selves, biofield tuning can relieve feelings of distress associated with trauma. Additionally, the process of tuning may alleviate physical pain in areas where trauma was experienced or held within the body, allowing for greater comfort and peace.

Biofield tuning is an innovative healing approach that provides those struggling with trauma a safe space to explore their emotions and work through any unresolved issues they may be facing.

Providing tools for self-exploration and guidance along the way, this type of healing can be an effective tool for anyone looking to reclaim their power over how they experience life by restoring physical, emotional and spiritual balance.

Biofield tuning can help people process their emotions more effectively. Accessing subtle energies in the body and releasing them through sound vibrations can create a pathway for individuals to express their feelings without judgment or fear. Additionally, biofield tuning supports the body's natural ability to heal itself by helping to reduce muscle tension and stress levels while improving circulation and energy flow throughout the body.

Biofield tuning also helps people reconnect with their purpose and find a sense of peace in their lives. By focusing on self-care practices such as meditation and breathwork, individuals can gain insight into what's really important to them and develop an appreciation for life's little moments instead of dwelling on past experiences or anxieties about the future.

With regular sessions, people may notice improved mental clarity and overall well-being, that can lead to greater fulfilment in life.

Some improvements from biofield tuning & sound therapy include:

less pain & inflammation
hormone balancing
resolution of many chronic health conditions
resolution of anxiety, depression, PTSD, trauma and other mood disorders
better cognitive function - improved thinking, attention, concentration and memory
insomnia and sleep problems
less stress, overwhelm and frustration
balancing of emotions
more harmonious relationships and conflict resolution
having clarity with decision making
finding your purpose and meaning in life
feeling closer and more connected to your true self as obstacles are effortlessly removed.

Different Types Of Trauma Treatable With Biofield Tuning

Trauma can take many forms and have a lasting impact on anyone who experiences it. Biofield tuning is a powerful tool for addressing and healing the effects of trauma. By using subtle vibrations to reset the body's energetic systems, biofield tuning helps to break the link between traumatic events and their associated negative emotions.

Biofield tuning has been used to treat physical traumas such as burns, broken bones, and concussions. It can also be used to address emotional traumas such as grief, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In addition, biofield tuning has been used successfully to help those suffering from complex trauma or developmental trauma that arises from a history of neglect or abuse.

Regardless of the type of trauma you may be dealing with, biofield tuning can be an effective method for restoring balance in the body's energy field and alleviating many physical and emotional symptoms associated with trauma.

In addition, this gentle form of energy work can help to reduce stress levels while providing long-term relief from painful memories and emotions. With its unique approach to healing trauma, biofield tuning is an invaluable tool that deserves consideration by anyone looking for ways to heal from past traumas.

Who Can Benefit From Biofield Tuning For Trauma?

Biofield Tuning can help those who have experienced trauma in their lives. Trauma can come in many forms, such as physical and emotional abuse, loss of a loved one, or a traumatic event. Biofield Tuning is a gentle yet powerful form of energy therapy that can help reduce trauma symptoms.

Biofield Tuning isn't just for those who have experienced physical or emotional trauma; anyone can benefit from its calming, rejuvenating effects.

For example, those with anxiety and depression may find relief from these conditions through this type of therapy and those dealing with stress-related issues or chronic pain.

It's a safe, non-invasive way to bring some balance back into your life and relieve stress and anxiety in a gentle yet powerful way!

The Process Of Biofield Tuning

The biofield tuning process begins with thoroughly assessing the person's energy field.

During this assessment, the practitioner will look for areas of imbalance and identify any energetic blockages that may be present. Once these areas have been identified, the practitioner will use sound waves through sound healing tuning forks to break up any blockages and help realign the energy field back into balance.

The sound waves used in this process are specifically tuned to resonate with the person's own frequency, allowing them to send healing vibrations throughout their entire body. This can help restore balance and reduce feelings of stress or distress associated with traumatic events.

With regular sessions, it can help release deep-seated pain, clear away patterns of fear or hurt, and bring about greater clarity in one's life - all without having to relive painful memories or experiences.

Is Biofield Tuning Safe For Trauma?

When it comes to trauma, the potential of biofield tuning is highly promising. But, before diving into its healing effects, it's important to consider whether this alternative therapy is safe. After all, safety should always come first!

The good news? Biofield tuning is a non-invasive technique found to be safe and beneficial for those struggling with trauma.

It uses sound waves and vibrations to create energy fields that can help shift mental and emotional patterns. The practitioner then tunes into the client's frequency and guides them through relaxation and self-healing. As a result, individuals often experience a sense of relief from their trauma symptoms.

Biofield tuning has no known side effects and is easily accessible in person or virtually.

This makes it a viable option for anyone looking for an effective, natural approach to managing the impacts of trauma. With its gentle yet powerful techniques, biofield tuning may be the key to providing lasting relief from difficult memories and experiences.

Questions To Ask A Biofield Tuning Practitioner

If you're looking to heal trauma with biofield tuning, it's important to find the right practitioner. You can see the list of Australian practitioners here.

I am listed on the page for Victorians!

Additionally, inquire about their fees and insurance coverage options if relevant. It's also helpful to ask if additional resources or support services are available after your session is complete.

Knowing what kind of assistance you can receive afterwards will ensure that your healing journey continues beyond just one session.

Asking these questions will provide insight into a practitioner's background and qualifications and help give you peace of mind knowing that you're in good hands when dealing with such sensitive issues.

Potential Side Effects Of Biofield Tuning

Biofield Tuning is an alternative healing practice that uses sound and vibration to restore balance in the body. It works on a subtle energetic level, affecting our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. But as with any treatment, it's important to consider potential side effects before undergoing biofield tuning.

Firstly, biofield tuning can be quite intense and may cause discomfort during or after a session. You may experience dizziness, nausea, headaches, or other physical reactions. Additionally, you may experience intense emotions as the healing process takes place.

This could manifest as feelings of sadness or anger that may have been suppressed for years. Therefore, it's important to have a safe space where you feel comfortable expressing these emotions without judgement or fear of repercussion.

Biofield tuning is not a one-size-fits-all solution; it should be used in conjunction with other forms of treatment, such as counselling or psychotherapy.

That way you can ensure that any issues that arise are addressed in depth and with care. It's also essential to trust your practitioner and make sure they are qualified and experienced in biofield tuning so you know you're in good hands.

Considering all these factors will help you decide if biofield tuning is right for you and if it could help with addressing trauma.

Biofield Tuning can help address different types of trauma, from physical to emotional traumas.

When considering Biofield Tuning as a potential treatment for trauma, it's essential to find an experienced practitioner who will take the time to understand your individual needs and goals. It's also important to be aware of any potential side effects that may occur as a result of this type of therapy. Lastly, maximize the benefits of Biofield Tuning by engaging in other activities such as yoga or meditation which can further promote healing and well-being.

Book your sound therapy session here

Sending love,
Anca Vereen

Somatic Therapist, Sound Therapist, Integrative Dietitian

What is Sensorimotor Psychotherapy?

anca@ancavereen.com (ANCA VEREEN) — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 10:33:41 GMT

Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: A Body-Centered Approach to Healing

If you’re looking for a therapeutic approach that addresses both the mind and body, sensorimotor psychotherapy might be the answer.

This innovative form of therapy focuses on the connection between physical sensations, emotions, and thoughts, helping you process trauma and emotional pain in a holistic way. Here, we’ll explore what sensorimotor psychotherapy is, how it works, and why it can be an effective path to healing.

What is Sensorimotor Psychotherapy?

Sensorimotor psychotherapy is a body-centered therapy that integrates somatic (body-based) and psychological approaches to address the effects of trauma and emotional distress. Developed by Dr. Pat Ogden, this method emphasises the role of the body in processing and healing emotional wounds.

Unlike traditional talk therapy, which primarily focuses on verbal communication, sensorimotor psychotherapy incorporates body awareness, movement, and mindfulness to help you access and resolve deeply-stored experiences.

This therapy is grounded in the idea that trauma and stress often leave imprints on the body, manifesting as tension, posture changes or physical discomfort. By working with these physical signals, sensorimotor psychotherapy helps you release unresolved trauma and restore a sense of balance and well-being.

How Does Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Work?

Sensorimotor psychotherapy combines mindfulness and body-awareness with traditional therapeutic techniques to create a holistic healing experience.

Here’s how it typically works:

Body Awareness: Your therapist will guide you to notice physical sensations, such as tightness, warmth, or tension, and explore their connection to your emotions and thoughts.
Mindfulness Practices: You’ll be encouraged to stay present with your bodily sensations in a non-judgmental way, allowing you to access the body’s natural capacity for self-regulation.
Movement and Posture Exploration: Specific movements or postural adjustments may be used to help you process and release trauma stored in the body.
Integration of Memories and Emotions: As you work with your body, memories and emotions linked to trauma may surface. Your therapist will help you process these experiences safely and constructively.
Creating New Patterns: Through guided exercises, you’ll develop healthier responses to stress and build a greater sense of emotional and physical resilience.

The Benefits of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy

Sensorimotor psychotherapy offers numerous benefits that can enhance your mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

Some of the key benefits include:

Healing Trauma: By addressing how trauma is stored in the body, this therapy helps you release unresolved emotional pain and regain a sense of safety.
Reducing Anxiety and Depression: Body-based practices promote relaxation and emotional regulation, reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Improving Self-Awareness: Increased awareness of bodily sensations helps you understand your emotional patterns and triggers more clearly.
Building Resilience: Sensorimotor techniques teach you how to respond to stress and emotional challenges in healthier, more adaptive ways.
Restoring Mind-Body Connection: This therapy fosters a deeper connection between your physical and emotional self, promoting holistic healing.

What Conditions Can Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Address?

Sensorimotor psychotherapy is particularly effective for individuals dealing with:

Trauma and PTSD : Resolving the physical and emotional effects of traumatic experiences.
Chronic Stress : Releasing tension and improving your ability to manage stress.
Anxiety and Depression : Helping you regulate emotions and develop greater inner calm.
Attachment Issues: Addressing relational wounds and building healthier interpersonal connections.
Somatic Symptoms: Alleviating physical discomfort related to emotional distress, such as chronic pain or digestive issues.

What to Expect in a Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Session

If you’re curious about what a sensorimotor psychotherapy session might feel like, here’s what you can expect:

A Safe Space: Your therapist will create a compassionate and non-judgmental environment where you feel supported.
Body-Centered Focus: Sessions will focus on exploring your body’s sensations and movements alongside your emotions and thoughts.
Mindfulness Practices: You’ll engage in guided mindfulness exercises to deepen your connection with your body.
Collaborative Process: Your therapist will work with you to explore and process your experiences at a pace that feels comfortable and safe.

Why Choose Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Over Traditional Talk Therapy?

While talk therapy is valuable, it may not fully address the body’s role in storing and processing trauma.

Sensorimotor psychotherapy offers unique advantages, including:

Deeper Access to Trauma: By working with the body, this therapy can access and release deeply stored trauma that talking alone may not reach.
Holistic Healing: Integrating the mind and body ensures a more comprehensive approach to emotional and physical well-being.
Empowerment: You’ll learn tools and techniques to regulate your emotions and manage stress more effectively.
Safe Processing: Sensorimotor psychotherapy allows you to process trauma in a way that feels grounded and manageable.

Take the Next Step Toward Healing

Are you ready to explore the transformative power of sensorimotor psychotherapy? Whether you’re dealing with trauma, anxiety, or simply seeking a deeper connection with yourself, this holistic approach can help you unlock new levels of healing and resilience.

Your journey to emotional freedom starts here. Reach out today to learn more and take the first step toward a brighter, healthier future.

Anca Vereen is a Psychotherapist, Sound Therapist, Integrative Dietitian & Nutritionist and Breathing Coach who specialises in stress management and creating a lifestyle where you can experience optimal physical, mental and emotional health.

The Four Types of Stress

anca@ancavereen.com (ANCA VEREEN) — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 10:04:55 GMT

What is stress and how can you help yourself manage it better?

Often stress is poorly mislabeled and understood, many people shrugging it off as just being related to some work and relationship stress.

This is sadly not true.

Unfortunately, because most of us are trapped and only live in our minds, we miss and don't acknowledge the feedback our bodies are giving us when stressed. So let me help you understand what stress actually is.

Physical stress comes in the form of

dehydration
excess caffeination and use of soft drinks
alcohol and cigarette use
poor diet with little vegetables or fruit, excess fat and sugar
skipping meals
eating too late into the night and binge eating
inactivity and being sedentary and sitting down for more than 30 minutes at a times
poor sleep: going to bed too late, not getting enough sleep and getting interrupted sleep
excess blue light exposure coming from your computer, TV and phone
not getting enough sunlight and being outdoors
excess heat or cold exposure (depends on how this is done)
nutrient deficiencies and poor digestion/ imbalanced hormones

2. Chemical Stress comes in form of

chemical and toxins: these are unfortunately everywhere. In our water, air, food, personal care products, cleaning products, furniture, plastics and so much more

3. Mental stress

demanding fast paced jobs with lots of deadlines and long work hours
studying for exams
self limiting beliefs, values, thought and behavioural patterns

4. Emotional Stress

inner conflict with yourself, i.e. telling yourself "I am not good enough" or always looking to overcompensate
conflict in relationships with friends, family and partner
self limiting beliefs, values, thought and behavioural pattern

As you can see stress is a little more involved than what is commonly acknowledged.

If stress is not addressed and dealt with it can amplify, perpetuate and create and misery for an extremely long time.

Your journey to emotional freedom starts here. Reach out today to learn more and take the first step toward a brighter, healthier future.

Anca Vereen is a Psychotherapist, Sound Therapist, Integrative Dietitian & Nutritionist and Breathing Coach who specialises in stress management and creating a lifestyle where you can experience optimal physical, mental and emotional health.

For more information about stress please visit https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/stress

Understanding Brainspotting Therapy

anca@ancavereen.com (ANCA VEREEN) — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 08:49:00 GMT

A Guide To How Brainspotting Therapy Works & Why It's Transformative To Therapy

Brainspotting therapy is an innovative approach to emotional healing that helps you access and process deeply rooted trauma and emotional pain. If you’ve been searching for a therapeutic method that goes beyond traditional talk therapy, brainspotting could be the solution you’ve been looking for.

Here we will explore what brainspotting is, how it works, and why it’s so effective in facilitating deep and lasting healing.

What is Brainspotting Therapy?

Brainspotting therapy is a cutting-edge technique designed to access the brain’s natural ability to heal itself. It was developed by Dr. David Grand in 2003 while working with trauma survivors. The therapy focuses on identifying and targeting specific points in your visual field, known as “brainspots,” that are associated with unresolved trauma or emotional distress.

Unlike traditional therapies that rely heavily on verbal communication, brainspotting taps directly into the brain’s subcortical regions, where trauma and memories are often stored. This allows you to process and release emotional pain on a deeper level, often bypassing the limitations of conscious thought.

How Does Brainspotting Work?

Brainspotting operates on the principle that where you look affects how you feel. During a session, your therapist will guide you to focus on specific points in your visual field while maintaining awareness of your bodily sensations and emotions.

Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of what to expect:

Identifying the Brainspot: Your therapist will ask you to describe the issue you want to work on, such as anxiety , trauma, or unresolved grief. Using a pointer or your natural eye movements, they will help you identify a “brainspot”—a specific position in your visual field that triggers a noticeable emotional or physical response.
Focused Attention: Once the brainspot is identified, you’ll be encouraged to focus on it while staying attuned to the sensations in your body. This process activates the brain’s self-healing mechanisms.
Processing and Release: As you maintain focus on the brainspot, memories, emotions, or physical sensations may arise. Your therapist will support you as you process these experiences, allowing your brain and body to release stored trauma.
Integration: After processing, you’ll work with your therapist to integrate the insights and emotional shifts into your daily life, promoting long-term healing and resilience.

Why is Brainspotting Effective?

Brainspotting is particularly effective because it works directly with the brain’s deeper, non-verbal regions where trauma is often stored.

Here are some reasons why it’s so powerful:

Accessing the Subconscious Mind: Brainspotting bypasses the thinking brain (neocortex) and connects with the brain’s emotional and instinctual centres, allowing you to access and process unresolved issues.
Holistic Healing: By integrating the mind and body, brainspotting addresses the physical manifestations of trauma, such as tension, pain, or numbness.
Customised to You: Each session is tailored to your unique experiences, ensuring a personalised and effective healing journey.
Rapid Results: Many clients experience significant emotional shifts and relief in just a few sessions.

What Conditions Can Brainspotting Address?

Brainspotting is a versatile therapy that can help with a wide range of issues, including:

Trauma and PTSD: Resolving the effects of past traumatic events.
Anxiety and Depression: Reducing emotional distress and promoting calmness.
Chronic Pain: Addressing the emotional and physical components of pain.
Performance Enhancement: Helping athletes, artists, and professionals overcome mental blocks and achieve peak performance.
Grief and Loss: Processing and healing from the pain of losing a loved one.

What to Expect in a Brainspotting Session

If you’re new to brainspotting, you might wonder what a session will feel like. Here’s what to expect:

A Safe and Supportive Environment: Your therapist will create a compassionate space where you feel comfortable exploring your emotions.
Minimal Talking: Unlike traditional therapy, brainspotting focuses more on your internal experience than on verbal discussion.
Physical Awareness: You’ll be encouraged to notice sensations in your body and let them guide the healing process.
Empowerment: You’re in control of the session, and your therapist acts as a supportive guide.

Why Choose Brainspotting Over Traditional Talk Therapy?

While talk therapy can be incredibly helpful, it often focuses on conscious thoughts and behaviours, which may not fully address deeper emotional wounds. Brainspotting offers unique advantages, including:

Accessing Deeper Layers of Healing: By targeting the brain’s subcortical regions, brainspotting helps you process emotions and memories that may be inaccessible through talking alone.
Faster Results: Many clients report faster progress with brainspotting compared to traditional methods.
Whole-Person Approach: Brainspotting integrates the mind and body, addressing the full impact of trauma.

Take the First Step Toward Healing

If you’re ready to explore the transformative power of brainspotting therapy, consider booking a session with a qualified brainspotting therapist.

Whether you’re struggling with trauma, anxiety, or simply feel stuck, brainspotting can help you unlock your potential for healing and growth.

Your journey to emotional freedom starts here. Reach out today to learn more and take the first step toward a brighter, healthier future.

Anca Vereen is a Psychotherapist, Sound Therapist, Integrative Dietitian & Nutritionist and Breathing Coach who specialises in stress management and creating a lifestyle where you can experience optimal physical, mental and emotional health.

Meditation guide for beginners

anca@ancavereen.com (ANCA VEREEN) — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 08:27:17 GMT

Beginner Meditation Tips

In this day and age when most of us have now become human "doings" rather than human "beings" and it is important more that ever that we reprioritise our lives and find a spare moment to pause, reflect and reconnect. Meditation is a fantastic way to do that.

Constant doing and living in a "stress mode" leads to physical, mental and emotional strain and to a miserable existence.

I am sure you want to remember your life as being fun, joyful and happy when you are in your golden years and are looking back at the life you've had.

However research shows that when you are distracted, stressed and worried then you are not living in the present moment and therefore can't create happy memories. Your brain simply doesn't work that way. It would rather forget, than remember, the troubled times.

What you are creating are holes in your memory databank, which means you won't really remember your life.

For me, when I exit this life, I want to leave feeling like I really lived my life and was present in every single moment of it and I made the most of it. Tick tock!

Time is fleeting and living a conscious and aware life should be our number one priority.

It doesn't mean you need to stop what you are doing. It is not the "what" you are doing that is the problem, but the "how".

So let's see what we can do about it.

Meditation can teach you how to approach life events - either good or not so great - from a place of gratitude, peace and calm. It can help abolish stress with practice as it helps rewire your neurology and biology to experience grounded and peaceful emotions, even in the face high stress.

Not Sure How To Start Meditating?

To make meditation part of your life first it requires a genuine desire and your commitment to practising, no matter what.

The "doing" part is easy as there are many ways you can meditate, but realy committing to your decision to meditate every day can be tricky.

Why? Because for most, our focus is not disciplined and we get easily distracted living in an environment that constantly competes for our attention. And you must be aware of it. You must try to control your focus and where your attention goes .

And this feat in itself is meditation. Knowing when your focus has drifted and bringing it back is by definition meditation.

So I invite you at the beginning of everyday to set your intention or focus for that day.

Just focus on one thing.

Say you can focus on your breath - just observe your breath during the day. Now go about your day and notice how many times your focus moves from your breath, and then make the choice to refocus and recommit to following your breath.

This will disciple your focus and bring resilience and teach self control which we all desperately need.

Another simple way to start meditating involves nature.

Made the choice to stop doing what you are doing whenever you feel stressed, anxious, angry, frustrated, impatient and so on. All of these are emotional states that deplete your energy.

Chose to stop and look intently at nature. The tops of the trees, or a flower on the street.

Look at it as it moves, observe the colours, shapes, sounds and smells. Take it all in and for that brief second let go of everything and simply connect with that flower or experience, and breathe the stress and negativity you are experiencing out of your body.

Keep practising this and in time you can build the neurology for health and wellbeing.

These small breaks are important because it is not enough the meditate once or twice a day and be a stressed wreck for the rest of the day. Being in a present, meditative and grateful state is what makes the difference to your physical, mental and emotional health. So start here.

Getting Into Mediation Routines

If you have more time on your hands then morning and night time meditations are indeed great times for us to really pause and go deep within.
Go home to our SELF to receive insights and release the stress and worry of the day.

As a beginner try the following morning meditation approaches:

Simply use a meditation app and follow a guided meditation
Sit at the edge of your bed with your feet and legs uncrossed and breathe into the chest, not the stomach.
Breathe for 5 seconds in and 5 second out all through your nose. Do this for 5 minutes while observing your breath.
If you have no time to sit alone in your home, try Walking Meditation - while doing your morning walk (it could be on your commute or just around the block) focus on your breath and breathe for 5 seconds in and 5 second out all through your nose.

At night it is important to release the stress of the day. You can do this by:

Doing gentle stretches while focusing on your breathing. Breathe for 5 seconds in and 5 second out all through your nose.
Doing a body scan meditation or progressive muscle relaxation scan - use an app and follow instructions

As you become more consistent with doing these more basic meditation approaches you can move onto more advanced practises.

are struggling with meditation?

Often if you have experienced trauma you may find meditation and breathing in the heart and chest area a bit more challenging.

A lot of trauma gets stored in the chest and our brain tries to protect us from the pain of trauma by disconnecting us from our body and emotions.

When reconnecting to the body and starting to feel again this can be a very activating and scary experience for some.

If your mediation sessions do feel uncomfortable, you may want to consider trying sound therapy to help clear the trauma so you can continue to meditate and enjoy the health benefits it brings.

If this is you, please know it is normal and ask for support from a practitioner who specialises in trauma management.

Book your meditation session here

Sending love,
Anca Vereen

Somatic Therapist, Sound Therapist, Integrative Dietitian