Feel It To Heal It

What that actually means, and why SOMATICS are the answer

What are you willing to FEEL to be able to heal?

This week I followed my heart to the East Coast to deepen a new love connection. I truly had no idea what awaited me on the other side of that cross country flight, and I did know, in the core of my being, that I must follow the FEELS. Ever been there?

In the trauma healing world…

we often use the phrase “Feel it to heal it”. No one knows for sure where this catchy saying originated, but we do know that it’s real talk. Or rather, a reminder to go beyond TALK and move, sob, laugh, breathe, touch, express, FEEEEEEEEL.

In our current state of affairs, for most of us, almost our entire day is structured around using our thinking brains. From the moment we wake up and check our phones, get into and operate a machine to go to a job, communicate with people and more machines at said jobs, keep up with the news, entertainment, sports, and long distance connections, maybe do a regimented workout where we count reps and follow a program designed and approached “top down” (brain first), figure out science backed food choices and then collapse to consume some final media or entertainment before we slip back into dreamland where our poor nervous systems are supposed to somehow process all of that input overnight— where the heck are we giving ourselves space to FEEL?!

On this recent love-induced galavant, I was utterly floored by the way my soma found such a delicious ease as I slowwwwwed down and felt each day moment by moment. If you’ve seen my social media earlier in October, I spoke about experiencing panic attacks again for the first time in years because of an incredibly heavy family situation I was supporting. It’s dawned on me, upon my return to LA, that while the impetus of this trip was this dreamy new connection, perhaps Source had ultimately been gifting me a nudge to go somewhere I could deeply practice what I preach and be in my body with profound consistency for a few days. The result was an avalanche of feelings - both ooey-gooey-amazingly-yummy, and overwhelmingly full of grief and pain - and the space to float in the dance of all of them and be held in love in that experience.

A Guidebook for FEEL IT TO HEAL IT

(Okay, not a book, but a short blurb to get you started. And if you need more support, I am here! This is what I do! This is my great passion and love gift to the world through my 1:1 program The Whole Body Communicator. Come talk to me if you’d like a guide on this journey. )

I’d like to take a little twist on the Feel It To Heal It mantra. As I’ve heard it used, it primarily means to give yourself space to feel the “thing” you want to heal. For example, you’ve experienced a particular trauma, and perhaps you have spoken about it with a therapist, journaled about it, read some self-help books or gone down an internet rabbit hole about it. But you haven’t actually FELT the feelings, or at least not enough. You had a good cry a couple of times and figured that should do it. This mantra used in therapy invites the individual to feel it MORE, feel it in the presence of a secure attachment like your therapist, or a calm, regulated space holder like a coach, feel it in more occurrences, layers and ways. This is all GREAT. And true!

And, here’s my twist. I think Feel It To Heal IT applies to ALL OF LIFE! Yup. The IT? It’s EVERYTHING. I believe we don’t heal trauma just by creating space to move through the feelings from the trauma. That is one tiny piece of the puzzle, but if that’s all you’re doing, you might just be rehearsing your pain and even re-traumatizing yourself, getting stuck cementing neural pathways of trauma responses.

I believe the deepest healing comes from learning the balance of listening to your body, and trusting the impermanence of the waves of painful emotions and sensations when they come, and then, FEELING the whole, big, gorgeous experience of being alive that is available to you, yes YOU, yes human, traumatized, pain-bodied you.

Feel IT, should mean FEEL everything. Feel the wind on your skin. Slow down and actually feel the hug you are giving and receiving. Feel the racing of your heart as you gulp air and ground yourself through overwhelm. Feel love, even when it’s scary. Feel financial security and abundance mindset. Feel laughter bubble up and take over your whole body as you shudder into the hilarity of something that lights up your funny bone. Feel your fear as you face the unknown and feel your own guiding light calling you from beyond what you can see. Feel the gentle hand of angels, God, Source, the Universe, or whatever you invite in to hold you through the times you can’t hold yourself. Feel and notice the sensations that arise when you look around you at what is good.

If you want some visual examples, you can check out the IG reel I made of me in ALL THE FEELS recently :)

Pictured below: Me guiding an opening somatic meditation at an Adise beach rave.

A Somatic practice for FEELING

Find a comfortable place for stillness.

Close your eyes.

Take three grounding breaths, in through the nose, if available, out through the nose or mouth. Notice the sensation of the breath on your upper lip, in your nostrils. What temperature is it? How do your ribs and back feel as the breath moves you?

Begin to scan your body for three internal sensations that you can name. (What do you feel within, heart beat, muscle tension or relaxation, energy tingles, etc)

Scan your environment for three external sensations you can name (what do you hear, smell, taste?)

You can do this practice anytime, anywhere, when you want to practice perceiving more of your felt experience. The more you practice, the more quickly and easily it will be to carry this listening throughout your day-to-day life. And you might just be amazed at what can come of that.

Creator Corner Collective

Speaking of Feel It To Heal It, I have got to tell you about one of the MOST baddass feelers I know, Ginger Pennington C.

When one of us succeeds we all succeed. I believe this. No one grows anything in a vacuum. Because of this, each installment of AOE I highlight another creator.

Want to be highlighted in my letter? Reach out and tell me more about your work.

I’ve had the privilege of knowing Ginger for many years and even co-creating from time to time! I’ve witnessed her confront her feelings head on time and time again over the years and the outpouring of power, love, personal peace and creativity that she has accessed through that process is truly inspirational.

Today, Ginger is the front woman and lead songwriter for the band Local Bylaws.

And if you’re in SoCal, they will be playing at Madame Siam on 11/12! Get tix!

“Forged as a California fever dream between their wild impulses and the stark realities of adulthood, Local Bylaws is a rock band founded on punk ethos and truth-telling with a positive spin. With shreddy guitars, blistering drums, and vocals somewhere between Gwen Stefani and Brody Dalle, these union members may sound like a basement riot, but their lyrics belie layers of lived experience. Their latest single, "Grateful," is available now.”

More on Local Bylaws here.

MORE FEELS

Beyond love feels, and life feels, there’s a never-ending rollercoaster of artistic feels over here. And I’ve been riding it hard for Wisdom’s Hourglass, my latest single with the Fermata Blaize project. I’ve been running into SO MANY technical difficulties around getting the music video finished. And, I’m determined that it will be released in November. So stay tuned, and if you haven’t already, please go stream it wherever you listen to music and let me know what you think. I want honest feedback shrouded in love, please!

NAKED YOGA

This month’s class will be 11/13 at 4pm in Granada Hills, CA. Come experience the healing and FEELING power of communal, clothing optional embodiment. Tix here. Our group pic from this month’s class is below the paywal ;) Just buns in the sun!

More creative stuff

You can check out more healing offerings at www.weepingwillowwellness.com

Book a FREE strategy session here to meet with me and discuss joining my 12 week somatic healing program, Whole Body Communicator

Find my music anywhere you stream. Just search Fermata Blaize!

Check out my children’s book The Possum And The Bunny

Join our Artist of Everything monthly Zoom hang by becoming a paid subscriber for $5. Your invitation is below the paywall ;)

And more to come!

Join as a paid subscriber below to read a poem (or song lyrics?) I wrote in the wee hours this morning as my mind flowed. Or become a subscriber as a birthday gift to me! I’m celebrating another year on November 8th :)

I love to be naked…this isn’t a surprise to most by now!

This past month I’ve performed nearly nude at a friend’s bday party, I’ve taught naked yoga, and I’ve spent lotsa time nude in nature and with my loved ones. I’ve got to tell you…