What is Trauma? A Simple Breakdown of a Complex Concept
Though we hear this term all the time, trauma’s a word that’s often misunderstood. Trauma can take many different forms and it’s not necessarily about what happened. But many believe it’s something that only those who have experienced terrible events like natural disasters or significant catastrophes have suffered. But it’s measured not by the event […]
Using Mindful Breathing to Calm the Stress Response from Childhood Complex Trauma
If you’ve experienced childhood trauma, you’re probably aware of how draining it can be to always feel like you’re on edge or high alert. Trauma naturally causes that continual “fight or flight” sensation, as if your body is always ready for something terrible to happen. But what if I told you that something as basic […]
No Aspect Untouched: The Emotional, Physical, and Spiritual Impacts of Childhood Complex Trauma
Picture this: You walk into a crowded room. Conversations are flowing and the energy is vibrant. But instead of making you either delighted or even neutral, something else happens. Your heart races. Your gut gets tighter. Suddenly all you want to do is flee as a sense of dread kicks in. For someone with a […]
Addiction Isn’t Just About Substances: It’s a Pattern of Behavior
Most people immediately imagine a certain substance—alcohol, narcotics, maybe even cigarettes—when they hear the word “addiction.” It’s really not all that surprising. Addiction is often defined by society’s attachment to a specific substance, hence many conversations about recovery center on that drug—getting clean from alcohol, stopping narcotics, giving up smoking. But suppose I told you […]
What Are the Daoist Internal Healing Arts?
When we think of healing, most of us picture drugs, surgery, or perhaps even therapy. But an ancient Chinese philosophy called Daoism has another viewpoint on healing that transcends the physical. Known as the Daoist internal healing arts, they’re a group of disciplines meant to enable us live in harmony with nature and ourselves. They […]
Daoist Healing: A Steady Road to Healing and Transformation
Imagine waking up every day feeling more in touch—with the world around you, with yourself. Whatever life presents, a sense of peace comes over you and an underlying energy feeds you. It’s not a dream. It’s a possibility. And for millennia, people have turned to the Daoist internal healing arts to make it reality. You’re […]
A Tale of Two Approaches: How Western and Daoist Views on Health Differ
When it comes to health and wellness, most of us are familiar with the Western medical approach. You’ve personally encountered the Western model if you’ve ever visited the doctor for antibiotics, an X-ray, or a prescription. But an alternative approach that’s been around for thousands of years offers a very different viewpoint: the Daoist healing […]
Causes of Addiction: How and Why It Happens
Addiction is a difficult problem with no single clear origin. Rather, it typically emerges from a combination of elements. These include genetic, environmental, social, psychological, and even spiritual—that all come together in unique ways for every person. Understanding addiction requires looking not only at how it happens, but also why it happens. In this post […]
Healing Childhood Trauma: Why It Can’t Be Fixed Quickly
One night at a recent AA meeting, I had a fascinating discussion that really got me considering the nature of recovery from childhood trauma. A fellow member, who had been clean for more than thirty years, was talking about his struggles with resentment. “I’ve done a lot of work on my trauma,” he remarked, speaking […]
How the Daoist Healing Arts Work: A Path to Balance and Well-Being
Most people’s conceptions of health and healing revolve around physical symptoms and treatments. But what if there’s more to healing than just physical care of the body? The Daoist healing arts offer an alternative perspective, viewing the mind, body, emotions, and even the spirit as interconnected components of a whole. Correcting problems is simply one […]