Acupuncture is a treatment approach in Traditional Chinese Medicine that has been practiced for centuries by inserting thin needles to stimulate specific points in the body. The theory is based on the idea that energy, also known as qi, flows through your body along pathways called meridians.

Acupuncture is one of my favourite tools to help support the body while it’s healing. Treatment is minimally invasive, has few risks, doesn’t interact with any medication, and is able to address a wide range of concerns. Examples of where I’ve seen significant benefit include pain, arthritis, PMS, infertility, insomnia, stress management, anxiety, digestive concerns, headaches, stroke rehabilitation, allergies and respiratory conditions like your average cold or flu. Who would’ve thought that such a small needle could be so powerful?!

Yintang ~ as demonstrated in the picture ~ is a commonly used point in treating anxiety, insomnia, and is helpful in stress management. So if you’re feeling overwhelmed from a day at the office, feeling anxious, are having trouble falling asleep at night or you just need 5 minutes for yourself – here’s a fun trick for you to try!

Find a calm and quiet spot, get into a comfortable position, and take two deep breaths. While focusing on your breath, apply constant, firm pressure on the point between your eyebrows with your thumb or index finger, for 3-5 minutes. Acupressure is an effective alternative to acupuncture for those times you can’t make it in for a session!

For more information about how acupuncture could help you, please reach out to Jasmine by clicking this link

I believe that kids will do well if they can. So, my job essentially is to figure out why it is that this child is not doing well and why now? I get curious, what is getting in the way? How can I help. Our brains work to keep us safe and anxiety is a […]

I believe that kids will do well if they can. So, my job essentially is to figure out why it is that this child is not doing well and why now? I get curious, what is getting in the way? How can I help.

Our brains work to keep us safe and anxiety is a warning that our brain is perceiving something as dangerous in our environment.  It is a normal reaction, but sometimes it gets heightened for a multitude of reasons

What is anxiety and what does it look like in children?  How can I tell if my child has anxiety…..

Anger: A child who perceives danger, stress or opposition may be triggered into a fight response which looks like an angry melt down and the child may not be able to communicate why they are feeling this way

Difficulty sleepingAnxiety may result in a child having difficulty relaxing and falling to sleep at night or staying asleep

DefianceWhen children feel anxious and helpless as well as being unable to communicate their emotions,  they may display actions that could be misinterpreted as defiance but is really an attempt to control the situation in order to relieve their anxious feelings (all in an unconscious way)

ChandleringWhen a seemingly calm child suddenly flies off the handle for no reason.  They may have stuffed their feelings down for so long that an innocuous event or comment can trigger a response disproportionate to the situation

Lack of FocusA child may not pay attention to what is going on because they are so intent on their own inner thoughts that are focused on their emotional of fight flight or freeze in that moment.

AvoidanceA child may exert a lot of energy to avoid a certain person, place or task.  

Over-planningSome children try to take back control over their anxiety by over planning for situations where it is not necessary or disproportionate to the situation.

NegativityChildren who experience anxiety tend to experience negative thoughts at a much greater intensity than positive ones.

When feelings of anxiety get too big for our littles, they turn to us (their safe adults) to help them regulate and calm.  Calm begets calm.  Take a deep breath yourself.   Share your regulation strategies with your little.  Model for them how you manage your anxious feelings.  Anxiety is a normal part of life; we all deal with it.  How can you be helpful? 

When you notice signs of anxiety in your little, here are some helpful things to say (and do)!

 “I’m here with you.  You are safe”“Let’s dance or run or jump like a frog (you get the idea-get active) to get rid of all of that worried energy”“Tell me about it”“What can you say to your worry?  What might your worry say back?  Then what?”“Let’s draw”“Where do you feel worry in your body?  How big is it?”“Let’s breathe together (help your little take deep slow breaths by modelling it for them)”“Let’s think up some worry endings that could happen (anxious ones, goofy ones, and realistic ones)”“What’s something we could do together that will help you feel better?  (Cuddle, read together, go for a walk, something that your little likes to do with you)”

Remember, our kids can feel anxiety just like us adults. Their anxieties are big for them even though they may seem small to us. I encourage you to ask why is my child not doing what I think they should in this moment. Chances are, something in their environment or body is unsettling to them. If we can explore their inner state, help regulate or problem solve with them, we will increase the chances that they will be able to meet ours or their own expectations.

To learn more about how to help your child in times of distress, please reach out to Andrea (link)

I recently came across an excerpt I had noted in Norman Doidge’s book, The Brain’s Way of Healing[i] that has me reflecting on what I do as a Brainwave Optimization technologist. Through his work, Doidge has observed different stages in neuroplastic healing that I see as extremely pertinent to the innovative technology I offer in my office as a counsellor.

The first stage is that of the general health of the neurons which are the basic working units of the brain. The different types of neurons cannot communicate with each other when compromised by an external source (such as an infection, a heavy metal toxin, a pesticide, a drug, or food sensitivity) or by an undersupply of resources, i.e. certain minerals. I’ve read works by other practitioners who seem to be of the same thought. Experts like Kelly Brogan[ii] or Izabella Wentz[iii] or David Perlmutter[iv] can share many a healing story of lifestyle interventions that included attention to the gut-brain connection with better nutrition and the elimination of toxins and certain foods, such as sugar and grains. This general cellular repair stage is relevant to everyone, and even more so when struggling with mental health and brain function issues like anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, common psychiatric disorders, attention deficit disorder, autism, learning disorders, and dementia.

Once cellular function has been re-established, Doidge points to the importance of then stimulating the neurons so that connection is encouraged between neurons. This creates the circuitry and networks that can overcome learned nonuse in existing circuits compromised by injury or lack of nutrients. In his book, Doidge shares examples of different interventions he has seen being used. Light, sound, electricity, vibration, movement and thought, all provide neurostimulation. Some stimulation begins from an external source while other forms are internal. Thought, for example, is an incredibly stimulating act which originates in our own brain. As a counselor, I use different approaches (cognitive behavioral, EMDR, EFT, IFS, etc.) to help clients become more aware of their thought processes so they can better integrate their experience and be less driven by fear or anxiety thoughts. When someone considers the Brainwave Optimization technology, exterior sound is used to stimulate the neurons and circuitry however this sound is actually created by the brain’s own activity regardless of one’s thought processes. Brainwave Optimization[v] is often promoted as an inside out approach to neurostimulation.

The next step needed after stimulation is modulation. Any stimulation must be regulated somehow. From birth, our relationships help us learn how to be social beings. Normally, these relationships help our brain acquire a natural internal capacity to self-regulate. One of the ways it does that is through the autonomic nervous system with its two branches: the sympathetic fight-or-flight reaction, which mobilizes a person for action and the parasympathetic system, which turns off the sympathetic system and puts a person into a calm state in which he or she can think and reflect. Research has shown that these response tendencies are associated with different sides of the brain, with the right side being the primary manager for “fight or flight” responses, and the left side for “rest, digest and freeze” responses. When these managers are out of balance, people might find that they can’t regulate sensation properly because of their brain capacity has them being too sensitive to outside stimulation or, alternatively, insensitive to it. Quite often a good therapeutic relationship with a counselor can be instrumental in helping a client develop toward balanced right and left brain processes. Case studies at Wake Forest School of Medicine[vi] are showing that Brainwave Optimization supports the brain to balance its left and right sides, resetting the brain’s overall level of arousal and improving its capaci