Holistic Life Navigation

This interview came after my scheduled guest had to cancel last minute. I put out a call asking for others to write me their stories of transforming trauma into wisdom. Nicole was the first to write, and her story is a continuation of last week's story: addiction born from unprocessed childhood trauma & the desperation to find safety. This time, it's from a woman's perspective.

Nicole Garvey shares her story for the first time, ever, about how unprocessed sexual childhood trauma began expressing itself through multiple extramarital affairs. The thing we must always remember about trauma is that it gets stored in the body so, even when we forget it or intellectually identify it, the body continues to cycle and express itself similar to how it experienced trauma in the first place. This is the case with Nicole's experience.

Nicole's experience also teaches us that, once we integrate and release our trauma, we become empowered by it, more wise because of it, and so much more empathic & compassionate from it. She now has this gift from her experience to offer safe space, unconditional empathy, and guidance to those who cross paths with her or work with her as clients. How lucky for all of them, and how lucky for me to have gotten to sit down with her.

BIO

Nicole Garvey is a LPC-Associate living in East Texas with her husband and three children. She is passionate about guiding clients through the process of self-discovery by utilizing a bottom-up approach of befriending the body to heal the mind. Her personal journey has poised her to understand and treat the complexities of trauma, including but not limited to: sexual abuse, addiction, anxiety disorders, infidelity, motherhood, spiritual abuse, eating disorders, and PTSD. If her story has touched you and you would like to reach out to her, you can find here on Instagram @Nicole.Garvey.counseling .

You can read more about, and register for, the Navigating Weight & Body Image With Somatics webinar here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/weight-and-body-image-webinar

You can register for November's Community Somatics here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/events/community-somatics-november

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You can learn more on the website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/

You can follow Luis on Instagram @holistic.life.navigation

Questions? You can email us at [email protected]

Today's episode explores the somatic experience behind pornography addiction. Like most addictions, porn addiction is a desperation to find predictable safety. It stems from a childhood, particularly during puberty, of developing without consistent co-regulation. For men, it can be the secret password to be accepted into the club of men.

I invite Benjamin Obler to this episode. Ben experienced pornography addiction that grew so powerful that it became a wedge between him and his wife - as well as a wedge between him and himself. I had the pleasure of working with Ben for a while. What inspired me about Ben was his very balanced masculinity. This is not a man who is toxic in his expression of manliness. He is well read, articulate, perfectly feminine, and balanced in being, both, tender and firm.

He breaks the stereotype for porn addicts. He brings a childhood history of trauma to the table, yet we only discussed a small fraction of it in this episode. Ben's experiences, male role models, and what he believed about himself growing up led him to not feel safe with other human beings. The fear of rejection, the freeze of fear, and the isolation of shame consumed him. Pornography was a realm he could exist in, safely, freely, and find predictable comfort and regulation.

It has very little to do with sex or sexuality and everything to do with trying to find safety and security. As someone with my own history of sex addiction, I understand this and I welcome you to this episode and ask you to join in with an open mind, open heart, and open body so you can feel what it brings up for you. Notice where you connect, where you get triggered, and where you get inspired.

BIO

Benjamin Obler is a writer, editor and teacher. He wrote the novel Javascotia, from Penguin Book UK. His short story “The White Man’s Incredulity Furrows His Brow” won the short fiction prize with Puerto Del Sol in 2015. His essays have appeared in the Guardian, Longreads, Electric Literature, and the Times of London. He teaches with Gotham Writers Workshop of New York City and other outlets.

Find him at:

https://www.aspiringwritersyndrome.com/

https://www.instagram.com/aspiringwritersyndrome/

https://aspiringwritersyndrome.medium.com/

You can read more about, and register for, the Navigating Weight & Body Image With Somatics webinar here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/weight-and-body-image-webinar

You can register for November's Community Somatics here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/events/community-somatics-november

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You can learn more on the website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/

You can follow Luis on Instagram @holistic.life.navigation

Questions? You can email us at [email protected]

This is a beautiful episode, recorded on the day before Winter Solstice about the life-giving qualities of death. The inevitable transformation into the unknown that we all must experience. I spoke with Murphy Robinson & Jamie Waggoner who bring an insightful and unique conversation about death to the episode. We speak about how to die well, what death means to us, and the life force that is present even in death.

To work with Muphy & Jamie, or to see their offerings, please visit the following links:

Murphy's Website: http://www.mountainsongexpeditions.com/
Jamie's Website:  https://www.jamiewaggoner.com/
Jamie's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jmwaggoner
Jamie's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pythiaofthepines/
Current Online Class: http://www.mountainsongexpeditions.com/wayoftheweaver.html

In this episode I refer to Episode 17: Using Grief To Transform Your Life w/ Loren Michelle. In that episode, Loren shares about how she changed her life and found a deeper life force and meaning through the grief from the sudden death of her son. I strongly recommend listening after you hear this episode.

The episode ends with my song "Black Magick" off of my upcoming album Songs From The Land. It captures the moment in my life when I first moved to Woodstock, NY. I met a Lakota & Cherokee two-Spirit man who gifted me a handful of Barred Owl feathers. I braided the feathers into my hair and this song came through me, all at once, about the sacred mountain (originally home to the Esopus tribe of the Lenape people) I lived and walked on. The song will be available on September 20th, 2021 when the record is released. You can sign up to be notified by email here, if you'd like.

BIOS

Murphy Robinson is a priestx, wilderness guide, activist, and a student of the sacred hunt. They have been casting circles since they were sixteen years old, and have taught both magic and wilderness skills across the US, and occasionally in Ireland and Sweden. They have pursued special study of spirit journeying, the Norse runes, archery as a magical practice, and meaningful rituals to honor the animals and plants who die to feed us.  Their work often serves The Huntress and The Lord of the Dead. As a queer transmasculine priestx, they explore healthy and healing ways to reclaim the sacred masculine.

Jamie Waggoner is a priestess whose interests center around folk magic, mythology, oracular traditions, trance and ritual arts, and building sacred communities. She believes that magic is real, present all around us, and a profound tool for justice and transformation. Jamie trained as a priestess with the Sisterhood of Avalon for thirteen years, and now leads independent workshops and rituals across the United States. Jamie lives in Alabama, the ancestral homeland of the Mvskoke (Muscogee) people.

You can read more about, and register for, the Navigating Weight & Body Image With Somatics webinar here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/weight-and-body-image-webinar

You can register for November's Community Somatics here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/events/community-somatics-november

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You can learn more on the website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/

You can follow Luis on Instagram @holistic.life.navigation

Questions? You can email us at [email protected]

Today's conversation is around the topic of healing through Astrology & the planets themselves. I was drawn to interview Britten because of her experience with finding safety with the Moon and then creating a workbook out of her experience for others to follow in her footsteps.

We chat about the Moon, co-regulation, healing through Astrology, and the androgyny that is nature & the universe.

About Britten

Britten LaRue is an intuitive life coach, writer, and teacher. Blending astrology, the tarot, somatic healing techniques, and deep self-inquiry, Britten helps clients deprogram from unhelpful conditioning and hear their own truth. With a long background in academia, Britten brings the rigor of her training to the wisdom of her life experience, including grief, trauma, addiction, motherhood, sexuality, and divorce.

To Work With Her

Visit https://brittenlarue.com or follow her on Instagram @brittenlarue.

You can read more about, and register for, the Navigating Weight & Body Image With Somatics webinar here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/weight-and-body-image-webinar

You can register for November's Community Somatics here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/events/community-somatics-november

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You can learn more on the website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/

You can follow Luis on Instagram @holistic.life.navigation

Questions? You can email us at [email protected]

Today's guest is wise woman herbalist Lata Kennedy. Lata grew up in India and left home when she was just 16 to escape from a traumatic environment. Becoming very poor, she quickly turned to the Earth's wild foods & medicines to find a sense of belonging, security, and a skill that she could use to offer in exchange for food.

Quickly, Lata began healing her body, healing her trauma, and creating a deep connection to the world around her through the use of wild herbs as medicine. She moved to NYC and opened a small herb shop called Flower Power, which is thriving 30 years later. She uses her shop to serve her community, educate people about herbs, and create a safe, magical space in a very crowded, industrial NYC to help people connect back to the Earth.

I am very grateful to Lata for being my wife's herbal teacher and mentor, and then my wife taught me. We get to continue the lineage of herbal healing through educating our daughter, and my wife's new herb shop Artemis Rising gets to serve our community in Woodstock, NY.

This is just one of many herb shops and healing centers that have been created from Lata's students. Every day people looking to heal themselves and connect to the land, stumbling into an old apothecary in the East Village and being changed for life. Like the mother dandelion, Lata's generosity & wisdom have spread all over the world.

For more information on Flower Power, please visit:

Website: https://flowerpower.net/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flowerpower_nyc/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flowerpowerherbs

You can read more about, and register for, the Navigating Weight & Body Image With Somatics webinar here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/weight-and-body-image-webinar

You can register for November's Community Somatics here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/events/community-somatics-november

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You can learn more on the website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/

You can follow Luis on Instagram @holistic.life.navigation

Questions? You can email us at [email protected]

On this episode, I speak with Patric Mwalua who is the founder of the Mwalua Wildlife Trust. His organization was started with, as he says, "pennies in his pocket", when he began transporting water to endangered animals at the Tsavo Sanctuary in Kenya.

His Water is Life Truck is an ongoing supply of water to water points in the wildlife areas. The delivery of water with this truck can be essential to the survival of wildlife in times of drought and helps mitigate wildlife conflict with surrounding villages as it reduces the instances of animals destroying property in search of water.

His organization is involved in community projects that include planting trees to heal deforestation, building water catchment systems to store the rainwater when it comes, community gardens for the families in the area to create food security, & ongoing work to sustain the future of his community.

Patric and I spoke about the sacredness of water, how empathy gave birth to his organization, and reminded me about the true spirit of generosity.

Make A Donation
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/mwtwaterfundforanimals?utm_term=Vq6ADgNdZ

Follow
https://www.instagram.com/mwaluawildlife/
https://www.facebook.com/mwaluawildlifetrust/

Official Website
https://www.mwaluawildlifetrust.org/

You can read more about, and register for, the Navigating Weight & Body Image With Somatics webinar here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/weight-and-body-image-webinar

You can register for November's Community Somatics here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/events/community-somatics-november

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You can learn more on the website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/

You can follow Luis on Instagram @holistic.life.navigation

Questions? You can email us at [email protected]

I, like many other children, was diagnosed in the 90s with ADHD, nervous ticks, & Tourette's Syndrome. The doctors wanted to put me on an anti-psychotic that would have had nearly catatonic effects. Lucky for me, my mother was a nurse and said "hell no!". So I began learning mindfulness, with the help of my mother, at the age of 9 and further managed and healed my diagnoses with whole food nutrition, herbal therapy, and somatic therapy for the unconscious trauma I was holding.

I invited Shannon Myers to chat with me about her work, her story, and how she assesses, treats, and works with ADHD. She visits and educates the entire family on their relationship dynamics, food habits, environment, and any lifestyle habits that would contribute to overwhelming the nervous system.

In addition, she assesses whether or not the individual is experiencing trauma or an actual brain imbalance. Most of the time, it's trauma that's misdiagnosed as something else. This means that we over medicate our systems when they really need to be nourished.

To work with Shannon, please visit her website https://theintegrativecounselor.com/ or follow her on Instagram @the.integrative.counselor.

You can read more about, and register for, the Navigating Weight & Body Image With Somatics webinar here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/weight-and-body-image-webinar

You can register for November's Community Somatics here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/events/community-somatics-november

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You can learn more on the website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/

You can follow Luis on Instagram @holistic.life.navigation

Questions? You can email us at [email protected]

This episode finds me in another group discussion with my 3 colleagues about co-regulation. Co-regulation is the event of attuning to another system that makes you feel safe. Essentially meaning: my body feels safe with your body.

We talk about how co-regulation is the foundation for self-regulation, healthy relationships, and feeling safe with others in the world. For more information on my guests, please visit their links below.

Alexis Katz: https://www.alexiskatzlcsw.com/
Daniel Schidlowsky: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/daniel-schidlowsky-kingston-ny/342788
Laurie Robbins: http://www.robbinscounseling.com/

You can read more about, and register for, the Navigating Weight & Body Image With Somatics webinar here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/weight-and-body-image-webinar

You can register for November's Community Somatics here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/events/community-somatics-november

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You can learn more on the website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/

You can follow Luis on Instagram @holistic.life.navigation

Questions? You can email us at [email protected]

Today I interview Chelsea Goodwin & Rusty Moore. They are both little slices of history for the transgender movement. Both activists who founded Transy House  in 1995 to give housing to transgender people who needed safe space. Transy House eventually closed in 2008.

I was happy to speak with them about their journeys in coming out, their recounts of trans and LGBTQI history, as well as a myriad of other realms, eccentricities, and landscapes living in Chelsea's mind.

To listen to Chelsea's radio show, In Goth We Trust, go to http://www.facebook.com/ingothwetrustshow.

You can read more about, and register for, the Navigating Weight & Body Image With Somatics webinar here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/weight-and-body-image-webinar

You can register for November's Community Somatics here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/events/community-somatics-november

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You can learn more on the website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/

You can follow Luis on Instagram @holistic.life.navigation

Questions? You can email us at [email protected]

In this episode, I speak about the difference between empathy & being an Empath. Being empathic means the lifelong practice of understanding everyone. Being and Empath is the experience of feeling everyone.

The untrained Empath, so to speak, is in a constant physical state of overwhelm. They may avoid people altogether. And this experience of physically feeling people's energies to the detriment of one's own body is a response to unprocessed trauma.

That trauma doesn't have to mean abuse or even childhood issues. It can mean birth trauma and trauma while developing in the womb, which I speak about in this episode.

Healing trauma and creating safety in the body sets up the necessary environment to practice unconditional empathy and allows the Empath to learn the difference between what's mine and what's yours.

I reference Mark Wolynn's book titled It Didn't Start With You, which poignantly explores the phenomenon of inter-generational trauma. You can find more on  his work here: https://www.markwolynn.com/.

You can read more about, and register for, the Navigating Weight & Body Image With Somatics webinar here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/weight-and-body-image-webinar

You can register for November's Community Somatics here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/events/community-somatics-november

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You can learn more on the website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/

You can follow Luis on Instagram @holistic.life.navigation

Questions? You can email us at [email protected]