Reduce Your Stress with Tim Ringgold

Today you’re going to hear a presentation from my Reduce Your Stress Summit. It’s from a phenomenal woman named Sukie Baxter on the nature of healing trauma. I’ve been on a learning journey about trauma since about 2016 and what I can say is it’s A LOT more nuanced and complex than what we think on the surface. I’m really excited for you to hear from Sukie; she’s an amazing presence and resource. Make sure to check out her youtube videos as well because they are really well done and worth checking out.  https://www.youtube.com/c/SukieBaxter

For the Relaxation Vacation: www.sonicrecovery.com

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"Fresh powder” is a term I grew up hearing about, but never experienced. As a skier growing up in Connecticut, when you ski the Berkshires, you don’t get fresh powder too often. When I’d watch Warren Miller ski films and see skiers out west skiing fresh powder, it looked magical. There was this blank slate of a hill just waiting for that lucky skier, and they were free to move in whatever direction they chose down that mountain. All routes were possible. 

Well, last week, I completed my first of six sessions of ketamine therapy to help treat depression. During my consultation, the nurse practitioner explained the neurological benefits of ketamine using the ‘fresh powder’ analogy. He said, imagine you have all these ski tracks in your brain. Those are ingrained patterns of thought, emotion, and behavior. Now imagine a fresh snowfall, and imagine that fresh powder temporarily filling in those tracks. In the 2-4 days following treatment, Ketamine triggers the release of chemicals in your brain that essentially do just that. This allows you to more easily carve new tracks in the snow… you know… CHANGE direction with less effort because you are not stuck in a rut - so to speak -. We know that the term neuroplasticity means that the brain can literally change shape over time, and ketamine creates a window of time where the brain is more malleable than normal, so new patterns of thought, emotion, and behavior can be established during that time. I’m extremely excited about this, because the treatment is once a week for 6 weeks, which essentially gives me a 6 week window where I can really create some serious, positive change in the way my brain works.

For those that don’t know my story, I have documented 18 concussions with 6 occurring between 2016 and 2018. I was diagnosed with a mild traumatic brain injury which has exacerbated issues related to emotional regulation, memory, and focus. I’ve been on a journey to continue to heal my brain with as many cutting edge therapies I can find, and during January’s summit I hosted, we had a ketamine therapy expert speak. He opened my eyes to some exciting and very promising research. I’m now looking to 2022 with so much hope. It’s like I’m standing at the top of a ski run, and there’s nothing but fresh powder in front of me.

For the relaxation vacation, visit www.sonicrecovery.com

For our sponsor, visit www.drneecie.com

Brain health is body health AND mental health. In this episode, interview an extraordinary man named Alex Doman. Alex is an entrepreneur, bestselling author, psychoacoustic music producer, and TEDx speaker with more than twenty-five years’ experience in neurotechnology. The third generation in a family of pioneers dedicated to improving brain performance for over seventy-five years, Alex founded Vital Neuro, Advanced Brain Technologies, and Sleep Genius. His bestselling book Healing at the Speed of Sound® is published in five languages. Alex has contributed articles to scientific journals, magazines, and books. He’s the host of the Advanced Brain Podcast and a global keynote speaker. Doman’s production credits are extensive, guiding teams who’ve created cutting-edge solutions that have helped millions of people worldwide. His current passion project is bringing Vital Neuro to market, a mobile cloud-based neuroscience platform for brain wellness to help the masses manage their stress and optimize their performance. We talk about his family’s amazing journey in studying music to help the brain and how he is furthering his family’s work through using music to help people deal with the global pandemic called STRESS. It’s super exciting to hear what the future holds for how we’ll all be able to reduce our stress like never before thanks to the ancient gift of music and modern gift of digital technology.

Find out more about Vital Neuro at www.vitalneuro.com

For the relaxation vacation, visit www.sonicrecovery.com

For our sponsor, visit www.drneecie.com

Do you still have dreams? Not at night... in life. As always, I like to look at how life and art are metaphors for each other. Today, what I see is that my life has a creative process to it as well. If we look at a finished podcast episode as the result or output on a micro level, my life as it looks today is also a result on a more macro level. My creative process when it comes to my life is really a function of my values, or what I think is most important. I might not have conceived myself to begin this journey, but at this stage, I believe each one of us is the one “behind the wheel” steering our process towards our results. So, where do YOU want to go? What do you dream of being, doing, or having? What’s the creative process that will take you there? After reading enough stories of ordinary people overcoming extraordinary obstacles to make their dreams come true, I’m convinced that if we just trust the process, and don’t make the mistake of trying to predict the timeline… that’s a rookie move… we can all make at least some of our dreams come true. Oh, and just because you think you missed out on one particular dream in your past DOESN’T sentence you to missing out on the dreams of your future. You just need the courage to dream again… and believe me… I KNOW how much courage that takes.  

For the Relaxation Vacation: www.sonicrecovery.com

For our sponsor: www.drneecie.com

This week we’re going to hear from an extraordinary man that I met at my one and only live business conference I attended in 2021, Mr. Michael Unbroken. Michael’s personal story is a testament to the resilience of the human being. It’s not that we want to get competitive with our suffering or struggles… you’ve heard it before… just after you express something you’re going through, someone immediately counters with “You think THAT’S bad, dot dot dot, yada, yada yada.” Then they go one to try to one up you on your own challenges! Great. Thanks. Having said that, there IS this thing called perspective, which we CAN use to put our challenges into some sort of framework of understanding. Let’s face it, some things simply ARE more challenging than others, and when we hear another person’s story when NOT presented as a counterpunch, we CAN take inspiration in that story. The inspiration goes something like THIS, “If blank got through blank, maybe I can get through THIS.” In addition to having an inspiring story, Michael’s going to give you two key frameworks to help you through any stressful situation you’re facing. 

Learn more about Michael at https://www.thinkunbroken.com/

Learn more about our sponsor at https://www.drneecie.com

To get my relaxation vacation go to https://www.sonicrecovery.com

Hey, last week, I lapped the sun one more time… I turned 49 on Tuesday August 31, and Tuesdays are studio days, so I decided to write myself a birthday song! I decided that this time around I was going to write whatever felt good to me without any concern as to whether it sounds like anything I’ve written before, or as to whether it sounds like anyone else. The working title was “another lap” but as I reflected on that title, it didn’t match the exuberance of the track. It also didn’t match my own way of thinking when I’m in my best state. Truthfully, I struggle with depression and the days before and after my birthday were rough, but the clouds parted on my personal holiday and I enjoyed the day from start to finish. I am an eternal optimist out of necessity, because it’s too easy for my mind to spiral into dark spaces and places, so I invest a great deal of time effort and energy to take as good care of myself as I can so I can access moments of peace, wonder, fun, and connection. “Another Lap” sounds tiring to me, which is how life can feel sometimes. However, a new beginning sounds like it holds the promise of possibility. THAT’s the kind of mindset I WANT to have, so I’m CHOOSING to look at this year as just that… a new beginning. That’s the beauty of this game. No matter what my past looks like, I can still create a new future for myself that includes all the good… and even more of it!

For the relaxation vacation, visit www.sonicrecovery.com

For our sponsor, visit www.drneecie.com

This week’s episode is an interview with a fellow music therapist-turned-entrepreneur named Brian Harris. He is the CEO and Co-founder of an innovative company called MedRhythms which creates digital therapeutic devices to help people walk again after a stroke, brain injury, or neurologic disease. Brian is one of only 350 people in the world to hold the title of neurologic music therapy fellow, and has been serving patients in neuro rehab at Spalding Neurologic Institute since 2015. 

Now, Brian’s work may not be specifically related to stress reduction… he just helps people walk again… but our conversation underscores the power of music on the brain and body, and how digital devices can deliver music to us in ever increasingly curated and targeted ways.

Learn about Brian at www.medrhythms.com

Get the Relaxation Vacation at www.sonicrecovery.com

Learn about our sponsor at www.drneecie.com

This past week was the first week back in school for both of my kids. I know in our culture we use the phrase “Back to school”, and in some ways it’s accurate, but in some ways, it’s not… ESPECIALLY this year. For my sophomore, there was not a single day in her freshman year where all the students were on campus at the same time due to COVID, so her first days “back” this year look NOTHING like last year… and since she didn’t have a freshman orientation last year since NO ONE was on campus at the start… this year’s freshmen know more about the campus than she does. 

It got me thinking that this past Wednesday was really a first day FORWARD for her, more so than a first day back. Then it got me thinking some more… what if everyday as an adult holds the possibility of being a first day forward? That was interesting, but a little intimidating, but I realized that if I ever want to land on different shores and experience new things, not just a rinse and repeat of yesterday, I’m going to have to chart new courses and move in new directions… which immediately brings up the idea of THE UNKNOWN…. Now what I’ve learned is some people are innately more comfortable with the unknown than others, but I’ve also learned that that comfort can be developed. It’s not fixed. So in this track, there’s a mixture of the unknown and the known… tension and resolution… uncertainty and certainty. I also wanted to convey an overwhelming sense of peace throughout the track, because for me, this life is not a sprint, it’s a marathon, and if there’s ONE THING I want to KNOW I can find throughout the journey, it’s peace.

For more information about the Self Care for Healthcare Workshop, visit www.timringgold.com/selfcareworkshop

For the relaxation vacation, visit www.sonicrecovery.com

For our sponsor, visit www.drneecie.com

Learning about Polyvagal Theory was a game changer for me in helping me understand my nervous system works. Today’s interview is with my dear friend Mike Govoni who is an expert on trauma and healing. Right now, we are being sent so many mixed messages of threat and stress from our environment. Mike’s message is super timely because stress triggers cravings, and if you’re interested in overcoming any habit, you need to understand the role stress plays on your nervous system, and the role your nervous system plays in recovering. 

Learn more about Mike at www.mikegovoni.com

Go to www.sonicrecovery.com for the relaxation vacation

Today, August 9, is day one of my Reduce Your Stress Summit for healthcare professionals! Over the next 5 Days, 23 experts will be sharing TED style talks on actionable ways to heal trauma, end burnout, and balance work and life. You don’t have to just keep burning the candle at both ends. We all did it to get through our education, and in many work environments the expectation seems to be keep doing it. But you may have noticed it’s not sustainable. We wear out, get sick, burn out, develop our own diseases and conditions, and then become the patient our colleagues now have to treat. Don’t let the rat race consume you, too. The numbers are NOT GOOD with respect to burnout, depression, and even suicide in the medical profession.

If you or someone you care about works in healthcare, PLEASE tune in or share with them this FREE RESOURCE to help you or them become stress resilient so you or they can reignite that flame that had them enter the field in the first place. You or they can STILL register at www.reduceyourstresssummit.com.

Back to Front

Okay, onto the music. The reason you didn’t hear music in the background during the intro is because on THIS episode, THAT music is moving to the foreground! This past weekend, I spent time with a dear friend in his studio where I shared this podcast through his amazing speakers. He simply purred when he heard the background track I use for the intro and outro, and it dawned on me that while “Going Home” - that’s the name of the track - appears underneath the announcements, I’ve never released it publicly before.

A Gift

I wrote Going Home for an old friend named Ray who had suffered a traumatic brain injury in an accident many years ago. As I think back, it was probably 2004 or 5. Ray’s doctor’s didn’t give him a chance of surviving the accident, but they didn’t know what a fighter Ray was and is. I sent him and his parents a card saying the day would come when Ray came home from the hospital and we’d all share a toast. Well, it took quite a while and that day came. And while I was in school in CA and they were back in CT, we toasted over the phone, and they played “Going Home” on their CD player. The vibe of going home represents the peace and good vibes of Ray’s parent’s home in CT, combined with the happiness of family being reunited. So while you listen to the full track today, I invite you to think of the love and connection that turns a house into a home, and picture that setting in your life, whether it’s reminiscing over your home of origin, or it’s the one you have now.