Song of the Week

Listen to this song as you read to help open you up. Follow The Sun by Xavier Rudd. Set your intentions, dream with care, tomorrow is a new day for everyone.

Time and Space: Mending Your Body’s Stress Response

Say it with me three times:

Repeated activation of the relaxation response can reverse sustained problems in the body and mend internal wear and tear brought on by stress.

Repeated activation of the relaxation response can reverse sustained problems in the body and mend internal wear and tear brought on by stress.

Repeated activation of the relaxation response can reverse sustained problems in the body and mend internal wear and tear brought on by stress.

This is a quote by Herbert Benson, MD, Timeless Healing, 1996

Now breathe and see what happens next.

Trauma is when too much happens too fast. The event overwhelms our containers, aka our bodies. Healing takes work and repetition to right size the consequences of that on our bodies. Our stress reactions happen on autopilot. Our relaxation response has to be mindfully cultivated, most of the time, unless we happen to be surrounded by lots of beautiful things to look at all the time which help us feel relaxed. I’ve been thinking a lot about this the last few days.

You see, I’ve been in a somatic experiencing (SE) training all weekend and I made a new friend. We were practicing SE techniques on each other during this online training. She’s a fellow practitioner, I’d guess a little younger than me. We laughed a lot together when I started whistling like a bird in one of our sessions. She’s got a great laugh and a lovely smile. We bonded over this gregarious imagery we both attuned to.

At the end of our sessions I found out she lives in Tehran, Iran. My heart broke a little— making a new friend, then putting together how your histories are currently intertwined in a very difficult way is a shock to a gently unfurling connection.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. One of the best ways to stop a war is by making friends. Which is to say, one of the best ways to stop a war is by cultivating love. By cultivating a deep care for someone, a people, a land, and magnifying it across society we can change histories. It’s a timeless story, that sometimes takes time, but hopefully not too much.

One of the best ways to cultivate relationship and connection is by intentionally carving out time and space to be in connection. Protect this time and space fiercely. I hope that each of you can take time and space today, and this week.

Time and space to help your heart breathe more slowly. To help your blood pressure decrease. Listen to the birds, see how you feel. Take time to get your body to a place of rest. The way to stay mobilized in a very activated (violent) world at this time is to be able to stay out of a prolonged immobilizing fight/flight/freeze trauma response. This is your reminder to book bodywork/massage, therapy, socialize with a friend, prioritize going to the lake, watching the rain roll in. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. We need you!

Pride’s Drop In Center

I am going to be giving bodywork for most of the day today at Pride’s Drop In Center. “We serve all people, no matter the age, gender or sexuality. We serve those with a history of sexual exploitation and those who are at risk.” They have a shower, laundry machines, clothing, a bedroom, landline phones, laptops, meals, board games, case management, legal advocacy, support groups, youth prevention groups, LGBTQ specific services, transitional housing services, and a community health clinic available.

T.O.U.C.H Outreach

Wednesday and Friday this week I’ll be giving bodywork at Touch Outreach. Touch Outreach is a local non-profit serving the Minneapolis, MN metro and surrounding communities, providing community outreach, youth mentoring, public safety resources, and violence prevention. We at T.O.U.C.H Outreach strive to engage with our communities directly, connecting with people on the street to find out what they need and providing resources. We are also trained in de-escalation, stepping in to help deter crime from happening through crisis prevention. We are reimagining public safety through a public health approach - spreading love and hope to our communities through Outreach, Community Engagement, and Violence Prevention.

Schedule With Me

OTR/L, BA, MHP, LMT,
she/they) Integrative Therapies

I offer trauma informed somatic therapy, craniosacral therapy, Swedish massage, Thai bodywork, myofascial release, group workshops, and healing through art, play, and connecting to nature.

The Quakers Ares Suing Trump and I Love It

Some Humor, Cause We Need It

How things can get when cool mushrooms pop up.

Camping with those sleeping bags and pads that seems to be made out of potato chip bags.

Community Events

Drunk(ish) Antifascist History Fundraiser! Spread the World and Mark Your Calendars! July 26th!

My friend is the founder of Rough Magic Theatre Company. They are putting on The Macbeths this fall, stay tuned! Prepare for a Macbeth unlike any you’ve seen before. Rough Magic Performance Company proudly presents an original, immersive adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Don’t miss this modern take on the classic tale of trauma, loss, and unfettered ambition. Yes—there will be witches. 

Thanks for READING and please share with folks who might appreciate this content! xoxo Eiko