Moving Through a Debris Field of Feelings

by Brittiney George, BS, MST, ICI, CEIM 

We are all in the middle of a tornado right now.  A pressure front full of conflicting ideas, information, and feelings—lots and lots of feelings.  

Some are picking up pieces of broken foundations; others shattered ideals. For many Hope caught on fire, and dreams may have become heavy and waterlogged.  We each are fighting to ensure that our most precious possessions (to which I might offer include Hope, Joy, Peace, and Curiosity), don’t get torn apart by the rushing rivers of Grief, Fear, Discord, Discomfort, and Worry.

It is a rare moment of time where no home has been left untouched by these storms.  When defenses are low and exhaustion is high, it is easy to lose our grip.  We can quickly get pulled from our own inner knowing into the debris field of feelings surrounding us.  

Times like this encourage us to run or numb from our feelings.  I’d offer a different approach: embrace your feelings.  Not all the feelings that are in the air around you, or on the ground beneath you are yours, so detangling yours from the debris field is important for respite in the storm.

A simple exercise I developed for myself, that many of my clients have also found helpful is name and claiming your emotions.  It is an invitation to detangle from the emotional debris outside and get a clearer sense of how to move with what your feeling on the inside.  Try it out:  

Name, Claim, and Move Emotional Exploration:

1. Start by naming every emotion you feel:  List them like bullet points.  
2. Use I feel vs. I am: listing the emotions as a feeling (I feel angry, sad, elated, relieved…vs. I am angry, I am sad), keeps it as a feeling and not a declaration or judgement of who you are as a person.
3. Name the emotion without the story:  When you don’t get swept away by the story around the emotion (the who, why, how), but instead take a moment to simply name the emotion it is easier to disentangle them.  
4. Move With or Let Move:  The body can feel multiple feelings simultaneously, but not every feeling will be asking for the same movement.  Ex. how anger wants you to move may be very different than grief.  When we are trying to move with all of them at the same time we can get stuck, frozen, or anxious because no move feels “right”.  When you name them, each emotion is validated.  For some feelings that is enough for them to move through on their own.  Then you can pick one to spend time with (maybe it is the loudest, the quietest, or the one that takes up the most space).  
5. Ask that emotion:
• what it wants
• what it needs
• and knowing both and everything else your navigating, what is the movement that is available. (This is where the body is a superstar.  There is always a move available, but it is not always the one we think.  Listening to one emotion at a time, helps that to be clearer).  

The more you practice, the easier it becomes to move with strong emotions, hear the quiet emotions asking to be nourished, and to clear the debris field so movement and connection once again feels possible.

Brittiney George, BS, MST, ICI, CEIM, is a Master Somatic Therapist, Trainer and Movement Practitioner specializing in Transformative Touch.  She is also the creator of the online comic www.thisweekwithjoy.com.  Her areas of specialty include working with highly sensitive persons (HSP’s), and helping people find movement when they feel stuck in life’s transitions.  Contact Brittiney at 610-389-7866 or movebackintolife@gmail.com.  

Finding Your Feet After Years of Holding It Together

by Brittiney George, BS, MST, ICI, CEIM 

The body likes balance.  It likes connection.  It needs safety.  

The body is meant to move.

It will hold, brace, bend, twist, compress, or overextend until it finds the alignment required to keep it as safe as possible in whatever environment it is in.  

So, what happens to a body when movement has been taken away or the rules around movement are changed?  This happened on a global scale during the pandemic.  Our legs literally got removed from our daily life.  We were in conversations from the waist up.  We were encouraged not to connect, to move to close, or to go too far.  We were asked to be vigilant, to be on the alert, but also to shut down and not panic.  It was a strange, mixed message of movement for a body, for every-body, and I am still seeing the lingering effects in my practice. Maybe some of these observations feel familiar to you?

Pre-covid Holding Patterns: Upper body locks-people shouldered a lot. They would come in with tight necks, backs and shoulders.  The request was often to help them get their legs and feet back underneath them so they could stop shouldering so much and move more freely in their life

Covid Holding Patterns: Lower body locks.  It was almost as if standing still and holding it all together became so common that the legs, feet, and joints became locked in a rigid position.  Not being able to step out in the world created legs that were less flexible and mobile.  Relational patterns in the world began to reflect these moves as people began to move with less tolerance, flexibility, and adaptability to others.  

Current Pattern:  Head trying to find the feet again.  As the legs have come back online and shoulders are re-negotiating holding and releasing, I'm seeing feet show up in ways I've never seen.  It is as if the head and the feet are trying to figure out if they can trust each other.  The head is asking the feet-can I trust you and what you feel?  And the feet seem to be asking the head, do you even know what I am doing done here?  I’m having to negotiate new ground everywhere I go.  

If you’re trying to find your footing again in new terrain, I offer the insights below as a transitional balm for your system.

• Power of Your Hands:  your hands tell the rest of the body what move you are making (holding on, reaching for, letting go) and the rest of our body aligns accordingly.
• Power of Your Feet:  your feet let the body know the foundation you are on (shaky, sinking, solid) and are masters at adapting accordingly.
• Power of Your Nervous System:  your nervous system knows where you’ve been and where you are now and is a powerhouse in safety attunement.
• Power of Your Head:  it knows history and story, but it also knows movement.  Let it be an ally to your body and to your heart.  Together they make a powerful trifecta.

Brittiney George, BS, MST, ICI, CEIM, is a Master Somatic Therapist and Movement Practitioner specializing in Transformative Touch.  She is also the creator of the online comic www.thisweekwithjoy.com.  Her areas of specialty include working with highly sensitive persons (HSP’s), and helping people find movement when they feel stuck in life’s transitions.  Contact Brittiney at 610-389-7866 or movebackintolife@gmail.com.  

Funhouse Mirror Repair

by Brittiney George, BS, MST, ICI, CEIM 

The poem below is a love note generated from multitudes of conversations with myself and my clients and the struggle of thinking you need to be perfect in an imperfect world.  

Life can leave us feeling like we are looking at ourselves through a funhouse mirror.  Funhouse mirrors distort reality.  They shorten us, overextend us, pull us out of alignment and can leave us feeling unrecognizable sometimes even to ourselves.  

Maybe you have been caught in the funhouse mirror room and didn’t realize it.  

This poem is for you.  It’s for me.  It’s for all of us.  

Funhouse Mirror Repair 

by Brittiney George

I am not going to apologize for myself anymore.

Who I am.

What I wear.

How I look.

How much I feel.

The energy I have available.

That is the equivalent of amputating a piece of who I am to make you feel more whole.

I will assist you, but I will not amputate any part of myself for you.

I am meant to live.

I am meant to live well.

So are you, and that won't happen by taking a piece of me.

From this point forward, I choose to remain not perfect,

I choose to remain intact.

I align with the core of me.

My core’s reflection is clear and it refuses to be altered by any funhouse mirror.

Brittiney George, BS, MST, ICI, CEIM, is a Master Somatic Therapist and Movement Practitioner specializing in Transformative Touch.  She is also the creator of the online comic www.thisweekwithjoy.com.  Her areas of specialty include working with highly sensitive persons (HSP’s), and helping people find movement when they feel bogged down by life.  Contact Brittiney at 610-389-7866 or movebackintolife@gmail.com.  

Intact not Perfect

by Brittiney George, BS, MST, ICI, CEIM

 

The world teaches you to pick yourself apart.  Resist.

If you must pick a fight, fight the urge to make yourself lesser or smaller than you are. The aim is not perfection; the aim is to stay intact.

 

The words Perfect, Whole, Entire, and Intact are often used interchangeably.  They all speak to the idea of “not lacking or being faulty.”  But a closer look (thanks to the Miriam-webster dictionary) reveals a subtle but important difference.

 

“PERFECT implies the soundness and the excellence of every part… frequently as an unattainable or theoretical state.”  Ex. a perfect set of teeth. 

 

“INTACT implies retention of perfection of a thing in its natural or original state.”  Ex. the house survived the war intact.

 

Perfection by itself is unattainable and theoretical, but when you are intact in your original state, you are already perfect.  Let’s say that one again…

 

You are perfectly intact in your original form.

 

It can be easy to feel pulled, torn, twisted, or split apart by life.  Intact does not mean you aren’t tired, depleted, or in need of support.  Intact means you are moving from and staying true to who you are at your core, the essence of you.  That is your original form.  That is perfect. That is your true north when the world feels upside down. 

 

When you feel the war raging on around you, trust the wisdom that is in you. 

 

Your body knows how you are being impacted both externally and internally throughout your day.  Trust that it knows the movement you need to navigate back on course with the core of you fully intact. 

 

Brittiney George, BS, MST, ICI, CEIM, is a Master Somatic Therapist and Movement Practitioner specializing in Transformative Touch.  She is also the creator of the online comic www.thisweekwithjoy.com.  Her areas of specialty include highly sensitive persons (HSP’s), and nervous system support that helps people feel unstuck when they feel bogged down by life.  For information contact Brittiney at 610-389-7866 or movebackintolife@gmail.com. 

The Beauty of You: A Love Note from Your Body

by Brittiney George

 

You are a beautiful imperfection.

I know that makes you uncomfortable, because you want to be perfect.

Ahh...my child.  I do not work in perfection.

 

Perfection assumes completion.  But how can you be complete when the world around you, and in you, is full of so many glorious options for miraculous change?

 

I work in magical mysteries, in awe-inspiring moments of truth and clarity.

I commend you for wanting to better yourself.  But I ask you to try not to perfect yourself.

That implies you are flawed.

You are not flawed.

 

You are a colorful mosaic reflecting the experiences of your life.

Instead of berating yourself for all that you do not know;

Breathe. Listen. Explore with me.

 

You are more than a number on a scale, a title in a job, the pain or fear that you feel.

 

You are a gift.

If you don’t believe me, journey with me.

Let me show you how amazing and resilient you truly are.

 

Brittiney George, BS, CST-PRO, ICI, CEIM, is a Movement Practitioner and Somatic Therapist specializing in Transformative Touch and is a faculty trainer and mentor for The Somatic Therapy Center.  She is also the creator of the comic www.thisweekwithjoy.com.  Her areas of specialty include working with highly sensitive persons (HSP’s), and helping people feel unstuck when they feel bogged down by life.  For information contact Brittiney at 610-389-7866 or movebackintolife@gmail.com. 

 

Breath Giving Moves during Breath Taking Times

by Brittiney George

Do you feel like you’re in a weird time warp right now? I know I do.  It is as if 

time is both simultaneously standing still and flying by.  I noticed that many of 

my clients are also experiencing the resurgence of old wounds and injuries as 

the distractions of day-to-day living have changed.   When you combine the 

lack of transitional time and space throughout the day with mixed information 

about how to move safely in the world, it makes perfect sense that many people 

are feeling disoriented, disempowered, or even disembodied (like a walking 

head, not an embodied being).

“These are breath taking times, so give yourself a breath”.

As the adrenaline of immediate change wears off, you may be feeling burnt 

out or burnt up.  You may be feeling “off”.  If you are, trust it.  It is your body 

letting you know, “I’m feeling out of sync”, and it is the perfect time to check in 

with a direct link to your nervous system-your breath.  

Are you doing a lot of yawning?

Do you feel disconnected from your body or energetically depleted?

Are you making a lot of out moves- giving all day long but taking little in?

These are great indicators that your body may want to take “in” a breath.  

Often with trauma or in times of stress, we reverse our natural breathing pattern. 

Instead of inhaling down into our core, hips, and pelvis (our root), we inhale up.   

Up into our chest and shoulders.  Up into the front of our body.  Our back body 

and sides, the backs of the ribs, get locked in place without the lungs finding 

their full expansion.  

Maybe you find yourself sighing often?

Or holding a lot in as tension in your torso, chest, jaw or face?

Do your shoulders feel as if they’re carrying the weight 

and responsibility of the world?

These are great indicators that your body may want to let “out” a breath.  

A system that is in overwhelm is looking to release, get out from under, to take 

less on or in.  Think of your exhale as your body’s natural gift of detoxification.  

It’s your body’s way of moving out stale air, pent up energy, and unwanted 

emotional residue.  During times of stress we are often told to “take a breath”, 

but it is the out breath, the exhale, that has the most impact in nervous system 

regulation.  

Breath taking times require breath giving moves.  Give yourself space. 

Gift yourself Breath.

Brittiney George, BS, CST-PRO, ICI, CEIM, is a Movement Practitioner and Somatic Therapist specializing in Transformative Touch.  She is also a faculty trainer and mentor for The Somatic Therapy Center.  Her areas of specialty include working with highly sensitive persons (HSP’s), and supporting nervous system reregulation by resourcing through the body.  For a free 55 min. introductory Somatic Therapy session contact Brittiney at 610-389-7866 or movebackintolife@gmail.com.

Transitional Ceremonies to Destress and Reconnect Throughout Your Day

by Brittiney George

Every day, in multiple ways emotionally and physically, you are transitioning. 

The morning alarm begins your sprint.  While you were sleeping your phone was loading up with new offers, information, suggestions, and requests.  Life’s runaway train came beckoning to you and you purchased your ticket.  Your mind careens through your calendar at breakneck speed, twisting, turning, sidestepping, rushing, until the inevitable crash at the end of the day leaves the body feeling wrung out and exhausted. 

It is afterall, your body and your nervous system that have been taking the hits of a pressurized life. When their warning signs go unheeded, your system eventually shuts down to conserve the energy and oxygen it needs to survive.  It makes it hard to feel like you can really “show up” anywhere. Your head is still in the problems of the day even if your body is at home.

Herein lies the value of transitional ceremonies.  Clear opening and closings in transitions let clarify expectations so your brain and body are not firing on all cylinders all day. The ceremony doesn’t have to big, loud, or long, just intentional.  Here are some ideas:

Power of the Pause (Arrive before you Engage):

Pause when you get in your car, pull into work, in between clients, or before the next task.  It can be as quick as a single breath.  Give yourself the gift of time to land where you are, see your surroundings, and to let your body and brain get in the same conversation.

Scent Signaling (The Nose Knows):

The nose is a powerful ally to use in transition and one of the quickest ways to shifts states.  You can clear the head with the scent of coffee beans, or find your favorite aromatherapy oil.  Suggestion: Keep a few scents specific to the place you use them in.  Ex.  If you have a scent you use to transition into your home, don’t also use it when you get to work.  It is best to keep that scent to only your home space so there is a clear message in your body when you smell it of “I am home” which allows your nervous system to organize differently.

Rinse and Release:

Wash off your day.  A full shower or just rinsing from your elbows to your hands will work.  Imagine the water is washing off any stuck stress or energy that you want to release and easily and effortlessly going down the drain.

Sing, Sigh, or Shake:

Research shows that humming and singing create ease in the nervous system thanks to our vagus nerve.  Not a singer or a hummer, let yourself sigh or let your body move to the music.  The body loves gentle rhythmic motion, so go ahead and shake it out!

Bless the Space:

A blessing or mantra can help you connect to the intention of the space your stepping in to.  These can be a quote or poem that resonates for you, or a simple statement of a wish such as created when completing one of the statements below.

May I….

May you…..

and together May we…

Opening and Closing Ceremonies:

There is a reason the Olympics spend so much time on the opening and closing ceremonies.  We love ceremony, because how things begin and end matter to us as a culture. Create opening and closing ceremonies for your regular daily transitions.  It may be a prayer, a blessing, writing out a quick gratitude list, listening to the same song, or writing in your journal. 

If the intention is clear and the practice is consistent, over time your body gets the message quickly that ties to it and is therefore able to reregulate your nervous system and in a sense depressurize.  You’re not meant to live in a pressure cooker, or to carry everyone and everything around with you in your body all day.  Honor yourself by honoring your transitions.  Your body and brain will thank you for it!

Brittiney George, BS, CST-PRO, ICI, CEIM, is a Movement Practitioner and Somatic Therapist specializing in Transformative Touch.  She is also faculty member of The Somatic Therapy Center.  Her areas of specialty include working with highly sensitive woman, and people that are feeling stuck or immobilized in their everyday lives.  She co-leads a monthly workshop series called Connection, Expression and Movement and also teaches gentle, exploratory movement classes at The Resiliency Center. For a free 55 min. introductory Somatic Therapy sessio, contact Brittiney at 610-389-7866 or movebackintolife@gmail.com.

Catching your breath

by Brittiney George

“If I could just catch my breath.”

 “Give me a moment to catch my breath.”

“I don’t have time to catch my breath.”  

Powerful statements.  Why…because they say something about the “state” we are in:

Winded.

Out of air. 

On the run.

Reaching for oxygen. 

Even the word “catching” is valuable information.  It implies our breath is no longer ours.  We don’t have ownership of it.  We have to find it, chase it, hunt it down, and hold on to it so it doesn’t get away from us again.  For many of us, our daily rhythm involves chasing the clock, catching our breath, crashing, trying to get back up, and then we repeat the cycle all over again.  Is it any wonder then why we walk around with tight shoulders, clenched jaws, tense necks, and shallow, short breaths?  We get caught up in life, and life gets caught up in our bodies.  So, as you fly (or run) into this holiday season, I invite you to remember an important safety message that the airlines share before every flight…… put your oxygen mask on before assisting others and if that doesn’t feel even possible, I hope this resource list below will help to begin you on your journey towards rest, recovery, and a few gloriously full breaths.

Books:

·      The Miracle Morning by Hall Elrod

·      I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn’t): Making the Journey from “What Will People Think?” to “I Am Enough” by Brene Brown

·      The Forgotten Body by Elisa Cobb

Creativity and Art:

·      Mandalas of The World: A Meditating and Painting Guide

·      How to Make a Finger Labyrinth (that’s also a piece of art)

·      Zentagles (Creative Drawing for Relaxation, Inspiration, & Fun) 

Guided Meditations:

·      Affectionate Breathing by Kristin Neff

·      5 Min. Self-Compassion Break by Kristin Neff

 

Journaling:

·      Writing Down Your Soul: How to Activate & Listen to the Extraordinary Voice Within by Janet Conner

·      Self-Compassion Journal Exercise by Kristin Neff

Movement:

·      5 min. Recharge Routine at HoldenQiGong.com

·      Bringing Up Energy Down (toe tapping) on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2nl6RAIggw

·      Take 5 Breathing: A Breathing Exercise for Kids (and adults) on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh79w9pn9Cg&feature=share

Music:

·      Beautiful by Mali Music at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmKBWWbi6yI

·      A Better Place-Playing for Change at https://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=ZVHOqrw3Jks

·      Unpack Your Heart by Phillip Phillips at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myHWD6Pch8U&feature=share

·      We Found Love by Lindsey Stirling at https://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=ZVHOqrw3Jks

Videos:

·      Dove Real Beauty Sketches:  You’re more beautiful than you think at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=litXW91UauE

·      What is an Emotion by Paul Ekman at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaZDLOAg_Po

·      The Gift of Slowing Down by Carl Honore at https://www.ted.com/talks/carl_honore_praises_slowness

Brittiney George, BS, CST-L3, ICI, CEIM, is a Movement Practitioner and Somatic Therapist specializing in Transformative Touch.  She is also a faculty member and trainer for The Somatic Therapy Center.  Her areas of specialty include working with highly sensitive woman, and helping people find their ground when they feel thrown by life.  For a free 55 min. introductory Somatic Therapy session contact Brittiney at 610-389-7866 or movebackintolife@gmail.com.

 

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