Summer time. A very special time of year. Flowers are giving way to fruit. It is a time of fullness and growing maturity. The sun is at its height. The energy of the heart is its most vibrant. The Fire Element mirrors the relational, parasympathetic function of the ventral vagus nerve. The ventral vagus supports us in resolving conflicts in the context of relationship. It provides that relational “brake” on that “fight or flight” sympathetic response to a sense of threat. When it is functioning well, we can: Disagree and remain in relationship Sublimate primal urges to bite, kick Resist …

Trauma Training Tip Spring is a season of dramatic movement – bulbs and seeds lying quietly under the soil emerge quickly and colorfully – carrying metaphors of new possibilities, fresh starts, and manifestation of potential. The Taoist sages found resonance in these qualities of Spring and named the season for the Wood Element and the Liver and the Gall Bladder as its organs. Our benevolent Wood Element is always available to protect and defend us – and those we love. The Wood Element mirrors the function of the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system. Acupuncture and Asian Medicine (AAM) …

Trauma Training Tip In honor of Women’s History Month, I dedicate this month’s newsletter to the many people working, thinking, and helping us all to understand, transform, and act on overcoming gender-based violence and creating healthy communities for women, girls, and those who love them. According to the American Psychological Association, “women are twice as likely to develop PTSD, experience a longer duration of posttraumatic symptoms, and display more sensitivity to stimuli that remind them of the trauma.” One thesis for why women are so vulnerable is that they are at greater risk of sexual assault — and sexual assault …

Trauma Training Tip The Lunar New Year, this year on February 5th, marks the arrival of spring and the Wood Element — the time when the sapent p in trees begins to soften and move in early February. Like all visions, dreams, and aspirations, Spring’s vibration begins long before it manifests in tangible form as sprouting plants. What has been held deeply within during the Winter now takes shape and form. All of creation comes out of hibernation with a full tank of qi and dynamic vitality. We may feel a spring in our step and see signs of life …

Trauma Training Tip Each of our five primary organs stores a precious substance. Jing is the substance stored in the Kidney. Jing is essentially our genetic potential. We get a set amount of Jing at our conception. We protect it with adequate rest, good food, modest exercise and moderate sexual activity. When our Jing is depleted, we die. Fear is corrosive to our Jing. When our Jing is compromised, our morbidity and mortality is impacted. Survivors of childhood trauma have a reduced life expectancy of up to 20 years and are overwhelmingly more likely to end up in jail or …

Trauma Training Tip Peter Levine developed the Somatic Experiencing® model of trauma resolution out of his study of predator-prey relationships. He established four foundational principles that interface with Acupuncture and Asian Medicine in insightful ways: Two-legged and four-legged animals go through the same 5 steps in their Self Protective Response when danger threatens. Successful completion of all 5 steps mitigates trauma’s imprint. Symptoms arise when a step is thwarted or remains incomplete. The particular step that remains incomplete influences how trauma’s imprint affects a survivor’s tissues, psychological constructs, functional challenges, and spiritual longings. Here’s the fascinating thing – Dr. Levine’s five …

Trauma Training Tip Autumn’s crisp, dry and clear air has a particular impact on the skin. I always know that the energy of the Metal Element has arrived when the skin on my hands becomes parched, dry and ashy. Skin has richly sensate and strong opinions about the nature, location, quality, and kind of touch it wants. Acupuncturists penetrate the skin with needles; physical care and other medical providers touch their patients’ skin in every session. This organ is our largest one and wants to be respected and heard! Being mindful about how we relate to our clients’ skin is …

Trauma Training Tip Every Element stores an aspect of spirit. The Metal’s spirit is called the po, or animal soul. Our po gives us a sense of being animated. It inspires our most primal and instinctive nature and gives us the capacity for embodied awareness. It resides in our Lungs and travels with our breath. It brings a sensate experience of animation to every dimension of our body. It supports instinctive, reactive, physical responses, like raising a hand to protect us from an object flying at us. Spiritual practices that focus on the breath cultivate our po. Understanding the nature …

The Earth Element has a special relationship with our muscles and flesh. The Spleen’s function to create qi is visible in the tone and capacity of our muscles. Our muscles carry body memories of our inner experiences. Thwarted mobilization responses, failures of self-protection, and untransformed traumatic experiences may be stored in them. What we believe and how we feel about these experiences may be found in our muscle memory and be reflected in our posture and stance toward life. Our muscles tend to be loud and distracting in our interoceptive, body-awareness. They contain and convey strong sensations we are meant …