Mind Body Spirit Release is a technique that was developed by Tracy Southwick at Heights of Health in Houston, TX. For the sake of space in this post, I’ll be referring to it as MBSR.
MBSR is a technique that’s used to facilitate the release of cellular imprints from negative experiences, emotions, and trauma. As a trained and certified practitioner, I use this technique to help clients identify negative cellular imprints that are buried deep in the subconscious, and release them so that they are freed up of “emotional baggage”. The goal is to help clients regain or maintain balance while working with systems already in place within the body. We want to bring the mind, body, and spirit into balance!
MBSR helps us recognize what’s impacting our emotions and behaviors, and release these imprints to “deactivate” subsequent reactions. This modality falls under the holistic health realm. When we talk about holistic health, we’re essentially talking about a system that takes into account the whole individual; highlighting the importance of empowerment in one’s own responsibility for his/her well-being. A holistic approach to health takes into consideration all areas that influence one’s health- social, psychological, environmental, etc.
One of the areas that get overlooked far too often is emotional well-being. Real talk: If someone tells me they’ve done “everything” but can’t manage to get/feel better, I’ll ask what work they’ve done on the emotional level. Are there any suppressed or trapped emotions? Could stored trauma be impacting them on a cellular and energetic level and even contributing to physical issues? It’s more common than you think.
THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND REMEMBERS WHAT THE CONSCIOUS MIND DOES NOT
Throughout our lives, we inevitably encounter various events and emotions- “good” and “bad”, “positive” and “negative”. Positive emotions (i.e. love, enlightenment, joy, peace) have higher frequencies. These influence our bodies (which are made of energy) in a more-life giving way. They add to and contribute to our energetic vibration. Negative emotions have lower frequencies. They take from us. They weigh down and lower our energetic vibration. Check out the emotional frequency chart below for a visual reference.
I think it’s safe to say most people want to have more of those high-vibrational emotions!
The conscious mind may not remember what was felt at different times throughout life. However, our bodies remember every hormone, neurotransmitter, energy/nerve block, limiting belief, and emotion from each significant event. By “significant”, I mean any event, encounter, and experience that impacted us emotionally. Examples of this will look different for everyone. The impact an experience has on an individual really comes down to perception- how it made them feel or how they perceived the event. This is why the topic of trauma is convoluted. What’s perceived as traumatic for one person may not be perceived as traumatic for someone else.
Whether something is considered traumatic (or severely impactful) or not, our bodies can still experience a flood of chemicals and emotions unique to the experience/event. Memories are transcribed in our subconscious and stored deep within the cells. These “memories” are also called cellular imprints.
Even after time has passed after a particular event, something can trigger a physiological response, resulting in the same cocktail of chemicals flooding our system as our bodies re-enact the same experience on a subconscious level. The trigger could be a scent, a person, sound, a certain word, or something that simply reminds us, particularly our subconscious, of the event. What we felt then, we feel now. Just because your conscious mind has forgotten about it doesn’t mean it did not and is not impacting you on a deeper level.
This cycle can continue if the stimuli or stress (in this case a cellular imprint) goes unaddressed. It has been estimated that 95% of our thoughts and behavior come from our subconscious mind, and 5% from our conscious mind. MBSR can be used to help soothe the nervous system and release these imprints, so we are no longer beholden to subconscious triggers.
In the book “The Body Keeps the Score” Dr. Bessel van der Kolk does a deep exploration of how trauma shapes both one’s emotional and physical well-being. He states, “Trauma produces actual physiological changes, including a recalibration of the brain’s alarm system, an increase in stress hormone activity, and alterations in the systems that filters relevant information from irrelevant.”
It’s important to remember that singular life-altering traumatic experiences are not the only ones that cause issues, or are considered as trauma. Most people have experienced memories of varying degrees of “intensity”, that also ignite visceral reactions. MBSR is not just for those who have experienced major life-altering events; it’s also beneficial for those that have experienced lots of those “little t” traumas.
ORGANS AND EMOTIONS
Traditional Chinese Medicine teaches that certain emotions can “get stuck” or stored in different organs. Some examples include how the liver tends to store anger, the gallbladder holds bitterness, and grief often is held in the lungs. The school of thought is that emotions can get stored and “stuck” in areas of the body- like organs and glands- and impact the energetic flow and function of these parts. The body requires energy to both functions, and especially to heal. So identifying and releasing these energetic blocks will open up the vital flow of energy and support optimal function.
This reminds me to share about a client who recently reached out to me for an MBSR session complained of physical symptoms that included a heaviness in her chest. Serious physical complications had been ruled out by her medical doctor, yet she still felt a weight she couldn’t shake and also experienced random bouts of heavy breathing. She told me that she felt like “maybe it was all in her head at times”. During the session, one of the first emotions that came up was grief.
Want to take a guess where this emotion was coming up?
The emotion of grief was coming up in her lungs.
I asked her if there had been any recent, significant events or changes in her life. This was when she shared with me that her father had recently passed away after a battle with a serious illness. Due to the attention demanded by all of the medical and funeral arrangements, she realized that she felt there had not yet been the time to actually process any of her grief. After our session, and along with the help of some Next Step recommendations, she was able to begin processing this grief. Three days later I checked in and she reported feeling “lighter” and more “settled”. The heavy feeling in her chest was lightening; this made my heart so happy to hear!
While you’ll never hear me claiming that anyone, single modality to be a cure-all, I can’t deny the benefits I’ve both witnessed and experienced personally doing this work. I’ve lost count of how many times people say that their MBSR sessions have made them feel more self-aware, too. It brings me such joy to work with people in this way!
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Prior to our session, I will have a client complete intake forms that briefly review health history, and discuss their intention (the why behind wanting to try MBSR). During the session, I use forms of muscle testing and/or ideomotor testing to identify the combination of emotions (and more) that are repeatedly mobilized and causing stress in a client’s body.
After all of the blocks have been identified, I facilitate the clearing by using imprinted cold-light therapy on specific acupressure points. This activates the neurological and endocrine systems and disrupting the stress response. It calms the nervous system, which releases negative stored associations with the stressors. In turn, this allows us to reduce the body’s stress response, so more energy goes back into the body’s naturally-designed healing process.
You can see a basic example of a Mind Body Spirit Release clearing here from my primary instructor, and developer of MBSR, the lovely Tracy Southwick! Check out one of my recent Instagram posts for a quick introduction to muscle testing. And here’s one for a quick introduction to MBSR.
Depending on the intention and client’s desire, we will schedule follow-up sessions anywhere from one week to three weeks apart. I also provide customized recommendations, or “Next Steps”, they can utilize to support these shifts. Some clients choose to schedule maintenance sessions every six to eight weeks to maintain energetic balance and alleviate emotional stress on and in the body’s energetic plane.
WHAT CAN I EXPECT AFTER A SESSION?
MBSR is individualized and each and every person processes differently. The answer to this will vary depending on the individual and their unique experience. No two sessions are the same! Many find they feel and report feeling calm and relaxed both during and after a session. Some may experience a sort of short-lived detox of sorts as their body is finally able to let go of physical and emotional toxins. More often than not, my clients express feeling lighter, clearer, and more settled after even their first session.
Just as things like the food we eat and the exercise we get can positively impact our health, MBSR is another tool we can use to fortify our wellbeing. It’s important to include all aspects of our health rather than isolating one component (including emotional and spiritual components, rather than simply focusing on the physical).
For more information about MBSR, or to see a list of frequently asked questions about the process, please go here. To inquire about scheduling an MBSR session, please email me at maddieadelinewellness@gmail.com . I’d be happy to connect!
