Tag Archive for: Depression Aurora

Calming the Storm in Your Brain: Migraines

/in , /by

If you suspect you suffer from migraine headaches and you’re looking for an alternative drug-free solution to best manage your symptoms, this article is for you. Migraines occur in 10-15% of kids and adults and only half of people know they are having one. In this blog, you’ll learn about what causes migraine headaches, the criteria that doctors use for diagnosing migraines and easy tips to help you relax even though you’re suffering. My hope is you’ll get more clarity on migraines as well as on next steps to help you better manage migraine headaches with a safe and holistic approach.

What is a migraine headache?  

Doctors tell us it is an electrical storm in the brain. The brain cells or neurons are firing too much or too little creating temporary changes in the brain. This electrical imbalance in the brain causes head pain.

Doctors reassure us that head pain isn’t damaging the brain tissue and that 95% of headaches are safe.

Check out this educational video about migraines.

If you are a migraine sufferer, you’re not alone. Migraines account for more difficulty doing regular activity than any other neurological problem.

Unsure if Your Headaches are Migraines?

According to the International classification or headache disorders, the current agreed upon criteria for migraine diagnosis:

  1. At least 5 attacks, 1 fulfilling criteria B-D
  2. Migraine lasting 4-72 hours untreated or unsuccessfully treated
  3. Headache has at least 2 or the following characteristics:
  4. Unilateral location
  5. Pulsating quality
  6. Moderate or severe pain intensity
  7. Aggravation by or causing avoidance of routine physical activity
  8. During headache at least one of the following:
  9. Nausea and/or vomiting
  10. Photophobia and phonophobia

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, photophobia is the intolerance to light especially painful sensitiveness to strong light. Phonophobia is an intolerance of or hypersensitivity to sound.

If you’re reading this and you suspect you suffer from migraines, I suggest you make an appointment with your family doctor as he/she will perform a physical exam to confirm this diagnosis.

So, it is a Migraine…Now What?

Since here is no cure for migraines, once you have been diagnosed, there are many suggestions as to how best manage your symptoms.

Headache doctors and neurologist recommend:

  • Drinking water
  • Getting regular sleep
  • Relaxation techniques

At Apana Bodywork we specialize in not only relaxation but resetting the nervous system, often mitigating symptoms of migraines before they start.

Trame Vibrational Therapy has a great track record for helping migraine sufferers. During my initial training I had 9 volunteers receive one Trame session every 3 weeks for a total of 4 sessions each. In exchange they made observations about the effects they felt from the sessions mentally, physically, emotionally and energetically.

There were 4 of 9 case study participants that suffered regular (at least once a month) migraines and the intensity reported was debilitating enough to affect their daily activities. Of the migraine sufferers, none of them experienced a migraine during the 4 months study, that’s 100% effectiveness for this small sample group.

Screaming in Pain

It’s really tempting to get angry at the pain. We’re missing out on work, family and play. We might be hiding out in a dark room waiting for the pain to pass. When we’re suffering for hours or even days it can be very frustrating to wonder when you will feel better. If you’re tempted to scream out in pain let me reinforce what the doctors say; it only makes the situation worse.  Your brain is trying to find balance and adding more volatility in the form of anger only gives the body more work to do to calm the storm in your brain.

Solution: Laugh at the pain.

This may seem like a ridiculous suggestion but when you laugh at the pain or think of the pain less seriously, you diffuse it and take away it’s power over you. Is it difficult to do? Yes. Will it help immediately? No. But, over time you will get better at detaching yourself from the pain making it less debilitating.

Relaxation Tips for Migraines:

  1. Feel another part of your body that doesn’t hurt

When we pay attention to another part of our body that does not hurt, our reality shifts away from the pain and we experience less stress mentally and emotionally helping ease the pain we’re experiencing.

  1. Wiggle your toes until you fall asleep

When you’re lying in bed and the pain is stopping you from falling asleep, try slowly and gently wiggling your toes. Start with your left foot and feel your toes wiggle gently and then wiggle the toes of your right foot. Keep alternating from side to side making it your job to only you’re your toes and commit to keep doing it while staying easy about the exercise. You will eventually drift off to sleep just keep at it no matter how long it takes. Surrender to this movement and you will distract yourself from the pain and sleep more soundly.

  1. Using another sensation

Using another sensation such as light physical touch or temperature interrupts the pain signal. Simply stroking your forehead, light massage or placing an ice pack on your head.

Migraines can be a real pain and necessitate days off work, missed family time and opportunities.   Finding ways to prevent them, in my opinion, is a smart way to go. In the absence of that, finding the strategies that best help you to manage the pain and minimize the length and intensity of your migraines is the second priority because you have places to be and things to do!

If you’d like to come in and talk more about what you’re going through as well as solutions we offer, don’t hesitate to reach out and contact Apana Bodywork at 647-801-2424 or find us on Instagram @apana.bodywork.

Check out our Youtube video talking more about migraines or watch below:

 

Healing Trauma in Children with Trame Vibrational Therapy

/in , , , , /by

Has your Child Experienced Trauma? 

First of all, you’re not a bad parent. Sometimes things happen that are out of our control and as parents we simply do the best we can in the circumstances we find ourselves in. Helping heal trauma in children is a topic that I take very seriously.  

In fact, my own daughter had a brain injury at birth resulting from oxygen deprivation. The cord was wrapped tightly around her ankles and doctors didn’t detect it until I was in labor. So – I hear you! I know what it’s like to want to do everything in your power to help your child heal. 

As parents, we always want the very best for our kids. But what can you do if your child is too young to talk through their fears or challenges? Luckily, I have a highly effective, yet gentle treatment to offer you – it is called Trame Vibrational Therapy. 

How Can Trame Vibrational Therapy Help your Child? 

This is a gentle hands-on treatment that takes between 15-35 minutes depending on the age of your child. This treatment resets the nervous system and clears out cellular blockages. Blockages are caused by unresolved emotions, physical injury and negative beliefs. This treatment will also re-align the body’s blueprint. This blueprint controls all of the information and energy that travels through the body and organizes the body from start to finish. 

After a traumatic experience these blockages can get stuck in the body – thus creating chaos. Children and even adults can find it extremely challenging to describe what they are feeling inside. Once the treatment is over, balance is restored and cellular memories and blockages left behind from trauma will be cleared out. Then, the body will undergo an integration period that lasts up to forty days. During this time, the body will adjust to its new condition, in order to reach its natural harmony and state of empowerment once again.  

What is Involved in this Treatment? 

For children, this treatment may involve talking, moving around, and an ebb and flow (depending on the child). This is so that we are able to get all the hand positions completed. 

I’ve treated children that have experienced serious trauma such as – the loss of a parent, kids who have been bullied or made to feel unaccepted by their peers, and even those that wanted to avoid taking medication for their symptoms. I also have extensive experience working with children with severe autism.  

I invite you to share your experience or ask questions in the comments. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram and join our newsletter for health inspirations and tips. My YouTube Channel is also an amazing place to connect and learn. 

To our health & wellbeing, 

Madeleine 

Paralysis of Perfection

/in , , /by

Do you ever feel like you need to be perfect?  Like you haven’t “figured it all out” yet. And even when you reach your goal you still don’t feel that sense of accomplishment.

Many people wake up each day judging themselves because of what they look like, comparing themselves to others or being hard on themselves for not measuring up to their own high standards.

The obsession with perfection isn’t something you’re dealing with alone. It’s a tendency that is rising in our youth today. According to the study published in the journal Psychological Bulletin:

“more recent generations of college students reported significantly higher scores for each form of perfectionism than earlier generations.”

We compare ourselves to filtered idyllic pictures on social media or to a friend or colleague who, from the outside, seems to ‘have it all’ and then we feel ashamed, isolated or even depressed and anxious when we don’t measure up.

Do you ever feel it’s easier to mask or push down those emotions so that you don’t have to deal with them? Is talking about an issue difficult for you?  Vulnerability can be scary and sometimes we simply don’t have the words to adequately describe what we’re feeling. The truth is we all have moments, days or even years spent in survival mode. When we really aren’t living our ‘best life’ as Oprah loves to say.

We’re Not Here to Be Perfect

The truth is we’re not here to be perfect. We’re here, in my opinion, to discover who we really are and be that out in the world. We don’t have all the answers and who are we to judge ourselves as we figure that out? Isn’t that why we’re here; to learn, grow and find out what gives us the most satisfaction?

Isn’t it time to let go of perfection and be true to ourselves? We learn by screwing up and the more we resist the mess, the longer it will take to learn that lesson. 

I believe that if we pay attention to what our emotions are trying to tell us and are aware of our effect on those around us, we can make little refinements each day, not to be perfect but to be ourselves with complete acceptance, warts and all.

When I see clients in my practice increase their self-awareness, soften their expectations of themselves, it helps me to deepen my belief that change is always possible, that no one is stuck in their perfection and that there are always choices available for growth and expansion of self.

I invite you to share your experience or ask questions in the comments. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram and join our newsletter for health inspirations and tips. My YouTube Channel is also an amazing place to connect and learn.

To our health & wellbeing,

Madeleine

Are Your Chakras Blocked?

/in , , /by

Have you ever had a healer tell you that your chakras are blocked? Perhaps you felt something tense up in your body, or you experienced that tightening in your stomach when you had to give a speech. However it comes, we can learn to listen to our bodies and let the message that is hidden underneath come up to the surface and speak to us.

3 Signals from your body that you have a blocked chakra:

  1. Tightness. Sometimes a blocked chakra can feel tight. In the same way a muscle can feel tight, if we know the location of our chakras, we can tune in and feel if they are out of balance. For example, a blocked throat chakra often feels tight. Why does this happen? We could be holding back saying something we really want to say. We could be twisting the truth a bit when we do express ourselves. Or perhaps we simply don’t feel heard.
  2. Discomfort. An imbalance in a chakra can also feel down right uncomfortable. That pang we feel when a loved one is hurtful toward us, or when we don’t feel good enough, can bring about that not so pleasant blockage in our heart chakra. Our heart chakra represents the love we have for ourselves, others and our connection to our bigger/unconditionally loving self.
  3. Knot. Have you ever heard someone say that they feel as though they have a knot in their stomach? That spot just under their ribcage that houses the solar plexus chakra is our will center. It is the place that turns into a fist when someone is trying to control us, or we are doing something we don’t really want to do. You’ve felt this when forced to work over a weekend or if a partner makes you take those dreaded dance lessons. If a chakra feels like a knot you can be sure you have a blockage there that needs to be cleared.

What do we do to clear these blockages?

We can simply sit with ourselves, quiet our mind and place our hands on the area that is screaming out at us, and listen without expectation. It’s that simple. Your bigger self is an expert at relaying the information that is crucial for your conscious evolution. All we need to do is listen to the subtle messages that come up.

Learning how to hone your intuition will make this process much easier. I will share more on different types of intuition in my next blog.

For now, tune in and listen to the signals your emotional guidance system is broadcasting. It doesn’t take over-analyzing or complete stillness, but it does require you to stop, tune in to yourself completely and let go. The messages are always more subtle than we expect. We may think it will sound like a blow horn but in reality it’s more like a wise whisper.

If you need any help clearing those blockages that is my specialty and I’m here to help. There are many avenues, like Master Reiki healing sessions to become aware of beliefs that are running the show and clearing them. Reiki Level I courses are for those who know they are healers themselves, or Trame Vibrational Therapy to reset the nervous system and clear out unresolved emotions. There are many ways up the mountain, I know you will find yours!

If you need guidance on which is the most suited for you take advantage of my complimentary thirty minute phone consultation.

I invite you to share your experience or ask questions in the comments. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram and join our newsletter for health inspirations and tips. My YouTube Channel is also an amazing place to connect and learn.

Wishing you a Happy New Year.

To our health & wellbeing,

Madeleine

Breaking Up is Hard on Your Heart…Literally

/in , , , , /by

When I found out I had fallen in love with a fictitious person over the internet, I was heartbroken and a little humiliated. I started to go back and re-trace my steps. How had I fallen for this scam and was I completely nuts to care for a complete stranger?

It’s not surprising that once we’ve been hurt, we (and our brain) don’t want to feel that pain ever again. Even mentioning a memory can trigger us to feel those painful emotions all over again. So what do we do? We put up a wall around our hearts to protect us from the hurt.

What is a Heart Wall?

A heart wall is just a layer of energy around your heart that was created by all those trapped emotions of rejection, pain and loss. This heart wall serves as a barrier around your heart that acts as a protector against future pain. Although intended as a protective mechanism, it actually isn’t protecting us at all.

The interesting thing I’ve noticed is that when we are hurt we not only close ourselves off from the “bad stuff” but we also block ourselves from receiving all the good feelings as well, like love and appreciation. We lock our heart down so that we don’t feel pain but that blocks us from feeling love too. It’s a two way street.

Why Are We Blocking Ourselves from Love?

So, why do we block ourselves from love when that is the very thing we crave most after a breakup?

It’s our brains’ fault! Our brain wants us to avoid pain and move toward pleasure. Did you know the parts of our brain that process pain light up after a breakup?

“The brain studies show us that romantic rejection hurts just like physical pain, and it is like cocaine addiction.”

So here we are addicted to love and in fear of actual physical pain! No wonder we shut down!

The ironic part is that being in a committed relationship, specifically a marriage, protects our hearts. A Harvard Health article refers to the Framingham Offspring Study where “married men had a 46% lower rate of death than unmarried men”.

Experiences like the one I just went through can make people less open to trusting others but it’s not in our best interest to hide away from the world if it keeps men alive longer.

But what about women? Does being in a happy marriage protect our hearts too?

According to a study by the Journal Heart, it does. The risk of (dying of a heart attack) was significantly higher (42%) among those who had never married.

It looks like being in a happy marriage is protective to our hearts. Not only that, heartbreak can make us shut down our heart connection when we need its guidance most. Our heart is the connection to the other side, to our intuitive, unconscious or bigger self. It holds so much wisdom and comes in handy all day long for those of us who listen. If we shut down because of a heart wall, what are we listening to now? Not our guidance, not ourselves but our fear and pain and who knows where that will lead us?

What are we editing in our experience so that we don’t have to deal with pain from our past?

Like a snowball rolling downhill, our pain only gets bigger and bigger the more we ignore or sweep it into the background.

In order to release it, we need to let go of the past beliefs and actually do the work of our unconditional loving selves to bring back balance.

I’ve seen countless strong yet heartbroken individuals in my practice as a Trame Vibrational Therapist. People are trying to get out of situations where they feel emotionally handcuffed and stuck. After each session we see progress in terms of getting more clarity about a path out and a greater ability to handle stressful situations in a way that honors who they are and what they really want.

Perhaps asking ourselves how we want to feel is a good place to find inspiration to go down that sometimes bumpy road of healing.

I invite you to share your experience or ask questions in the comments. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram and join our newsletter for health inspirations and tips. My YouTube Channel is also an amazing place to connect and learn.

To our health & wellbeing,

Madeleine

References:
Busch, L. Y., Pössel, P., & Valentine, J. C. (2017). Meta-analyses of cardiovascular reactivity to rumination: A possible mechanism linking depression and hostility to cardiovascular disease. Psychological Bulletin, 143(12), 1378-1394.
https://theanatomyoflove.com/the-results/the-rejected-brain/

How Exercise Can Help Alleviate Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety

/in , , /by

I used to be big into exercise and took a break for awhile after my daughter was born. I noticed my anxiety went up and I had trouble sleeping at times and of course started to gain some weight. This short article from Mayo clinic reminds us just how important exercise (even 30 min brisk walking) is for everyone but especially if you suffer from anxiety or depression.

How Exercise Can Help Alleviate Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety

Regular exercise probably helps ease depression in a number of ways, which may include:

1. Releasing feel-good brain chemicals that may ease depression (neurotransmitters, endorphins and endocannabinoids)

2. Reducing immune system chemicals that can worsen depression

3. Increasing body temperature, which may have calming effects

Here are a few tips to rack up the 30 minutes EXERCISE you need:

1. Taking the stairs at work or during your subway commute

2. Parking the car further away

3. Get off one stop sooner and walk

4. If you want to get to a yoga class and can’t seem to fit it in, find one on Youtube and do it for free in the comfort of your home.