Desire, Shame, and the Heart–Liver Connection
I didn’t grow up in a religious home. We didn’t go to church, there were no sermons or commandments hanging over our dinner table. But my mother carried a kind of quiet Puritanism that shaped everything. In her world, wanting things was suspect. Beauty was indulgent. Restraint was virtue. She never said it outright, but […]
Letting the Old Identity Die
I’ve been asking myself lately whether I should renew my acupuncture license.It’s not the first time I’ve asked the question, but this time it feels different.The renewal fee is $500 — not an insubstantial amount — and I haven’t practiced in over a year and a half. I could keep it in inactive status like […]
Regulation Disruptions: Living in a Body That Won’t Settle
Some people live in a body that never quite relaxes. There’s always a low-level current running underneath — tightness in the muscles, tension in the jaw, shallow breathing, the sense of being “on” even when nothing’s happening. Others live on the opposite end of the spectrum — heavy, tired, detached, moving through life as if […]
Wu-wei and the Need to Control: Finding Flow After Trauma
There’s a concept in Daoism called wu-wei (無為), often translated as “non-action” or “effortless action.”It doesn’t mean doing nothing. It means acting without forcing — moving with the natural flow instead of against it. But for those of us who grew up in unpredictable or unsafe environments, that idea can feel almost impossible. Because doing […]
A 10-Minute Starter Kit (Breath, Movement, Reflection)
You don’t need the perfect routine. You need a small one you’ll actually do. Ten minutes is enough to tell your body, “We’re okay. We can soften a notch.” That’s the whole goal here—one notch softer. Not enlightenment. Not a personality transplant. Just a little more room to breathe. How to use this Part 1 […]
Taking Up Space and Going with the Flow
I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to “take up space.”It sounds simple — walking down a sidewalk, standing in line, being in a crowd — but for me, it’s never been simple. Even now, in my 60s, I still catch myself shrinking. Moving out of people’s way. Apologizing for existing. It’s maddening […]
Intro to Daoist Concepts Overview
When you first step into the Daoist healing arts, the language can feel strange. Words like qi, yin and yang, five elements, jing, shen—they’re not part of everyday English, and they don’t line up neatly with Western science. At first they can sound mystical or abstract. But Daoist concepts weren’t created to be mysterious. They […]
The ACEs Checklist: A First Tool for Understanding Trauma
When you grow up in a difficult environment, it can be hard to see just how much those early experiences shaped you. Many of us minimize, dismiss, or explain away what happened. We tell ourselves it wasn’t “that bad,” or that others had it worse. But the body and mind carry those memories whether we […]
The Invisible Water of Childhood Trauma
There’s a saying: the fish doesn’t notice the water it swims in. That’s what it’s like growing up in trauma. You don’t notice the water because it surrounds you. It’s the only world you know. You adapt. You breathe it in. You think it’s normal. For many of us, trauma wasn’t a single dramatic event. […]
East–West Trauma Perspectives Overview
When it comes to understanding trauma, the language you use matters. Western psychology and neuroscience talk about trauma in terms of nervous system responses, attachment styles, and brain pathways. Daoist medicine and healing arts describe it in terms of qi, yin and yang, organ systems, and cycles of nature. At first glance, these worlds couldn’t […]