Four Disciplines Theory Overview
Healing from childhood complex trauma isn’t about one practice or one breakthrough. It’s about creating steady rhythms that support body, mind, and spirit as they slowly untangle from the past. In the Daoist tradition, these rhythms often take shape through four internal healing arts disciplines: contemplative studies, movement, nutrition, and cyclical awareness. Together, they form […]
Survival Strategies Overview
Most of us don’t get through childhood with all of our developmental needs met. Some of us grew up with obvious trauma — abuse, neglect, chaos. Others grew up with the subtler kind: parents who weren’t emotionally available, who couldn’t provide safety, or who didn’t see and mirror us as we were. Either way, when […]
Control as a Survival Strategy: Why We Grasp for Safety
Control once kept us safe in childhood. As adults, it can keep us stuck in patterns of rage, shame, and isolation. The other day I went to a new mall here in Bangkok. I thought it would be a simple thing—grab some lunch, look around a bit. Instead, I found myself getting tense the moment […]
Why Dao of Transforming Trauma is Shifting Focus
When I first launched Dao of Transforming Trauma, my vision was wide. I wanted to explore childhood complex trauma in all its forms—overt abuse, neglect, the full range of ACEs, and how they leave their mark on adult life. I also wanted to share how the Daoist healing arts can help us find balance and […]
The Sadness I Couldn’t See: Lung Imbalance and the Hidden Language of Grief
I never would have thought of myself as “grieving.” If you’d asked, I would have said I was restless. Nervous. Numb. Bored. I would have said that I didn’t feel much of anything. But I wouldn’t have called it grief. Not because it wasn’t there, but because I couldn’t see it. I’ve just begun to […]
Why Some People Can’t See the Truth (Even When It’s Right in Front of Them)
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about something that keeps happening—on the news, in discussions, and especially in online spaces. We watched January 6th happen on live TV—saw people attack the capital, break windows, and yell about hanging the Vice President. And yet, there are people who say it didn’t happen that way. That it […]
Maybe the Path Is the Content
I’ve been feeling a little disoriented lately. Not quite lost. Just… untethered. Like the direction I thought I was heading with this project has become unclear, and I’m lost in the fog trying to figure out what to do next. A part of me wants to keep pushing forward, to figure it out, and to […]
What Is Shen in Daoist and Chinese Healing?
The Light of Consciousness That Makes Us Who We Are. Sometimes, something inside you lights up. It might be quiet, like taking a deep breath in the middle of a busy day. Or it could be bright, like the excitement that comes over you when you feel fully seen. At that point, your eyes get […]
Returning to the Heart: Daoist Reflections on Childhood Trauma’s Deepest Wound
There was a time I didn’t know what was missing. I wasn’t exactly numb. But I still wasn’t living. Joy seemed to be something reserved for others. Stillness seemed out of reach. I could function—stay organized, finish tasks—but internally, I felt… all over the place. Disconnected. Like I was living apart from myself, not inside […]
The Seduction of Novelty, the Strength of Simplicity
A dream, a smoothie ride, and a quiet admonition to come back to the basics. Last night, I had a weird dream. I was in the gym working out with some guys I didn’t know. They were utilizing all these strange machines that looked more like props from a sci-fi movie than real fitness equipment. […]