Nervous System Care & Healing

How are our lives shaped by the experiences of our parents, grandparents, and ancestors? How can we honor our family's stories - of migration, survival, assimilation - without having those stories define/limit our future?Why do some people feel disconnected from their cultures/lineages… and how can reconnecting with our roots help us heal & feel a sense of belonging? Join me & Denise in a heartfelt conversation, where we discuss:the importance of community-based spaces for healing & educationhow our nervous systems carry the experiences of our ancestors - even if we don’t consciously know what those experiences werehow adverse childhood experiences (like neglect, bullying, or not feeling loved) shape our lives - but that doesn't mean the future is set in stonehow the need to survive, assimilate, & blend in can disconnect us from our cultural roots - why it’s never too late to reconnecthow nature, food, music, stories, art - and anything else that calls to you - can reconnect you to ancestorsWe share some of our personal experiences as first / second-generation immigrants, navigating multicultural upbringings in the U.S.If you’re curious about intergenerational healing, this episode is for you.Remember: understanding the past can help us find meaning in the present... and your ancestors are rooting for you. 🌿 Resources Mentioned in Episode>> You Sound Like a White Girl: The Case for Rejecting Assimilation, by Julissa Arce>> ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) Study: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8882933/🌿 About the GuestDenise Jauregui, LCSW (she/her/ella), is the founder of Cultivando Wellness, a bilingual mental health practice and education organization rooted in the belief that healing is deeply connected to culture, community, and the systems that shape our lives. As a first-generation daughter of Mexican immigrants, her work explores the intersections of intergenerational trauma, migration, identity, and belonging. Through psychotherapy, speaking, consultation, professional education, and community-centered gatherings, Denise partners with individuals and organizations to cultivate more culturally responsive, connected, and affirming spaces.🌿 Connect with Denise>> Instagram: www.instagram.com/cultivandowellness >> LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denisejauregui>> Continuing Education for Therapists: www.cultivandowellness.com/continuing-education-offerings 🌿 About the HostLiz Zhou is a neurodivergent therapist of color, coach, & speaker based in Colorado (MA, LPC, she/her). She helps highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults & couples heal their nervous systems and connect with their authentic selves. 🌿 Connect with Liz>> Join my email newsletter: Liz’s Neurodivergent Letters>> IG: www.instagram.com/liz.holistic.therapist

If your nervous system can’t tell the difference between being chased by a bear and checking the news (or checking your email, or receiving a text that says “we need to talk”)… you’re not alone. You’re among the many people who feel overwhelmed by the pace & intensity of modern life, and you may be experiencing sensory burnout & overload.In this episode, I explain what “sensory rest” is, and why it’s a necessary antidote to burnout.We’ll explore how sensory burnout is caused by the systems & environment around us:auditory overstimulation through noise pollutionvisual overstimulation through screen exposureconstant transitions that disrupt attention, including ads & algorithmsextreme temperatures through climate changeThen, I’ll share a simple plan for sensory rest:Minimize sensory inputMinimize transitionsBe intentional about screens & technology useCreate soothing sensory ritualsThis episode brings a holistic, ecological, systemic lens to the topic of nervous system burnout, and will leave you with practical ideas to support your mind, body, and spirit. 🌿 RESOURCES>> To view research mentioned in the episode, click here🌿 About the HostLiz Zhou is a neurodivergent therapist of color, coach, & speaker based in Colorado (MA, LPC, she/her). She helps highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults & couples heal their nervous systems and connect with their authentic selves. Her specialties include: Brainspotting, EMDR, IFS, Psychedelic Integration, & Nervous System Intensives (deep-dive, accelerated therapy).🌿 Connect with Liz>> Join my email newsletter, where I share insights on how to understand your brain & take care of your nervous system: Liz’s Neurodivergent Letters>> Follow on IG: www.instagram.com/liz.holistic.therapist>> To work 1:1 with Liz: learn about Nervous System Healing Intensives here (focused sessions, using Brainspotting & Internal Family Systems, to help you heal deeply & connect with your authentic self) 🌻

The term PTSD, short for “Post-traumatic Stress Disorder,” implies that trauma happened in the past (and is over now).But for so many people, trauma is not a thing of the past - it’s an ongoing, collective, and systemic experience.In this educational conversation, Dr. Diana Ali & I unpack this question: How do we heal, when trauma is still happening in the present? How do we regulate our nervous systems… even if the environment/circumstances around us remain unsafe?Topics:There are many trauma therapy modalities - how do we decide which one to use? | 04:12How do we heal if the trauma isn't over? (& an alternative to the term “PTSD”) | 05:47The limitations of Western psychotherapy & why a decolonial approach to therapy matters | 08:20How body-based approaches to therapy can support survivors of ongoing trauma - like war, genocide, and systemic oppression | 12:53Intro to Havening: resourcing the nervous system through physical touch | 16:08Intro to Ashira Active Meditation: intentionally guiding the nervous system through different states of activation (fight, flight, & freeze) in order to release stuck energy & complete processing | 32:10The neuroscience behind ancient, collective, community-based healing practices 42:38🌿 RESOURCES>> Dr. Samah Jabr’s work on decolonial mental health: www.drsamahjabr.com>> Chronic traumatic stress disorder: www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/14/mental-health-palestine-children>> Ashira Darwish’s work on Ashira Active Meditation: www.ashirapremrachana.com>> Havening Techniques: www.havening.org 🌿 About the GuestDr. Diana Ali (she/her) is a clinical psychologist with 20+ years of experience working with survivors of complex trauma. She uses a variety of trauma therapies including EMDR, Cognitive Processing Therapy, the DBT-PTSD protocol, Brainspotting, the Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM), Havening techniques, and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy. Diana is certified in Ashira Darwish’s “Ashira Active Meditation” Protocol, a community-based intervention involving a series of somatic release practices that were developed for working with survivors of ongoing, chronic trauma. She has been honored to be able to offer Ashira Active Meditation workshops to Palestinian refugees from Gaza.🌿 Connect with Diana>> Therapy in CO & CA: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/diana-ali-ventura-ca/757844 🌿 About the HostLiz Zhou is a neurodivergent therapist of color, coach, & speaker based in Colorado (MA, LPC, she/her). She helps highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults & couples heal their nervous systems and connect with their authentic selves. 🌿 Connect with Liz>> Join my email newsletter: Liz’s Neurodivergent Letters>> IG: www.instagram.com/liz.holistic.therapist

Community is essential for our nervous system health - especially in times of systemic turmoil, injustice, and grief. In this episode, I discuss why it can be difficult to find community in our individualistic Western society; and why community is a two-way street, where we learn to give AND receive.Through the concept of “love languages,” we’ll explore how to build community in ways that align with our needs, capacity, and available resources. I end with a reminder that our nervous systems are wired for connection, and that our ancestors lived & survived through community.01:31 Why does community matter, especially in these times?05:48 How do we define community?12:52 The Love Languages of Community14:28 Quality Time17:39 Gifts20:39 Acts of Service / Solidarity25:15 Our Nervous Systems, Our AncestorsQuotes: “What I like about collective care is that it disrupts despair and it disrupts isolation. It's like lighting one candle and then spreading that light to an entire room of candles. We remember that we're not alone, that we have each other, and that a better world, a more just world, a more loving world, is absolutely possible because we're here and we're participating in its creation.”“I can’t do all the good the world needs — but the world needs all the good I can do.”🌿 About the HostLiz Zhou is a neurodivergent therapist of color, coach, & speaker based in Colorado (MA, LPC, she/her). She helps highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults & couples heal their nervous systems and connect with their authentic selves. Her specialties include: Brainspotting, EMDR, IFS, Psychedelic Integration, & Nervous System Intensives (deep-dive, accelerated therapy).🌿 Connect with Liz>> Join my email newsletter, where I share insights on how to understand your brain & take care of your nervous system: Liz’s Neurodivergent Letters>> Follow on IG: www.instagram.com/liz.holistic.therapist>> To work 1:1 with Liz: learn about Nervous System Healing Intensives here (focused sessions, using Brainspotting & Internal Family Systems, to help you heal deeply & connect with your authentic self) 🌻

Nervous system regulation is the capacity to shift states - from dysregulated, overwhelmed, and disconnected, to regulated, grounded, and connected. It’s a skill that we can develop & strengthen across time, and that allows us to build healthy relationships - with self, others, & the world.This episode shares options for nervous system regulation - self- & co-regulation - so you can add ideas to your nervous system care plan.Topics covered:What is self-regulation?What is co-regulation?Why we need BOTH self-regulation & co-regulation practices: experiences of healthy connection & co-regulation teach our nervous systems how to self-regulateHow childhood experiences impact nervous system development (& why none of us are “doomed” by the past - our nervous systems are malleable, and capable of change, healing, and rewiring across time)Nature offers opportunities for non-human relationship, connection, & co-regulation - which is helpful if you don’t feel safe to co-regulate w/ other humansRESOURCES>> To view research mentioned in the episode, click here.🌿 About the HostLiz Zhou is a neurodivergent therapist of color, coach, & speaker based in Colorado (MA, LPC, she/her). She helps highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults & couples heal their nervous systems and connect with their authentic selves. Her specialties include: Brainspotting, EMDR, IFS, Psychedelic Integration, & Nervous System Intensives (deep-dive, accelerated therapy).🌿 Connect with Liz>> Join my email newsletter, where I share insights on how to understand your brain & take care of your nervous system: Liz’s Neurodivergent Letters>> Follow on IG: www.instagram.com/liz.holistic.therapist>> To work 1:1 with Liz: learn about Nervous System Healing Intensives here (focused sessions, using Brainspotting & Internal Family Systems, to help you heal deeply & connect with your authentic self) 🌻