Putting the WE back in Wellness

Putting the WE back in wellness: why many of our wellness models are failing us?

Why putting the WE back into wellness is the game changer for healing, health and wellness. 

As a therapist for almost 20 years, working in settings from psychiatric hospitals, foster care, non for profits, education systems and private practices across NY and CA and with a diversity of ages, bodies and imbalances, I have come to deeply understand our body mind connection, many of our wellness models, and also why they might be failing us.  The answers lie in some of the roots and etymologies. In this article I am going to break down and help you remember some of the forgotten paths to wellness… and they are simpler than you think. 

I always feel the answers, remedies and solutions lie right in front of us, just waiting to be seen.  For example, in a world of conflict, disconnect and ever increasing divisiveness here in the States, there is a giveaway of the remedy in the name...  UNITED.  How very simple, right there in plain signt waiting to be remembered.

Ready to go a little deeper.  Let’s try the word wellness.  Big buzzword right now.  How many times have you seen this word, especially if you are on the healing path?  Have you ever paid attention to the first two letters? W. E.  are the most important and overlooked literal entry points to our wellness.  We.  Community. Collaboration. And connection is the wellness.  Let's get into it.   

The power of this critical healing element actually has its roots in the survival patterns of our biology and taken from the polyvagal theory. The poly vagal theory basically explains the science of safety and danger and what happens in the brain- body connection when the body is in a state of safety or a state of danger. 

I’ll save the deep dive for another conversation but in a short summary, when the body is in danger, whether real or perceived, many of the brain body circuitry systems go offline in an attempt to maximize the outcome of safety.  What does this mean? No higher thought processes like logic, decision making, or critical thinking.  Learning or memory go offline. Higher heart qualities go offline, meaning no compassion, kindness, understanding, forgiveness. Social engagement systems go offline- there is no need to socialize when we are in danger.  Digestion, immune system and reproductive systems all go offline, as there is no need to digest food, heal or procreate if we are going to be food.  Makes sense, but also makes sense why healing gets halted. 

Whether healing a relationship, a memory, an experience, a perception, or a lineage- the required components are offline. 

Here’s the piece we may not know. These systems are bidirectional.  Meaning, we can reverse the process if we work from the bottom up.  If we work with the body to teach it it is not in danger we can turn those systems back online.  Said differently when we can engage in, encourage and reintroduce community and social connection, we can turn on the required components for healing.  Why are we not taught this as 101 healing?

This is the crux of my work and why I have created The Space.  A space where one can access weekly education, practices and community to have the body and brain remember safety so we can turn those healing circuits back online. Why this may be profound for the times is that it’s not just individual circuitry we are activating and impacting.  When we access individual healing circuitry, we turn back online the healing circuitry of humanity. 

We learn to be less reactive because we learn how to move out of the fear systems.  We begin to trust more, we can respond from a higher heart and higher thought space instead of from an impulsive and threat based circuitry, i.e.Run, fight, fix/ fawn or shut down.

Thinking of your wellness model, how much of your wellness has included community and connection?

If you’re wanting to dive in deeper into nervous system awareness and training, begin to understand deeper the mind-body connection or start to learn my work, I started sharing the foundations on the Align with Love podcast and if you are wanting to learn, connect or practice with me, check out inthespace.co for the rotating class calendar or find my coaching work on Instagram at anahata_wellness.  I would be honored to support you on your journey and help you learn the missing links!