ALIGN, INSPIRE, EMPOWER

We all experience stress. Stress is a healthy part of our lives, helping us to grow and maintain our “edge”. However, ongoing stress in one area can have the effect of wearing us down, especially if we don’t get a break and “recharge”. This chronic stress can take a toll on our mood, sleep, energy level, and sense of well-being. As a Holistic Clinical Herbalist and Analytical Chemist, I am drawn to supporting the body’s healthy stress response through the HPAT (or HPA) axis. HPAT stands for Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal-Thyroid and is a facet of the neuro-endocrine system. If that sounds complicated, it really depends upon how you approach it. The HPAT axis is a subset of our integrated holistic system, and we can easily overthink it with too much analysis of its individual components. The HPAT axis functions non-linearly, with feedback rhythms to regulate itself. Understanding this complexity requires listening, discernment, and  innate common-sense.

Since chronic stress is a primary factor in HPAT dysregulation, the first common-sense approach is to evaluate lifestyle and make recommendations that support healthy endocrine function. How/when we sleep, eat, exercise, work, etc. all influence our hormonal and circadian rhythms. These translate to our stress resilience and rejuvenation capacity.

Second, we can add in herbs that have a long history for helping the body buffer and recover from excess stress. This class of herbs is called adaptogens and have exceptional safety and efficacy in their use. Adaptogens get their name because they help the body adapt to stress. They are perfectly matched for gentle holistic support of the HPAT axis.

Third, there are instances where lab testing is useful for establishing a baseline and monitoring progress. We use home-based lab testing kits to evaluate hormones, neurotransmitters, and wellness markers which relate to HPAT status. Support strategies include, but are not limited to, lifestyle check-in and the use of herbal adaptogens and nootropics.

While labs can provide useful analytical information, earlier I mentioned “listening, discernment, and common-sense” for a reason. Humans are intuitively gifted beings, and it is important to use that innate skill when connecting to the rhythm and resonance of the body. What do I mean by resonance? There are many definitions and perspectives on this. All matter and energy have vibration. To make it simple here, I am referring to innate “gut level”, “heart centered”, and/or intuitive abilities which we experience when we listen. We all need to do this for ourselves, but sometimes it helps to have a partner reflect that back to you.

When I learned Polarity Therapy, I found that my awareness of resonance increased several-fold. I taught a few informal classes on Discerning Resonance and noticed how easy and natural it is to “remember” that state. From that place, we are more tuned into ourselves, and more likely to make empowered choices. It’s a natural skill that develops the more we use it. When I worked for a homeopathic company, that experience pulled forth both my chemistry knowledge and sense of energy resonance. I encourage such life experiences that merge the tangible “practical” and the intangible “refined” life essence. In writing Take The Phi Road, I was developing an understanding in which to describe Phi. I refer to life-affirming resonance as Phi Resonance. I invite you to check out the three short videos for an introduction to Phi and further descriptions on the terminology I use here.

I integrate practical, scientific, intuitive, and philosophical approaches in my sessions. In addition, I offer stand-alone training for those who wish to develop resonance discernment further.