Dear Reader,

I made a mistake.

A few days ago, I decided to read the news.

Moments later my heart was already racing. My shoulders felt tense. My teeth were clenched so tightly that they might as well have been stuck together with cement.

In my mind’s eye, I saw flashes of news stories I had read in the past, the consequences and suffering I had witnessed, and all the fears I had for the future came flooding over me like a tidal wave.

Then one of my kids asked me for some water, and instead of using the sing-song reassuring tone I like to respond with, I sighed loudly and snapped at him to get it himself.

The stress and anxiety I felt from the news had clouded my ability to be the mother I wanted to be.

It was clear to me then, that I had some more work to do on myself and my emotions.

Because the world doesn't need more women who are dragged down and overwhelmed by stress right now. The world needs more women who are resilient and able to lift those around them up.

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When the Founding Fathers of the United States were creating the new government’s structure, their biggest concern was to ensure that they would not end up in the same situation they had fought so hard to escape.

It was, therefore, of critical importance that the Commander in Chief could not be mistaken for king.

This position was to be an egalitarian one. Those who held it were merely meant to preside over the greater governance, lead not by them alone, but by the will of the people.

Long deliberations were held in search of a humble-enough descriptor, one that avoided any and all dictatorial implications. Finally, after many failed attempts, the Founding Fathers settled on the lowliest name they could think of: “President”—as in, “the one who presides”.

Yet when we hear the title “President”, the word carries many of the same kingly connotations that John Adams, George Washington, and the rest of the Founding Father Crew were trying so desperately to avoid.

How did this happen?

Because there are now inextricable power-stories attached to the word that have changed its meaning from one of servitude, to one of dominance.

Don’t worry, Reader, this hasn’t turned into a political newsletter.

What I want you to do here is to notice how your body responds when you hear the word, “president”—or any other word for that matter.

The point I’m getting to with all of this is that words, in and of themselves, do not mean anything independent of the stories we assign to them.

And the stories we tell, in and of themselves, mean nothing independent of the feelings they elicit in us!

Stories are essential for the human psyche, yes. They shape the way we understand our lives, our identities, and every interaction and experience we encounter.

But stories are also limiting.

Every time we tell a story, conscious or not, we’re reinforcing patterns from the past.

We cling to these stories as though they were the absolute, capital “T” Truth...but they aren’t, and never can be. They are merely singular interpretations of reality. Each one of us has our own unique set of these stories, informed by our own, unique, and very, very limited experience.

The uniqueness of these interpretations is evidenced in our differing reactions to what looks like the same experience from the outside.

Paul tells Sally that he likes her dress, and Sally feels triggered because she’s had uncomfortable experiences with men in the past. Meanwhile, when Paul says the exact same thing to Jennifer, in the exact same way, Jennifer feels more confident the rest of the day and wants to wear that dress again.

The difference is in the stories that Sally and Jennifer have embedded in their nervous systems.

When Sally gets compliments from men, she feels icky and suspicious. When Jennifer gets the same compliments, her body gets flooded by dopamine. Neither is right or wrong, but both are limited by their past experience.

So long as the stories we carry within us stay untouched, unquestioned, and unmoved, we can never open ourselves up to new, healthier, and (often) more beautiful possibilities.

Want to set yourself free? If you ever struggle with stress or anxiety, then the answer is "yes".

The first step is to understand that each of your stories lives in your body.

Your feelings are what give those stories meaning, and feelings are not cognitive, they are physical reactions embedded in your nervous system from the past.

The stories you tell your friends and your therapist help you interpret those feelings, but it’s only by accessing the feeling at the root of those stories that deeper release and transformation can happen.

This is a big part of the work we do at The Embodied Wellness Studio.

We listen to the stories the body is telling through the language of signs, symptoms, and feelings, and we rework the narrative neurologically so you can access a new, healthier, free-er, less reactive, more blissful way of being.

This is the path to emotional freedom.

Want to experience it for yourself?

​I have a few openings for new patients in the coming weeks.

Whether you want to increase energy, reduce stress, lose weight, calm anxiety, decrease pain, or improve your well-being in some other way, I’d love to work with you to create a treatment plan that addresses your exact needs.

I can’t wait to see where this takes you!

Warmly,

Katerina

Founder and acupuncturist at The Embodied Wellness Studio in Tigard, Oregon

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P.S. You spoke and we’re listening!

Lots of people have been contacting us about massage and bodywork, so we’re working on something special for those of you who want more.

Make sure you open the next few emails, because we’ll share more details once we’ve got all the pieces in place!