After a long and challenging time in our world, your creativity may feel a little distant. Creativity often disappears when your nervous system goes into one of the four primary stress states: fight, flight, freeze, or faint.
But did you know that expressing your creativity with others is one of the best ways to move out of stress and connect with the strongest, healthiest part of your nervous system? When you sing, dance, or make music together (even online), you can activate the vagus nerve.
The vagus nerve is the body’s largest – and perhaps most important – nerve. When activated in the right way, it lowers blood pressure, releases stress and trauma, and helps you feel comfortable and confident in yourself. The more you practice this, the more creative and safe you feel with others. In short, it’s a self-reinforcing process that strengthens both body and soul.
“But wait,” you might ask. “Shouldn’t I just exercise or meditate to unwind?” Yes, these are important tools, but there are nuances:
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The wrong type of exercise can actually increase stress.
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Meditation and breathing practices are excellent for self-healing, but they can sometimes make us overly relaxed, tired, isolated, or even trigger past trauma, which is difficult to handle without support.
These insights come from Polyvagal Theory by Stephen Porges and research from HeartMath in California, who have studied the nervous system and resilience for decades.
My Art of Self Healing cards and course are designed to help you move out of stress and into healthy, self-healing creativity – both individually and in connection with others. They are being printed now and will be available in English in Fall 2021.
Here’s what one participant shared about their experience:
"I have discovered brand-new possibilities through intuitive work and found ‘gold’ inside myself. But the biggest shift has been finding faith in myself – faith in my worth – and trusting that what I perceive is true for me. I experience well-being and joy more often than I have in a very long time."
Take good care, and thank you so much for reading my emails.
With love,
Karin
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