brain spotting

Our guest, Megan, leads with lived experiences. From the shocking moment her water broke at just 24 weeks, her story unfolds into a heart-wrenching stay in the NICU that she never could have fathomed. Born early, at 4 pounds, Megan’s daughter Lennon, immediately faced health challenges upon delivery.  What happened to Lennon after that is unthinkable.  Megan's story also shines a light on the profound impact this ordeal had on her mental state by being within hospital walls for nearly 4 months, and how this affected her entire family, as she had three other young children at home.  Woven within Megan’s story you will hear about determination, strength, self-compassion, and the importance of using your own intuition.  Her story is a reminder that even in the face of unimaginable challenges the human spirit can triumph, leaving us inspired and in awe of the power within us all.

While listening, you will hear us refer to the following episodes:
26. Jess’ Somatic healing session with Amanda
28. Guest interview with Candance- Surviving Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
29. Guest Interview with Sarah- Miscarriage, Brain tumor, and Babies

Be sure to follow From There, To Here on Facebook & Instagram. 

Ava Dasya Rasa is my guest today, and she is such a wise woman!  As a psychotherapist and author, she has a depth of wisdom to share.  We were only able to just touch on what she knows.

We talked about brain spotting, a therapeutic technique that now fascinates me.  I love effective healing methods!

I have a fascinating story about her book and what happened to me from one of its meditation--then she told me it sounded like I was doing brain spotting on myself!

She begins to ask me questions she would normally ask a person in a brain spotting session, so you get to hear a little bit of what it might be like.  I loved it!

I honestly could have talked to Ava Dasya for hours about her connections between spirituality and psychology methods.  It was so fun!  I hope you enjoy her delightful self and our conversation. 

Connect with Ava Dasya Rasa here:
Get her book: Transfiguration: 30 Meditations Inspired by Transforming Trauma and Spirituality
https://www.avadasyarasa.com/

Dragonfly Trauma Counseling Center
https://dragonflytrauma.com/

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/dragonflytrauma

Facebook:  https://facebook.com/authoravadasya

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/avadasya

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/avadasyarasa

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This episode is all about preventing retained reflexes and developmental dealys. It builds on a previous episode about complications and risk factors and gives practical steps parents can take to prevent developmental delays in their future children.

Resources for treating parental anxiety and other mental health problems:

Follow Dr. Psych Mom's blog and podcast. She also has a whole network of therapists that work in several different states.

Here you can find some information about brainspotting. This is a new theraputic technique that can really help work through specific fears and traumas.

Here you can find some information about EMDR.

With both brain spotting and EMDR you will need to find a therapist who utilizes these techniques and work with them.

Here you can find information about MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies). They have a LOT of promising research on the use of psychedelic drugs in combination with therapy and the benefits on a wide range of mental health problems. Like I mention in the podcast, if it were me, this is where I would start.

Here you can find more information about the midwifery model of care including the benefits and research.

If you want to learn more about prevention there is a book called What Babies and Children Really Need by Sally Goddard Blythe. This book goes into a lot of depth on prevention. 

Lastly you can visit my website here if you want to learn more. 

This week I had the pleasure of interviewing Carolyn Robistow, a Licensed Professional Counselor, coach, and certified Brain Spotting Practitioner. 

I heard Carolyn as a guest on another podcast I listen to and she immediately stood out to me as someone I knew I wanted to connect with and learn more from. I later discovered she has her own podcast, Brain Unblocked: The Brainspotting Podcast, and I was just so intrigued with learning more about brainspotting, especially the practice of self-brainspotting (which I had NEVER heard of!) and I couldn’t help but think about all of you, our listeners, and just imagining all the ways this incredible tool of brainspotting could be so incredibly practical and helpful to you in your journey of navigating life in the midst of  infertility and/or loss. 

After connecting with Carolyn on Instagram, I knew she would know better than ANYONE exactly how brainspotting could be beneficial to someone in our community, because not only is she a certified brain spotting practitioner, but she has also walked through her own personal journey of infertility- and it’s a journey of incredible strength and resilience. Carolyn’s story includes receiving an unexpected infertility diagnosis as a newlywed, two unsuccessful rounds of IVF, and an abruptly unexpected ending to her journey to adopt due to a heartbreaking paperwork snafu between two states that refused to work together. 

In this episode, which is part one of a two-part series, Carolyn shares her personal story and experience of infertility to where she is now- thriving and living an amazing childfree life, and she so beautifully explains what brainspotting is, how you can start using it RIGHT NOW, and how it can be helpful to manage triggers, emotions, and unhealthy thought and behavior patterns specifically for those of us who have experienced infertility or loss.

Links and references made in this episode:

Brain Unblocked Podcast:

• Episode 1: What is Brainspotting?
• Episode 2: How to Start a Self Brainspotting Practice
•  All Other Podcast Episodes

Carolyn’s website: https://CarolynRobistow.net 

The Body Keeps the Score book by Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk 

Carolyn’s Private Practice Site: https://joyeffectcounseling.com

Here is the root link for the Brainspotting website

Brainspotting – Where you look affects how you feel

Brainspotting book and website: 

Books – Brainspotting

Sandy hook link (also from the trainspotting website)

2016-NSHCF-Community-Assessment-Report.pdf (brainspotting.com)

The Body Keeps the Score

The Body Keeps The Score | Bessel van der Kolk, MD.

Generational Trauma book referenced (loosely I don't think Jimmy said the name)

It Didn't Start With You - Mark Wolynn