Tag archives: healing
The call-and-response singing of devotional music known as Kirtan can be a joyous experience, but it’s also a healing one that can break down barriers between people. So suggests Darren Marc, the devotional Kirtan artist and singer-songwriter whose eclectic musical career includes more than 30 original songs featured in film and television shows. For Marc […]
As a psychotherapist, my primary task is to help people manage their minds to achieve optimal mental health and wellness. I have worked with individuals who struggle with trauma for over 15 years, and one thing is clear: trauma significantly impacts the mind. The mind is how you process and react to your experiences; therefore, […]
After another discordant election season, it’s time to heal the rifts and find ways to live together in loving community. As simple as it may sound, singing together helps us come together. To explore this further, I recently sat down with therapist and singer-songwriter Marilee Gordon to ask about her experience using music as an […]
“My soul was broken and my back was broken; it was time to go,” said Montecito native Cristy Candler. She recently launched her wellness business OF SOUND BODY, where she helps her clients heal using the same somatic and energetic practices that worked for her. Prior to being an entrepreneur, Candler had a long career […]
Clay Studio Founder and Executive Director Patrick Hall credits working with clay for a dramatic shift in his life from an ADHD-addled kid who couldn’t focus, to one who runs a studio that serves as an artistic home and more to many members of our community. “I couldn’t concentrate to even read a paragraph or […]
The events of the past five years have left an impression on the geography and flow of our community. They have also left an imprint on your personal life. This can show up as an undercurrent of anxiety, heightened sensitivity to criticism, and intolerance for the slightest inconvenience. Even right now, there may be unnecessary […]
The medical benefits of the cannabinoids such as CBD continue to develop as doctors and researchers study the chemistry and medicinal applications of the cannabis plant. For Stacy Shymansky — a Certified Medical Cannabis Expert, consultant, and world-renowned speaker on cannabinoid treatments — it was through her own path of healing that she discovered a […]
Lawrence Spann writes every day in a Mead notebook — with a fountain pen. For him, this practice is more than journaling, it’s therapeutic introspection that allows the unconscious to become conscious. To accomplish this, he writes without an agenda, letting the pen rather than the mind lead the way. What results is a kind […]
It is well-established that mystical experiences have historically played a pivotal role in indigenous shamanism and world religions (the miracles surrounding Moses’ Ten Commandments and Jesus’ baptism by John). What is less well-known and quite unexpected is the discovery that mystical experiences are the catalyst for healing in contemporary psychedelic research. Both the Johns Hopkins […]
Living in a community that appreciates art adds to quality of life in more ways than aesthetics. Research has shown that simply browsing through an art gallery has the potential to decrease stress and increase our sense of wellbeing. Including an element of visual art in a healthcare setting eases anxiety, stress, and depression for […]
For roughly 1,225 days, Kim Cantin didn’t have answers. A mother searching for her first born. Her 17-year-old Eagle Scout was missing amid the catastrophic Montecito Debris Flow of January 9, 2018. Other deceased were found. But not Jack, not her kind-hearted, gentle soul of a young man. But in late May of this year, […]
As summer arrives and many of us are emerging as “walking wounded” from the isolation and multi-layered toll of the coronavirus, I think it’s safe to say that we could all use a little spiritual guidance to help transition back into the post-pandemic world. Post-Isolation Syndrome is a real thing and reintegrating into society after […]
According to a Bloomberg report in September, 2020, Americans spend $1,200 a year on average on prescription drugs. Per person, per year. That’s more than anyone else in the world. And that’s crazy, according to Montecito mom and energy healer Holly Malmsten. “Not only are Americans getting sicker, weaker, experiencing more anxiety and depression than […]
This year marks my fiftieth anniversary as a body therapist and healer. What I eventually came to know as “body wisdom” was the result of working with the wonderful, intelligent people of Santa Barbara and Montecito. For their trust and continued support, I am eternally grateful. From the beginning, it was apparent that in order […]
The unrelenting disruption and uncertainty of our lives have rattled our emotional equilibrium. Patience has worn thin. The kids are getting scrappy and the parents are getting snappy. Small fractures in personal relationships are showing up and the large rift in our social contract has taken to the streets. This mandatory timeout has put us […]
If the coronavirus hadn’t turned so quickly into a pandemic, Mick and Tess Pulver would likely have been back in Santa Barbara earlier this month to conduct a “Song of the Soul” workshop, a two-day exploration to find “the song inside you that’s just waiting to break out.” The weekend event is a truncated version […]
Rebekah Powell grew up outside of Nashville, aka Music City, USA, where her family’s business, not surprisingly, was songwriting. Her father, Monte Powell, was a longtime collaborator with Keith Urban, and other artists who recorded his songs include Tracy Byrd, Billy Ray Cyrus, Tim McGraw, Collin Raye, and Restless Heart. Rebekah’s older sister, Suzannah Powell, […]
Santa Barbara-based author and healer Elizabeth Morse wrote the alternative health book that’s also part self-help and part spiritual guide called Your Best Health by Friday: How to Overcome Anxiety, Depression, Stress, Trauma, PTSD, and Chronic Illness. The book explains the commonalities of all illnesses and provides action steps for people to heal, based on […]
Barbara Rose Sherman is a Yoga Alliance Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher 500 who is also a Trained Mindfulness Facilitator through the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and a UCLA Mindful Awareness Practices Affiliated Teacher. Now she’s bringing her experience in drawing from the two spiritual practices to a teacher training weekend available […]
Yoga Soup’s weekend workshops begin with Relational Attunement, the theme for the next installment of the bi-monthly Authentic Relating Games. Leader Damian Gallagher will offer a series of “games” that offer experiences in “How Me transitions into We,” diving into the differences when we are attuned to each of us in the space as a […]
