- Dr. Olivia FieldsSanta Monica, CA(310) 948-1284
Stress
Healing Environments: How Design Shapes Recovery and Resilience
The body responds to space before the mind has time to explain it: a breath that lengthens, a jaw that unclenches, a quiet sense that you can finally settle. Environments shape us — often more profoundly than we realize.
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The Physiologic Sigh: A Simple Breath to Calm the Stress Response
Sometimes stress arrives like a sudden storm. Other times it creeps up before we even notice it. In either case, it leaves its mark on the body. You may feel your heart pounding, palms damp with sweat, or your mouth suddenly dry. Sometimes the signs are subtler: a breath that won’t deepen, shoulders inching upward, jaw tightening, or a restless unease under the skin.
In those moments, it helps to have tools that swiftly dissipate tension so we can think more clearly and navigate with more grace under pressure. Among all the techniques I’ve studied, the physiologic sigh is the fastest way I know to curb the body’s stress response.
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💡Why Somatic Work Works
A Body-Based Approach to emotional clarity
We’ve all had moments where the insight is there—intellectually, you get it—but something still won’t shift. You know you’re safe, but your body is bracing. You understand the pattern, but it still plays out. You’ve journaled, reflected, reframed… and yet.
Sometimes the issue isn’t lack of understanding.
It’s that your body hasn’t caught up.
That’s where somatic work comes in.
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🧠 When Thinking Isn’t Helping: Why the Nervous System Is the Shortcut to Calm
Sometimes we try to think our way out of stress—talk ourselves down, reframe the situation, apply logic. And sometimes, that works. But not always.
When the nervous system is dysregulated, insight alone doesn’t stick. The body needs to feel safe before the mind can make sense of things.
That’s why, in my practice, I often guide people to bypass the mental maze and work directly with the body. It’s faster, deeper, and honestly—kinder.
Why the Body Remembers
Your nervous system isn’t trying to sabotage you. It’s trying to protect you based on past experience and current signals—whether or not they’re conscious. That’s why you can know you’re safe but still feel anxious. The body doesn’t always update in real-time.
Regulation starts by speaking the language of the body: breath, sound, sensation, rhythm, and connection. These are tools that reach the nervous system where it lives—beneath the story.
Acupuncture: The Original Biohack for Migraines
Having recurring migraines is similar to parenting a temperamental toddler. When they go from being annoying to actively disruptive and mildly infuriating, there is often little one can do but grit your teeth and persevere. The helpful suggestions for managing this occurrence involved a mixture of expert opinion, anecdotal hearsay, individual tinkering and a big dose of patience. So where does acupuncture fit into this picture? continue reading