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Psychic Touch, Intuitive Sensing + Your Epic Healing

3/14/2022

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by Dr. Cailin O'Hara
Energy healing and intuitive medicine in Phoenix, Arizona
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We all naturally attune ourselves to certain categories of energy and information.
What draws you in the most? What most intrigues you?
Some people connect with mathematics, for example. Some with art.
Some with animals. Some with technology.

For me, I've always deeply connected with life energy- mine, yours, our world's, and what feels like worlds beyond. I can feel the energy and nature of things from inanimate objects to physical settings like a room or office to the underlying resonance of your words, physical body and emotions.

I remember, as I was growing up, feeling so much going on around me that was invisible to my eyes but obvious to my more intuitive senses. Sometimes it was easy to decode. Sometimes it was overwhelming and caused me anxiety.

Once I predicted our plane would crash. I told my mom, quite casually at the age of 11, "we're going to die on this plane," as I was sitting in the plane seat and eating a donut just after we boarded. She assured me I was just worried. But eventually, the pilot came on the overhead speaker and said we had to de-board due to some kind of significant engine failure.

And there are so many more examples I could share!

Often I didn't even realize just how much I was tapping into. What was mine and what wasn't? became a question I learned how to start asking in my mid-2os to help me make more sense of things.

When I began school to study Chinese medicine, the dots really starting connecting for me- I was learning how to use this power as it was intended to be.
​

Psychic Touch + Intuitive Sensing


​Touch is one of our physical senses.
You can touch something with the surface of your skin and receive general information instantly about it: it's cold, soft, hard, etc.

But that's nothing compared to what the energy of it says or emits.

You can walk past someone, "touch" their energetic field simply by being close to them, and receive a TON of information as well: uneasiness, chills, a change in your posture, etc.  I'm sure you've had that experience at least once!

You can even "touch" or tap into someone's energy when they are nowhere near you and potentially pick up something they are feeling or thinking. An example could be when you are about to call someone and they are calling you at that exact moment.

...

Well, here's where it gets really cool when it comes to the work I do with you.

I essentially live from this place of intuitive sensing- it's my default mode and how I operate in the world, which means it's the mode I'm in when I'm working with you.

Examples:


If I get intuitive impressions when I read the chart you fill out to work with me, it can guide us more clearly when we talk in a consultation.

If I can "see" where the pain in your arm is coming from through my intuitive senses, I can treat it much more easily and in cooperation with your whole body.

If I can "hear" the underlying story around your emotional pain when I move into your energetic field, then we can work with it more directly and efficiently.

If I can "feel" the frequency of your words, then you don't have to say things perfectly in order for me to fully understand you.


If I sense a body memory or energetic story of yours when I make contact with your body or energetic field, it can inform what the most healing and safest approach for you would be.

Can't you just imagine the endless epic healing possibilities this creates?
...

I can't tell you have many times using these psychic-level capabilities has resulted in a client or patient, usually in tears, telling me that they've never felt so understood, that we hit the nail on the head completely, that they didn't even realize what was actually going on with them until we unlocked the deeper aspects together... and how thrilled and hopeful they finally feel because of it.

If this resonates with you, connect with me to learn how I can help you.
​

about dr. cailin o'hara
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Cupping- Activate Your Inner Medicine

8/27/2020

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Photo Copyright 2018 Dr. Cailin O'Hara
Our bodies are conduits of powerful medicine. How can you tap into yours and activate the healing flow? ↡↡

One modality I use at my practice for patients is cupping. I have a reverence for it- it is sacred to me. Because of this, I think we get otherworldly kinds of results. The word exorcism comes to mind- let's demystify that, though, because it may not be what you think!

Cupping is the ancient practice of using suction to dispel yuck and stagnation from the body (mind/spirit, too). The badass flame part is what we use to generate the suction, but the cups aren't hot!

Stagnation= blood, lymph, seen and unseen congested energy. Injury? Stagnation. Heartache? Stagnation. Psychological Trauma? Stagnation. Fear? Stagnation. The list goes on. This is what we get to e x o r c i s e.

I generally introduce cupping (and gua sha) midway through your treatment program- after you're feeling stabilized and at the point where you ready for the next level of release and elevation. My patients have a reverence for it, too! They'll journal beforehand, set intentions, and take the evening afterward to themselves for rest and clearing.

So, yea, not your average cupping sesh. 😊

I would love to help you activate your inner medicine and heal. If you are interested in learning more about cupping or how I use it in my practice, feel free to reach out! I would love to chat with you to see if you are a good fit. I also have a video on my YouTube channel all about it! 

>> Cupping as an Exorcism
​
Free Consultation
about Dr. Cailin
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You Deserve Perfect Health

4/5/2020

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by Dr. Cailin O'Hara, DACM, LAc, Dipl OM
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Think about someone you love.
Do you think they deserve perfect health? Happiness? Everything their heart desires? I’m sure you do. I bet you want to see the people you love most absolutely thrive. I bet you can imagine them at their very best, totally joyful and living an incredible life. Close your eyes, and take a minute or two to imagine that.

What about you? Can you see that for yourself?
​...
​How would your life change if you believed you deserve perfect health?

Deserve is such a tricky word. For many of us, it implies that we have to earn something, we have to do something, we have to be worthy.
​According to what standard, though?
When it comes to ourselves, we can make a lot of excuses and a lot of exceptions at the expense of our health and happiness.
​I’ll explain some of those ways in a moment. 

​First, I’ll ask you…
What if we prioritized our own wellness like we do the health of our children?
​What if we prioritized our own wellness like we do the security of our finances or the caliber of the work we do? 
​
What is it that you value the longevity and vitality of most?
​Is it 
you or something else?
In all the healing I’ve experienced personally and in the healing I facilitate for my patients, it always comes back to this: you come first. If you want to thrive, be well, and find the satisfaction of enduring joy, you have to prioritize YOUR longevity and vitality over all else.
...
How can it be that we don’t think we deserve good health?
See if any of these statements describe you...

  • ​You don’t sleep when you’re tired.
  • You absorb the negative emotions of others to help them feel better.
  • You don’t move your body in a loving way to help keep it flexible and flowing.
  • You stay in situations that are breaking your heart.
  • You exhaust yourself to prove yourself.
  • You focus on the pain of the world until you can’t find happiness.
  • You try to create perfection.
  • You try to fix everything that doesn’t feel good.
  • You don’t comfort yourself when you’re sad or angry.
  • You have a negative slew of thoughts on a daily basis about how you’re not enough.
  • You fixate on what other people don’t like about you.
  • You fill your body with chemicals and empty calories or…
  • You don’t eat enough.
  • You go to the gym or work out in state of guilt or shame and push yourself without compassion.
  • You reject love and support.
  • You don’t accept compliments.
  • You dwell on your “failures” or mistakes.
  • You don’t love or approve of yourself when you look in the mirror.
These are some of the thousands of ways that, on a daily basis, you block your innate vibrancy and wellness.

I know this because I’ve done it, I see you do it, and I’ve learned what happens when we stop doing it:
We heal.
 

One moment at a time, we can stop all of the self-sacrifice, self-sabotage, self-hate, self-neglect, impatience, negativity, anger and fear. We can create new mental, emotional and physical paradigms for ourselves- ones that actually support us unconditionally.
 
Think about it like this...
Even in the worst of conditions, we survive. We are a wildly resilient and adaptive species. But as amazing as that is, it doesn’t have to be so hard.
It doesn’t have to be about survival.
 
You deserve perfect health. What that looks like may be different for all of us. But one thing is true for everyone- you can either create the space to heal or create barriers to it. What are you choosing?
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In Times of "Uncertainty," Fear + Panic

3/15/2020

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by Dr. Cailin O'Hara, DACM, LAc, Dipl OM
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In Times of Uncertainty:
Moving Forward on a New Trajectory
guidance for COVID-19 and all the times that destabilize us


​In fact, all times are uncertain. We’re used to predictability, but much of predictability is actually based on our expectations, rules and beliefs. Regardless, we find a great deal of comfort in things going our way, how we want them to go, how we expect them to go.
 
When things aren’t as we expect or plan, it feels destabilizing, scary, unsettling, shocking. What can we do with this energy? How do we move through those heavy feelings of unknowns, what ifs and fear?
​...
​
1) Uncertainty creates opportunities and options.
As long as we feel certain about things, we are less able to see other sides and possibilities. We’re locked in and cruising along, sometimes for so long that we wind up running on autopilot. It’s not so much that uncertainty creates options but that it allows us to finally see them. We’re forced to hold a wider perspective; we’re forced to look for alternatives and ways through because the old way isn’t working anymore. Countless options ALWAYS exist, and uncertainty can force us to step back, allowing more possibilities to come into view.
​


​Write about this:
What other angles can I look at this from? What are the best possible outcomes here? How else can I go about this in a way that feels better for me? How else can I think about this in a way that feels better for me?


​2) Uncertainty slows momentum and calls for reevaluation.
Just as uncertainty creates options, it is in searching for those options that we find ourselves in a process of reevaluation. We can’t go on charging ahead like we had been, so we’re forced to look at what has been in place and how well it has been working for us. When we feel uncertain, we naturally retract. We experience doubt. We have unanswered questions. All of this slows us down- and in the process of slowing down, we can catch our breath, reassess and move forward on a new trajectory.


​Write about this: How have things been working until now? How well have they been working? What was going well? What contributed to things not working well? What was definitely not working? Why? What could be better? How do you WANT things to go?


3) Uncertainty engenders fear… and courage.
Uncertainty equals fear, period. It’s easy to panic, catastrophize and feel consumed by anxieties in uncertain times. None of us are immune to it; it’s a natural reaction. However, feeling how we get triggered and how fear happens for us is the perfect way to WORK with it within ourselves. And as we work with our fears, we touch the heart of courage. Fear is exactly the motivation we need to tap into feelings of empowerment- knowing we are capable and WILL overcome, seeing challenge as opportunity, gaining confidence and conviction as a way to shut fear the F up.


Write about this: How does fear show up for you? How does it influence you? What triggers you? How can your fears empower you? What thoughts or actions feel better than fear? How can you empower yourself to overcome your fears?


4) Uncertainty is destabilizing, and thus, transformative.
As structures and systems break down, we are in pivotal times of transformation. Just look at the Tower card in the tarot deck- everything “falling apart” also signals new beginnings. Sometimes the breaking down is small, sometimes it is catastrophic. We live in a world of birth, death and rebirth. All things are cycling through these phases, and nothing about us or our lives is an exception. We truly live from one transformation to the next. The stronger the destabilization and falling apart, often the more impressive the transformation. The phoenix rising is a good example.


​Write about this: What are some things that have fallen apart and ended only to create something better in your life? How can you allow yourself to be transformed in uncertain times? What emotions or fears feel like they are in the way of you accepting and allowing what is happening now? What emotions and beliefs would be more helpful for you in navigating the natural process of things changing, ending and beginning again?


We can let uncertain times terrify us, paralyze us, send us down the dark hole of hopelessness and panic. 

We can let uncertain times show us possibilities and help us think waaay outside the boxes we’ve created. 

Essentially, we have a choice. 

We choose every moment of every day how we are going to respond and feel, whether we realize it or not. 
​
What feeling and belief are you under the influence of, how is it affecting you, and how can you choose differently if it’s not working for you?
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Acceptance After Loss, Shock, Trauma: An Easier Way

10/21/2019

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by Cailin O'Hara, MAcOM, LAc, Dipl OM
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Image Copyright Cailin O'Hara and Sun Tree Healing Arts, LLC 2019
​Maybe you need to hear this in just this way right now. Some things that happen feel impossible to accept and find peace in. But that doesn’t mean you have to harbor it forever, stuck in the misery of it.
 
How can you find some relief?
 
 How can you take the edge off of the searing pain so that you can breathe, sleep, eat, function?
 
Sometimes the emotional pain is so intense, you feel like you can’t go anywhere near it... it seems like if you do, it will swallow you whole.
 
It’s a pain that keeps on giving.

There is the initial event that caused it and then the countless ways it unfolds into new levels of pain afterward.
 
How can you get through this? What does it even mean to get through it?

...
 
I understand.

 
First of all, you can trust in the process of avoidance initially because it does serve you. It's ok to check out. You can’t expect yourself to accept what feels unacceptable, unimaginable, incomprehensible.

One way to work with avoidance is to embrace it.

This actually helps you become just a bit more present, a bit more HERE, a bit less likely to check out indefinitely. Give yourself space.

The issue is when we check out so hard, dissociate, detach and aren’t engaging with our life at all. It's when we can’t find our way out of avoidance, when we're controlled by it, driven to drink, eat, overwork... anything to avoid how we feel.
 
You don’t have to force yourself to accept what happened when you aren’t ready for that.
 

One way I’ve found helpful is to instead accept how it makes you feel.
...
​

An easier way in to the pain of it, to facing it, is to be with how you feel right here, right now.

“I feel weak, despondent, disconnected, isolated, heavy, enraged, dead inside…”

Whatever it is, just identify what it is that you feel.

And then let yourself feel it. Let it be OK to have your feelings.

You may then notice a separation- there is the you that is grieving, in pain, and there is the you that is observing that part of you.

This can be a very comforting experience. You see that you are not your pain. You never will be. It is part of you, but not all of you.

​It’s like calling a petal a rose. It’s never rose, but it’s part of it.
​

Your pain is one aspect, and when you can observe it as a part of you, give space for it, sit with it, stop running from it… it softens, it thanks you for being with it, it turns out to be like a crying child that all along really just needed to be held.

You don't need to make sense of the pain, the trauma, the loss right now. Your feelings just need you to witness them, to hold compassionate space for them. So offer this to yourself.

Accept yourself in your pain.

​You need it.
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How Your Intention Helps You Heal

8/15/2019

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by Cailin O'Hara, MAcOM, LAc, Dipl OM
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My health was in a downward spiral. No doctors had answers for me. I felt lost at sea, searching for light. 

Some part of me felt terrified and hopeless, while some higher aspect of me knew I could heal and was on a mission to get me safely to land. So, learning about how my intention could influence my reality, including my health, was exhilarating.
 ...

INTENTION
 It was the most empowering concept I had come across on my healing journey. In 2011, I was reading Deepak Chopra’s “The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire” at the time. I then dove into every book and resource I could find about how we create our own reality. 
...
I spent years trying to understand it- the cause and effect of how our thoughts and feelings create our personal reality. As I worked with it, my health began improving. Everything did, actually. It may seem esoteric, but it’s actually quite simple....

1) The thoughts you think directly influence your health.
Think of something scary, and you’ll feel how your body responds. Think about something peaceful, and you’ll feel your body relax. This is SUCH a complex relationship of so many physiological processes occurring, but all you need to do is feel it happen. You influence how you feel, emotionally and physically, (aka your HEALTH) by what you think (and intend).
 
The more I focused my intention on how I wanted to feel, how I wanted my health to improve, the more it started to actually happen.

...

2) The way you feel directs your decisions and, ultimately, your actions.
We use logic and emotion to make our decisions, which are generally informed by past experience and what we believe to be true. So, if a) we believe something to be true, b) we feel it to be true and c) our past tells us it’s true, then to us, it’s true. (This is where subconscious beliefs can wreak havoc.) What this means is that we can change the direction of our lives (and health) by tapping into feelings and beliefs that better serve our intentions.
 
When I began changing the way I thought about things toward a more positive note, guided by my intention to really heal, then my feelings about things shifted, too. I began making different decisions for myself and my healing. I began having different, and better, outcomes. I was gradually led down a very different and far more healing path… right to Chinese medicine and acupuncture, actually, which had the exact medicine I needed to heal for REAL.
...

3) The decisions you make and the actions you take, which are informed by how you think and feel, create your entire life. 
Years ago, this was hard for me to wrap my mind around. It felt like A LOT of pressure to do everything just right so I could heal and have the life I wanted. But it’s not that complicated, actually. What is your intention, right now? What do you want for yourself?

As I got really clear about what I wanted for myself and intended for those things to become true for me, they did. I was able to take my health into my own hands, so to speak, and feel my way toward what I needed. I learned self-trust. I learned body-trust. I learned how profoundly connected the mind is with the body and how they are continuously influencing one another every second of every day.
 ...
​

We are not in a perfect-feeling world. We can’t live unaffected by the pain and suffering here. But we CAN reclaim our personal power. We CAN heal. We CAN create a healthier mind, body and life. Your intention is the starting point of everything. Once you get clear on that, the doorway to what your heart seeks will open. 


about cailin

...
Other articles you may like

>> You are Resilient
>> I Believe in You
>> The Truth about Why I'm Here (for you)
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Stress, Your Face + What You Can Do

7/23/2019

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by Cailin O'Hara, MAcOM, LAc, Dipl OM
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I never gave a rip about aesthetics, beauty standards or skincare. 

I’ve always had pretty flawless (albeit dry) skin and looked far younger than I am. So, who cares about skincare then? Well, as my 35th birthday was approaching, that changed. I noticed my face looked different. It had been sneaking up on me, but the changes were becoming more obvious. Not in a good way, mind you, and I was not at all stoked by this.

So then I had to play catch up and figure out what the F to do to help myself.
(Enter: Cailin, the endless investigator for all the answers to all the things.)

I used the same approach that I have used in the past any time my health or well-being needed help. I looked for the most legit, holistic and natural way to stop and even reverse this breaking down process we call aging.
 
I’m not into “anti-aging,” either, so don’t get it confused. It’s more like I know that everything is connected when it comes it our health, and so I play dot-to-dot trying to understand the root causes of what I'm dealing with and how to help myself.
...

STRESS was showing up on my face.
EXCESSIVE WORRY was showing up on my face.
PAST HEARTBREAK was showing up on my face.
BURNOUT was showing up on my face.
...among other things, including nutritional deficiencies.


Your face reveals everything about you. In the very least, we can try to nourish ourselves from the inside out to be as well as we can. But I’ve been learning about and using really powerful and holistic methods for improving the health of our face- skin, texture, radiance.
 
I’ll compile my tips as they grow and share them with you (like why I will only recommend ONE brand of dermal roller, for instance); so, stay tuned.

My easy-but-necessary tips for easing the effects of stress and aging...
​

1) Stop Draining Yourself.
Really. Read this for my advice.


2) Stay hydrated and eat relatively well.
This means add electrolytes into your daily routine and salt if necessary to stay adequately hydrated, particularly in the desert. Eating well means reducing sugar and empty calories and eating more whole foods. Keep it simple.


3) An at-home routine of facial cupping, facial gua sha and dermal rolling.
This can make a huge difference, especially when paired with appropriate serums (like with vitamin C and hyaluronic acid). Talk to me in our sessions about this if you're interested.

4) Go after what brings you joy.
What do you put your energy into- the things that uplift you, spark your greatest happiness, or the stuff that sucks the joy right out of you? Every choice you make to focus on what fulfills and satisfies you will accumulate and tip the scales to a happier existence. And trust me, everything you feel shows up on your face, right down to where the fine lines and wrinkles develop.

5) Come in and try Holistic Facial Rejuvenation.
I absolutely love doing these treatment sessions, and I’m sometimes dumbfounded by the results. They’re so natural yet quite obvious… and best of all, they’re 100% natural and also treat the CAUSES of your skin and wrinkle woes to boot (like those emotions I talked about earlier, for instance). 

​...
If you're interested, contact us to schedule a consultation if you want to learn more. I’ll talk with you for bit about what you’re looking for, if I can help you, and what to expect. If you’re a good fit, we’ll get you set up. You can come in every now and then like you would for a facial or you can go all in and get the transformative results of weekly sessions. 
 
As always, take good care of yourself.
about dr. cailin o'hara
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The Truth about Why I'm Here (for you)

7/15/2019

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by Cailin O'Hara, MAcOM, LAc, Dipl OM
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“What brought you to this medicine?”

Patients ask me this. I give my usual answer of “I wasn’t well; nothing else was helping me, and I finally decided to try it.”
 
That’s not it, though. There is the truth, the backstory you likely wouldn’t believe.
...
​

There is no reason I should be alive right now.
​I should have died on the morning of January 8, 1998.


 I was at a funeral a couple of weeks ago. My aunt said to me, “I get your newsletter. I share it with my friend. Her daughter is really struggling with depression and anxiety. I wish she could come see you. I tell them that you really get it, that if anyone does, it’s you.”
 
It hit me. You’re right; I really, really get it. There are big parts of my “story” that I don’t share but that are the actual driving force behind why I’m in this field, why I’ve chosen (more like have been called) to do what I do. (It all comes full circle.)
 
I’ve been compelled to write my story recently. Here’s a snippet that might speak to you. It’s about the most pivotal (aka worst) time in my life at the young age of 13. It was the light shining through after the storm, an epiphany, when I realized that I was here (and more importantly knew how) to help people free themselves from their suffering, despair and emotional chaos. 


...

“When I left the hospital a week later, I reflected on the 6 months of my personal hell that led me to that fateful night. I said this, about that whole experience, as we left the parking lot: ‘No one could have helped me. No one knew what to do. But I know now. And I know that I can help people out of this. I know the way.’

There is zero doubt in my mind that I was saved. It’s inarguable. I didn’t ask for it. I didn’t want it at the time. But the epiphany I had when I left the hospital is the same way I feel now, 22 years later. 

I know the way out. 
I've envisioned myself as carrying a torch that never burns out, and I’m in the twists and turns of dark caverns lighting the way through. In the past, it was just me down there, trying to make sense of things, trying to understand my own darkness, trying to save myself, knowing there was so much more than what I could see at the time, knowing that there was a far more powerful light somewhere that I had to find. 
 
I found it. 
Now I see myself as back in those caverns, and they’re familiar, but they’re not exactly mine. They’re yours. They’re part of me, I believe, because we’re all connected, all one. But they’re yours in that they’re for you to navigate. They’re for you to find the light in. So I walk with you with my torch that never goes out. I don’t have your answers, but I’ve traversed similar land. I’m more of a guide, a facilitator, letting you know you’ll find your way out. And you will, you do.
 
I’m here for a reason, just like you.”  

about cailin

learn about Cailin's treatment of Anxiety, Depression, Grief + Past Trauma 

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I Believe in You

6/11/2019

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by Cailin O'Hara, MAcOM, LAc, Dipl OM
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​Have you seen this video? Never, Ever Give Up 

A professor showed it to us in one of my doctoral classes today after asking us, “who has made a positive impact on your life?" I thought of an old therapist of mine. I desperately sought her help for anxiety back in 2009 or so. She became more of a mentor to me over time. She taught me about self-worth, mindfulness, creating the life you want and natural healing approaches. 

She helped me wake up.
 ...

Back then, I was so disconnected from myself.
I didn’t understand how I was creating my own pain and anxieties.
At the time, I felt victimized in every way.

It was such a low point. I was living in fear. My health was declining.
I was panicked, overwhelmed and feeling lost.
...
 
I’m lightyears from that feeling now.
I’m not that person.

I had a LOT of undoing to do. The therapist I mentioned was sort of the beginning. I went on to find more healers to help me; I dedicated myself to healing and enrolled in a Chinese medicine program.
​​

​Ok, so how is this about me believing in YOU, though?
 
There were people that believed in me when I couldn't see my way out.
They saw me as whole and healed and helped light my way back home to myself.
This is now what I hope to do for you.
 ...

▲​
Don’t let anyone ever tell you what you can’t do, or have, or become.
You are a living miracle. 

You are perfect.
Everything about you is just right.
The art is in learning how that’s true, how you can side with yourself once and for all as your own best friend, your own soul mate, now and as long as you live (and beyond).

▲​
I envision you in perfect health.
I see you in all of your intricacies that come together to make the magical being that you are. You really are far more powerful than you could ever know.

But it’s worth trying to find out.

▲​
Don’t let anyone take away your hope.
Don’t believe in anything that doesn’t resonate with you.
If there is something you want, some way you want to feel, some level of life you want to live, it really is yours.

​I believe in you.
...
about cailin
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Top 5 Tips: Restore Your Natural Energy

5/6/2019

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by Cailin O'Hara, MAcOM, LAc, Dipl OM

So far, we've talked about what may be draining your energy and how it happens. 
​

Here I'll offer some of my best tips for improving your daily energy levels and maintaining your natural energy reserves. 

...

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Tip #1: Mind Your Business
Who comes first, you or someone/something else? Are you trying to fix things for other people? Are you paying attention to other people more than yourself? One sure way to suck your energy tank dry is to get caught up in everyone else's business. Their thoughts, feelings, actions (including social media) and choices are theirs, not yours. This goes for your family, friends, coworkers and the entire planet. Try to spend a day just letting people be exactly as they are and notice how many times you're tempted to expend your energy getting overly involved in their experience. Redirect your energy back toward yourself, and you'll consistency refuel your own tank.
Tip #2: Mind Your Diet
What you eat and drink matters, obviously. If you're drinking caffeine all day, it affects your natural energy levels (and your nervous system). If you eat sugar with every meal, it takes a toll on your energy reserves. If you go all day without eating, you aren't fueling your body. It's not complicated; it's common sense. Eat food that looks like real food, and try to eat a few times a day. Stop drinking caffeine after noon. Don't drink beverages loaded with sugar. Notice how you feel after you eat. Eat what makes you feel the best. Don't demonize food as good or bad, either. Just try to make choices that benefit your unique needs. If you don't load up on inflammatory and non-nutritive foods, your energy levels will stay more consistent. 
Tip #3: Mind Your Attention
Sooo... what are you paying attention to? What's got your eye? What's your mind fixating on? The more you focus on something, the more of it you'll see. If you're paying attention to something and it feels terrible, why are you doing it? That's a sure way to feel exhausted, or in the very least, pretty unhappy. It's up to you to choose what you focus on, and what you're paying attention to holds a lot of power. What if you started redirecting your attention toward things you like, things that inspire you, things that feel good? Here's what: you'd feel a little bit better... and that would grow exponentially if you kept it up. This is the #1 way I regulate my energy on a daily basis. See how much better you feel when you pay attention to what lifts your spirit versus what weighs you down.
Tip #4: Mind Your Space
What's your living environment like? Your workplace? How about your clothing or the not-so-visible-but-oh-so-important energetic field around you? What's happening in your environment affects your energy levels. This doesn't mean you have to try to control your environment, but it does mean that you can positively impact it. Clear the clutter away. Surround yourself with uplifting things. Purge your closets from time to time. Decorate your workspace in a way that makes you smile. Use the shower as a time to clear yourself physically and emotionally. Give thanks to your clothes, and wear what's comfortable. Honor your boundaries and choose to not take on energies/feelings/things that don't feel good or aren't yours. It's truly exhausting to live without honoring the space you exist in. This tip can take some work; you may not realize how much around you is taxing your energy. Start with little changes, one at a time, and notice how you feel. 
Tip #5: Mind Your Schedule
How are you arranging your life? Is there a balance between work and rest? The best way to arrange your day is around the cycle of the sun and the seasons, actually. We tend to have the most energy in spring and summer and the least in winter. We are most alert when the sun is up, and then we naturally unwind as night sets in. Even adjusting your schedule slightly to reflect this ebb and flow can improve your energy and quality of sleep. Also, what are you prioritizing every day? If you don't schedule in fun, relaxation or quiet, no one else is going to do it for you. My best advice is to schedule in a morning and evening routine, even if it's just 5-10 minutes, where you meditate, do yoga, journal, or whatever helps you feel uplifted and refreshed. It will add up massively as time goes on and help you maintain higher energy levels throughout the day. 

...

While these are some of my best tips, in order to really personalize them for yourself, you have to commit the time to working with them. If you're struggling with fatigue and managing your daily energy levels, acupuncture and Chinese medicine are tremendously helpful. Schedule a free consultation if want to learn more. 

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Stop Running Away: What Your Anxiety Really Means

5/3/2019

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by Cailin O'Hara, MAcOM, LAc, Dip OM
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Image Copyright 2019 Sun Tree Healing Arts

If you have experienced something traumatic, it can change everything: your life, your brain, your nervous system, your beliefs. But that doesn’t mean that you’re doomed to live in fear, panic and anxiety forever.
...
I want to tell you about one of the most powerful ways you can help heal yourself if you have suffered from PTSD, past abuse or traumatic experiences. 
(hint: we all have)
It is an epiphany that I personally experienced… and one that completely changed the way I connect with myself. It showed me the way out of the loop of anxiety and relieving past trauma and into my power and the truth of who I am.
 
It is the realization of all realizations that I think is key in healing from past trauma. But you have to REALLY feel it. Doing so can immediately shift you out of anxiety-mode (flight or fight) and into a feeling of deep self-compassion (aka reconnecting with YOU).
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Most of us are not even aware that we have been traumatized, that our anxiety is actually a form of PTSD, stemming from past experiences that haunt our subconscious and become wired into our physiology. Anxiety is a response, not a problem. It asks us for our help. But we're afraid of it. It feels terrible. The more we focus on it, the more it seems to grow.
It just spirals out of control.

Anxiety can feel like a foreign entity that lives within us, making us feel unsafe, like we aren’t even safe in our own being. So what do we do? 
We run away. Sometimes literally, but generally, figuratively. We numb out, we distract ourselves, and we turn away from the feelings.
 
But it’s the belief that our anxiety is scary, it’s the very act of running away from it, that actually prevents us from really healing and regaining our sense of peace. 
So, the revelation, the epiphany, the ah-ha moment that can change your life…
It’s just you now.  
All of this running, this fighting against ourselves, the squashing of our feelings, the turning away from our own pain… it’s self-abandonment.
The pain you feel is NOW. The fear you feel is NOW. The anxiety is NOW.
But what caused it- those past experiences- are over.
So what does that mean?
It means what you are feeling now is just YOU.
You're feeling how what happened to you affected you, how it hurt you, how it wounded you... THAT is what you’re feeling now: your feelings. This also means that there isn’t anything to be afraid of in the here and now, if you think about it. You are fearing yourself. You are fearing your own broken heart, your own traumatized body.
​And the more you push it all away, the worse it can feel.
...

What's the answer?
 
Trauma can fragment you.
It can scatter you into pieces. And when it’s over, you are the one that can put you back together. You are the one that can compassionately hold space for yourself, comfort yourself, give yourself the unconditional love you need and deserve. And in no way does it mean that you’re “broken." In fact, I see it as a tremendous source of power.
What if you leaned into these wounded parts of yourself?
What if you had a compassionate conversation with them?
​What if you imaged yourself holding them, telling them it’s ok, that you love them?
...
Trauma is not something you ask for, but it can teach you how to love yourself in a way that maybe nothing else can… and that kind of love can make you unstoppable.
That’s what it has given me.
​That’s what I hope it gives you.

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...
other articles you may like

>> From Fear to Power
>> The Body, Our Storyteller
>>Stop Anxiety with This Technique 
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How You're Exhausting Yourself

4/29/2019

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by Cailin O'Hara, MAcOM, LAc, Dipl OM

So let's recap. 
The #1 thing draining your energy may be you.
Let's talk about how...

...

HOW #1:
There's a part of us that is a bully, a tyrant, a critic and even a monster.

​
It makes us feel like we're never doing enough, that we aren't enough. It coaxes us into over-compromising ourselves, our time and our energy. It convinces us of the worst and sends our emotions (and energy) plummeting. It tells us we're limited and can't have what we want. It scares us into believing our fears. 
AKA: We live in chronic states of stress, fear and frustration, which is exhausting, inflammatory and toxic.


HOW #2:
We don't cut ourselves a break.

We don't give ourselves time to rest. We don't bask in the feelings of stillness and recharging. We're afraid we're going to miss something if we don't keep going. We're hard on ourselves if we don't do "enough." We act as if we're machines instead of organisms that need to follow the natural rise and fall of the day, the seasons and the tides of life.
AKA: We suppress our ability to thrive and be happy by resisting rest and denying our natural and innate needs.

HOW #3:
Self-compassion is nowhere to be found.

We don't act with compassion toward our personal needs. We don't give ourselves permission to BE ourselves. We don't hold ourselves in unconditional love and support. We put ourselves in uncomfortable positions; we breach our own boundaries. At every turn, we may be compromising ourselves in some way, and thus syphoning our natural energy reserves on a daily basis.
AKA: A lack of self-compassion translates as self-neglect, which takes a toll on our natural energy and vitality.

...

But remember when I said this is good news?
Here's why...
Rest IS available. Restoration IS available. Healing IS available. Joy IS available.
The thing is, WE have to provide it for ourselves. WE have to make the decisions that benefit us the most, which can mean slowing down, cutting ties that weigh us down, disconnecting for a bit and trusting in our body's and being's miraculous ability to heal. We have to ask ourselves what we need. We have to trust ourselves. We have to put a hard stop to the endless draining of our natural energy reserves on a daily basis and start fueling ourselves with something better.
Only you can make these choices.
Honor yourself first, and everything will change.

In the final article in this series, I give my best tips for improving your energy and maintaining your natural energy reserves. Check it out. 

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other articles you may like

>> The #1 Thing Draining Your Energy
>> The Body, Our Storyteller
 >> Negative Self-Talk is the Real Disease 
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The #1 Thing Draining Your Energy

4/22/2019

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by Cailin O'Hara, MAcOM, LAc, Dipl OM

Fatigue.
​It's such a common complaint.

Waking up tired after sleeping through the night 
Energy crashing throughout the day
Feeling heavy and exhausted
A mental fog that makes it hard to think coherently
An emotional fatigue, like you just can't deal with anything else

Sleep doesn't fill your tank. Food doesn't seem to help. You're too tired to work out or take great care of yourself. You don't feel inspired. Your body aches. 

Obviously, there is no single cure for everyone's exhaustion. We're all different.
But for many of us, there's generally one cause, and it may surprise you.

...

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I've had a long relationship with fatigue. 
A bout of mononucleosis landed me in the hospital for a week when I was 16. I was incredibly ill, and the exhaustion lingered for years. Then, the summer I turned 23, I was diagnosed with lyme disease. For months prior, I was so easily fatigued and in pain that I remember crawling up the stairs at night when I'd get home from work because walking was too hard. 

Wild, huh?

I'm now in my mid-30s and those days are far behind me.
What being exhausted taught me is a) how to naturally improve my energy levels, b) how to continuously manage my energy levels and c) how to become aware of what is sucking my energy dry.

...

So, what's the #1 thing that's draining your energy? 
No, it's not a diagnosis or a life circumstance or an outside force.

Actually, it's you.

I know, that feels like shit to read. And it's easily arguable. 
But it's actually really good news.

What I've learned through healing layers of myself and helping my patients as they heal is this:  what drains us most is ourselves... and more specifically, our thoughts.

Don't balk. :)
Our thoughts govern everything we choose and do. They are our motivating and driving force, which directly translates as our energy expenditure. It's literally cause and effect: align with a thought, make a decision, expend energy. The problem is, we generally aren't aware of the subconscious thoughts and behaviors that are dictating how we use our energy. We also struggle to understand what we can do about it.

So, I've compiled the top 3 ways you may be draining your own energy AND my  5 best tips  for restoring your natural energy levels. Keep reading!

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​other articles you may like

>> How to Climb Out of Depression
>> Stop Anxiety in it's Tracks
>> Feeling Defeated? Check Your Self-Worth
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How to Climb Out of Depression

3/25/2019

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by Cailin O'Hara, MAcOM, LAc, Dipl OM
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It hits you. You don’t know how long it’s been developing.
 
You’ve been sinking, emotionally, and you’re less and less able to surface.
 
You feel a heaviness, like you’re living in a fog.
 
You keep crying or you can’t seem to cry at all.
 
No amount of talking about it makes you feel better.
 
You don’t know what to do, and maybe you can’t even find the energy to try.
 
It’s oppressive. It’s overwhelming. It haunts you. You can’t shake it.
 
The thoughts swarm, and they’re all defeating you; they’re negative; a barrage of “what’s the point?” or “I can’t take this anymore” or “no one understands.”
 
Depression doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you.
It doesn’t mean you’re any less worthy or capable than anyone else.
It’s not necessarily a disease plaguing your brain, either.
 
YOU ARE HAVING FEELINGS. YOU ARE REACTING TO LIFE.
STEP ONE: ACCEPT THAT.
 
Whew. Now that the truth has been dropped, let’s keep going…
 
There is this stigma against being sad, angry or in despair. It’s as if it’s not ok to feel awful. That’s the first problem. Judging these valid emotions as wrong or bad is the starting point to a downward spiral.
 
Here’s the thing. You’re entitled to feel HOWEVER you feel. Don’t shame yourself. And don’t take it personally if other people shame you, either. They’re just doing the best they can from their frame of mind. And people can be judge-y as F, you know.
It's ok.
Forgive them, keep going.
 
Depression gets tricky. It’s very convincing, not to mention dreadfully heavy. It pulls you down. It changes how you see everything. The negative thoughts go on and on, one cascade after another, feeding off of each other, until you feel so awful, so wholly inconsolable, that you feel utterly lost.
 
How can you climb out of this?
 

First of all, YOU CAN. I promise you that. I have. You can. You may have to more than once, and that’s ok. Keep going. We are SUCH a resilient species! We have no concept of the massive power we possess. Even if you tap into 5% of that power, it’s enough to get you out of the darkness. How? Because each move you make, each negative thought you challenge, each step you take toward feeling better gets you closer and closer to the relief and true peace you seek.
 
I can only share with you what has helped me and my patients. But remember, we are all different. We all need an approach that fits us uniquely. SO, start by feeling for what it is that YOU need. There are so many people out here, including me, waiting for you to show up seeking help. But you have come find us.
 
When I was 13, I was in a downward spiral no one could stop. Really. Thankfully, when it was just about too late, I found the help I needed (let's call it divine intervention), and it woke me up to that 5% of my power. I never felt that low again. I saved myself, and it was just the beginning of my journey to feeling whole and happy. I can report to you that decades later, I continue to discover greater happiness and wholeness.
 
No one will advocate for you like you can. No one knows what you need. Only you do. Somewhere inside, you intuitively know what you need. You HAVE to follow that. Sometimes it means you need to make a HUGE change, like move to a new state, get a new job, leave a relationship, travel. Sometimes it means you make a lot of little changes until your life totally transforms, like taking up meditation, weekly therapy sessions, joining a group, etc. Maybe you need to do both of those things.
 
You must change that negative spiral frame of mind that seeps in like poison, though. The best way to do that is to GET a different perspective. Literally. GO get it. The best way to do that is to ASK for it. Meditation can help you find it. Prayer can. Going for a drive can. Reading a book on the topic can (books have changed my life, my health and my mind for the better pretty epically). The way you are currently seeing things is just ONE way. You can see them differently.

As the brilliant late Dr. Wayne Dyer said:
“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
 
So, climb out of the hole. Look for any glimmer of light and follow it. You may feel like a speck in this world, but we are ALL connected, we are ALL powerful, and we ALL have INCREDIBLE gifts to offer one another. We need yours.

about cailin
Request a Free Consultation

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other articles you may like...

>> Negative Self-Talk is the Real Disease
>> Processing Grief
>> Love Yourself, Heal the World
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Technique: Stop Anxiety in its Tracks

3/20/2019

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by Cailin O'Hara, MAcOM, LAc, Dipl OM
Do you struggle with anxiety?
​

Can you feel it? That fervent pace of spring is here. Now's a good time to talk about anxiety and how we overwhelm ourselves. 

Let me tell you, I GET IT. Anxiety was once my enemy. I was the teenager on Zoloft, Paxil, Buspar, Xanax. I had no idea what my anxiety was or what to do with it. In my mid-twenties, I began learning meditation. Everything changed. I found ways to understand myself and what I needed. I made friends with my feelings. I felt better. And it was just the beginning! 

Anxiety is a big red flag saying HELP! 
It's a part of you that needs your help.

So, check out this video where I talk about how I treat anxiety, panic and stress. Share it with someone you know if they're struggling. Let's spread the word about the power of Chinese medicine and acupuncture for the treatment of anxiety, stress and mental health.

(And also check out the little clip from February where I explain why depression can rise in the spring.)

Stop Anxiety with this technique

So if you watched the video, you heard me explain that anxiety is completely normal. It is! But it can become an overwhelming spiral. Here's how you can stop it in its tracks.

Close your eyes and try this breathing exercise.
If you've been in recently, I may have taught this to you. If not, here's how it goes:
(count in your mind, not aloud)
  1. Breathe in as you count to 4 
  2. Hold your breath and count to 4
  3. Breathe out as you count to 4
  4. Hold your breath and count to 4
Repeat 10 times and see how you feel.

As you are doing this breathing technique, you can also draw an imaginary box in your mind. Here's a video to help with that or ask me at your next session.

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Schedule a Complimentary Consultation

...
Other articles you may like...

 >>> You Are Resilient 
>>How Acupuncture Treats Anxiety
 >> Processing Grief 
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You Are Resilient

2/8/2019

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by Cailin O'Hara, MAcOM, LAc, Dipl OM
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I’ve sat with hundreds of bereaved clients and patients facing circumstances in which there was no possibility of a positive outcome. I've also experienced it myself.

Sometimes we just don't get a happy ending to a chapter of our lives. 


This is an aspect of life... the loss, regret and even tragedy. It’s real. It really happens. It's what I help so many of you through at Sun Tree.

But here’s the thing- we keep going. Everyone is truly doing the best they can. I never cease to be in awe of the resilience we all possess. 

It has become my mission to help you cultivate that resilience, to remember who you are... not only DESPITE what has happened, but BECAUSE of it. 

Resilience isn't about denying your pain or your life circumstances; it’s not about forgetting or avoiding. It’s also not about being happy all the time. It's more about transforming your pain into power, compassion and wisdom. It's about continuing to strive to live your best life because you know that there is more good to come and you want it.

We're all in this together. We can all be here for one another as support and love. Let the difficult things you go through soften you so you can be a source of light for others.

Your resilience is that light.

about cailin
Schedule a Complimentary Consultation

...
​

Other articles you may like...

>> Processing Grief
>> What "Letting Go" Really Means
>> Your Truth Matters Most
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Love Yourself, Heal the World

1/21/2019

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by Cailin O'Hara, MAcOM, LAc, Dipl OM
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"Love yourself!" "Heal the world!" "You can do it!"

Sounds like BS, maybe? All of that self-help, New Age mumbo jumbo, blah blah blah.

Actually, it's true. Let me tell you why.

The way you feel about yourself affects everything you do, say and create.


The way you feel about yourself is rooted in your beliefs. Beliefs create your thoughts, which inform your decisions. Your decisions create your life path, one choice at a time. If you believe you are less than, unworthy, not good enough, not lovable, flawed, it will negatively affect the decisions you make. You will limit yourself, your potential and the positive impacts you can have on the "world"... aka all of us that need you, your gifts, your unique perspective. 

You are limitless. It is your beliefs that tell you otherwise.


Beliefs are changeable. Starting right now, you can begin telling yourself a different story and exploring different perspectives. You are not fixed, stuck nor limited at all. You are limitless, fluid and ever-changing. If you begin challenging your current beliefs that seem to hold you back, you then give yourself the FREEDOM to experience NEW and more empowering perspectives. And hint: choose the perspectives that make you feel happiest because they likely mirror who you really are.

As you expand past old limitations and useless beliefs, you tap into what you can really do. You discover the inspiration to make significant changes not only in your own life but in the life of others. You can create a positive momentum forward for all of us by a) letting go of what whatever has been holding you back unnecessarily and b) doing whatever it is that you do best.

What you focus on will grow. What are you paying attention to?


So, here's the key. This is why the way you feel about yourself can affect the health of the world... through the POWER of your focus. If you are fixated on the negatives, the problems, the lack, the injustice, it becomes your default operating mode. This can create BIG blind spots so you can't see all of the good you possess, all of the good around you, all of the good you can offer and create. You are literally standing in your own way.

​Focusing solely on the negative aspects of something will limit you from seeing the good, the potential, the myriad ways to make things better.

...

Can you see why the way you feel about yourself is so important? The world really does need YOU, just as you are, to make the positive difference that you're here to make.

If we can all do this, one by one, we have the power to heal ourselves, our lineage and ultimately, the world.

about cailin
Schedule a Complimentary Consultation

...

​Other resources you may like...

>> What "Letting Go" Really Means
>> How to Become Beautiful
>> Negative Self-Talk is the Real Disease
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What "Letting Go" Really Means

1/18/2019

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by Cailin O'Hara, MAcOM, LAc, Dipl OM
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You will find it necessary to let things go 
simply for the reason that they are heavy. 
-C Joybell C


So much talk about "letting things go." It gets old, doesn't it? Google it. You'll find a million articles on the topic. You're told to let go of the past, of people, of feelings, of memories...

"Shed the old layers of yourself." 
"Let go of what doesn't serve you."
"Move on."

It has become a cliché.

Tell me... have you really let that thing "go" and fall away, never to be thought of again?
...

One of my favorite mentors and teachers held up a dry erase marker in class one day, opened her hand, and let it drop to the floor. She said that's how it easy it is to let something go. 

It did look easy... and abrupt. Shocking, actually.
​
Here's the thing... all of that stuff that you're trying to let go of is part of your story. It's woven into your history, your body, your mind. It's created new emotional landscapes within you, new beliefs, new understanding.

​Everything that has brought you to this exact moment might not still be here in its obvious form, but aspects of it resonate within you always... aspects that you have chosen to keep.

What you take with you is your choice.
...

I have one thing to add to the sea of articles on this topic of "letting go." And it's not about cutting things out of your life or forgetting things you can't forget or pretending something doesn't affect you anymore. 

Actually, it's about embrace. 

Embrace every detail, all the minutia, that has brought you to this exact moment. Some of it will be miraculous, some disastrous, some heart-warming and some unbearably painful. And you know what? THAT'S OK.

All of it, everything that came before this very moment, is over now. It's only your attention to it, your memory, the reminders, the persistent trains of thought, that keep it "alive" in the here and now, and THAT'S ALSO OK. ​

So what do you do now?
...


...now that you're embracing this inconceivably intricate web of a life you've lived that has created you just as you are? Perhaps it's a web that's tattered in spots, difficult to look at, confusing in its weave... how do you "let go" of what "doesn't serve" you?

My suggestion: look at it. 

Let it come. See whatever details come into view. Allow yourself to really feel whatever reveals itself; look curiously and openly at all of these experiences and relationships and feelings you've lived. And ask yourself one question.

"What did this teach me that I want to take with me?"​

The real choice you have is what you take with you from here.

Choose whatever feels lighter, whatever feels like relief, whatever helps some of the weight fall away like the ease of opening your hands and letting it go. 

It doesn't mean it's gone.

It will likely come up again in your mind or your life in some new but familiar way. And again, take the time to really look at it. Consider what it has to offer this time around. Ask what you can learn from it to help you be a better you. And then, when you're ready, release it once more with genuine gratitude and let yourself move on.

about cailin
Schedule a complimentary consultation

...
​

Other articles you may like...

 >> Processing Grief 
 >> Your Truth Matters Most
>> Acupuncture for Anxiety
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Negative Self-Talk is the Real Disease

11/27/2018

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The effects of picking yourself apart

by Cailin O'Hara, MAcOM, LAc, Dipl OM
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"Disease" refers to a harmful condition or process that interferes with normal functioning- physically, emotionally, mentally.
​...


I spent too much of my early life belittling, berating and diminishing myself in my thoughts, behaviors and choices. It took a significant toll on my health.
​

Over the past decade or more, I have worked diligently to reverse that pattern.

And I have.

​...

​How do you talk to yourself?
How do you feel about yourself?
What are the stories you’re telling about yourself, your value, your abilities?
Who do you believe yourself to be?
​What do you believe you can and cannot do?

The Cruel Voice
I think we all have an aspect of our minds that is callous, cruel or unsympathetic. It argues for our limitations, our weaknesses, our failures. It affirms our fears and picks us apart until we’re nothing but a pile of rejected fragments, ​totally severed from the truth of who we are and our innate worth.
...

I believe kindness and compassion toward ourselves is the basis of healing and having the life we want most.

The Inherent Beliefs
We often aren't aware of how cruel our beliefs about ourselves are... nor how much they are limiting us or creating misery in our lives. If you're stuck in negative self-talk, you certainly won't be guiding your life in the best direction. You won't feel your best, either.

In order to dismantle negative self-talk, you need to dig up and throw out the inherent, underlying beliefs you hold about yourself that are generating your negative thinking. 
​
Furthermore, your body is listening to your thoughts. So, what beliefs do you hold about yourself and how is this impacting your health? I can assure you that if you don't give a shit about yourself, your body will suffer.
...

I believe that self-neglect, both physically and emotionally, breeds disease.​

The Overcoming
Earlier in life, before I knew better, I believed this voice. It sent me down some dark roads.

Here's one example:
​Before I was even 10 years old, I was critiquing my body constantly. I’d stare in the mirror and pick myself apart. In a few years, I was virtually devoid of love or concern for myself. Self-disgust and feelings of unworthiness fueled an eating disorder that nearly killed me. I survived quite triumphantly, finding a spark of love for myself that was there all along. The first thing I said while recovering in my early teens was this:
​ I knew the way out of that hell… and I wanted to show people that were suffering the way.
 
This was decades ago. I absolutely love my body now. My belly is happy, not flat. My thighs are strong, not disgusting.  My stature is petite, not insignificant. And nothing about my worth stems from my body. In fact, my body has become my best friend because it always lets me know how I’m feeling and what I need. I treasure it and give thanks to it every single day.
...


So, if you aren’t already, I’d recommend you start being gentle and kind toward yourself.
​Talk to the sad and rejected aspects of yourself. Treat your suffering like you would if you were tending to someone you deeply love. Until you start forging that kind of relationship with yourself, your suffering will continue. Why?

Because it will only be you who saves you.
​...
about cailin

Other articles you may like...

>> The Body, Our Story-Teller
>> Feeling Defeated? Check your Self-Worth
>> How Acupuncture Treats Anxiety 
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Feeling Defeated? Check your Self-Worth

11/19/2018

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by Cailin O'Hara, MAcOM, LAc, Dipl OM
Picture

“Sometimes the hardest part of the journey is believing you're worthy of the trip.” 


Do you feel easily defeated?
Do you give up? Do you allow a set back or someone else’s opinions to hold you apart from what you want? Do you lose faith in yourself or give up on your dreams if things aren’t going the way you wanted them to?

 
Do you know what this stems from?
 
A lack of self-worth.
...
 This dawned on me today.
​It’s been stewing in my mind for a while; now it’s a full-blow epiphany. 

 
(You see, I'm an entrepreneur, and running a business is an unending process of self-evaluation. You need to check your limiting, negative beliefs and constructs so you can actually achieve what you’re aiming for… and that goes for everything, business-related or not. However, because the success of your business is mandatory in order to live a good life, you will care BIG TIME about how you influence it. And, because your business is impacted by your thoughts, feelings, beliefs and lifestyle, you learn to be seriously accountable for all of those elements. If you’re in a funk or self-sabotage mode, your business will let you know because it will likely suffer.)
But, back to you and your resilience. 

​You can want something. You can dream. You can plan. You can take action. You can get up over and over again in the face of failure. But if you aren’t really committed to what you’re striving for, if you don’t deeply believe in yourself, if you feel easily defeated… then it’s possible that you don’t value yourself, your talent, your time or your needs. At least, not fully, not wholly, not in the ways that will keep you on the path to joy and satisfaction and success.
 
This is not to say that you just charge ahead, ignoring boundaries or red flags, and become egotistical and defiant. In fact, it actually means that you become more allowing, more trusting, more perceptive, more patient.

How? You know what you want.
​And you believe in yourself. 

...

Signs that you believe in yourself...

  • You truly love and approve of yourself.
  • You’re your #1 fan.
  • You know that things will work out.
  • You know that at the right time, doors will open.
  • You know when to wait and when to advance because you’re on your own team.
  • You know that other peoples' opinions may be interesting or even compelling, but you never use them to undermine yourself.
  • You know that set-backs are opportunities to learn, reconfigure, rearrange and keep going.
  • You use what happens to help clarify what you want and where you’re headed.
  • You do things for the joy of it, for the fun of it.
  • You seek inspiration, not condemnation.
  • And most of all, you focus on what you want because it’s what you LOVE, it’s what brings you joy and it’s a reflection of who you really are.

So, what is the dream you’ve been chasing or neglecting?
​

What kind of improvements are you seeking in your life?
​Do you let others or your own past experience dictate how/when/if you will have what you want?
...

​Years ago, I read and re-read the book, "What is your Self-Worth?" by Cheryl Saban.
​One quote from the book still repeats in my mind often:

"If you don't value your own worth, no one else ever will." 
 
Whatever you’re working toward- relationships, goals, career, health, emotional balance, etc.- think about why you want it, what it means to you and how it aligns with your values. Really reflect on that. And know that you’re more than worthy of all of the good that will come to you. If someone doesn’t like you, oh well. If someone tells you you’re not good enough, that’s their issue. Be your own best friend, trust your process, and don’t lose sight of what you want to create in your life.

​It’s what you’re here to do.

 ...

about cailin

Other articles you may like...

>> Why Your Your Truth Matters Most
>> From Fear to Power
 >> Entering Your Winter 
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Processing Grief

10/15/2018

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by Cailin O'Hara, MAcOM, LAc, Dipl OM
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Image Copyright 2018 Sun Tree Healing Arts

Does it ever end? 

We can remember a loss from a decade ago and cry as if it was happening at that very moment. Or we can experience a loss that is incredibly painful at the time but then it somehow fades into a vague memory with little emotional impact. ​

Grief.
Shock.
Tragedy.
Trauma.
Stagnancy.
Disbelief.
Detachment.
Regret.
Resentment.
Denial.
Anger.
Despair.
Apathy.
​Panic. 

Grief has so many facets, but the heart of it is loss. How do we process loss?
How do we keep going?
...

Personal Grief Stories

I thought I’d tell you a bit about me. I’m full of light these days, a positive influence and thinker, my own best friend with deep wells of self-love and compassion. But I’ve spent years cultivating this life, this mindset, this heart-space, this self-approval and personal power. (I’ll spend the rest of my life cultivating it as well.) Here are some grief experiences that actually helped me be a better version of myself.
1) UNCOVERING PAST TRAUMA

I’ll save the story for another time, but I uncovered past trauma while in medical school. It was absolute hell. It was a dissociating kind of grief that would pull me to the ground in a sobbing heaviness I couldn’t stop. I felt like I was dying of grief. I could feel it in my skin, my bones, my blood. So much of my life started making sense as I felt this upwelling of unbearable pain. I had been carrying it for decades, unknowingly, but it was actually the root of so many physical and emotional symptoms I had experienced up until then.  

WHAT I LEARNED
It taught me quite personally how the body stores trauma. If you touched me in a certain way or if I heard certain words or sounds, I’d be transported back in time and frozen in an emotional hell. Thankfully, Chinese medicine can explain these phenomena and body memories in empowering and clarifying ways. Better yet, it can treat the very roots of it. What I’ve gone through and since healed now helps me to hold compassionate space for traumatized patients in a way I never would have understood otherwise. And through my practice of Chinese medicine, I can work with you to safely unlock the frozen patterns and memories caused by trauma. 
(Book: Treating Emotional Trauma with Chinese Medicine)

2) ACCEPTING TRAGIC LOSS
My second story is one of tragic loss. You know, those shocking tragedies that have no good ending... it’s that kind of story. I won’t tell the tale in detail, but I’ll tell you what it has created: a legacy of light, particularly for your benefit. 

I became intimately familiar with tragic loss after working for a few years at an emergency veterinary clinic in Portland, Oregon. Horrible things would happen to beloved pets; pet owners would come in frantically with said beloved pets- and sometimes, there was nothing we could do. Then it was my job to walk our clients through the euthanasia, death, and after-care process. It taught me a tremendous amount about navigating tragic times, but not until it happened to me did I understand how it felt. 

In 2017, after a year of massive change and loss, my partner's beloved cat, Daphne, died in a tragic event the day that I moved into his home. Earlier that same day, we had to euthanize his dog who was failing from cancer. Six months prior, I had to urgently euthanize my sweet dog on Christmas morning. It was too much for me and my partner to process and became the foundation for which our relationship would end.

WHAT I LEARNED
Grief is not one single feeling. It's an overwhelming array of emotions we experience as we process loss. When the loss is tragic or shocking, it can be even harder to console ourselves or make sense of what has happened. This kind of experience taught me a whole new level of acceptance. It wasn't until I was able to accept what happened that I could truly reconnect with myself and heal. Now, it seems that the loss of Daphne lives on in me as a legacy of healing for others. Working closely with grieving patients has become one of my specialties. 

...

Here’s what you can try for yourself if you’re facing dark times...

1) Stop running.
Distracting yourself, keeping busy, avoiding your feelings, numbing yourself, etc., are behaviors that only prolong your suffering and prevent true healing in the long run.

2) Listen to yourself.
What are you feeling? What do you need? Cultivating a compassionate and nurturing relationship with yourself is mandatory for true healing, but too often it’s avoided. To get your feelings to quiet down, you actually have to look at them and develop a compassionate relationship with them. It’s only you; don’t be scared.

3) Seek help.
We can’t heal alone. We aren’t solitary beings. We need support. Therapy, books, bodywork, herbs -and of course Chinese medicine!- are all wonderful options. If you ask for help, it will show up. Keep an open mind.

4) Permission to feel like shit.
Only you can give yourself permission to feel your feelings. Let yourself feel the pain- this will allow it to move through you and eventually out of you. Resisting your feelings forces them to grow. We aren’t machines. We’re living beings with ebbs and flows, and we absolutely must honor that in order to heal.

Take care of yourself.
-Cailin 

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How I Treat Pain

9/18/2018

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by Cailin O'Hara, MAcOM, LAc, Dipl OM

Picture
Copyright 2018 Sun Tree Healing Arts

When you’re in pain, you want to the know the way out of it… as quickly as possible. But how do you know what will work? What’s the right thing to do?

The Flow
How I Treat Pain
If you’re seeking “alternative” treatments for pain, you likely have many questions. I will explain how I treat pain in my practice and what you can expect if you come to see me for help.

1) We start with an in-depth consultation and evaluation.

This means I ask you questions about your pain, how it started, what you’ve tried. But I also ask you about all other systems as well- digestion, moods, lifestyle, sleep, energy, etc. This way we can capture the whole picture of your current health and well-being.
...

2) I utilize tongue and pulse diagnosis.

Feeling the pulses and evaluating the tongue are diagnostic methods in Chinese medicine to further explore physiology, imbalance and emotional states. I also dial in with my intuition while feeling pulses (which seems to be one of my superpowers) and can detect pain pathways, emotions and other important aspects of your health.
...

3) I evaluate your posture and musculature.

Your structural alignment, or lack there of, reveals where imbalances lie that can contribute to, or even be the root of, physical pain. I observe your posture, alignment and tension patterns in your muscles to better understand what is implicated in your pain. I also help you to become aware of these imbalances so you can begin gently correcting postural problems on your own.
...

4) I devise your treatment.

After the consultation and evaluation, we have a clear idea of how to get started with your treatment and care. I consider your overall health, based on our findings, and diagnose your pain patterns using Chinese medical theory. In your diagnosis, I will also include any other symptoms or complaints you may have. This means that treatments will not only alleviate pain but also help heal other underlying imbalances. ​(Bonus! Who doesn’t like more energy and better sleep, anyway?)
...

5) Treatment.

Your treatment is tailored very specifically to you. With this medicine, there is no one size fits all treatment for pain. I’m also a less is more kind of provider. So, this means that I choose the most effective treatments while remaining minimal in intensity (aka gentle, soothing, relaxing treatments are my style; painful and intense are not). During treatments, I will use some combination of my treatment offerings including acupuncture, Acutonics tuning forks, cupping, gua sha and sound healing. 
...

5)  Home recommendations and treatment plans.

I often recommend simple things you can do at home or throughout the day to help ease your pain (Epsom salt foot soaks are a favorite). I also explain my recommended number of treatments, expectations for our progress, and anticipated results.
In general in my practice:

  • Severe pain, acute: 1 treatment every 3-5 days for 3-5 treatments and then reassess.
  • Long-term pain, chronic: 1 treatment weekly for 6-8 total treatments and then reassess.
...

6) What you can expect.

​Most pain significantly reduces after a couple of treatments. Sometimes it’s 1-2 treatments and we’re done! For others, it can be weekly sessions for 4-8 weeks. Often, patients will come in monthly after that or as needed if pain flares. If we don’t make the progress I expect with our treatments, I reconsider your diagnosis and may need to refer out for imagining or a second opinion.
I’m always amazed how well this medicine works to treat pain. I also love how the treatments themselves don’t hurt and are, in fact, very relaxing. It’s a win-win scenario! If you're in pain, give Chinese medicine a try.
about cailin
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Cupping as an Exorcism

5/27/2018

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Releasing Held Traumas

by Cailin O'Hara, MAcOM, LAc, Dipl OM
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Spooky title, huh? Don't freak out and cancel your next appointment. :)
You’re going to be surprised how obvious this is after I explain.

TRUTH:
Some of the darkest, most intense cup marks I have seen were not on patients with pain but patients with significant past emotional trauma​.
 

According to Chinese medicine, this makes perfect sense.
 But you may wonder how emotions are related to your body.​
​Allow me to explain.
...
​

Emotional Imprints

STEP ONE:
Something happens to you that is jolting, shocking, upsetting, painful, etc.
(physically or emotionally)

 
STEP TWO:

 It then creates an imprint in your physiology… a true shock to the system, if you will.
 

STEP THREE:
Your systems become blocked, impaired, sluggish.
(We refer to this as “stagnation” in Chinese medicine.)


STEP FOUR: 
If nothing is done to move this stagnation, it continues to accumulate.
 

STEP FIVE:
You experience worsening physical and emotional symptoms.

STEP SIX: 
You’re fed up and ready for legit healing.
 

STEP SEVEN:
 You come to see me, and we opt for cupping.
 

STEP EIGHT:
I use a gentle, sliding method and we analyze the color and severity of the markings.
(the marks are not painful, FYI)

 

STEP NINE:
 In a few days, you report feeling “brand new,” like a weight has been lifted off of you.

So, what does cupping do?
It moves stagnation. 

...
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​Past Hurt,
Be Gone!

Cupping pulls up the gunk just hanging out and accumulating in your system so that your body can clear it out. You might feel crummy after the treatment because your body is working to detoxify the gunk. But in a few days, it’s gone.

​You’re no longer carrying those remnants of whatever was causing the stagnation.


 Whatever has happened to you emotionally may be significantly impacting your physical health. It may show up as physical pain, fatigue, digestive issues, headaches, PMS… you name it. We carry past pain with us, often unknowingly, and it colors our health, relationships, decisions and the way we see the world. Sometimes you don’t have to psychoanalyze your past trauma to death… you just have allow yourself to let it go.
...

TRUTH:
An exorcism simply implies that we’re calling something up and out of your being that doesn’t serve you. Be gone, stagnant energy, past hurts and aching pain!

Chinese medicine is fan-freaking-tastic for alleviating emotional trauma, stress, anxiety and depression. And I happen to specialize in those things. I understand it personally and professionally, and I also know how to overcome it.
 
So, if you want to try something new, something profoundly effective and surprisingly gentle, you know where to find me.
 
-Cailin
 
 
 
 

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Trends vs. Truth

5/20/2018

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by Cailin O'Hara, MAcOM, LAc, Dipl OM
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“Why do you so earnestly seek 
the truth in distant places?
Look for delusion and truth in the
bottom of your own heart.” 
-Ryōkan


I’m becoming increasingly aware of the fraudulence in the healing and healthcare industry. 
​(Fact: Instagram accounts dressed up in fancy branding do not equate to truth or to your healing.​)​

...

​You see, I’ve got a thing for truth. 
I have the feels, big time, for authenticity.

And now, as I have shifted from long-time patient/student/seeker to (still all of those things and...) provider/teacher/discoverer, my perspective is much keener.

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Total Bullshit, except...

I used to be that person spending hundreds+ on supplements/providers each month.
(aka, I moved in with my mom in my 20s because my healthcare was more expensive than rent) 


I used to look for someone or something to take away my symptoms. 

I used to follow certain diets, demonize foods, seek perfection.

 
I used to think there was one answer that would solve my problems.

I used to think I was lost and that someone else needed to find me.
 
I have since learned that was all total BS... except the lost part. 

...

I was definitely lost.
Lost in negative belief systems, lost in fear, lost in giving away my power, lost in other people’s opinions, lost in a web of a lack of self-compassion, lost in past trauma, lost in physical pain, lost in exhaustion. It wasn’t that I needed anyone else to find me. What I needed were legitimate healers and inspirers to help me WAKE UP, reconnect with myself and set out on the true path back home to me, my power, my light.

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No One Saves You

Along the way, here are some (personal) truths I’ve discovered…
1) Healing doesn’t have to be complicated or precise
...
although, that doesn’t mean it isn’t sometimes total hell and other times complete bliss. It does mean, however, that you don’t need to drop all of your money on fancy contraptions, supplements, claims, etc.
 
2) No one ever saves you
...you are your own healer. All of your power to heal is actually WITHIN you; it’s most likely just dormant. Find inspiring people that light you up and help you activate the epic-ness that you are. Before you know it, no matter what your symptoms or struggles, healing begins.
 
3) Everything you seek is already within you
...this is actually the quest you’re on. You’re searching for your way back home to yourself, your health, your truth, your inherent worthiness, your love. Everything you’re looking for- the relationships, the feelings, the experiences, the well-being- is actually the act of you discovering and reclaiming parts of yourself. You are looking for familiarity in your outside world because that is how you find yourself. Why? Because the truest resonance that you seek, that feeling of total alignment and joy- that is who you are.

...
Let’s keep things simple.
Let’s keep things true.
Let’s look for what 
feels good to us.
Let’s resist the urge to categorize things as the “perfect” diet/method/trend/supplement/etc.

Don’t give your power away.

Don’t believe in things outside of yourself over the truth that’s within you.
​I promise you, from one soul to another, it is YOU that is the perfect body/being/image.

​The thing is, it’s up to you to believe it.
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Why Your Truth Matters Most

4/18/2018

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by Cailin O'Hara, MAcOM, LAc, Dipl OM
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“It is always the false that makes you suffer, the false desires and fears, the false values and ideas, the false relationships between people. Abandon the false and you are free of pain; truth makes happy, truth liberates.” 
- Nisargadatta Maharaj


I often talk with my patients about their truth: what’s true for them and not true for them. It’s an empowering topic, and it’s incredibly clarifying. 

Investigating your truth connects you with who you really are, which then starts flipping on the switches of your innate ability to heal. 
​
Uncovering your truth is your greatest medicine. It is alignment in the most perfect sense of the word… alignment with yourself at the soul level.
...

Truth as M​edicine

We all have the innate ability to heal from just about anything. The body is absolutely brilliant in its intelligence, resilience and downright magical nature. Your body is you. You are your body. It is not all that you are, certainly, but it is a physical manifestation of you. Think about that. How do you feel about your body? What does it reveal to you? Do you embrace it or hate it? Do you tell it to shut up with all of its noisy symptoms or do lean into the cachophony and ask what it needs?
 
And… how does this relate to your truth?

Truth bomb: 
​
You’ll never be able to dial into the truth of who you are if you refuse to gently turn inward and explore your inner-workings (with compassion, of course). 


Your body is the perfect tool to communicate to you what it is that you need, what serves you, what excites you and what has just got to go. I wrote a workbook for this topic, actually, because it’s so damn important to me. I often describe it as “jumping ship” on yourself when you choose to ignore your feelings, needs, pains, etc. It’s self-abandonment, and it steers you on a course of a shitty life, if you ask me. 

No one will honor your truth or your worth if you don’t.


And all of this relates to medicine. To me, everything can be medicine- everything can point you back in the direction of healing, embodiment, wellness, wholeness. All you have to do is allow it. And once you start gaining some clarity on the deepest truths of who you are, you’ll find medicine (aka healing) everywhere you look.
...

Truth as Home

It was when I began learning how to turn inward, explore the truth of who I am and connect with myself through compassion that my physical symptoms began to disappear.
 ​
Music is medicine, as most of us know. I became strongly invested in this investigation of our personal truths when I took a songwriting class in Portland (that I also hope to bring to the Phoenix area) called “Songwriting as Truth-Telling.” The heart of the class was learning how to be honest in your songwriting without judging the content. We would each share a song every class, listening to each other's work with one single intent: listen for what you like. Then we would give positive feedback if we felt so inclined. It was beautiful. It changed how I connected with myself, my songwriting, my words and an audience. 

Truth-telling unlocked me in many ways, dove me deep into my vulnerability and helped me to start moving out all of the internal clutter and baggage I’d been carrying.


 This class was medicine for me and matches precisely how I practice medicine: let’s look for the good, for what we like, what serves us and what we need.

​When you turn your attention to those things, miracles happen.
...
The truth of who you are lights up in all directions, illuminating the best path for you to take in any given moment. In fact, these lights are like a beacon calling you back home.

​They say home is where the heart is… and your home, truly, exists within in you in your deepest truths.

~Cailin

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    Dr. Cailin O'Hara, DACM, Dipl OM, LAc,  is a nationally board certified Doctor of Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, intuitive and coach. She is based in Phoenix, AZ, and works with clients worldwide.

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