Specifically it is called Transforming the Experience-based Brain or TEB for short. This will allow me to better address adverse experiences or "ruptures" that happened during my clients' lives as embryos, babies and young children. Though it effectively soothes those who had later adverse experiences as well so they can heal in relationship. The creator, Stephen Terrell, Psychologist, teacher, healer and author has evolved and continues to tweak the work to stay up-to-date with new information that enters the fields of psychology, trauma and neuroscience. The locations for each gentle s ..read more

Photo by Tara Winstead I've spent hours and hours of my skin care career researching and trialing facial sunscreens. I had settled on carrying the original Blue Lizard facial formula with Octinoxate, 5.5% and Zinc Oxide, 8%. It has an SPF profile very similar to the beloved (in its day) Obaji sunscreen but at a more accessible price point. Plus it had vitamin E, green tea and caffeine. They even sold it in 5oz bottles which I recommended for the body over their body formulations. I eventually added their "reef safe" all mineral facial formula, which had a more matte finish, for the purists a ..read more

Photo of watercolor by Nancy Bright 1988 My desire to be a registered (BCST) therapist and bring the work to others came from personal experience receiving the work. In spite of leading, what appeared to be, a charmed and unquestionably privileged life, the head and neck pain I had my whole life persisted. I never once thought about my nervous system--let alone considered that it was dysregulated and keeping me stuck with a way of living that was far from my potential. Then I learned about trauma*. Like many, I thought I hadn’t experienced any trauma. I started to understand that smaller, c ..read more

I say this not to take us off the hook for our shared responsibility but rather to refrain from judging ourselves and others too harshly. We just haven't had the experience to react and behave flawlessly. Also the recovering perfectionist in me needs to hear it. ​ Our culture loves an enemy to direct its rage (undigested trauma) upon so this virus is getting the treatment! As big thinker/writer Charles Eisenstein says, “If there is one thing our civilization is good at, it is fighting an enemy." In this same jaw-dropping essay he says and asks “Covid demonstrates the power of our collective w ..read more

​I recently found this article online that matched my distaste for Quaternary ammonium compounds, otherwise known as "quats". Though ubiquitous in homes, healthcare and salons, they do not have a good profile for safe use--linked with hormone disruption and fertility issues and of course not earth friendly! We know that healthcare and salon settings require powerful disinfectants but why use them at home? Wondering if your household cleaner contains "quats"? The article outlines all the names to look for on your label as well as making a case for getting them out of not only our homes but als ..read more

It seems more and more of my clients and friends are developing sensitivities to eye color cosmetics, usually mascara and/or eyeliner. Have I found a mascara that is safe for all to use? No. Mascara has several problematic ingredients: shellac (maybe listed as polymer on label) in one study on contact dermatitis was found to be the key sensitizing ingredient. Another probable correlation exists with nickel allergy and mascara (and curlers). Nickel won't show up on the ingredient list because it results as an impurity in a raw material used to produce another ingredient.  We know the ..read more

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I love the simplicity of summer. Hair loosely fashioned on top of my head. A cute dress. No socks. Meals are easier; fruit and vegetables abound, my husband’s running the grill and if we have a late dinner it doesn’t feel like bedtime. I like my beauty routines to be simple as well. These are my favorite family skincare and first aid staples. All, except the hair towel, I retail. A bar of really good artisan soap. This was a hard one at first. Beauty school taught us that bar soap was bad. Generalizations such as that can rarely be true. (I believe that statement itself may have been a ge ..read more

Hydrosols are the water by-product from steam distilling essential oils, but they aren't just water, they are better because they contain the chemical constitutes of the plant with all of its active phytonutrients. By misting with a hydrosol after I've removed your mask I am rehydrating your skin. Following with a facial oil or moisturizer, while still damp, I am recreating the top layer of the skin, the acid mantle, which is made of of lipids (oil) and water. The acid mantle is critical to healthy skin. It is why I named my private line Mantle Skincare. I expect I'll see more dehydrated skin ..read more

If you or your child has a lighted magnifying mirror BEWARE. It is exponentially easier to go too far with eyebrows and skin. You are viewing yourself at an unnatural range. Trained artists know that you must take breaks from intense focus and step back from your art and view it from a more distant perspective.  ​This is key to remember. I know strong mirrors can be helpful and necessary to see hairs but SOME PEOPLE should not have these tools. ​If you or someone you love starts overdoing with eyebrows or habitually picking at skin, it is time to consider letting that accessory go a ..read more