Dealing with Stress Properly - Part 3

Part 3: Reactive and Responsive Feelings

Here we arrive at a threshold between the natural world and the human world: two very different realms.

For today, let’s call our inner life the Soul. Whatever we experience that happens inside us, rather than outside in the sense-perceptible world, belongs to this inner realm. Thoughts, feelings, and sensations all live within the Soul, and there is an enormous range to what we can experience there. One of the most basic aspects of our feeling life is what I would call the natural or reactive feeling life. These feelings are primarily reactions to what is happening around us. They have to do with sympathy and antipathy: we are drawn toward some things and repelled by others.

Something beautiful happens, and you feel good. Something unpleasant happens, and you feel bad. Someone treats you badly, and you’re angry. You see something disturbing in the news, and suddenly you’re anxious. It can almost feel as if your inner life is a mirror of the world around you. But what if being fully human means becoming something more than a mirror? This question brings us to something fundamental about our inner life: our feelings.

Something happens outside us, and something happens inside us.

And this is also where we tend to identify very strongly with our feelings. We call them emotions, and we often experience them as though they are us. Whatever we experience inside ourselves: thoughts, feelings, sensations - belongs to this inner world. And there is an enormous range to what we can experience.

For example, I am much more likely to say, “I’m scared,” than to say, “I feel sensations of fear.”

There is a significant difference between those two statements. In the first, I am scared. In the second, I feel fear. The first statement identifies the self with the feeling. The second recognizes the feeling as something being experienced within the self. We are no longer simply saying, “Fear is present in me.” We have become the fear. That distinction becomes especially interesting when we consider another dimension of our feeling life.

The Human World of Feeling

Think about listening to the music you enjoy. Can we really describe the experience simply by saying, “I feel happy,” or “I feel joyful”? Sometimes perhaps, but usually not. A great piece of music may contain happiness and sadness, tension and release, longing and peace. It can evoke memories, images, and feelings that are difficult to put into words. The experience is constantly changing. It is more like all the colors of a rainbow or a changing sunset than it is like a simple choice between black and white. And yet, somehow, we understand it and this is an important clue about the human world of feeling.

The more natural, reactive feeling life tends toward polarity. We are attracted or repelled. We approach or withdraw. We experience something as pleasant or unpleasant, good or bad. At its most basic level, this polarity is about safety and danger.

Is this something I should move toward? Or is this something I should move away from?

That capacity is enormously important for survival. It is part of our natural organization as living beings. If something threatens us, we need to respond. If something nourishes us, we need to recognize it and move toward it. But survival is not the whole of human life. The human world of feeling is capable of something much more differentiated. We can experience feelings that cannot easily be reduced to attraction or repulsion. We can hold contradictory feelings at the same time. We can appreciate something without necessarily wanting to possess it. We can experience sadness without needing to escape it. We can understand someone whose actions we disagree with. We can be moved by something without immediately having to decide whether we like it or dislike it. In other words, the human feeling life moves beyond black and white. It becomes many-colored.

Music and the Soul

This is one reason I have such a deep appreciation for music. Music is not merely entertainment.

When we listen deeply to music, we enter a realm of feeling that is not simply about whether something is good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant, attractive or repulsive. Music can reveal an enormous range of inner experience without requiring us to immediately act on any of it. We can simply listen. We can allow the feeling to move through us. We can experience complexity without needing to reduce it to a simple judgment. In this sense, music can teach us something about the nature of the human Soul. It opens a space in which feeling can become more differentiated, more nuanced, and more alive. The symphony does not simply tell us, “Move toward this,” or, “Move away from that.” It gives us an entire landscape. And perhaps this is why music has such an important place in human life. It reminds us that feeling is capable of being far more than a mechanism for attraction and repulsion. Music touches something critical to human life.

From Reaction to Self-Mastery

This distinction has practical consequences. If we remain primarily in a reactive feeling life, we are constantly responding to the world around us. Everything that happens outside us produces an immediate movement inside us. We experience someone’s anger, and we become anxious. Someone criticizes us, and we feel diminished. Someone rejects us, and we experience ourselves as being rejected. Something goes wrong, and our entire inner world can begin to feel as though something is wrong. It is almost as though we are taking everything personally. But the more we strengthen our human, diversified, multi-colored life of feeling, the more capable we become of experiencing what happens around us without immediately being determined by it.

We begin to see events as events. Stimuli as stimuli. Other people’s behavior as belonging to them. And our feelings as experiences within us, rather than commands that must automatically be obeyed. This is a movement toward self-mastery. We begin to move away from reactive servitude to the environment and toward a greater freedom within ourselves.

Instead of simply asking, “Do I like this?” or “Do I dislike this?” our feeling life can begin to tell us something much richer. It can tell us about other people, relationships, about the subtle dynamics of human interaction. It can tell us something about ourselves. The Soul becomes less like a mirror that simply reflects whatever happens around it and more like an organ of understanding.

Freedom Through Strength

This is always part of the underlying goal when I work with people. It is not simply about making a symptom go away. It is about helping people become more free. Free from automatic reactions, from being completely determined by the environment. Free to experience what is happening without immediately being swept away by it.

This does not mean becoming detached from feeling. It does not mean suppressing emotions or trying to become indifferent. Quite the opposite. The goal is to develop a richer and stronger relationship with our feelings so that we can experience them without being ruled by them.

Instead of saying, “I am angry,” we can begin to recognize, “Anger is present in me.”

Instead of, “I am afraid,” we can recognize, “Fear is present in me.”

The feeling is real. We don’t have to deny it, but we also don’t have to become it. And in that distinction, something important becomes possible: freedom. The more differentiated our inner life becomes, the more space we have to understand, to choose, and ultimately to respond. We move from reaction toward response. From dependence upon the environment toward self-mastery. From being unconsciously governed by every stimulus around us toward a greater freedom of the Soul. This is, ultimately, what I mean by freedom through strength.

Not freedom from having feelings but freedom to have feelings without being ruled by them and to experience the world deeply without being completely determined by it. Freedom to allow the many colors of human feeling to emerge without reducing life to black and white.

Wishing you continued strength and good health.

Until next time,

John

Summer Offers!

The best time to try Craniosacral is now!

To celebrate our new social media launch, we’re offering an exclusive discount through September 1, 2026. New patients can enjoy a free 30 minute introductory Craniosacral therapy session along with their initial consultation, and returning patients can refer a friend to receive 50% off their next session. instagram social media page

New Patients

• Free introductory 30 minute half-session and consultation

Ready to find your own path to lasting health and well-being? Stop by, try it out. (First time patients only)

Returning Patients

• Refer a friend!

Refer a friend who you think could be helped by Craniosacral therapy and you both will receive 50% off ($62) your next appointment.

Save with a Package

• Book 5 or more sessions up front and save 30% ($87) for new or returning patients.

Gift Certificates

• Give a theraputic gift to anyone at 50% off.

Military and law enforcement discounts

• 30% off for those serving or retired.

Children’s Clinic

• Children (under 14) can be seen on a donation basis Wednesdays

In addition, free consultations continue to be available by phone or in person.

Financial assistance continues to be available on request.

Regular session price: $125

Note: discounts cannot be combined.

Concussions and Head Trauma: Why Your Brain Needs Rest

Most of us have experienced it. You stand up into an open kitchen cupboard, bump your head getting into the car, or take an unexpected knock during sport. There’s an immediate flash of pain, your thoughts disappear for a moment, and you may feel slightly dizzy or disorientated. It’s tempting to shrug it off and carry on. But your brain is unlike any other organ in the body, and even a seemingly minor knock deserves respect.

The Brain Floats Within the Skull

Unlike muscles, bones, or other organs, the brain does not rest directly against the inside of the skull. Instead, it is suspended in cerebrospinal fluid, floating within the cranium. This remarkable design cushions and protects the brain during everyday movement. However, during a sudden impact, the brain can move within this fluid and strike the inside of the skull. Even a relatively minor blow may cause delicate brain tissue to become bruised or strained. While the skull may remain intact, the brain itself can still be injured.

Why a Head Injury Is Different

When we strain a muscle or bruise a leg, movement often helps. We stretch it, massage it, or gradually walk it off. The nervous system responds very differently.

Following a knock to the head, the brain generally benefits from the opposite approach: rest, reduced stimulation, and time to recover. Bright lights, loud environments, reading, scrolling on a phone, or prolonged screen time may aggravate symptoms in the early stages. Many people find that spending time in a quiet environment allows the nervous system to settle more effectively. Recovery should be gradual. Returning too quickly to work, exercise, or mentally demanding activities may prolong symptoms and delay healing.

Know When to Seek Medical Attention

A concussion should always be taken seriously.

If you experience increasing drowsiness, confusion, repeated vomiting, worsening headache, weakness, seizures, loss of consciousness, or any symptoms that concern you, seek urgent medical assessment immediately. It is essential to rule out more serious injuries, such as bleeding within the skull. When in doubt, it is always safer to be assessed by a medical professional.

Supporting Recovery

Once serious injury has been excluded, gentle supportive therapies can help during recovery.

In my practice, I often find craniosacral treatment beneficial following head trauma. The intention is not to force change, but to offer gentle support to the tissues surrounding the head and nervous system. By helping release tension in the bones of the sacrum and surrounding tissues, and encouraging the natural fluid dynamics around the brain, many people report improvements in comfort, clarity, and their overall sense of wellbeing during recovery.

Every concussion is unique. Some people recover within a few weeks, while others may take many months. Even a mild concussion involves bruising of delicate brain tissue, and healing cannot be rushed.

Patience Is Part of Healing

The nervous system is perhaps the most sensitive aspect of our physical body. It thrives in quietness rather than force, and recovery often reflects this. Healing after a concussion is rarely about doing more. More often, it is about doing less, allowing the brain the rest, stillness, and time it needs to recover.

If you experience a knock to the head, listen to your body. Take the injury seriously, seek medical assessment when appropriate, and allow yourself the patience that true healing requires. Healing after a concussion is, in many ways, a gradual return to quietness, balance, and stillness.

All best wishes,

John

Dealing with Stress Properly – Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 - Turning Down the Volume

Last time, we explored how we often mistake our external stressors for the stress itself. While external factors can certainly trigger stress, the stress response actually happens within the body. When we believe the stress exists “out there,” our attention and energy naturally follow it.

From the perspective of the nervous system, this makes sense. Its primary job is to keep us safe. When it perceives danger, it directs our awareness toward whatever seems threatening in an attempt to deal with it. This response is invaluable when facing real physical danger, but it can become less helpful when we’re dealing with life’s everyday challenges.

As we discussed in Part 1, we tend to handle non-life-threatening situations much more effectively when we bring our awareness and energy back into ourselves. This is what it means to be centred.

So today’s question is:

Why do things like relationship conflict, receiving criticism, worrying about your health, feeling rejected, disappointing someone, or facing uncertainty about the future trigger such a strong survival response?

They’re certainly unpleasant—but in most cases, they’re not physically dangerous.

The reason is that, over time, our nervous system can learn to interpret certain experiences as threats. One person may become highly reactive to criticism, another to rejection or conflict. Someone else may feel overwhelmed by uncertainty, health worries, or the fear of disappointing people they love. Although these situations aren’t physically dangerous, the nervous system can mistakenly classify them as if they were, activating the same survival response it would use in a genuine emergency.

These patterns often begin early in life, but everyone’s nervous system learns different associations. The important thing is not where they came from, but recognizing that they exist.

Here’s a simple exercise you can try.

First, bring your awareness back into your body and allow yourself to become as centred as you can.

Then notice the part of you that feels afraid, anxious, or overwhelmed by the situation.

Give that feeling a number between 0 and 100.

Perhaps today it feels like an 86.

Now imagine there’s a large volume knob, or a dimmer switch, connected to your nervous system.

Without forcing anything, gently imagine turning it down.

You’re not trying to suppress your emotions or pretend everything is fine. You’re simply inviting your nervous system to recognize that this situation doesn’t require its highest state of alert.

Over time, we want the nervous system to reserve its strongest survival response for situations that are genuinely dangerous—not for every uncomfortable conversation or unexpected challenge.

The more rooted you become in your own centre, the less easily you’re pulled away from it by criticism, conflict, or stressful circumstances.

This isn’t about becoming emotionally numb.

It’s about helping your nervous system become a faithful servant rather than an automatic driver.

When your reactions no longer control you, you have more freedom to choose how you respond. This is also an important part of personal and spiritual growth—not being ruled by every emotion or reaction, but learning to respond from a deeper, steadier place within yourself.

As your nervous system becomes calmer and more regulated, many people find that their perceptions become clearer. They understand others more easily, communicate more thoughtfully, and navigate life’s challenges with greater confidence and resilience.

This is one of the processes I’ve used more than almost any other in my practice. While you can certainly begin exploring it on your own, many people find that working alongside a skilled practitioner makes the process easier, providing guidance, support, and a calm presence as the nervous system learns new patterns.

Next time, in Part 3, we’ll explore how this work can extend beyond simply regulating the nervous system and become part of a deeper process of personal transformation.

Dealing with Stress Properly – Part 1

Welcome to Part 1 of my series on stress.

One of the biggest things I’ve noticed over the years is that we tend to combine the stress itself with the things we believe are causing it.

If you’ve had an argument with a coworker, an assignment or a bill is overdue, or you’re juggling too many responsibilities, we often say, “This person is stressing me out,” or “These bills are stressing me out.”

The problem with seeing it this way is that our focus and energy become wrapped up in those external problems. But ask yourself this: is it easier to solve problems when we’re caught up inside them, or when we’re grounded within ourselves?

That’s my advice today. Try to see the external challenges and your stress response as two related, but separate, things.

Of course, problems can trigger stress. This isn’t about pretending they don’t. Instead, it’s about recognizing that what we’re really concerned with is how our nervous system responds to those challenges.

We can’t always solve every problem immediately. Work stress, financial pressures, relationship conflict, and unexpected life events often take time to resolve. So while we begin working on the problem “out there,” we also need to make sure we’re approaching it from in here.

When we consciously bring our focus and energy back into ourselves, back to our centre, we become calmer, clearer, and far more capable. This is one of the foundations of healthy stress managementand coping with stress.

From a nervous system perspective, the parasympathetic state is where the body functions best. It’s our natural “rest, restore, and repair” mode, where digestion, healing, and clear thinking can all happen efficiently.

By contrast, the sympathetic nervous system is designed for survival. It sends our attention and energy outward, preparing us to fight, flee, or freeze. This response is incredibly useful if a car suddenly pulls out in front of you. But it was never designed to become our default way of living.

Unfortunately, many people spend so much time in this heightened state that they feel overwhelmed all the time, experience emotional exhaustion, or even reach the point of burnout. If you’ve ever found yourself asking, “Why do I feel anxious all the time?” there’s a good chance your nervous system has simply become stuck in a state of chronic alertness.

For situations that aren’t physically threatening, it’s far more effective to remain in a calm, centered, parasympathetic state - even when there’s conflict or a problem to solve.

So whenever possible, pause.

Take a step back.

Take a slow breath.

Then gently bring your awareness and your energy back into the centre of your body.

You may be surprised how different everything feels. The problems haven’t disappeared, but they’re now outside of you instead of consuming you from within. From that centred place, it’s almost always easier to think clearly, communicate effectively, and make good decisions.

This is also where Craniosacral therapy can be a powerful helping force.

Rather than simply helping you relax for an hour, Craniosacral therapy works with the nervous system to encourage a shift out of chronic sympathetic „survival mode“ activation and back toward a balanced parasympathetic „safe mode“ state. As the body lets go of stored tension and protective patterns, many people notice they feel calmer, sleep better, think more clearly, and respond to life’s challenges with greater resilience rather than reactivity.

For those experiencing ongoing anxiety, chronic work stress, emotional exhaustion, or looking for burnout recovery, craniosacral therapy offers a gentle, holistic form of stress therapy and relaxation therapy. It supports the body’s own ability to regulate itself, making it one of the many natural ways to reduce anxiety and improve overall wellbeing.

More next time, where we’ll explore practical ways to reduce our sensitivity to stress triggers and retrain the nervous system so we’re less easily pulled into that sympathetic fight-or-flight response.

My Approach - Freedom over Determinism

A dramatic shift in my approach over the past ten years has been tapping into the individual destiny of the inmost human being - casting the therapeutic wheel towards the victory of freedom over determinism.

This evolution reflects my move beyond simply treating symptoms toward supporting the whole person. Rather than viewing the body as something that must be fixed, I approach each session with the understanding that every individual carries an inherent capacity for healing, growth, and transformation. My role is not to impose change, but to create the conditions in which the body’s own intelligence can emerge.

Through gentle, non-invasive Craniosacral Therapy (CST), I work with the nervous system to help release patterns of tension, restriction, and protection that may have developed over a lifetime. These patterns often arise as natural responses to injury, stress, emotional experiences, or trauma. When they remain unresolved, they can diminish vitality, resilience, and the body’s ability to self-regulate.

Without pain or force, I use CST to invite the nervous system into a state of greater ease, allowing deeply held patterns to soften and reorganize. As these restrictions release, many people experience improvements in physical comfort, emotional well-being, mental clarity, and an increased sense of presence and connection. By restoring balance within the body, I support the innate processes of repair and regeneration so they can function more freely. For many, the effects extend well beyond symptom relief and become genuinely life-changing.

I work with people of all ages, from infants to older adults, offering a deeply individualized approach that honours each person’s unique history, needs, and healing journey. Every session is guided by careful listening - to the body’s subtle expressions as well as to each person’s own experience - rather than following a predetermined protocol. This allows the treatment to unfold in a way that is both responsive and respectful of the body’s natural pace.

Central to my philosophy is the understanding that healing encompasses both the physical and spiritual dimensions of human experience. I believe that every person possesses an inner wisdom and an inherent potential that cannot be reduced to diagnosis, genetics, or past circumstances. While our histories shape us, they do not have to define us. Healing offers the possibility of moving beyond habitual patterns and creating greater freedom, wholeness, and authenticity.

Rather than asking, “What is wrong with this person?” I ask, “What within this person is seeking expression, balance, and freedom?” By supporting the body’s natural intelligence and the deeper movement toward health, I see each session as an opportunity not only for recovery, but for personal growth, resilience, and a renewed connection to one’s own essential nature.

Social Media Launch

We’re excited to announce the launch of our Instagram page. Follow along @rollinson_cst for updates, stories, and a closer look at what we do.