Calming the Chaos Tracy Kenela

Insomnia Causes Chaos! |Interview with Helen Sernett
Today, for the final episode of Season 5, Helen Sernett talks about the remedies she has used to conquer insomnia, improve her energy, and calm her physical and emotional chaos. Helen is a self-proclaimed Sleep Evangelist, and has helped many people calm their insomnia by using “Sleep Lists.” Helen’s interview is timely because Tracy will also be talking about putting Calming the Chaos Podcast down for a nap, and about the future plans for the podcast.
Key Points and Timestamps:
5:00 How Helen got interested in the benefits of getting good sleep
“I had to deserve a good sleep”
Helen left a career in non-profit fundraising to do “Sleep Evangelizing”
7:19: It is important to get good sleep! Here’s why
9:24: What happens if you don’t sleep enough – “You are being a much more risky person if you don’t get enough sleep.” Tracy’s stories about driving while too tired. It’s a safety issue!
Our sleep gives us a better balance of chemicals to be more positive and to get over obstacles.”
13:30 - The critical voice can be turned on with less sleep. If you want to turn off the critical voice, more sleep and quality sleep can help!
14:24: Helen’s method for conquering insomnia: What she’s tried and what works and how Sleep Lists help
17:00: You can create a podcast with your original ideas!
Helen uses Hrz to record her voice in a soothing manner and 60 beats per minute voice pattern
21:00 Learning something new is confidence-building. Website Tour
22:40 Sleep Resources
25:00 Phones and sleep – Your phone can be helpful to you helping you improve and support your goals for sleep
32:00 Helen wants to be there for people to help them be joyful. She also comments on using drugs for sleep
35:00 “If you can….get good sleep and find your way to a deep and restorative sleep without the aid of pharmaceuticals
37:00 Parting thoughts from Helen – “It will help you optimize your true self!” “Sleep is LIFE!”
Links and Resources
Helen’s Podcast with Sleep Lists, Patreon and information about how to contact Helen: www.sleeplists.com
Social Media Links:
LinkedIn: In@helehsernett


#insomnia #Prozacandmentalhealth #sleepdisorders

Sensory Input and Chaos - Interview with Dr. Rebecca Jackson
Today, our guest is Dr. Rebecca Jackson, a Board Certified Cognitive Specialist and Author of the book “Back on Track,” which is a practical guide to help people of all ages thrive in this age of sensory overload. Dr. Jackson will give us examples of sensory input, help us understand sensory overload, and suggest some ways we can calm the chaos of sensory overload.
Key points and Timestamps:
What are the things we DO have an influence on in this chaotic world, and be the best version of ourselves?
2:48 Tracy displays Rebecca’s book “Back on Track”
3:16: “The more I learn, the more I feel like I know nothing” ~ Rebecca
4:16: Rebecca’s description of herself, who she is and what she is doing in neuropsychology. “I want to understand why things are here in the first place.”
Rebecca started out as a chiropractor. As a young mom, she was interested in human development. She also has a passion for learning.
As Rebecca learned more, parents would ask Rebecca, “Is this on track for my child?”
Rebecca asked the question, “What can we do today so that we don’t have to worry about whether our children are on track?”
7:40: “We’re sensing things all the time”
7:55: What Rebecca does at BrainBalance - Chief Programs Officer (Builds and Develops new Programs for creating change in kids)
10:10 Rebecca’s Book: Back on Track. “It’s all about hope and action plan.” Rebecca helps determine why things are the way they are, and what people can do to change it.
“I feel like the pandemic took fire and poured fuel upon it.”
“What are we prepared to do about the problems?”
13:00 – The research about the infants born during the pandemic – different brains??! “Structural changes in the brain.” Tracy wonders about the children, pre-teens and teens during the pandemic and the changes in brain structure…even in adults!
Could ALL of our brains have changed during the pandemic?
What happened? “A change in our sensory experiences” happened during the pandemic
We all experienced a limited sensory experience during the pandemic – “It’s the same, every day.”
We cut off our rich and varied sensory experiences every day.
It can disrupt attention, increase anxiety, disrupt our ability to regulate our moods
17:36: “When we’re tired and hungry, our brain is more negative and has a harder time processing information.” We become vulnerable to emotion.
20:20 Rebecca differentiates between
• A sensory Overload
• A Sensory Disregulation / Processing Disorder
“We rely on our senses to give us accurate information”

Examples:
ARFID (Avoidant Restrictive Feeding Disorder)
The lights in Target
Am I overly sensitive
“My sensory experience is not your sensory experience”
26:33: “When there is a trauma experience, it puts the brain into a higher sense of sensory alert.”
27:00 (Tracy) “The Bulls and the Butterflies” spectrum
Sensory-Seekers and Sensory-Avoiders – Both a sign of maturity
29:11: Should we use Tik-Tok to self-diagnose as neuro-divergent?
DON’T go to Tik-Tok for Diagnostics
DO Talk about Mental Health Concerns
Sensory overload threshold doesn’t equal a Sensory Processing Disorder
If you are wondering if you struggle with a Sensory Processing Disorder, go to the specialists for a Diagnosis
31:45: Major Life Domains Palm Tree – if your condition is affecting your Life Domains, you might
32:24: The Domains of Brain Health are Sensory, Motor, Cognitive, Social/Emotional and Behavioral
Everything in the brain is so interconnected, so if something affects one area, it affects all of them
34:20: How to approach being overly tired or sluggish: The Reticular Activating System has a direct impact on how we take in sensory information opens...

Calming the Chaotic Brain - Interview with Dominika Staniewicz
Today, our guest is Dominika Staniewicz, one of the few Elite Neuroencoding specialists in the world. She is also Licensed as a Brain Coach by Dr. Amen, a renowned Neuropsychiatrist. Dominika helps people overcome a variety of mental and emotional issues using techniques like Brain Coaching, Neuroencoding and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). In this episode, we learn about how Dominika treats issues like trauma, stress, pain, depression, anxiety, ADHD, Anger and aggression using a mixture of science, neuroscience and psychology.
Key points and Timestamps:
2:26: What is Neuroencoding? “Using the body, mind, neuropathways and neuroplasticity to create lasting change in the brain, behavioral and emotional change.”
5:14: Dominika tells how she made the shift from practicing Sociology, Education and Coaching to practicing as an Elite Neuroencoding Specialist and Brain Coach. “Life was Life-ing for me and I made a change.” Life Coaches helped her reduce her own issues significantly, and improve the quality of her life.
Anger Management – The Amygdala and Hypothalamus
9:23: “There is so much we now know about the Brain” Dominika’s tips on “optimizing the brain”
Oxygenation and Gut Health
Stress in Your Environment
Vitamin D and the Sun and other supplements
11:52: “Your brain is happy to change…if you direct it.”
12:09: Ways to trick your brain – remember more and study less by throwing your brain off balance, studying, and going into deep rest or sleep afterward. (Stanford study)
16:43: Can you see inside the brain? “Absolutely” – A Spect Scan
18:55: Working with a client with ADHD - it can become a superpower with the right assistance, supplements and brain care!
21:44: What can we do about the loss of hope?
22:00: Case Study – A client of Dominika’s who was frustrated and unhappy about her work and her life. “The brain likes categorizing.”
Sports analogy: People enjoy the journey and the progress they are making toward their goals
25:52: Depression and the mirror exercise: High five yourself in the mirror and tell yourself “I love you.” Also, celebrate the things that go well during the day. Yoga and walking in green areas also help!
Learning how to put your attention on the journey and the little things help depression.
31:18: Chronic Pain suggestions – Ketamine Treatment at a facility in Arizona can help more quickly than Neuroencoding. Also, use medication (vs. self-medication)
35:22: Dominika’s website tour – www.yourbraincoachd.com See Blog, Online Coaching Group and Book
39:00: Overwhelm and “shooting for the stratosphere.”
Parting thoughts: “Your brain…like your liver. can heal itself.” “There’s no reason to choose to be unhappy.”
Resources:
Dominika’s Website: https://www.yourbraincoachd.com/

Chronic Pain Website: Dr. James at Advanced Wellness and Pain - 5111 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 105 Scottsdale AZ 85250 or https://advancedwellnessandpain.com/

Dominika’s Book – “The Magic of Dreaming Big, Acting Small and Achieving Success” at Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vukMAd

#ADHD #Depression #mentalhealth

Dating Help for Shy and Introverted People - Interview with Jon Pethke
Today, our guest is Jon Pethke, a United States Air Force Veteran out of Appleton, Wisconsin with a Bachelor Degree in Organizational Leadership who has developed a dating app specifically for shy and introverted people.

Jon started development of the app in 2022 when he founded Introwoo LLC and partnered with CodeGlo Technologies. Together, they developed CoyAmore, the dating app for shy and introverted people.

Join us as we talk with Jon about what inspired him to develop CoyAmore, how he developed the app, and how to use it. We will also take a tour of the app and his website to give the audience an idea of how it works. As an introvert himself, Jon will offer some dating advice to those who are shy or introverted and offer tips and tools to use in the dating world.
Jon is currently working on his Masters in Science Degree in Sustainable Management at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. He currently works as an Internal Auditor for American Family Insurance while also working part time as an instructor for Fox Valley Technical College teaching veterans about small business development.

Key points and Timestamps:
2:02: Jon explains why he developed CoyAmore
“Developing an App wasn’t easy at all” It took a year to develop CoyAmore, and it was released in May of 2023.
A lot of time and patience went into developing CoyAmore.
5:46 Jon explains how he developed the questions on CoyAmore specifically for shy and introverted people.
• Based around the 5 universal love languages and paired with people who best fit your love languages
• CoyAmore is different, and hopefully will help to create a community that helps shy and introverted people more comfortably engage with one another
• The hope is to create more features (like a “Blind Date” Option) which is a second layer of matching that takes the fear of asking someone out on a date.
8:45: Jon Explains how the App works, starting with the login process, and the intention of meeting up in person eventually. Tracy goes over the questions that CoyAmore asks when creating dating preferences.
Smoking, drinking, political affiliations, height, Astrology, Love Languages, children, pets and movie genres
For example: “What do you think about Astrology?” or “Cats or Dogs for Pets”
14:05: More information about Jon and the work he is currently doing while going to Graduate School
15:12: How did you come up with the name “CoyAmore” (or “ShyLove”)
17:10 CoyAmore Website Tour and CoyAmore won the 2023 May Award for Best Mobile App!
21:32: Tips for helping people feel more comfortable developing a dating profile
• “Get support and talking with someone to help” to be as comfortable as possible reaching out
“At the end of the day, to meet someone in any capacity you need to take a step out.”
More people have problems getting a conversation going to figure out if they want to go out on a date
Check out Jon’s blog at https://coyamore.com/blog/
• Make a dating profile with support from others
• Encouage yourself with positive suggestions
• Like yourself and you can’t go wrong
• Positive self-talk
25:38: CoyAmore is in the first year of development so there is a small pool of people on it now. Be patient! And stay on as it continues to grow.
Resources:

Download CoyAmore at the following links:

Apple Devices: https://apps.apple.com/in/app/coyamore-dating-for-introverts/id1661401116
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.codeglo.coyamore&pli=1

Best Mobile App Award of May 2023! https://bestmobileappawards.com/app-submission/coyamore

Jon’s Website: www.coyamore.com
Check out Jon’s Blog! He posts every week:...

Jealous Minds - Interview with Shanenn Bryant
Today, our guest is Shanenn Bryant, a relationship confidence expert and one of the select few who focus on jealousy in relationships. Many people have daily anxiety and mistrust of their partners, even without evidence of infidelity. This fear runs so deep from either childhood dysfunction or past infidelity that they’ve now developed insecure habits like checking their partner’s phone, text messages, and social media accounts for any signs of infidelity. Shanenn is here on Calming the Chaos Podcast to discuss jealousy, how it can hurt relationships, and how people can move past jealousy and into trusting relationships with themselves and others.
Key points and Timestamps:
2:42: Shanenn’s story of chaos and how she became a Jealousy Relationship Expert
4:50: Shannen – “If my own father doesn’t love me, then why would anyone else?”
5:50 Shannen – Jealousy is shameful for people to admit. “There’s a lot of time wasted when your attention is focused on your partner 90% of the time.”
Jealousy affects all major life domains: Home, work, family, etc.
7:27: Shanenn - The difference between jealousy and envy
9:07 Shannen - How Jealousy shows up (3 ways)
1. Projection – Have YOU cheated in the past, so jealousy is projected onto another person
2. Protection – Were YOU in a relationship before where you were cheated on, so jealousy is protective
3. Competition – Were YOU in a friend group where you were excluded or uninvited to events, so jealousy is competitive in nature.
11:46: Tracy asks Shanenn to describe some situations where people are jealous
Two buckets:
1. Family of origin is unstable
2. The adult experience of infidelity on you helped you to develop insecure habits of protection
“Jealousy isn’t a problem, it’s a solution.” “What is the jealousy trying to solve?”
13:47 Tracy presents Hypothetical Jealousy Situation #1 to Shannen and she responds about what she would do
1. No cheating is happening, but jealousy is happening.
Shanenn: The first step is you need to get self-aware of what you are doing. Then, realize that it probably has nothing to do with what your partner is doing, but how YOU are perceiving what is going on. Then, asking yourself, “Why do you have so much fear about this?” Look at the beliefs and thoughts and check the facts.
18:27 Tracy presents Hypothetical Jealousy Situation #2 to Shanenn and she responds about what she would do
2. Cheating has happened in the past
Shanenn: It’s important for the offender to come clean about the whole story of the infidelity one time, preferably in the presence of a professional. It’s also important to give the offended partner time to process it, and consider the information they REALLY want to know, and what information might hurt them.
21:46: Tracy – Do you work with the person who ISN’T the jealous person? Setting boundaries and limits to questions and requests for reassurance. Work toward not providing reinforcement to the jealous partner
24:40 Tracy – When is there manageable jealousy and toxic jealousy? How can we figure that out and take action? Consider whether the jealous person is seeking help or working on the problem, how much love they have for the jealous partner. Seek out therapy or coaching from someone like Shanenn.
27:38 – Tracy describes how she works with couples who struggle with actual infidelity
“I don’t know whether this couple will stay together or break it off, but I do know this is that through the process we will gain some clarity either way.
Shanenn describes getting “kicked out” of couples therapy
Tracy – Some therapists admit they are beyond their expertise, so they do need to refer couples on
30:38: We tour Shanenn’s website and the products and services she has to offer www.topself.com
Free resources from...

Ben Oofana offers some insights and suggestions for those who are struggling with romantic breakups.
This podcast episode is being aired in the month of February, 2024, and is the start of the month where I focus on love and relationships.

More show notes to come! In the meantime, take care and check Ben out on his website at www.benoofana.com

Healing From Heartbreak - Interview with Ben Oofana

Today, our guest is Ben Oofana who, after a succession of destructive relationships in his mid-twenties, realized that he was reenacting the traumas of his childhood and adolescence. He had been living among the Kiowa and Kiowa-Apache Indians had been chosen to be an apprentice for Horace Daukei, the last surviving traditional Kiowa Medicine Man. After the breakups, Ben developed a series of intensive meditation practices to help people heal from deep emotional wounding, which is the work he continues to do today. Join us as Ben tells his story and tells us how we can heal from the heartbreak of a breakup or loss.

Key points:

Timestamp 5:54: Ben says “To scrape bottom is the only way to understand the suffering of the people you’re working with.” And “I discovered ways to heal devastating wounds, including romantic relationships.

Tracy: Who we are, and who we present ourselves in the world….that’s who we attract. And a spiritual connection can help when you go through a breakup

Timestamp 8:28 Ben says “Emotions are the doorway to access this deeper core being and a higher power. Most people dissociate, self-medicate and distract from the pain.

Timestamp 9:15: Ben says, “You can’t heal it if you don’t feel it.”

Timestamp 12:08: Ben’s theory about why we get into these relationships in the first place: When we have deeply wounded experiences as kids with no resources to cope, we develop coping that turns us away from emotions and numbs our senses and waking awareness. On the conscious level, we have a waking awareness, but the deeper subconscious level doesn’t come up until we’re triggered. Then, we carry the wounds and draw people similar to who have wounded us in the past.

Timestamp 25:00 “Nobody is broken, it’s just that sometimes your antennae is damaged or corroded.”

“Healing the deeply wounded parts of ourselves will make it possible for us to choose more wise partners and friends in the future."

Tips and Tools for Healing Heartbreak

Tip #1: Timestamp 9:20: You are the only one you will never lose or leave.” When a relationship doesn’t work, we can truly be present and feel authentic emotional responses, breathe, digest and use various therapeutic interventions to help.

Tip #2: Pay attention to yellow flags in relationships: notice numbing, desensitization, dissociation. This is happening because we can’t deal with our emotions.

Tip #3: When you are triggered emotionally, drop down into your body and breathe into your feelings and bodily sensations.

Tip #4: Develop your senses so that you can feel the person in your body….both the connection and the incompatibility

Tip #5: Timestamp 30:00 Do things to protect yourself from negative / toxic people (i.e. walking meditation and healing the deeply wounded parts of yourself). This will make you less vulnerable and will transform you and in turn help you attract healthier companions.

Resources:

Ben’s website is https://benoofana.com/

Ben Oofana’s recently posted article about strategies for bouncing back and healing after breakups
https://benoofana.com/breaking-up-and-bouncing-back-unconventional-strategies-for-rapid-healing/

Ben’s free E-Book: "The Essentials of Getting Over Your Breakup and Moving On"...