Somatic Self Healers

Leah McQuade
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Alternative Health

Somatic Self Healers is a podcast for people who are tired of living in survival mode and ready to feel safe in their bodies again. Through nervous system education, somatic practices, and integrative energetic healing, these episodes support you in returning to yourself—so you can experience greater presence, connection, and aliveness in your everyday life. Alongside teaching, many episodes feature guided healing experiences that use breathwork, somatic awareness, and energetic practices such as tuning forks and shamanic journeys.  This isn’t just something you listen to… it’s something you experience. If you’ve been doing the work but still don’t quite feel like yourself, you’re in the right place. You’re not here to fix yourself. You’re here to come home to your body.

  1. 6d ago

    Sympathetic Vagus Nerve Reset Part 2

    Today, Leah guides you through the sympathetic side of vagus nerve activation and how it can keep you locked in survival mode even when danger is only perceived. This is part 2 of our 3-part series on the Vagus nerve. We use movement, rhythmic diaphragmatic breathing, and a solar plexus tuning-fork healing to help your body receive a steadier message of “I’m okay” again.  • sympathetic activation as a normal survival response that becomes unhelpful when chronic  • signs of being stuck on alert, such as polarization, hypervigilance, chaotic energy, disconnection, and a louder inner critic  • how fear shows up as held breath and a braced diaphragm  • releasing activation with shaking, twists, stretching, and heel drops  • rhythmic breathing to soften the diaphragm and let the belly relax  • tuning fork sound healing to bring harmony to the solar plexus and vagus nerve pathways  • organ-focused support on the right side, including liver, gallbladder, kidneys, adrenals  • chronic stress, cortisol, adrenaline, and what people call adrenal fatigue  • Left-side tuning for pancreas, spleen, kidneys, adrenals plus visualization of clear nerve “tendrils”  • staying present without dissociating by returning to breath and orienting to your environment  If you'd like to share anything with me about your experience, I'd love to hear it.  Sign up for my free program, Nervous System Embodiment for Real Life. https://leahmcquade.com/resources/ Be a part of the Somatic Self Healers Community https://mailchi.mp/leahmcquade.com/mg2urgzy6d Want 1:1 support? Book a virtual Sacred Somatic and Intuitive Healing Session here: https://leahmcquade.com/sacred-somatic-intuitive-healing/ Website: https://leahmcquade.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/leahmcquade1/

  2. Aug 26

    Ventral Vagus Nerve Practices + Energetic Tuning For Feeling Safe

    Today we slow way down and get practical with one of the most talked-about pathways in somatic healing: the vagus nerve. We start with clear, grounded “brain candy” so your mind can relax into the work, then we shift into guided regulation you can do on your couch, on the floor, or even parked in the car for a few minutes. We walk through what the vagus nerve is, why it is known as the wandering nerve, and how it carries parasympathetic signals tied to rest, digestion, connection, and a sense of okayness. Using a simple river metaphor, we explore how the flow of information between the body and brain can feel smooth or clogged, and why the body is often the most powerful entry point for regulating the nervous system. We also focus on the ventral vagal pathway, the state where you feel present, socially engaged, creative, and resilient, and what happens when it goes offline, when chronic fight, flight, or freeze keeps cortisol and adrenaline running the show. Then we practice: getting 5 to 10 percent more comfortable, orienting to what feels safe, gentle discharge through wiping or shaking, and ventral vagal supports like ear and jaw work, heart tapping, and holds at the base of the skull. We close with an energetic tuning-fork sound healing in the central channel with a 222 Hz fork, inviting energy to move from the crown to the ground.  If something lands, share it with someone who could use a vagus nerve tune-up, and please subscribe, leave a review, and tell us what you noticed in your body afterward.  Sign up for my free program, Nervous System Embodiment for Real Life. https://leahmcquade.com/resources/ Be a part of the Somatic Self Healers Community https://mailchi.mp/leahmcquade.com/mg2urgzy6d Want 1:1 support? Book a virtual Sacred Somatic and Intuitive Healing Session here: https://leahmcquade.com/sacred-somatic-intuitive-healing/ Website: https://leahmcquade.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/leahmcquade1/

  3. Aug 12

    Your Liver Might Be Driving Your Reactivity

    Today I’m bringing you to the right side of the solar plexus to explore liver health as a missing link in nervous system regulation, stress resilience, and emotional reactivity. When the liver struggles to filter efficiently and metabolize stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, it can feel like your system is stuck on high alert, with irritation, overwhelm, and anger close to the surface. I start with simple, clear physiology and connect it to lived experience: energy, blood filtration, hormone clearance, and why liver stagnation can make emotions harder to move through. We talk about riding the wave of emotion without repressing it, including a practical 60- to 90-second window that can help you build real emotional capacity over time. I also name how hormone processing can matter during menstrual years, when excess estrogen can amplify mood swings and PMS patterns. Then we shift into a guided biofield tuning session with tuning forks focused on the liver area. You’ll hear options for grounding and discharge, including breath cues, hands-on liver support, and safe catharsis for anger, such as squeezing or yelling into a pillow. Tender themes may surface, including fear related to a father’s anger, and we make room for that with steadiness, choice, and compassion. We also cover practical liver support tools, from reducing sugar and refined carbs to herbs, meal timing, and an unexpected ally: beans and soluble fiber to support bile and detox pathways. If this supports you, subscribe to Somatic Self-Healers, share it with someone who lives in survival mode, and leave a review so more people can find the work. What did you notice in your body as you listened? Sign up for my free program, Nervous System Embodiment for Real Life. https://leahmcquade.com/resources/ Be a part of the Somatic Self Healers Community https://mailchi.mp/leahmcquade.com/mg2urgzy6d Want 1:1 support? Book a virtual Sacred Somatic and Intuitive Healing Session here: https://leahmcquade.com/sacred-somatic-intuitive-healing/ Website: https://leahmcquade.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/leahmcquade1/

  4. Jul 29

    Clearing Ego Personas With Somatics and Sound

    In this episode, I guide a grounding somatic and sound session to help you shift out of survival mode or "ego personas" and back into the loving presence within. We clear common ego personas like confusion, overthinking, perfectionism, and scarcity so you can feel safer in your body and hear your next step with more clarity.  What we cover in this episode:  • loving presence within as a practical inner resource for embodiment  • ego personas as stress patterns that block self energy and connection  • biofield tuning through the feet as a whole body approach  • fascia and the idea that everything touches everything  • downregulation and settling into parasympathetic rest and digest  • clearing confusion and the belief that you must understand first  • journaling after the session to capture fast awareness  • awareness then acceptance then acknowledgment before action  • reworking fear as "feel the fear and bring in safety" instead of "feel the fear and do it anyway"  • functional freeze and productivity programming that keeps you spinning in stress • scarcity mindset arguments and meeting them without judgment  • choosing step one rather than chasing step 10  As usual, I would appreciate it if you subscribed, left a review, and shared with a friend. And if you'd like to join the Somatic Self Healers community, you can find that link below as well. Sign up for my free program, Nervous System Embodiment for Real Life. https://leahmcquade.com/resources/ Be a part of the Somatic Self Healers Community https://mailchi.mp/leahmcquade.com/mg2urgzy6d Want 1:1 support? Book a virtual Sacred Somatic and Intuitive Healing Session here: https://leahmcquade.com/sacred-somatic-intuitive-healing/ Website: https://leahmcquade.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/leahmcquade1/

  5. Jul 15

    Stop Letting Old Stories Run You. Reorienting to the Loving Presence Within

    Your mind can tell a convincing story in seconds, and your body will live it like it’s true. When that story is “I’m not enough,” “I’m doing it wrong,” or “something is wrong with me,” the nervous system often drops into survival mode, even when nothing is happening on the outside. We slow this down together and look at meaning-making not as a flaw, but as a protective strategy.  Leah guides a grounded somatic healing practice to bring a single negative belief into awareness and then gently create space from it. We move through simple regulation tools like breath, movement, sound, and interoception so you can shift from looping thoughts into direct sensation. From there, we orient toward what Leah calls the loving presence within, also described as self-energy, spirit, divine light, or unconditional love, and we let it speak to the younger part of you that feels ashamed, confused, or alone. You’ll hear prompts you can reuse anytime self-doubt takes over, plus permission to be creative with how support shows up: a phrase, an image, a feeling, a softer belly, or a deeper exhale.  A unique layer in this practice is the use of a 222 Hz tuning fork to help anchor attention and support clearing stuck energy through the central channel and the field around the body. If you’re searching for nervous system regulation, somatic tools, energetic support, inner child listening, and practical ways to get out of survival mode, this is a gentle place to start. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs a calmer inner voice, and leave a review with what your loving presence said.  Sign up for my free program, Nervous System Embodiment for Real Life. https://leahmcquade.com/resources/ Be a part of the Somatic Self Healers Community https://mailchi.mp/leahmcquade.com/mg2urgzy6d Want 1:1 support? Book a virtual Sacred Somatic and Intuitive Healing Session here: https://leahmcquade.com/sacred-somatic-intuitive-healing/ Website: https://leahmcquade.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/leahmcquade1/

  6. Jul 1

    Energetic Decluttering With A 174 Hz Tuning Fork

    If you feel scattered, pulled in multiple directions, or like you’re carrying emotions that aren’t yours, this guided Somatic Self-Healers practice is a reset you can come back to again and again. I start with simple somatic practices to discharge surface stress (yes, even a few heel drops can help), then shift into breathwork for nervous system down-regulation. From there, I work with the energetic field around the body using a 174 Hz tuning fork to support coherence and clarity, especially for ADHD-style scatteredness, overthinking, and empathic sensitivity. You’ll be guided to ground through your feet, visualize an anchor, and strengthen the outer edge of your energetic boundaries. Hence, your energy stops leaking outward and can return to center at the solar plexus. Along the way, we practice a powerful reframe: you get permission to stop trying so hard. I use guided imagery to help you create enough space to drop into rest-and-digest and let your system receive. If you tend to live in your head, you’ll also learn gentle ways to create space between thoughts by feeling sensation, placing hands on heart and belly, and tracking the breath. If this practice lands for you, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s been in survival mode, and leave a review so more people can find somatic healing support that actually feels doable. Sign up for my free program, Nervous System Embodiment for Real Life. https://leahmcquade.com/resources/ Be a part of the Somatic Self Healers Community https://mailchi.mp/leahmcquade.com/mg2urgzy6d Want 1:1 support? Book a virtual Sacred Somatic and Intuitive Healing Session here: https://leahmcquade.com/sacred-somatic-intuitive-healing/ Website: https://leahmcquade.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/leahmcquade1/

  7. Jun 16

    From Scanning For Danger To Feeling Safe

    Your mind can feel like it’s doing too much because your nervous system is trying to keep you alive. When hypervigilance kicks in, the body stays “loaded” with stress, scanning for danger, bracing for the next shoe to drop, and turning everyday moments into threat predictions. We talk about why this isn’t a personality problem to fix but a state your system organizes around and how naming the state changes what’s possible.  We unpack common hypervigilance patterns like overthinking, over-processing, controlling, over-explaining, and defending yourself, plus the toll of chronic adrenaline and cortisol on your energy and resilience. You’ll hear why focusing only on behavior change often doesn’t stick, and how working with nervous system states can create deeper, more sustainable shifts. We also share a simple “general safety” foundation you can use anytime: feeling support underneath you, letting gravity hold you, finding your feet and sit bones, orienting to your surroundings, and tuning in to the pace and rhythm of your breath.  Then we move into a guided somatic healing session using tuning forks and sound therapy to help energy travel down the spine through the descending channel, from crown to feet, so the “head-heavy” survival charge can settle into grounded presence. Along the way, we practice labeling thoughts as thoughts and returning to body sensation, breath, and environment for real-time nervous system regulation. If you’ve been stuck in survival mode, come take this reset with us and save it for the next time the sirens flare. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs a nervous system calm-down, and leave a review with what you noticed in your body. Sign up for my free program, Nervous System Embodiment for Real Life. https://leahmcquade.com/resources/ Be a part of the Somatic Self Healers Community https://mailchi.mp/leahmcquade.com/mg2urgzy6d Want 1:1 support? Book a virtual Sacred Somatic and Intuitive Healing Session here: https://leahmcquade.com/sacred-somatic-intuitive-healing/ Website: https://leahmcquade.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/leahmcquade1/

  8. Jun 3

    From Freeze To Flow

    Feeling stuck doesn’t always look like shutting down. Sometimes it looks like getting everything done while feeling numb, unmotivated, and disconnected from your own life force. We talk about the freeze response and functional freeze as a protective nervous system strategy, including the classic signs like heaviness and brain fog, plus the sneakier pattern of being “fine” on the outside while your inner world feels flat. We unpack why freeze often carries locked-in fight or flight energy, creating that frustrating gas pedal and brake feeling. From there, we focus on what actually helps: building safety first. I guide you through finding “glimmers” of okayness in real time through orienting to your space, feeling the support underneath you, using breath, and inviting small movements that signal safety to your body. We also explore titration, taking tiny doses of sensation and emotion without flooding, so your system can build capacity instead of snapping back into start stop. The second half is a gentle central channel biofield tuning session using a tuning fork, moving from the feet up the spine to the crown and back, with cues to soften rigidity, return to certainty, and stay present. If you tend to leave your body under stress, you’ll get simple anchors like wiggling toes, opening your eyes, and even using sound or a small belly laugh to help thaw stuck energy in the throat and belly. If this supports you, subscribe, share it with someone who feels stuck in survival mode, and leave a review so more people can find somatic tools for nervous system healing. What part of functional freeze do you recognize most in yourself? Sign up for my free program, Nervous System Embodiment for Real Life. https://leahmcquade.com/resources/ Be a part of the Somatic Self Healers Community https://mailchi.mp/leahmcquade.com/mg2urgzy6d Want 1:1 support? Book a virtual Sacred Somatic and Intuitive Healing Session here: https://leahmcquade.com/sacred-somatic-intuitive-healing/ Website: https://leahmcquade.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/leahmcquade1/

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Somatic Self Healers is a podcast for people who are tired of living in survival mode and ready to feel safe in their bodies again. Through nervous system education, somatic practices, and integrative energetic healing, these episodes support you in returning to yourself—so you can experience greater presence, connection, and aliveness in your everyday life. Alongside teaching, many episodes feature guided healing experiences that use breathwork, somatic awareness, and energetic practices such as tuning forks and shamanic journeys.  This isn’t just something you listen to… it’s something you experience. If you’ve been doing the work but still don’t quite feel like yourself, you’re in the right place. You’re not here to fix yourself. You’re here to come home to your body.

Information

  • Creator
    Leah McQuade
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    14
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Somatic Self Healers
  • Show Website
    Somatic Self Healers