Nervous System Care & Healing

Liz Zhou
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Mental Health

A podcast about how to take care of our nervous systems while we navigate systems that were designed to keep us dysregulated. Hosted by Liz Zhou, a neurodivergent therapist of color. If you’re a highly sensitive or neurodivergent person — or have always felt different from others, like you belong nowhere — then I hope this podcast will feel like a “welcome home” for you. Here, we approach difference with curiosity, not judgment. We affirm that there is nothing “wrong” with you, that none of us are broken — but the systems around us are. If you’re curious about individual healing & collective liberation, this podcast is for you. Join us as we heal our nervous systems & take good care of ourselves and each other. You are welcome here.

  1. 1d ago

    ADHD Nervous System Regulation: Beyond the Usual “Hacks,” w/ Deema Al-Omar

    If the common “ADHD tips & tricks” don’t work for your ADHD brain, it might be time to slow down & tend to your nervous system in a different way.  The truth is, ADHDers need more than planners, apps, & executive functioning “hacks” in order to move sustainably through this world. Though all these tools can absolutely be helpful, they address only one layer of the experience.  It’s also important to acknowledge the root causes of nervous system dysregulation: the pressures of living under sociocultural rules that don’t work for our brains, and the impacts of navigating systems of oppression. What if we don’t need another hack - what if we need space to unlearn the rules that others decided for us, & build a kinder relationship with ourselves? Join me & Deema Al-Omar in an enlightening conversation that might change the way you understand (& take care of) your ADHD nervous system. 04:28 The neuroscience of the ADHD brain 07:55 Navigating the late-diagnosed ADHD experience 09:16 Why the struggles of ADHDers go deeper than executive functioning 11:16 Why another planner, app, or "ADHD hack" might not be the answer - & what might help instead 14:49 How the ADHD experience is shaped by systems of oppression, social rules, & cultural context 19:55 Brainspotting therapy: a healing modality that goes deeper than talk therapy & can work well for ADHD brains 26:27 Brainspotting can help the nervous system process through experiences of collective trauma & move toward homeostasis 28:26 Brainspotting can unlock access to collective & generational traumas held in the nervous system, and bring them out to be healed & tended to  31:49 Slowing down to take care of your nervous system 🌿 About the Guest Deema Al-Omar (she/her) is a certified Brainspotting practitioner & associate clinical social worker working with clients based in California. She is a Muslim, Palestinian, neurodivergent, midsize, middle child of immigrants and cisgender woman. She typically works with GenZ and millennial folks on issues related to identity and culture, ADHD, or trauma. 🌿 Connect with Deema >> Resource: Executive Functioning Guide 🧠 >> Instagram: www.instagram.com/heyitsdeema 🌿 About the Host Liz Zhou is a neurodivergent therapist of color, coach, & speaker based in Colorado (MA, LPC, she/her). She helps highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults & couples heal their nervous systems and connect with their authentic selves. Her specialties include: Brainspotting, EMDR, IFS, Psychedelic Integration, & Nervous System Intensives (deep-dive, accelerated therapy). Liz’s services are available online in CO & worldwide. 🌿 Connect with Liz >> Join my weekly newsletter: Liz’s Neurodivergent Letters >> Instagram: www.instagram.com/liz.holistic.therapist >> To work 1:1 with Liz: learn about Nervous System Healing Intensives here 🌻

    37 min

  2. May 24

    How to Build a Nervous System Care Plan: The 8 Senses

    If you struggle to regulate your nervous system, often experiencing burnout, meltdowns, & sensory overload… this episode is for you. I’ll share practical info on how to care for your nervous system, focusing on the 5 senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, & taste) and beyond (proprioception & intuition). We’ll reflect on these questions: What brings you joy? What makes you happy to be alive? And one day, when you’re no longer in this body, what experiences will you miss most about being human?  By the end of this heartfelt, soothing, & educational episode, you’ll have a few more ideas to add to your nervous system care kit.  01:27 The science of the nervous system 03:45 How our experiences of senses spans from pre-birth to death 05:55 How to build a sensory care plan for the nervous system 11:02 Interoception: a sense of internal bodily awareness (aka: how to tell when you’re overstimulated or understimulated) 13:54 Resourcing through the 5 senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, & taste 23:37 Beyond the 5 senses: proprioception & intuition 29:45 There’s no one-size-fits-all care plan 31:29 Let’s imagine a world that cares for sensory needs across all phases of life – and then build it, together Quote: “When we’re dysregulated in the nervous system, we don’t always have access to all parts of the brain. It’s certainly much harder to access the rational, logical, thinking parts when we’re in the middle of a shutdown or burnout or emotional meltdown. And that’s when we do need to speak to the nervous system in the first language that it understands, which is sensory input.” 🌿 About the Host Liz Zhou is a neurodivergent therapist of color, coach, & speaker based in Colorado (MA, LPC, she/her). She helps highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults & couples heal their nervous systems and connect with their authentic selves. Her specialties include: Brainspotting, EMDR, IFS, Psychedelic Integration, & Nervous System Intensives (deep-dive, accelerated therapy). Liz’s services are available online in CO & worldwide. RESOURCES >> Enjoy a guided meditation for grounding (6 min) >> See all research citations for this episode 🌿 Connect with Liz >> Join my weekly newsletter, where I share insights on how to understand your brain & take care of your nervous system: Liz’s Neurodivergent Letters >> Follow on IG: www.instagram.com/liz.holistic.therapist >> To work 1:1 with Liz: learn about Nervous System Healing Intensives here (focused sessions to help you heal deeply & connect with your authentic self) 🌻

    35 min

  3. May 17

    Caring for the Perinatal Nervous System: A Transpersonal Lens, w/ Paige DiChiara

    Let’s talk about the perinatal nervous system – what it is, how it differs from a non-perinatal nervous system, and how caring for mothers creates a ripple effect of healing across generations. In this conversation, Paige DiChiara & I explore the perinatal nervous system from a scientific, spiritual, & systemic lens.  We discuss: how to honor the perinatal transition as a rite of passage – instead of pathologizing the experience, as is often the case in Western medical modelswhy the health of mothers is directly linked to the health of society & the planet the somatic intelligence of the nervous system, and why the biological shifts that occur during the perinatal portal make sense from an evolutionary point of viewthe process of matrescence: a multi-layered metamorphosis into motherhood, impacting everything from identity to neurobiology to financeshow lack of systemic support for mothers creates more opportunity for rupture in the child-caregiver relationship, increasing the risk of adverse childhood experienceswhere systems fall short (like lack of paid maternity/paternity leave in the US), and what needs to change at the systemic level in order for humanity & the planet to have a chance to thrivethe benefits of matriarchy, and why matriarchy is not what most people think – it’s not about domination & control, like patriarchy; it’s about care & protection in community 🌿 About the Guest Paige DiChiara is trained as a therapist, doula, and advanced yoga teacher with a specialization in perinatal mental health & transpersonal experiences. She guides pregnant women through a physical & emotional transformation that eases anxiety & discomfort while activating an unshakable trust within themselves. Paige believes that the health of mothers is directly related to the health of society & the health of the planet. 🌿 Connect with Paige >> Join free 3-day journey for pregnancy peace: Calm Within Reach >> Instagram: www.instagram.com/seasonsofshakti_  >> Website: www.seasonsofshakti.co  🌿 About the Host Liz Zhou is a neurodivergent therapist of color, coach, & speaker based in Colorado (MA, LPC, she/her). She helps highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults & couples heal their nervous systems and connect with their authentic selves. Her specialties include: Brainspotting, EMDR, IFS, Psychedelic Integration, and Nervous System Intensives (deep-dive, accelerated therapy). 🌿 Connect with Liz >> Subscribe to Liz’s Neurodivergent Letters >> Instagram: www.instagram.com/liz.holistic.therapist >> Website: www.seasonsofgrowthcounseling.com

    39 min

  4. May 10

    The Brain on Psychedelic Medicines: Myths & Facts

    We’ve all heard the claim that psychedelic drugs will “fry your brain.” We’ve also heard the opposite story: that psychedelics (like psilocybin, MDMA, & ketamine) are a “magic pill” that’ll cure depression, anxiety, & PTSD — overnight! With such polarizing narratives, it can be hard to discern what’s myth & what’s truth.  Whether you’re curious about psychedelic therapy, or skeptical about all the hype, this episode is here to inform you. As a therapist specializing in psychedelic integration, I’ll discuss: the definition of psychedelic medicine (& why I’m intentionally using this term, instead of “drug”)why psychedelics are not a passive experience that we just consume; they’re a relationship that we actively participate inthe balance between enjoying the neuroplastic effects of psychedelic medicines vs. expecting the medicine to do all the healing work for usthe importance of thoughtful preparation & integration, and why the real work happens after the journeystudies that compare the efficacy of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy vs. psychotherapy with a placebowhy concerns about safety are valid, and why it’s important to consider medical contraindications, as well as the social, emotional, & sensory context in which the experience unfoldshow War on Drugs propaganda impacts our public understanding of psychedelic medicines, and misrepresents the relative danger of “drugs” like cannabis & psilocybin (which are shown to be physiologically less dangerous & less addictive than alcohol) why any conversation on psychedelics must also acknowledge the War on Drugs as a vehicle of structural racism & oppressionthe different contexts of psychedelic healing, from ketamine-assisted psychotherapy to plant medicine ceremonies to microdosingthe nuanced truth: psychedelics can be helpful for some & unhelpful for othersthe importance of centering the voices of Indigenous communities that have stewarded these medicines for generations RESOURCES >> Download free guide: How to Prepare & Integrate Your Psychedelic Experience 🪷 >> See all research citations 🌿 About the Host Liz Zhou is a neurodivergent therapist of color, coach, & speaker based in Colorado (MA, LPC, she/her). She helps highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults & couples heal their nervous systems and connect with their authentic selves. Her specialties include: Brainspotting, EMDR, IFS, Psychedelic Integration, & Nervous System Intensives (deep-dive, accelerated therapy). Liz’s services are available online in CO & worldwide. 🌿 Connect with Liz >> Join my weekly newsletter: Liz’s Neurodivergent Letters >> Follow on IG: www.instagram.com/liz.holistic.therapist >> To work 1:1 with Liz: learn about psychedelic integration support here.

    45 min

  5. May 3

    Decolonial & Ancestral Healing through Psychedelic Medicines, w/ Mariya Javed-Payne

    Though psychedelic medicines are often presented as a “quick fix” or “magic pill” in mainstream Western culture, the truth is far more complex than that.  In this episode, Mariya Javed-Payne & I explore a decolonial approach to psychedelic medicines — an approach that divests from capitalism, honors Indigenous wisdom, and centers relationship & reciprocity. We explore why psychedelic medicines are not for everyone, but there ARE many different ways to heal, including through ancestral & spiritual practices that we can weave into the everyday. We talk about: 03:40 Mari’s journey from addiction recovery to becoming a psychedelic-assisted therapist 5:30 Honest thoughts on the psychedelic medicine field 12:57 Decolonizing psychedelic medicines & centering Indigenous wisdom 16:55 Why all trauma healing IS ancestral healing, & what ancestral & spiritual work can look like (even if you don’t know your ancestors) 23:54 Navigating psychedelic experiences w/ discernment & intention: ketamine, cannabis, psilocybin, ayahuasca, & plant allies 31:13 Envisioning our future as empire falls: community, care networks, & connection w/ land 🌿 About the Guest Mariya Javed-Payne (she/her) is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Alcohol & Drug Counselor, and International Brainspotting Trainer & Consultant. She is a somatic psychotherapist & the owner of Awaken Consulting Services, a private practice & consultancy where she utilizes Brainspotting therapy and offers training & consultation on treating trauma, somatic psychotherapies, psychedelic assisted therapy, and ancestral healing. The foundation of her work is decolonial and liberation-based. She is also the co-founder of Awakened Roots, a sanctuary & healing space where she offers breathwork, shamanic healing, & earth-based wisdom offerings. 🌿 Connect with Mari >> Brainspotting trainings: www.awakenconsultingservices.com  >> Breathwork workshops: www.awakened-roots.com >> Instagram: www.instagram.com/awakenconsultingservices  🌿 About the Host Liz Zhou is a neurodivergent therapist of color, coach, & speaker based in Colorado (MA, LPC, she/her). She helps highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults & couples heal their nervous systems and connect with their authentic selves. Her specialties include: Brainspotting, EMDR, IFS, Psychedelic Integration, and Nervous System Intensives (deep-dive, accelerated therapy). Liz’s services are available online in Colorado & worldwide. 🌿 Connect with Liz >> Subscribe to Liz’s Neurodivergent Letters >> Instagram: www.instagram.com/liz.holistic.therapist >> Website: www.seasonsofgrowthcounseling.com

    40 min

  6. Apr 26

    3 Loving Reminders for When the World is Overwhelming

    When the world feels like it’s on fire, it’s natural to become overwhelmed, dysregulated, and overstimulated. (In fact, that’s a sign that our nervous systems are working as designed, alerting us to threats to safety).  But no one wants to feel STUCK in overwhelm.  In this short & sweet episode, I share 3 reminders to help you tend to your nervous system and navigate the state of the world with agency & awareness – without bypassing painful emotions or pretending that everything is okay (when it’s not).  We’ll cover these topics: 00:23 Acknowledging a world in polycrisis 02:14 Be compassionate with yourself 04:04 Allow space to feel & process 07:46 Explore aligned action, in community Quote: “Your nervous system reaction makes sense in the context of your whole life, in the context of the experiences that you’ve had, conscious and subconscious memories, as well as ancestral and intergenerational experiences that are held and remembered in the nervous system. Instead of blaming, shaming, criticizing, or judging ourselves for feeling flooded or frozen or for experiencing shutdowns or burnout or meltdowns, we can instead offer that grace, understanding, and kindness toward ourselves. And it can be as simple as saying: my experience makes sense.” If this episode resonates with you & you want to explore related topics, check out these episodes: >> Episode 1 | Nervous System Regulation: Why Self-Care & Collective Care Matter >> Episode 4 | Building Community: How We Disrupt Systems of Oppression >> Click here for episode transcripts & citations. 🌿 About the Host Liz Zhou is a neurodivergent therapist of color, coach, & speaker based in Colorado (MA, LPC, she/her). She helps highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults & couples heal their nervous systems and connect with their authentic selves. Her specialties include: Brainspotting, EMDR, IFS, Psychedelic Integration, and Nervous System Intensives (deep-dive, accelerated therapy). Liz’s services are available online in Colorado & worldwide. 🌿 Connect with Liz >> Subscribe to Liz’s Neurodivergent Letters. >> Follow on Instagram: www.instagram.com/liz.holistic.therapist >> Visit my website: www.seasonsofgrowthcounseling.com 🌿 Options to Work Together >> To work 1:1 with Liz (adults & couples): book an intro call here. >> To hire Liz for speaking & workshops: submit an inquiry form here.

    11 min

  7. Apr 19

    Decentering the Medical Model: There's Nothing Wrong with You, w/ Halle Thomas

    If you hold marginalized identities (like being queer, BIPOC, or neurodivergent), you’re used to navigating spaces that weren’t built for you — including the medical system.  Unfortunately, the mental health field has a history of pathologizing folks... leading many to believe, “there’s something wrong with ME.” It’s time that we change this narrative. Join me in a poignant conversation with therapist Halle Thomas (she/they), where we talk about: what prompted her to divest from the medical model (which assumes that mental health = "absence of mental illness”), and why alternatives to the medical model are importanthow we can make therapy safer for everyone, by navigating conversations about diagnosis with care & consentwhy it’s important to talk about privilege, oppression, & identities (rather than pretend that these dynamics don’t exist)what it means to acknowledge ancestral responsibilities & engage in intergenerational healing — including when harm was perpetuated by your own ancestorshow Halle uses sensory breaks to take care of her nervous system 🌿 About the Guest Halle Monique Thomas, LPC is an anxiety therapist who also works with trauma. Through Brainspotting, parts work, & spiritually-informed practices, she supports anxious adults whose anxiety stems from trying to follow rules that were written FOR them, instead of by them. Halle’s work centers the lived experiences of BIPOC, queer, chronically ill, and neurodivergent folks.   🌿 Connect with Halle >> Download free guide to reduce anxiety >> Instagram: www.instagram.com/chicorycounseling >> Website: www.chicorycounseling.com   🌿 About the Host Liz Zhou is a neurodivergent therapist of color, coach, & speaker based in Colorado (MA, LPC, she/her). She helps highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults & couples heal their nervous systems and connect with their authentic selves. Her specialties include: Brainspotting, EMDR, IFS, Psychedelic Integration, and Nervous System Intensives (deep-dive, accelerated therapy). Liz’s services are available online in Colorado & worldwide. 🌿 Connect with Liz >> Subscribe to Liz’s Neurodivergent Letters >> Instagram: www.instagram.com/liz.holistic.therapist >> Website: www.seasonsofgrowthcounseling.com 02:04 The journey from pre-med to counseling 10:25 Navigating mental health in a multicultural household 15:11 De-centering the medical model 24:03 Conversations on privilege, power, & intersectionality in the therapy room 28:19 The role of the therapist as a bridge 30:54 Ancestral responsibility & healing across generations 37:36 How do you take care of your nervous system?

    46 min

  8. Apr 12

    Let's Talk Self-Care: Brain Dumps, Inner Child, & Nature

    We’ve all heard how important self-care is — but actually building a self-care plan that works for your brain, your unique needs, and your life… is a whole other story. If the typical advice, like “take a bubble bath!” or “have you tried meditating?”, simply doesn’t work for you… I created this episode with your needs in mind.  When it comes to taking care of your nervous system, I want you to have options that feel accessible & authentic to you. I’ll share practical ideas of what self-care, self-regulation, & co-regulation can look like, covering topics like: 01:36 Brain dumps: what's your processing style? (cognitive, verbal, kinetic, visual, auditory) 07:51 What does your inner child need? 12:50 Which element of nature do you feel drawn to? (fire, water, earth, air) My hope is that you’ll leave this episode with 1-2 self-care ideas that you feel excited to explore (or revisit)… and the reminder that you are always deserving of care — in mind, in body, and in spirit. Quote: “Everyone’s body is different, everyone's brain works differently, and something that works for you on Monday might not work as well on Tuesday because there are also variables like mood or energy or shifting capacity.” “Scientific studies are affirming this age-old wisdom that so many cultures, so many communities have known for millennia, that being in connection with the earth, feeling it on our hands and feet, generates health and generates life.” >> Click here for episode transcripts & citations. 🌿 About the Host Liz Zhou is a neurodivergent therapist of color, coach, & speaker based in Colorado (MA, LPC, she/her). She helps highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults & couples heal their nervous systems and connect with their authentic selves. Her specialties include: Brainspotting, EMDR, IFS, Psychedelic Integration, and Nervous System Intensives (deep-dive, accelerated therapy). Liz’s services are available online in Colorado & worldwide. 🌿 Connect with Liz >> Subscribe to Liz’s Neurodivergent Letters. >> Follow on Instagram: www.instagram.com/liz.holistic.therapist >> Visit my website: www.seasonsofgrowthcounseling.com 🌿 Options to Work Together >> To work 1:1 with Liz (adults & couples): book an intro call here. >> To hire Liz for speaking & workshops: submit an inquiry form here.

    22 min
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A podcast about how to take care of our nervous systems while we navigate systems that were designed to keep us dysregulated. Hosted by Liz Zhou, a neurodivergent therapist of color. If you’re a highly sensitive or neurodivergent person — or have always felt different from others, like you belong nowhere — then I hope this podcast will feel like a “welcome home” for you. Here, we approach difference with curiosity, not judgment. We affirm that there is nothing “wrong” with you, that none of us are broken — but the systems around us are. If you’re curious about individual healing & collective liberation, this podcast is for you. Join us as we heal our nervous systems & take good care of ourselves and each other. You are welcome here.

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