Migraine Wellness: Five Conversations That Can Change the Way You Think About Healing

Migraine Awareness Month reminds us that migraine is far more than a headache. It is a neurological condition that can impact every aspect of life—from work and family to sleep, creativity, and emotional wellbeing.

Throughout this special five-part series on the Be Well with Dr. Michelle Greenwell Podcast, we looked beyond symptom management and explored a broader question:

What helps us create the conditions for healing?

Each guest offered a unique perspective, practical wellness tools, and hope for those living with migraines, headaches, brain fog, or nervous system challenges. Together, these conversations introduce the BioEnergetic Wellness approach—one that empowers individuals with practical self-care tools that complement medical care and encourage lifelong wellbeing.

Whether you are living with migraines yourself, supporting someone who is, or simply seeking greater resilience, this series is an invitation to discover that healing often begins with awareness, intention, creativity, community, and peace.

Meet the Experts

Episode 1 – The Mindful Migraine with Linda

Linda shares her remarkable journey from almost daily migraines to living with significantly fewer episodes through mindfulness, Tai Chi, body awareness, and changing the metaphors she used to describe her health.

• The language we use influences how we experience healing.
• Awareness of tension is the first step toward change.
• Mindfulness and gentle movement help regulate the nervous system.

Watch The Mindful Migraine with Linda on YouTube

Episode 2 – Your Migraine Story Matters with Amber Horrox

Amber’s story reminds us that healing is about much more than reducing symptoms. Through writing, storytelling, and self-advocacy, she reclaimed her voice after years of living quietly with chronic migraine.

• Your story matters.
• Writing can become part of healing.
• Community helps us move from surviving to thriving.

Watch Your Migraine Story Matters with Amber Horrox on YouTube

Episode 3 – Understanding Your Body Signals with Kelly Richardson

Kelly encourages us to look beyond today’s symptoms and reconnect with our future. What dreams have migraines placed on hold? By understanding the body’s priorities and creating meaningful goals, healing gains direction.

• Listen to the body’s signals.
• Goal setting creates a healing compass.
• Wellness is about moving toward possibility.

Watch Understanding Your Body Signals with Kelly Richardson on YouTube

Episode 4 – The Art of Healing with Tanya Levy & Marian Egan

Healing can happen through creativity as much as conversation. Tanya and Marian introduce intuitive art, wellness card decks, affirmations, and practical self-care tools that support nervous system regulation and personal insight.

• Creativity supports healing.
• Small daily rituals create lasting change.
• Wellness tools help us reconnect with ourselves.

Watch The Art of Healing with Tanya Levy and Marian Egan on YouTube

Episode 5 – The Peace Whisperer with Karen Lee Cohen

Our final episode explores peace as a wellness practice. Karen, founder of the Let’s Be Peace Movement, reminds us that cultivating inner peace changes how we experience life’s challenges and helps us become a source of healing for others.

• Peace is a daily practice.
• Nervous system regulation supports resilience.
• Healing ourselves helps create a more peaceful world.

Watch The Peace Whisperer with Karen Lee Cohen on YouTube

The audio versions can be found here

The BioEnergetic Wellness Toolbox

Across all five conversations, several simple yet powerful tools emerged: awareness and mindfulness, goal setting and intention, storytelling and journaling, Tai Chi and mindful movement, breath awareness, tea rituals, intuitive art and creativity, affirmations and wellness card decks, community and connection, and peace practices.

No single tool works for everyone. Instead, BioEnergetic Wellness invites you to discover the combination of practices that best supports your unique journey.

Your Daily Wellness Toolkit

Take the FREE 30-Day Self-Care Challenge

Healing is built one day at a time. Over the next 30 days, choose one small practice each day to help reduce stress, regulate your nervous system, and build healthy habits that support wellbeing.

Week One – Awareness, Inspired by Linda

Notice your body. Observe your thoughts. Change one limiting metaphor. Practice mindful breathing. Spend time in nature. Become curious rather than critical.

Week Two – Your Story, Inspired by Amber

Begin a journal. Write one page each day. Celebrate your strengths. Practice gratitude. Share your story with someone you trust.

Week Three – Direction, Inspired by Kelly

Reconnect with a dream. Set one meaningful goal. Ask yourself: “What do I want my wellness to help me do?” Take one small step toward that vision.

Week Four – Creativity, Inspired by Tanya & Marian

Draw an affirmation card. Create with colour. Enjoy a mindful cup of tea. Listen to music. Practice intuitive art. Take five quiet minutes for yourself each day.

Days 29 & 30 – Peace, Inspired by Karen

“Let’s Be Peace” is a way of living daily. We can share peace with others, and we can offer it to ourselves. Here are some ways to bring peace into your life: Spend time in stillness. Practice gratitude. Perform one act of kindness for yourself and one for another person. Repeat: “In community we are empowered for change.” Reflect on what has changed during the past month.

Continue Your Wellness Journey

If these conversations inspired you, there are many ways to continue learning. At the Greenwell Center for Holistic Health, you’ll discover on-demand wellness courses, Tai Chi and mindful movement programs, BioEnergetic Wellness education, wellness card decks, intuitive art resources, Cape Breton Tea Company tea rituals, workshops, community events, and the upcoming Artfilled Wellness: Cape Breton Island Energy Arts Immersion Retreat.

Listen to the Complete Series

Listen on Buzzsprout

Subscribe on YouTube to continue following new episodes of Be Well with Dr. Michelle Greenwell, where we explore practical tools, inspiring conversations, and evidence-informed approaches that empower you to become an active participant in your own wellbeing.

Tea Rituals: A Daily Pause for Healing

Throughout this Migraine Awareness Month series, we began each conversation with a mindful tea ritual from the Cape Breton Tea Company, reminding us that healing often begins by simply pausing. Each tea was carefully chosen to reflect the theme of the episode and to encourage a moment of intention before learning. From the calming awareness inspired by Releasing the Warrior, to the courage and possibility found in 1909 First Flight on Baddeck Bay, to the creativity and connection celebrated through our intuitive art conversations, and finally the compassion and hope embodied in Mission4Change CommuniTEA, each cup became an invitation to slow down, breathe deeply, and reconnect with ourselves. More than a beverage, tea became a daily wellness ritual—one that engaged the senses, encouraged mindfulness, and reminded us that small moments of self-care practiced consistently can create meaningful change. By pairing each blend with an affirmation and exploring the spiritual essence of its herbs, we discovered another simple tool within the BioEnergetic Wellness toolbox: creating intentional pauses that support nervous system regulation, resilience, and inner peace, one cup at a time.

An Invitation

Healing rarely happens because of one conversation. It happens through the small choices we make every day: a mindful breath, a cup of tea, a walk, a journal entry, a movement practice, a conversation, or a moment of peace.

As you explore these five episodes, I invite you to discover which tools resonate most with you and begin creating your own personalized wellness toolbox.

Because wellness is more than the absence of illness. It is the ongoing practice of creating a life filled with awareness, purpose, creativity, connection, and peace.

Be well,
Dr. Michelle Greenwell, CIH BioEW
Host, Be Well with Dr. Michelle Greenwell Podcast
Greenwell Center for Holistic Health

The post Time to Heal: Migraine Wellness – Five Conversations That Can Change the Way You Think About Healing first appeared on Greenwell Center for Holistic Health.

How Our Bodies Hold Self-Doubt

Modern neuroscience and psychophysiology show us that the mind and body are deeply interconnected. Repetitive negative thoughts, such as “I’m not enough” or “I can’t succeed,” create stress in the nervous system and impact our organ systems. Chronic stress can lead to imbalances in the endocrine, digestive, and cardiovascular systems, which in turn affect energy, focus, and emotional regulation. Bioenergetic research suggests that unresolved emotions and repetitive thought patterns can manifest as tension, stiffness, or fatigue in specific regions of the body, effectively “holding” the story of doubt within us.

Fear and self-doubt have always been the greatest enemies of human potential – Brian Tracey

The Science Behind Rewriting Our Stories

Our program, The Stories We Tell Ourselves, integrates several evidence-based methods to address these deeply rooted patterns:

1. The BioEnergetic Wellness Formula
This approach recognizes that the body’s energy systems are not just metaphors—they influence mood, clarity, and action. By identifying areas where energy is blocked or stagnant, we can target specific interventions to restore flow, allowing the body and mind to work in harmony. Research in energy medicine and psychophysiology supports that intentional movements, focused breathing, and mindful awareness can shift these patterns and create measurable improvements in emotional and physical balance.

2. Goal Setting with Flow and Intention
Neuroscience shows that goal setting and visualization activate the prefrontal cortex, improving executive function and decision-making. When combined with the release of self-limiting beliefs and embodied awareness, goal setting becomes more than just a cognitive exercise—it becomes a holistic practice that aligns mind, body, and energy systems, supporting real-world results.

3. Awareness and Activation Practices
Movement-based activations—rooted in Tai Chi, Qi Gong, and bioenergetic techniques—stimulate circulation, nervous system regulation, and somatic awareness. These practices help participants notice where tension and doubt reside in the body, allowing energy to flow and new perspectives to emerge. Studies in somatic therapy suggest that body-focused interventions can accelerate the release of long-held emotional blocks, increasing resilience and confidence.

4. Intuitive Insights
Facilitating with Dr Michelle Greenwell, CIH BioEW, is Theresa Stone, an intuitive medium. She contributes personalized guidance that uncovers hidden aspects of personality and patterns that may be holding participants back. While not purely scientific, research in psychology supports that reflective and externalized perspectives—especially those that provide validation or new insight—can improve self-awareness, decision-making, and emotional regulation.

5. The Power of Journaling
Multiple studies highlight the cognitive and physiological benefits of journaling. Writing about emotions and personal narratives can reduce stress, clarify priorities, and reframe negative beliefs. Journaling helps solidify insights gained from activation exercises and intuitive guidance, making the learning experience both reflective and actionable. How do you move yourself forward with journaling, we will share the best approaches to create that momentum.

Empowerment Through Awareness and Action

Together, Michelle Greenwell and Theresa Stone guide participants through a process that is uniquely integrative. By combining bioenergetic techniques, mindful movement, guided introspection, and personalized insights, the program empowers participants to:

• Release repetitive self-doubt and family-imposed limitations
• Restore balance to the body’s energy and organ systems
• Set clear, aligned intentions for personal and professional goals
• Gain new self-awareness and insights that propel growth

This is not just a program about self-reflection—it’s a science-informed path to creating measurable change in thought patterns, energy flow, and life direction. Participants leave with tools that are practical, empowering, and transformative, ready to approach life with a new compass and a sense of inner balance.

Order your TEA!

Do you want to enjoy your special tea blend from the Cape Breton Tea Company? Consider ordering your tea today and have it delivered to your door before the workshop begins. Tea with Intention powers your experience with the perfect herbs chosen for your event time.

Our recommendation? Releasing the Warrior!

The post The Stories We Tell Ourselves: How Family Patterns and Self-Doubt Shape Our Path Forward first appeared on Greenwell Center for Holistic Health.

These emotions are not weaknesses. They are natural responses to disruption. Yet when emotions are not acknowledged or supported, they can become trapped in the body, settling into tissues, organs, and energy systems where they quietly influence health, mood, and resilience over time.

This episode invites a different approach — one grounded in bioenergetic wellness, where emotions are not suppressed or analyzed away, but gently experienced, balanced, and released.

Why Emotions Get Stuck

From both a physiological and energetic perspective, emotions are meant to move. When we feel fear, anger, or grief, the nervous system activates, the body responds, and ideally, the emotion completes its cycle and resolves.

However, with illness — especially conditions that carry stigma or uncertainty like dementia — emotions are often held back. People are told to “stay positive,” “not dwell on it,” or “wait and see.” Over time, this creates internal tension. The emotion does not disappear; it simply relocates, often embedding itself in muscles, fascia, organs, and energy pathways.

Bioenergetic wellness recognizes that unprocessed emotion creates disharmony across systems — physical, neurological, emotional, and energetic.

Calming the System Through Active Energy Balance

One of the core themes of this episode is that emotional healing does not require reliving trauma or forcing catharsis. Instead, it begins by calming the system.

Through gentle bioenergetic techniques — such as balancing the Switches for orientation in space, connection of the nervous system to the electrical system, and harmonizing directions in the body — the body receives signals of safety. When the nervous system shifts out of fight-or-flight, emotions no longer feel overwhelming or threatening.

This is the moment where change becomes possible.

Rubbing the Gait points on the foot, from the Feet First System Set 1, the body is able to open blocked areas in the body and in coordinating across dimensions as well as the brain-body connection. Rather than being trapped in the past or stored in tissue memory, emotions can be experienced in the present, acknowledged for what they are, and allowed to move through the system, as we step forward with an ease and grace in our step.

Naming Emotions as an Act of Empowerment

In this episode, Laurin shares wisdom passed down from her aunt many years ago — a simple insight that became a lifelong mantra. This teaching reminds us that when we name what we are feeling, we reclaim agency. Emotions no longer control us from the shadows; they become information.

Naming anger, fear, or uncertainty does not intensify them. It brings clarity. It allows the body and energy systems to reorganize around truth rather than tension.

This is one of the most powerful aspects of bioenergetic work: emotions are not judged or categorized as “good” or “bad.” They are welcomed as messengers, then gently integrated.

Tea as Emotional Ally: Releasing the Warrior

The featured tea for this episode, Releasing the Warrior, supports this process beautifully. With anise and cardamom, the blend offers warmth, softness, and grounding. Spiritually, these herbs invite the nervous system to release hypervigilance — the constant readiness to fight, brace, or defend.

The “warrior” here is not about strength through armor, but strength through presence. Through ritual — sipping tea, breathing, pausing — the body is reminded that it is safe to soften.

From Trapped Emotion to Lived Experience

When bioenergetic wellness techniques harmonize the systems, emotions are no longer stored as unresolved tension. They become lived experiences — felt, understood, and released.

This is especially important for those navigating illness or caregiving. Emotional harmony supports clearer thinking, better sleep, improved digestion, and a greater sense of peace — all of which directly influence overall health and quality of life.

Ways to Continue the Journey

If this episode resonates with you, there are many ways to explore emotional release and energetic harmony with Dr. Michelle Greenwell:

• Awakening Inner Resonance – Sound Retreat with Ann-Marie Boudreau
  A restorative experience using sound, vibration, movement, and frequency to calm the nervous system and release emotional buildup.
• Artfilled Wellness Retreat (August)
  A multi-sensory immersion combining movement, music, art, nature, and creative expression to support holistic healing.
• Stories We Tell Ourselves with intuitive and medium, Theresa Stone
  A powerful workshop exploring the narratives we carry, how they shape emotional patterns, and how rewriting them supports wellbeing.

Each offering provides a different doorway into healing — because there is no single path. There are many ways to gently release trapped emotion, restore balance, and move forward with clarity and compassion.

Naming the hard emotions is not the end of the journey.
It is the beginning of living more fully, honestly, and in harmony with yourself.

The post Naming the Hard Emotions: How BioEnergetic Wellness Helps Us Move Forward first appeared on Greenwell Center for Holistic Health.

Retracing History Through the Shamanic Lens

Laurin’s shamanic exploration began as a way to connect more deeply with her inner wisdom. Through meditation, visualization, and guided journeys, she found herself travelling through her ancestral DNA — revisiting moments and generations long before her birth. These experiences are sometimes called Time Line Therapy or ancestral regression, but at their heart, they are about listening to the stories imprinted in our energetic field.

In shamanic practice, it is believed that time is not linear but fluid — the past, present, and future coexist in a continuous spiral of energy. When trauma or emotional pain occurs, that energy can become stuck in the field, carried silently through generations. Laurin’s journey has been one of recognition and release, of understanding how patterns of silence, fear, and illness can ripple through family lines until someone — a “pattern changer” — steps forward to transform them.

“I began to see how the choices and struggles of my ancestors may have shaped not only my health but my beliefs and habits,” Laurin shares. “By travelling back through my DNA, I could witness those experiences and bring light where there had been shadow.”

The Science of Time and Memory

Interestingly, science is beginning to echo what spiritual and energy medicine traditions have long known. The emerging field of epigenetics explores how emotional and environmental experiences can alter gene expression — not by changing the DNA sequence itself, but by turning certain genes “on” or “off.” This means that the trauma or resilience of one generation can literally affect the biology of the next.

Dementia research has shown that stress, inflammation, and emotional suppression can increase vulnerability in the brain’s neural pathways. But equally, neuroplasticity — the brain’s ability to reorganize and heal — offers hope. Our thoughts, emotions, and habits can reshape our neural networks and influence how our genes express. In other words, healing our stories can change our biology.

When Laurin explores her ancestral patterns, she’s not just engaging in imagination or metaphor — she’s potentially altering the very energetic imprint that informs her body’s functioning today.

Peace Through Pattern Change

As Laurin travels through these ancestral timelines, she encounters both sorrow and peace. There are moments of grief for what her ancestors endured — famine, displacement, fear, and loss. Yet, through acknowledgment and compassion, she begins to transmute that energy into understanding and forgiveness. This process creates energetic peace — not only for herself but for those who came before her and those who will follow.

When we release the emotional charge that has been locked in our lineage, the tension held within the body, mind, and spirit begins to ease. The body relaxes its defensive patterns. The heart opens to new rhythms of connection. The spirit finds its natural alignment. These subtle shifts create profound change in our well-being — improving clarity, emotional balance, and even cellular communication.

This kind of peace doesn’t come from forgetting or denying what has been. It comes from fully seeing, feeling, and then transforming it. Through this work, Laurin steps into her role as a pattern changer — someone who consciously alters the trajectory of inherited energies.

BioEnergetic Wellness and Living Forward

At the Greenwell Center, we often speak about how BioEnergetic Wellness tools can help the body integrate change at a cellular and energetic level. When fear, grief, or overwhelm are present — as they often are with a dementia diagnosis — the body’s energy field constricts. Circulation decreases, the nervous system becomes overactive, and healing slows down. BioEnergetic tools such as the Injury Recall Technique, chakra balancing, and assemblage point alignment help to reset the flow of energy, inviting coherence back into the system.

In Laurin’s journey, this included balancing her assemblage point — the energetic center that influences how we perceive and engage with life. When out of alignment, a person may feel disconnected, foggy, or emotionally unstable — symptoms that can mirror early dementia experiences. Restoring the assemblage point to its natural alignment can bring back clarity, vitality, and peace.

Through these sessions, Laurin has begun to release not only the emotional impact of her diagnosis but also the tension of generations held within her DNA. “It’s like stepping into a brighter version of myself,” she explains. “I feel more connected, more grounded, and more open to what’s ahead.”

The Role of Ritual and Tea in Healing

Each Facing Dementia episode features a tea ritual to anchor the conversation in presence and nourishment. For this episode, the featured blend is Releasing the Warrior from the Cape Breton Tea Company. Infused with the spiritual essences of Juniper Berry and Black Pepper, and linked to the Wood Element, this tea embodies courage, renewal, and growth.

As you sip this tea, you are invited into ritual — to take a deep breath, feel the warmth of the cup, and connect with your own inner warrior. Juniper clears away energetic stagnation, while Black Pepper ignites vitality and willpower. Together, they remind us that transformation begins from within.

Affirmation: “I release the past and step into my inspired future with strength and grace.”

This simple act of mindful drinking becomes a metaphor for Laurin’s journey — a conscious moment of choosing nourishment, expression, and alignment over fear and resistance.

Transforming Fear into Empowerment

Facing Dementia isn’t just a podcast series — it’s a movement toward compassionate awareness. By sharing Laurin’s story, Dr. Greenwell invites listeners to look beyond the diagnosis and into the energetic story it tells.

Dementia, like many chronic conditions, challenges us to rethink how we care for our body and mind. It asks us to slow down, listen deeply, and engage with practices that bring coherence — not chaos — to our energy field.

When we choose awareness over avoidance, self-care over self-doubt, we begin to change not just our personal story but the entire field of energy that supports life around us.

A New Paradigm of Healing

Through Laurin’s courage and the conversation she shares with Michelle, we are witnessing the emergence of a new paradigm — one where science and spirit meet, where ancestral memory and bioenergetic wisdom work hand in hand to guide us home to wholeness.

As we face dementia together — with curiosity, compassion, and courage — we begin to remember that healing is not about going back to who we were, but about becoming more of who we truly are.

One way to begin this journey of discovery is through a movement class to discover the ways in which the body might be restricted, weak, or unbalanced. The online Movement and Music class is an easy way to engage with the power of the programs at the Greenwell Center for Holistic Health, or you can choose an in-person class. Tai Chi Cape Breton has the schedule on the calendar, while Wine Country Tai Chi Society can offer you classes in West Kelowna and Peachland, BC. These initial first steps to realize where tension is in the body can be transforming and life saving. Reach out to find your perfect class or a one-on-one session that reveals your priority challenges looking for support, whether that is in body, mind, or spirit.

Reminder for World Mental Health Day on October 10th

Join Us for World Mental Health Day 2025

You’re invited to join CanBeWell.org and IASK.org for the World Mental Health Day 2025 event: Mental Health in the Workplace—a global gathering of presenters offering simple, powerful tools to support balance, clarity, and resilience both at work and at home. Just as explored in the Be Well with Dr. Michelle Greenwell podcast episode with Laurin Wittig, Facing Dementia, small, mindful practices can create profound shifts in our energy, focus, and emotional well-being. This year’s presenters will share techniques you can use every day—whether before a meeting, during a break, or at the end of a busy day—to reduce stress and restore harmony. By participating, you’ll discover how bioenergetic wellness and specialized kinesiology can empower you to care for your mental health, strengthen workplace relationships, and bring a renewed sense of purpose to your professional and personal life. The Journal publication created for this presentation is full of tips and tools to inspire you and your family to live well with mental health at the forefront.

The post Facing Dementia: Journeying Through Time and Healing Generations first appeared on Greenwell Center for Holistic Health.

Tea Highlights for Resisting Change

The first tea highlighted is “Releasing the Warrior” from the Tea with Intention Series based on the Five Element Theory from Chinese Medicine, using western herbs. You can learn more about the tea from the shop here.

The second tea highlighted has to do with creating a supportive community. Mission4Change CommuniTEA is that magic connection tea. You can learn more about the tea from the shop here.

Tea is a great addition to create calm and connection for a difficult conversation, or to help people open up. “Let’s get together for a cup of tea.” is so easy to say and then you can let the conversation flow from there.

If Change is a Challenge, Consider BioEnergetic Wellness Tools

We often think that if we just put our minds to something it will happen. However, that requires effort, knowledge, and will power. With BioEnergetic Wellness tools we shift the energy around the goal and desired outcome to create the space for acceptance and willingness to accept new ideas. We also can calm emotions and historic blocks that may prevent further advancements. This can all be done without having to do conscious effort.

At the Greenwell Center for Holistic Health we have one-on-one sessions to support you, with just a private session with Dr Michelle, or the AME for Greatness Project where you can do a deep dive into personal changes, as well as being energetically supported through over 6 months of programming.

We also have global initiatives that offer webinars and opportunities to network with others. October 10th is World Mental Health Day, and this special event might be just what you are looking for.

Lastly, we have many group classes available in-person and online. Be sure to check the calendar to find your perfect fit. We have a community of people all looking towards their dreams….join them!

The post Resistance to Change Broadcast first appeared on Greenwell Center for Holistic Health.