When the nervous system is under constant pressure, it doesn’t respond well to more thinking – it responds to the body. Over the years, we’ve explored a wide range of healing modalities across the PNW and internationally, and while every person’s system is different, there are several modalities that consistently create a noticeable shift in grounding and deeper regulation.
If you’re navigating a period of stress, burnout, or emotional overwhelm, these are the sessions we’ve personally tried and recommend.
Nervous System Upgrade Sessions with Dr. Sukhi
Dr. Sukhi is widely recognized for his deep expertise in nervous system regulation and integrative health. As he shares in his personal story it was necessity that led him into this field long before “nervous system healing” became a mainstream conversation. The moment you walk into his clinic in West Vancouver, you’ll know he’s the OG: his approach reflects years of dedicated study and clinical experience. Dr. Sukhi’s Nervous System Upgrade sessions are designed to help shift the body out of chronic stress patterns and into greater balance. His approach feels both subtle and profound, leaving clients feeling clearer, more grounded, and more regulated in both body and mind. For anyone dealing with long-term burnout or persistent stress patterns – and lucky enough to live around or be visiting the Vancouver area – this is the place to begin.
Intuitive Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
Traditional Chinese Medicine offers a deeply restorative approach to nervous system support by working with the body’s internal systems rather than just symptoms.
As a Doctor of TCM, Dr. Samantha Jennings brings years of wisdom and next-level intuitive skills to her sessions, which start with a holistic assessment and move into sessions that combine acupuncture, acupressure and tuning forks to support overall regulation and vitality.
Another intuitive TCM we love is Lisa Davicioni who is also widely known for her supportive, trauma-informed approach to acupuncture, herbalism, and supporting women’s health through fertility, pregnancy and menopause, offering treatments that are healing and deeply restorative for the nervous system.
If your nervous system needs a boost, TCM as a modality offers a holistic pathway to restore your parasympathetic state, as well as offering support with everything from sleep, digestion, emotional regulation, and any imbalances that show up in the body.
Osteopathy with Myofacial Release
The field of Osteopathy is both gentle and precise, making it a great option for those carrying physical tension or pain and/or looking for a more embodied approach to nervous system regulation.
Erica Trivett in Vancouver takes a whole-body approach to Osteopathy – that includes both somatic support and ELDOA- a form of myofascial release, which she teaches her clients how to work with between sessions. We’ve heard the Erica’s sessions take you to another dimension. A former pro ballet dancer, she definitely understands the body better than most.
Guided Breathwork with Hands-On Support
Guided Breathwork is one of the most direct ways to influence the nervous system, particularly when combined with grounded facilitation, supportive touch, and tuning forks.
The breath offers us a pathway to directly plug back into our most true and expansive selves. To drop out of the realm of the spinning mind, and into the body and heart. And to experience (rather than conceptualize) who we truly are.
The private and community breathwork sessions with Monica Krake (me!) are an invitation to come back into your true state beyond the noise of the world, and to learn how to work with the breath as a deeply regulating force that’s available in your day to day. Explore my upcoming community breathwork sessions, and if you’re not in the Vancouver area, here’s a list of the best breathwork facilitators – internationally- I love and recommend.
Ayurvedic Head Massage, Abhyanga + Shirodhara
This treatment brings together three traditional Ayurvedic practices designed to encourage deep relaxation: an oil-infused head massage, a full-body Abhyanga massage and Shirodhara, where a gentle stream of warm oil is poured continuously over the forehead. The experience is slow, rhythmic and intentionally grounding, inviting the body to soften while giving the mind a chance to quiet.
It’s the kind of treatment that asks you to do very little – you simply lie back, receive and let yourself unwind. Expect warm oils, long flowing massage strokes and the deeply meditative sensation of Shirodhara. For anyone craving a pause from a busy, overstimulated state, this is a particularly immersive way to shift gears.
Parvinder Kaur Bual at Isis Wellness offers this combination in a deeply calming, sensory-focused session that supports the areas of the body where stress is most commonly held: scalp, jaw, neck, shoulders, and chest. There’s a reason she calls it the Heaven on Earth treatment!
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Nervous system regulation is about finding the right inputs that help the body return to safety. Each of the above sessions works through a different pathway: touch, breath, energy, light, and community. The key is to notice what your system responds to, and return to it consistently enough for regulation to become something your body remembers.
