Loss is a Lie

Loss Is a Lie

Lately, it’s felt like the air is carrying something heavier than the changing seasons. Almost everyone I’ve talked to has shared a story of something suddenly missing. A loved one dying without warning—a heart attack on the golf course, a seizure during a bike ride, a dog gone overnight from something he ate. Relationships ending in an instant. The kind of endings that don’t give you time to prepare or process. They just… happen.

And what I keep feeling underneath it all is this:
We keep calling it “loss.”
But I’m not sure that’s what it really is.

What if it’s not loss at all?

I’ve been sitting with that question a lot lately. Especially as I notice how often we grow attached—not just to people or pets or relationships—but to the rhythm of things. The routines that make us feel safe. The presence of someone next to us in bed. The familiar sound of paws on the floor. The coffee maker that works every single morning.

We don’t just love those things—we depend on them. Not because we’re weak, but because we’re wired that way. Our nervous systems are constantly scanning for what feels familiar. Predictability gives the body a sense of safety. It lets us relax.

But here’s where it gets complicated: once something becomes routine, we stop seeing it. We expect it. We assume it will always be there.

And then one day, it’s not.

And we’re left confused, angry, heartbroken—asking, How could this happen?
How could they be here one day and gone the next?

It’s the disruption that hurts so deeply. Not just the absence, but the breaking of a pattern we didn’t even realize we were holding onto.

This is where I come back to that thought: maybe loss is a lie.

Because the truth is, we never really “had” anything. We don’t own the people we love, or the animals we live with, or even the money in our accounts. We share time with them. We hold space for them. We walk beside them for a while.

And when they go, it’s not that they’re lost. It’s that they’ve changed form.

That’s what I think we’re really being asked to see:
It’s not about letting go of love—it’s about letting go of our belief that love should look a certain way, stay a certain way, last a certain way.

Love isn’t in the permanence.
It’s in the presence.

The goal—if there is one—isn’t to never feel pain. It’s to consciously appreciate what we have while it’s here, without expectations, without assumptions, and without the word should hovering over everything.

Easier said than done, I know.

Our subconscious mind doesn’t like uncertainty. The limbic system—responsible for our emotional memories and survival instincts—wants to keep us safe by holding on to what’s predictable. It tells us, Don’t let go. This is what keeps us alive. This is what we know.

And that part of us deserves compassion, too.
It’s doing its job. It’s trying to protect us.

But the conscious mind—our deeper awareness—knows something different.
It knows that nothing is ever really secure.
That everything is in motion.
That presence is the only real place where peace lives.

So how do we live in the space between the two?

We remember that both parts of us—the one craving security and the one surrendering to change—are valid. They both belong. We don’t have to fix or silence either one. We just have to learn how to let the conscious self take the lead a little more often. Even 1% more each day.

Even money follows this rhythm. It can make us feel strong when it’s there, and powerless when it’s gone. We tie so much of our identity and safety to it—and when it disappears, we feel like we’re losing control. But maybe it’s like anything else. Maybe money is also a guest. A balloon we hold for a time.

And speaking of balloons…

That image keeps coming back to me:
A child holding a balloon. Big, bright, floating happily above them.
Their hand wrapped around the string, so sure it’ll stay.
But the wind can shift.
Or maybe the balloon slips away.
Or maybe it just slowly deflates, day by day, until it’s lying on the living room floor.
Maybe it becomes a toy for the cat. Maybe it becomes a memory.

But did they really lose it?
Or did it simply change?

Maybe the magic wasn’t in keeping the balloon.
Maybe it was in holding it with joy, for as long as they could.

That’s what I keep coming back to.
That’s what I want to practice.

Not clinging.
Not assuming.
Not needing things—or people, or routines, or bank accounts—to be a certain way to feel okay.

But choosing to be here.
Grateful.
Awake.
Loving what’s in front of me, while it’s here.

And when the pattern breaks—because it will—I want to remember that it’s okay to feel the disruption. It’s okay to grieve the shape something used to take. But I also want to soften into the knowing that nothing is ever really gone. It’s just transformed.

There is no loss, only transformation

Trust in Love and Trust that we and it changes.
Only the opportunity to love again—in a new form.

When the Body Says “Loss”, and Reacts: A Grounding Response Plan

You’re not broken for reacting.
You’re not wrong for spiraling.
You are having a completely human neurological response to disruption.
And there are things you can do—gentle, powerful things—to bring yourself back into regulation.

Here’s a simple sequence to support your nervous system when it’s overwhelmed by loss or change:

1. Name What’s Happening in the Body (Not Just the Story)

🜁 Say to yourself (out loud if you can):

“My body feels unsafe right now.
I’m having a survival response—not because I’m weak, but because I care.
Nothing is wrong with me.”

📌 This helps shift you from being “in” the reaction to becoming an observer of it. It tells your brain: There’s nothing to fix—just something to hold.

2. Ground with the Senses

🜂 Engage one or more of your five senses—something real, something now.

• Press your feet into the floor.

• Splash cold water on your face.

• Hold an object (stone, fabric, warm mug) and feel its texture.

• Smell something familiar (essential oils, shirt, soil).

• Speak: “I see… I hear… I feel…”

📌 This interrupts the limbic loop and gives your brain something current to focus on.

3. Use Rhythmic Movement

🜃 Regulate with pattern—the thing your nervous system is begging for.

• Rock side to side in a chair or cross-legged.

• Tap gently on your chest, collarbones, or thighs.

• Sway. Walk. Hum.

• Even chewing gum or rubbing your hands can help.

📌 Rhythm is a primal cue of safety—it mimics heartbeat, breath, maternal touch. When the world feels chaotic, rhythm reminds your body that you’re still here.

4. Say One Safe, True Thing

🜄 Whisper (or write down):

“Right now, I am safe enough to breathe.”
“I don’t need to understand this to survive it.”
“I can let myself feel this, without becoming it.”

📌 These are anchors—not affirmations that override pain, but truths that make space for it.

5. Let the Wave Move Through

🜔 The body wants to complete the stress cycle.
If crying comes, let it.
If anger rises, move it safely.
If numbness is here, meet it with breath and presence.
Try not to clamp it down or analyze it.

📌 Emotions are energy. They’re meant to move. They don’t need to be healed—they need to be heard.

Final Words

Loss, disruption, grief—these shake us at the core.
They rearrange the patterns we built our sense of self around.
And it’s okay to need time to re-stabilize.
To reconnect.
To remember: even when things fall apart, you don’t have to.

You’re allowed to lean into your conscious awareness as a new kind of safety, not by bypassing your pain, but by becoming a safe place to feel it.

You’re not losing yourself.
You’re coming home to the part of you that can hold it all.

The Frequency of Gratitude

✨ The Frequency of Gratitude: A Scientific and Spiritual Synthesis ✨

The Science of Gratitude

In neuroscience, gratitude has been shown to activate the brain’s reward system, increasing dopamine and serotonin levels—neurotransmitters that regulate mood and overall well-being. According to studies in quantum biology and epigenetics, sustained positive emotions can subtly influence cellular health and DNA expression. Emotions, measurable by electromagnetic frequency, are energetic outputs from the heart. Gratitude resonates at approximately 540 MHz, according to emotional frequency charts developed in consciousness studies (like those by Dr. David Hawkins).

At 540 MHz, gratitude is considered a high-frequency emotion, closely aligned with unconditional love. When an individual feels grateful, they become coherent—heart rate variability synchronizes, and the electromagnetic field of the heart, which is 60 times more powerful than the brain’s, expands. Interestingly, this same 540 frequency is also resonant with the First Root Chakra, grounding the spiritual frequency of gratitude into the physical body, creating a bridge between higher consciousness and embodied presence.

Gratitude, then, is not just a feeling. It’s a transmission. It transforms the energy field around a person and allows more clarity, receptivity, and inner peace.

Collective Gratitude: Thanksgiving as a National Energy Field

Americans have officially celebrated Thanksgiving for over 400 years, since the first recorded feast in 1621, with the holiday becoming a national observance in 1863 by proclamation of President Abraham Lincoln. This means the holiday has been a formal part of U.S. tradition for over 160 years.

When millions of people focus on thankfulness simultaneously, they form a coherent field of collective energy. According to theories in collective consciousness (like the Global Consciousness Project), synchronized emotional states can subtly influence global energy fields. The HeartMath Institute supports this by showing how emotional coherence in groups can extend into measurable shifts in local electromagnetic fields.

So on Thanksgiving, if even a fraction of the population enters a genuine state of gratitude, it may contribute to a national and even planetary shift in frequency—raising the collective vibration, creating more peace, and enhancing synchronicity.

Thanksgiving has been celebrated in America for over 400 years.

• The first recorded Thanksgiving took place in 1621, shared between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people.

• It became an official national holiday in 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of “Thanksgiving and Praise.”

So as of 2025, it’s been:

• 404 years since the first Thanksgiving in 1621.

• 162 years since it became a U.S. national holiday in 1863.

In numerology, the number 4 symbolizes stability, structure, foundation, and groundedness. It’s the number of the physical world—four directions, four elements, four seasons. It represents the process of building something lasting through discipline, integrity, and steady effort.

How 4 Relates to Gratitude:

Gratitude, like the number 4, is grounding. It’s not just an emotion—it’s a foundation for a meaningful, peaceful life. When we practice gratitude consistently, we create emotional and energetic stability within ourselves. It helps us stay present, connected to what matters, and rooted in reality rather than fear or lack.

So, just as 4 builds the base of a structure, gratitude builds the inner structure of contentment and peace—helping us align with the energy of trust, presence, and security.

Receiving Without Shame: A Heart-to-Heart on the Sacred Balance of Giving.

You know, we don’t talk enough about how we receive things. I mean really receive—gifts, help, love, insight. So many of us walk around with this quiet ache, craving something more—support, recognition, peace—but when it finally shows up, we shrink from it. Or worse, we take it and feel bad about it later, like we didn’t deserve it. There’s a name for that feeling—it’s been called Bread of Shame. It’s that odd discomfort of taking in something we didn’t feel ready for, didn’t ask for, or maybe felt deep down we hadn’t earned.

And here’s the thing: it’s not about being ungrateful. It’s about not being prepared. Not emotionally, not spiritually. Because receiving—really receiving—isn’t just about being open; it’s about being capable. You’ve got to have the space inside, the structure, to hold what’s being given. Otherwise, the gift doesn’t land. It spills over. It gets wasted. Or worse, it bruises the parts of us that are still tender.

I’ve come to believe that asking—truly asking—is one of the most courageous spiritual acts there is. When you ask, you’re admitting that you have needs, and that you’re willing to be seen in your hunger. That’s raw. That’s real. It’s not a power grab. It’s an invitation. And when that invitation comes from a place of clarity and self-awareness, it tells the universe, or God, or whatever you believe in: “I am ready. I’ve done the inner work. I’ve shaped myself into a vessel that can actually hold this.”

Now, let’s flip it. Giving isn’t always as noble as it looks. A lot of people give to feel powerful. To control. Or because they can’t sit with someone else’s lack without trying to “fix” it. But not all generosity is kindness. Real giving—sacred giving—is tuned in. It listens. It waits until the moment is right. It doesn’t flood the other person with what you think they need. It holds back when the vessel on the other side isn’t yet ready to receive. That kind of giving is aligned with love, not ego.

There’s this sacred polarity in the way energy flows. Giving carries that outward, structured, focused force—what some traditions might call masculine. It initiates, it penetrates, it moves forward. Receiving carries the inward, nurturing, intuitive force—what we’d call feminine. It doesn’t just sit back and take. It opens with discernment. It expands to make room. Both forces are divine. Both are needed. And inside each of us—no matter our gender—these two energies are always dancing, always trying to come into balance.

But imbalance creates distortion. Giving too much when it’s not wanted? That creates guilt or resentment. Receiving without asking, without preparation? That breeds shame. That’s why giving and receiving both require presence, maturity, and trust.

So when is giving appropriate? When it honors the dignity of the receiver. When it supports, rather than overwhelms. When it doesn’t feed your own need to be the hero. And receiving? It’s sacred when you’re ready, when you’ve done the internal work to make space for the gift without losing yourself in it. When you can take it in and say, “Yes—I can hold this. I know what to do with it.”

And if you’re not there yet, that’s okay. That’s part of the path, too. But don’t pretend you don’t need anything. Don’t let pride close the door on your own becoming. Ask. Wait. Build yourself into someone who can receive with strength, not shame.

Because when the giving is conscious, and the receiving is brave, something incredible happens. The exchange becomes holy. It stops being about the object, or the act, and becomes a mirror—reflecting divinity back and forth, from soul to soul.

Honoring the Sacred Dance: A Call to Remember Masculine and Feminine Truth.

In a world full of noise, confusion, and constant redefining, there’s something quietly radical about remembering who we truly are—not as roles or personas, but as energetic beings carrying ancient wisdom in our bones.The feminine is soft, wild, and deeply knowing. Not weak. Not passive. But receptive in her power, intuitive in her movement, and radiant in her ability to feel. At her core, she longs to surrender—not to a person, but to the rhythm of trust, to the safety of presence, to the kind of masculine strength that allows her to let go and rest in love instead of control.She nurtures, supports, holds space, and gives from overflow—not obligation. Yet she also desires to be held, to be met fully. Not rescued, but seen. Not conquered, but cherished. She doesn’t ask for a pedestal, but for reverence. She thrives in partnership with one who offers—not to impress, but because he wants to give. A wildflower, a knowing glance, a steady hand—acts that speak devotion in the quietest of ways.The masculine, at his highest expression, is steady and purposeful. He leads, not to dominate, but to protect. He speaks truth that liberates. He listens not only to words but to silence, reading the spaces in between. He does not fear the feminine’s depths—he honors them. He doesn’t try to fix her; he creates the safety in which she can unfold.And together, when these two forces are respected—not reduced to stereotypes or roles—they create harmony, not hierarchy. They become mirrors—revealing, refining, and igniting one another.The feminine holds the wisdom of emotion, of creation, of spiritual depth. She gives love because she is love. She teaches softness and the art of allowance. The masculine brings clarity, structure, and grounded presence. He teaches direction and the sacredness of responsibility.These are not costumes to put on. They are ancient codes written into the body, the breath, the soul. And when honored, they awaken something deeply human—and deeply divine.Yes, all people crave affection, kind words, gifts, and time. But there is something sacred about knowing what the heart is ready to receive—and being courageous enough to ask. That kind of intimacy transcends language. To be truly heard, and to truly listen, is a holy act.It’s time to stop shrinking from what we need. Time to stop rejecting the beauty of polarity. Masculine and feminine energies are not opposing forces, but complementary ones. They fit together like puzzle pieces—shadow and light, fire and water, strength and softness.And when we stop fighting our nature, when we begin to honor the divine design we carry within, love is no longer a performance. It becomes a path—a way of remembering who we are, and who we can become together.

7 Incredible Things Intermittent Fasting Does for your BRAIN

Intermittent fasting has become one of the most popular strategies for losing weight, and it’s touted as having many physical health benefits. But what does it do to your brain? Let’s take a deep dive into the research to find out what “time-restricted eating” really does to your brain.

7 Incredible Things Intermittent Fasting Does for Your Brain

1. Triggers autophagy

Intermittent fasting turns on an important process called autophagy, in which your brain “takes out the trash” that builds up during the day. This self-cleaning process helps detoxify the brain, clear out old and damaged cells, and sweep away debris. This nightly housekeeping promotes the regeneration of newer, healthier cells. A wealth of research has shown that problems with autophagy have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and other neuropsychiatric disorders.

2. Improves memory

Restricting the hours when you eat has been shown to significantly improve memory, according to a study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. In this study, after 4 weeks of intermittent fasting, performance on a spatial planning and working memory task and on a working memory capacity test increased significantly. Additional research on animals has found that intermittent fasting improves learning and memory.

3. Brightens mood

Research in the Journal of Nutrition Health & Aging found that after 3 months of intermittent fasting, study participants reported improved moods and decreased tension, anger, and confusion. Another study from 2018 that was investigating weight-loss strategies found that intermittent fasting was associated with significant improvements in emotional well-being and depression.

4. Reduces inflammation

Chronic inflammation has been linked to many brain disorders, including depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, and more. According to a study in Nutrition Research, intermittent fasting decreases inflammation, which can have potent benefits for your brain health and mental well-being.

5. Fights high blood sugar

Research in the British Journal of Nutrition shows that intermittent fasting produces greater improvements in insulin sensitivity, which helps you prevent high blood-sugar levels and type 2 diabetes. The journal Neurology has published findings showing that high blood sugar is associated with a smaller hippocampus, the seahorse-shaped structure in your temporal lobes associated with mood, learning, and memory. Other studies show that anxiety and depression are 2-3 times higher in patients with type 2 diabetes than the general population.

6. Lowers blood pressure at night

Intermittent fasting helps reduce blood pressure while you snooze, which is beneficial for heart health, and anything that’s good for your heart is also good for your brain. Having hypertension or pre-hypertension lowers blood flow to the brain. Low blood flow on brain SPECT imaging scans has been seen with depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, ADD/ADHD, traumatic brain injury, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts, and more. In addition, low blood flow is the #1 brain imaging predictor that a person will develop Alzheimer’s disease.

7. Burns excess fat

Intermittent fasting helps to burn more fat, which is good for brain health. Excess fat on your body is not your friend. A growing body of research, including studies in Archives of General Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, has found that obesity is detrimental to brain health and is associated with a greater risk of depression, bipolar disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia (fear of going out), and addictions.

With so much research pointing to important brain health benefits, you may want to incorporate intermittent fasting into your lifestyle. What’s the best way to do it? One of the most common methods is to do a nightly fast for 12-16 hours. The easiest way to do it is to begin fasting several hours before bedtime. For example, if you eat dinner at 6 p.m., don’t eat again until 6–10 a.m. the next day.

written by AMEN CLINIC

Benefits of Trigger Point Therapy

Benefits of Trigger Point Therapy

When you’re experiencing some severe muscle pain, it can be almost debilitating. You can feel sore, uncomfortable, and even have difficulty moving around. 

Whether you have some stress from work or regular daily life, or you’re an avid runner, we all experience some aching muscles from time to time. 

It could manifest as a general soreness, some muscle knots, or tender, swollen muscles. No matter how they occur, you need to relax that muscle soreness. 

One of the best ways to treat sore and achy muscles is trigger point therapy.

What Are Trigger Points?

First and foremost, what is a trigger point? 

Trigger points are tight, hyperirritable spots found on your tight bans of muscle. They’re also referred to as “knots” a lot of the time, and they hurt a lot. A lot a lot.

If you know that your muscle is sore, like your shoulder, you can feel around a bit. You’ll know you’ve found a trigger point when you feel pain shoot through the surrounding muscle area. It feels like an electric shock to everything around the point.

It can also make the rest of the muscle feel suddenly fatigued. These shots of pain are referred to as referred pain.

Causes of Trigger Points

There are a few different things that can cause these trigger points in our muscles. Here are a few.

Acute Trauma or Repetitive Trauma

If you’ve had an injury or have worked out a particular muscle too much, these tears in your muscle fibers cause your muscle to overcompensate when it builds back up. This leads to those tight clumps of muscle fibers that cause so much pain.

·        Dehydration

A common cause of the formation of trigger points is dehydration. Muscle fibers are supposed to have space in between them and that space is caused by the muscles being hydrated.

When they’re dehydrated, your muscle fibers become stuck together and tangled up, cousin a trigger point to form.

·        Sedentary Lifestyle

Lastly, a sedentary lifestyle can cause trigger points to form. Your muscles need to have the opportunity to stretch and strengthen to stay healthy and limber.

What Is Trigger Point Therapy?

Now we get into what trigger point therapy is.

Trigger point therapy is the process of squeezing and releasing the tight clumps of muscle to release the pressure and tightness of trigger points.

Different Forms of Trigger Point Therapy

There are a few different ways that you can get the benefits of trigger point therapy. Here are the most common ones.

·        Acupuncture

Acupuncture is the process of sticking needles into the trigger points. These needles improve circulation and provide acute pressure on the trigger points to allow the tight muscles to release and recover.

This is typically done by a professional because of, you know, the needles. That’s why you have another needle-free option.

·        Tennis Ball, Softball or Massage Gun

A tennis ball, softball, or massage gun is a great way to get the benefits of trigger point therapy without having to leave the house. But just how does it work?

A tennis ball, softball, or massage gun can provide targeted therapy for your achy muscles.

It uses something called percussive therapy. Percussive therapy works by repeatedly punching one spot of muscle, relieving tension, and increasing the blood flow to the area of muscle. 

It only takes a few minutes to get pain relief, improved circulation, and a better range of motion in your sore, tight muscles. Many people use it all over their muscles for a quicker recovery time and less soreness.

But what does that mean for your trigger points?

What A Tennis ball, softball, or massage gun can Do with Trigger Point Therapy

Tennis Balls, Softballs or Massage guns work not only to relax and release your muscles in general, but they can also provide more targeted trigger point therapy. This trigger point therapy works even better than general muscle massage, providing the next level of relief.

Here’s how.

Increase Blood Flow

When you get a trigger point developing on your muscle band, it cuts off circulation. This lack of circulation can cause painful inflammation, and lack of circulation, in general, is not a great thing.

Pulsating directly onto the trigger point, a tennis ball, softball, or massage gun allows better circulation to get into the whole muscle, allowing more oxygen to get into the muscle. That oxygen can help the whole muscle heal faster, releasing the trigger point.

Provide Pain Relief

What’s the real problem associated with trigger points? The pain, of course.

A tennis ball, softball, or massage gun provides the pressure directly on the trigger point, allowing for a great release of that tight knot of muscle. Though using a tennis ball, softball, or massage gun does hurt a lot at the moment, it ultimately releases that intense pain that nothing else can.

Trigger points are tough to release since they form over time. They cause pain throughout a large surface area than just where they are. You could massage your trigger point just with your hand, but that’s not going to get deep enough into the muscle tissue to do any serious healing.

Hydrate Muscle Tissue

Remember that increased circulation we mentioned earlier? That provides more than just better oxygen to the trigger point.

Increasing the blood flow essentially drenches the muscle in nutrients. This hydration allows those muscle fibers to break apart and stay where they’re supposed to. The nutrients can give your muscle more of those healthy healing tools it needs to repair itself.

Improve Range of Motion

Trigger points and knots can keep your muscles stuck and stiff. It can literally make it hard to move your body around.

When you use a tennis ball, softball, or massage gun on your trigger points, you not only make your muscles feel more relaxed and less painful, you also make it easier to move around. The stiffness is gone. 

The combination of increased blood flow with muscle relaxation and better nutrients in your muscles promotes faster healing and pain relief.

Less pain means more movement. If you’re tired of feeling stuck with your cramped muscles, try giving yourself trigger point therapy.