Reflexology for Trauma and Addiction with Chantel C Lucier

Hello everybody and welcome to another episode of Wednesday's Reflexology Wisdom and we have Shantel Lucier with [cheering] us again. Um Shantel, it is so good to have you back. Um >> this is wonderful to be here. >> Tell us why you're here. What have you got to tell us? >> Well, um I'm going to be coming to you. >> You are? >> Yes. I'm going to be journeying across the pond to the UK to Nottingham um to teach my RTA class or what we call reflexology for trauma and addiction. >> That's brilliant. Brilliant. And guys, there is a very important reason why we've chosen Nottingham as the venue for this uh u piece of education that Shantel is going to do. And that's because it's right in the center of the UK. So it doesn't matter where you are. No one's got as it were any further than anybody else to come unless you happen to live in Nottingham of course. Um but yeah that's why so we've got it right central. It's a fantastic location literally just off the M1. So Shantel, tell us, please explain what is reflexology for trauma and addiction because it isn't about reflexologists that have been beaten up by their clients who've suffered from trauma and it's not about reflexologists who are addicted to drugs either, is it? So tell me tell me about it. >> It's so good. It's such an important distinction and but also may it be said that um the human experience we all come from something. So so not to not to say that we don't look at ourselves because it's a big part of the work too that we get to look at ourselves. Um but reflexology for trauma and addiction is a program I do. It's a 50hour program uh that I've divided into four parts. And I divided it into four parts because I want people to have access and perhaps they just want a taste or some people might be interested in reflexology for trauma and addiction or how to use this bottomup practice for themselves for self-care or for their clients. Um but maybe they don't want to go the whole way but they want to get a taste. They want to do level one. So in um each part of the program uh the first three parts are 14 hours. So, I always do it over two days. Uh, so we get to do seven hours each day. That's what we're going to do. In the UK, we'll do it on a Saturday and Sunday. And, uh, in this country, uh, people receive 14 continuing education credits. And I know there AOR provides double that. So, people get 28 CPDs. >> We've got 28 CPD points. The association of reflexologists have been brilliant. they have given this approved status. >> So yeah, absolutely fabulous. So thank you very very much AO. >> Yes. So so good. Um yeah, you know this program I've been doing it for a while now. It's been a huge part of my work. It's really meaningful to me because I want to be the best person I can be. So that requires me to to really do the work on myself to self-reflect so that I can best nurture myself and serve my clients. So in this work uh we get to learn about trauma and addiction which means uh there's a strong educational piece. We're learning what is trauma, what is addiction, what are the the biological markers therein, what takes place physiologically when somebody holds trauma in their body for instance. >> Um Yeah. Which is really important and a very important piece because reflexology is a bottomup practice. Yes. Right. It's a it's a sensory based practice. So our touch input is sending a message through the central nervous system which is the system that is affected by trauma and addiction. Yeah. >> So we get to look at that physiological uh standpoint. We get to learn about the structures therein in the brain. Uh part one is really fun. We get to learn about the hippocampus, the amygdala, uh the phalamus, the hypothalamus, gray matter, prefrontal cortex, like we're really deep diving into the anatomy and physiology of the brain as it relates to trauma and addiction. Um, and then after that piece, we also get to work on ourselves. So, there's self inquiry for the practitioner. And uh most importantly the most fun part of the work is the hands-on and reflexology perspective. Yeah. [clears throat] >> Yeah. >> Perfect. >> So let I tell you what, just before we go any further, the dates for this course are going to be Saturday and Sunday the 20th and 21st of June. We're going to be holding this at the Novatel junction 25 which is slapbang between Nottingham and Derby. So this is um yeah it's a great venue. It really really is. Um so do come along and join us there. So Shantel there's something as well that you say is called the no mind approach. >> Yes. >> Unpack that one please if you would. Yeah, it's uh something that I was introduced to in my youth really as I was moving through my own um identifications with my own traumas. I started to seek everywhere and one of the things I began to look into was Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, Dowist approaches. I kind of like spread my tentacles wide to to see if there was some sort of remedy in this approach. Of course, at the time it didn't prove to be advantageous because there was a desperation in me that made it so I couldn't actually requite what I was looking for. But what's come to happen, you know, 30 some odd years later is this deepened understanding of what it means to have no mind. What it means to really really be inside myself within what I call the back body. How can I be so present for myself and another individual? And what needs to take place is what I call no mind. So this is the idea that I get to release habitual often negative thought patterns and judgments about who I think I am, who I think the client is and really rest in that sweet space where I become more creative, more curious. This is the best place to work from anyway as a practitioner, as a person. Uh so we get to cultivate no mind across all parts of the program. And it's really one of the best things I've learned and continue to cultivate. It helps me in a grocery store line. You know that idea of how can I sit sweetly within myself without judgment? It's a really fun practice. >> Sounds amazing. >> Yeah. >> Now, do you have anything you can tantalize people watching this >> um so that they can kind of get a little bit of a taster as to maybe what they're going to be doing? Yes, absolutely. >> Oh, go for it. >> Yeah. Yeah. And Okay. So, I have a a whenever I teach a class, we'll take little mini videos and then I share it with a class. We always meet a month later to check in. Like it's very there there's a very integrative process that happens postworkshop 2. So, one of the things I like to do is take videos. But the video I would love to share today is actually one that I got to do with you when Yeah. when you were here. And this is I love this [laughter] video. Yeah. So, we're going to do that. That's what we're gonna do. >> I'm gonna show everybody my mankey feet. >> Yeah. This is really well and and so what we can do is I'll I'll show three parts. Um I'll show how we work on the brain structures and then two other things. So, let me see. I'm going to share it right now and then I'll talk you through it. >> Excellent. >> Okay. So, here we are. You can see I've started at what we call the pituitary gland reflex area and I'm coming up and out in what I call a sunburst. Uh we could call it a sunburst or some um another way of thinking of it is a clock rocking. If you look at that great toe, envision a clock face on it. And when I take my finger and I rock up or down, I'm going into 12 o'clock or 6 o'clock, 3:00, 9:00, etc. So what I'm doing is I'm starting deep deep deep deep within the subcortical structures of the brain. So deep deep deep. [snorts] And then as I come out in this rocking gesture, so it's not a thumb walking, it's this rocking side to side, I'm able to move from those subcortical structures on out. So that's one area. And then I'm going to kind of go a little bit more to another. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Then a little bit further into the video, there's something called a heart hold. I love heart holds and subtle rotations. Um, it gives us the opportunity to take our solar plexus reflex area and place it over an area of our client's feet. So, in that example, we're doing it over the heart. Um, we could do it in many other places, too, but I find that one to be extremely uh powerful. Uh, and next you'll see now we're moving into what I call treading. Uh, treading because if someone were to tread the earth, if they were to be walking along, this is what we're helping to uh to um happen as we're um holding uh the the feet here. If you come on a little bit more, this is the last thing I'll show you. We [snorts] do something called um stirring the soup. Uh, and stirring the suit means we're holding the calccani right at the level of the calccanous. We're dropping down so we're not gripping and we're doing this subtle rotation as if and I envision it's like we're holding soup and we don't want to we don't want to spill it. So, we're doing this subtle gesture where we're rocking um around in one direction and then the other direction. So, you could see that here. And of course there are other techniques, but those three might be a nice introduction to some of the stuff you'll learn. >> That's amazing. >> Yeah, it was fun to do it with you that time when you were in um >> I must admit it was fabulous. And this was done in your backyard as well, wasn't it? It was just >> It was Yeah. And I'm no longer there, but it was that's when I was a little bit more out in the country and it was it was a beautiful day. I think it was November and it was like 70°. [laughter] >> I apologize. >> This is a perfect um sort of little tonic for the sunshine that you are going to bring to Nottingham when you come over here. There you go. >> Thank you so much. You know, David, I wanted to say one more thing, too, which is, you know, um some people think, oh, I shouldn't take the class. That's not my um clientele. I'm not interested in that. But one of the things I've found is um I've found and I've heard from students um who've taken the course or in their evaluations they've written that um two things. One, sometimes people think it's going to be really daunting or really heavy. And across the board, everybody says words like, "It's so empowering. It's so invigorating. I learned so much about myself. I'm so excited." There's this real, right? we can really look at trauma and addiction differently and we could hold it differently. So that's one of the things I wanted to say and then the other thing is um the the well because the learning process is quite empowering this hands-on work that we get to do it it goes beyond just working with clients that come from trauma and addiction. I use all of these techniques especially that stirring of soup the subtle holds um the heart hold. I use it with all my clients. So, people will get to bring it into their practice, not just to use with people who struggle with trauma and addiction. >> Brilliant. >> Shantel, you have sold it. Um, I'm definitely going to be attending. That's for sure. I don't want I don't want that to put anybody off coming, by the way. [laughter] >> But seriously, guys, it will be absolutely fabulous uh to see you there. I'll just repeat that date for you again so you've got it. Saturday and Sunday the 20th and 21st of June at the Novatel Nottingham. That's junction 25 of the M1. Um it's super easy to get to whichever direction you're coming from from north,southeast or west. There is free parking there as well. Um there is uh really really good value accommodation at that hotel and literally just the other side of that hotel we've also got the holiday yen in if you didn't fancy staying at the Novatel. So this is just going to be such a big thing to look forward to. It really really is. So Shantel I so look forward to seeing you again in person. It's going to be great. >> And on that note guys thank you very much for watching. Stay well, stay safe, and we'll see you in Nottingham. Bye-bye.