Nervous System Care & Healing

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 therapist5:30 Honest thoughts on the psychedelic medicine field12:57 Decolonizing psychedelic medicines & centering Indigenous wisdom16:55 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 allies31:13 Envisioning our future as empire falls: community, care networks, & connection w/ land🌿 About the GuestMariya 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 HostLiz 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

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 polycrisis02:14 Be compassionate with yourself04:04 Allow space to feel & process07:46 Explore aligned action, in communityQuote:“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 HostLiz 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.

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 GuestHalle 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 HostLiz 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.com02:04 The journey from pre-med to counseling10:25 Navigating mental health in a multicultural household15:11 De-centering the medical model24:03 Conversations on privilege, power, & intersectionality in the therapy room28:19 The role of the therapist as a bridge30:54 Ancestral responsibility & healing across generations37:36 How do you take care of your nervous system?

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 HostLiz 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.

Neurodivergence is often stigmatized in Western mental health. Autism & ADHD are seen as pathologies in need of a “cure.” But what if we viewed neurodiversity through a curious & affirming lens, acknowledging both the challenges AND gifts?In this episode, I explore an alternative to the pathology-based approach: an affirming, ancestral lens that views the individual within the context of their environment & community. We’ll explore how neurodivergent traits (like stimming, repetitive behaviors, or “inability to focus”) are not “deficits” – they are adaptive behaviors that make sense within a collective context, in which each person has a role & gifts to offer to the community. In other words: the traits that make us different, “weird,” or inconvenient for capitalism, may have allowed our ancestors to survive & thrive generations ago.This episode invites us to imagine a world where we embrace difference & live in relationship with each other, with nature, and with the wisdom of our nervous systems. 00:00 Intro00:23 What if we viewed neurodiversity through a curious & non-pathologizing lens?02:07 How is autism defined in Western mental health?04:12 How is ADHD defined in Western mental health?05:25 Neurodiversity-affirming & Indigenous perspectives on autism & ADHD07:38  Medical vs. social models of disability11:11 Indigenous perspectives on disability14:10 The importance of a community-based, non-pathologizing approach16:02 What do I mean by an ancestral lens on neurodiversity?16:18 Autistic traits through an ancestral lens19:33 ADHD traits through an ancestral lens21:51 Navigating the diagnostic system23:24 Mindfulness practice: vision of ancestral past & futureQuote: “We are not saying that neurodivergent & disabled people do not experience any challenges whatsoever. We are saying that it is not necessary to pathologize the people who experience these challenges.”>> Click here for episode transcripts & citations.🌿 About the HostLiz 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.

Endless productivity is not realistic for most humans, yet many of us carry the burden of feeling “lazy,” like we’re not doing enough.This episode explores why no one is “lazy” in a capitalistic world — but every one of us does need rest, support, and care. I’ll share 5 questions to help you explore your relationship to rest, work, and systemic & cultural expectations. You’re invited to journal on them, or listen & process in real time.01:55 What is your relationship with rest?04:18 How can you work with your cycles, energy, & wiring (not against them)?07:26 What expectations are you carrying, and how do you feel about those expectations?10:08 What would support or expand your capacity right now?13:11 What would be an easy version of this task?We’ll explore what it means to:move at the speed of your nervous system, not at the speed of capitalismtreat rest as a universal right, not as a reward to be earnedlive in alignment with the cycles of the earth & the body, rather than expecting endless productivityThis episode will leave you with: practical ideas of supports & accommodations you might explore (ex: body-doubling, adjusting expectations, & delegating tasks if possible)affirming reminders: you are allowed to rest, you deserve care & support, and you are not “lazy”; you are humanQuote: “It's natural for your energy to correlate with the seasons around you. Many of us feel more energized in the summer & spring, and more tired, more hibernation mode in the winter. To work with those cycles means that we don't have the same expectations of our energy every single day of the year.”🌿 About the HostLiz 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.

If you have an inner voice that tells you, “I’m unworthy,” “I don’t matter,” or “I’m crazy/too sensitive/overreacting”... this episode explains why these beliefs may stem from the impacts of systemic oppression, and what you can do with this awareness.We’ll explore how to unlearn internalized beliefs and understand yourself through a more compassionate lens.In this episode, I speak candidly about:how definitions of “mental illness” have shifted across time to pathologize various marginalized groups (including BIPOC folks, women, and LGBTQ+ folks)why it’s important to not pathologize human responses to conditions of injusticehow to disrupt internalized oppression by asking different questions – instead of: “what’s wrong with me?”; we might ask, “how have systems of oppression impacted the way I treat myself?”the difference between an individual, pathology-based lens (“the individual is the problem”) vs. a systemic lens (“the system is the problem”)Please note: this episode covers material like the impacts of slavery, patriarchy, and systems of oppression. I invite you to take care of your nervous system (through pauses, movement, or sensory breaks) as you listen.00:00 Intro01:25 What is internalized oppression?03:38 The history of "mental illness": who gets to decide who is crazy?04:16 Historical context #1: drapetomania05:42 Historical context #2: female hysteria08:35 Historical context #3: homosexuality & gender identity in the DSM12:03 The system is messed up - where do we go from here?13:42 OutroQuotes:“There’s real medicine in being able to see things as they are. It doesn’t fix how messed up and unjust these systems are in their current form, but it does help us realize that what we feel and what we’re experiencing in response to injustice is deeply human.”Full episode transcripts & resources here.🌿 About the HostLiz 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.

If you’ve ever heard the advice “just be yourself” and felt frustrated by how generic it was, I want to share a framework that might be more helpful: masking vs. unmasking. We mask when we hide our authentic selves, in order to fit in or stay safe in unwelcoming environments. But masking takes a toll on the nervous system (because it’s exhausting to pretend to be someone you’re not). This is why it’s important to find spaces to UNmask as well. In this episode, I cover topics like:What masking looks like (ex: people-pleasing, downplaying your needs, & suppressing your body’s natural movements/stims)Why masking is a skill & survival strategy, especially for highly sensitive & neurodivergent folks (just like code-switching is a skill & cultural assimilation is a survival strategy)Why unmasking is essential for nervous system health, but why it might not be realistic to unmask all the time (depending on your identities, lived experiences, & personal circumstances)What it means to navigate your life with autonomy & choice, balancing safety & authenticityWhy unmasking is not a checklist, but rather an experiment in a new way of living4 types of unmasking: sensory, social, emotional, & values-based (with specific examples to apply to your own life)00:23 What is masking & why do we do it?02:37 What is UNmasking & why do we do it?08:13 What's the goal: to mask or unmask? (The answer is complicated)11:09 Types of Unmasking11:58 Sensory Unmasking14:32 Social Unmasking17:50 Emotional Unmasking18:57 Unmasking your Values20:49 How does unmasking impact the nervous system & brain?Quote: “When you feel ready to unmask, you can do so. If you don’t feel ready or comfortable or safe, masking is always an option too. For some people, maybe home is your safe space to unmask, but work is a place where you show up more buttoned up. Maybe you feel like you can be unmasked in your relationship with your partner, but not with certain family members. So I want to acknowledge all of those individual nuances.”🌿 About the HostLiz 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 (weekly email series for highly sensitive & neurodivergent folks).>> Follow on Instagram: @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.

In this episode, I share why community is essential for our nervous system health, especially in times of injustice and collective transition. I discuss why it can be difficult to find community in our individualistic Western society; and why community is a two-way street, where we learn to give AND receive.Through the concept of “love languages,” we’ll explore how to build community in ways that align with our needs, capacity, and available resources. I end with a reminder that our nervous system are wired for connection, and that our ancestors lived & survived through community.01:31 Why does community matter, especially in these times?05:48 How do we define community?12:52 The Love Languages of Community14:28 Quality Time17:39 Gifts20:39 Acts of Service / Solidarity25:15 Our Nervous Systems, Our AncestorsQuotes: “What I like about collective care is that it disrupts despair and it disrupts isolation. It's like lighting one candle and then spreading that light to an entire room of candles. We remember that we're not alone, that we have each other, and that a better world, a more just world, a more loving world, is absolutely possible because we're here and we're participating in its creation.”“I can’t do all the good the world needs — but the world needs all the good I can do.”🌿 About the HostLiz 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 — a weekly email series for highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults who feel burnt out from wearing masks all day & are re-learning who they really are. Every week, you’ll receive short & sweet emails on how to take care of your nervous system and understand your brain.>> Follow on Instagram: @liz.holistic.therapist>> Watch on YouTube>> 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.

The care you receive – whether in therapy, coaching, or other healing spaces – shouldn’t require you to mask. It should allow space for your authentic self, autonomy, and choice in every step of the process.In this episode, I explain what neurodiversity-affirming care is and why it’s helpful for everyone, even if you don’t identify as neurodivergent. I draw from my personal experiences as a highly sensitive & autistic person, as well as my professional experiences as a therapist & coach for neurodivergent adults & couples.We’ll unpack the 5 pillars of neurodiversity-affirming care:02:25 We understand that differences are not deficits. 07:04 We acknowledge strengths AND challenges. We don’t pathologize, nor do we sugarcoat.09:14 We aim to support the whole person, not to “fix” them.11:37 We acknowledge that the world was not built for all people, and we incorporate that understanding into the care that we provide. 15:13 We move at the speed of your brain & nervous system.Quote: “Neuro-affirming care is not about ‘fixing’ anyone, because fixing assumes that they are broken. Instead, we’re learning to work with the wiring of each unique brain & nervous system. We’re aiming to meet the level of support that each individual needs, whether they have high support needs or low support needs or somewhere in between.”Research Cited in Episode: Diianni AT, Davis LC, Piper BJ. Gender and geographic disparities among DSM-5-TR authors in relation to financial conflicts of interest and industry payments: cross-sectional analysis. BMJ Ment Health. 2025 Nov 12;28(1):e301913. doi: 10.1136/bmjment-2025-301913. PMID: 41224482; PMCID: PMC12612736.🌿 About the HostLiz 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 — a weekly email series for highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults who feel burnt out from wearing masks all day & are re-learning who they really are. Every week, you’ll receive short & sweet emails on how to take care of your nervous system and understand your brain.>> Follow on Instagram: @liz.holistic.therapist>> Watch on YouTube>> 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.

Whether you are autistic, ADHD, or questioning; or you’re a practitioner who works with neurodivergent people… this episode is here to inform, affirm, & expand our collective conversation on what it means to be neurodivergent.I talk about why “normal” is a subjective term & social construct; why we shouldn't pathologize people for being different; and why we all fall somewhere along the spectrum of neurodivergence to neurotypicality. I emphasize that you get to decide how to describe your experiences, and that your relationship to your brain & nervous system may change across time.00:00 Introduction & Key Terms02:36 What Does it Mean to be Neurodivergent?04:46 The Role of Capitalism, Systems, & Neurotypical Expectations07:27 Not a Deficit: Neurodivergence as a Way of Being8:50 What Does Neurodivergence Look Like? (Autism, ADHD, High Sensitivity, & more)10:07 Innate, Acquired, & Neurocomplex Experiences12:40 Personal Reflections from Liz: What I Mean When I Say I’m NeurodivergentQuote “You may experience your neurodivergence as an identity, a neurotype, a diagnosis, a disability, all of the above, or none of the above. Your relationship to your brain & nervous system might change across time. You may realize that you’ve been masking more than you ever realized.”🌿 About the HostLiz 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 — a weekly email series for highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults who feel burnt out from wearing masks all day & are re-learning who they really are. Every week, you’ll receive short & sweet emails on how to take care of your nervous system and understand your brain.>> Follow on Instagram: @liz.holistic.therapist>> Watch on YouTube>> 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.

It’s okay if you’re not calm right now. Dysregulation isn’t a bad thing — it’s just information.In this episode, I explain what the nervous system is, what nervous system regulation means, and why the goal isn’t to be 100% regulated all the time, but rather to have a FLEXIBLE nervous system. I share sensory-soothing strategies (based on sight, sound, smell, touch, & movement) to help you build a flexible nervous system & come back into your window of tolerance. We’ll explore the link between self-care & collective care, and discuss the impact of systems of oppression on nervous system health.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Nervous System Care & Healing Podcast00:23 Understanding the Nervous System01:46 Nervous System Regulation Explained04:54 Building a Flexible Nervous System05:56 Recognizing Dysregulation08:28 Sensory-Soothing Strategies12:21 The Impact of the World on Our Nervous Systems15:18 Balancing Individual & Collective CareQuote: “Individual care asks, how do you take care of yourself? Collective care asks, how do we take care of each other? Systemic change asks, how do we transform systems of oppression into systems of care?”About the HostLiz 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 — a weekly email series for highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults who feel burnt out from wearing masks all day & are re-learning who they really are. Every week, you’ll receive short & sweet emails on how to take care of your nervous system and understand your brain.>> Follow on Instagram: @liz.holistic.therapist>> Watch on YouTube>> Visit my website: www.seasonsofgrowthcounseling.comOptions 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.

Welcome to the Nervous System Care & Healing podcast. I'm Liz Zhou (she/her), a neurodivergent therapist of color. In this trailer, I share about the core message behind this podcast: healing is not just about self-care - it's also about dismantling the systems of oppression that keep us dysregulated & disconnected.Be sure to follow/subscribe to stay up to date on new episodes! Weekly episodes begin March 2026.About the HostLiz 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 — a weekly email series for highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults who feel burnt out from wearing masks all day & are re-learning who they really are. Every week, you’ll receive short & sweet emails on how to take care of your nervous system and understand your brain.>> Follow on Instagram: @liz.holistic.therapist>> Watch on YouTube>> Visit my website: www.seasonsofgrowthcounseling.com