Creating Your Own Medicine: Alternative CPTSD Recovery Methods

Many CPTSD survivors have been unsupported, or even gaslit by the medical & mental health community and/or by their loved ones into believing there is “a right way” to fix things. A successful CPTSD recovery journey invites you to reconnect with yourself. Which includes giving yourself full permission to explore what works for you & curate your own medicine.

Is Talk Therapy Enough?

In the conventional mental health field, only ‘evidence-based treatments’ are prioritized. This means that innovative approached may be left out due to lack of research prioritization & funding, OR by the influence of powerful organizations (health insurance companies, interest groups, etc.) who’s interests may not be aligned. For complex challenges like CPTSD, many survivors benefit from multidimensional and personalized healing practices, sometimes referred to as ‘out of the box’ approaches.

Given that CPTSD is complex & has left survivors in years or decades of suffering, it makes sense that you want support for your recovery that is extraordinary – something that is robust & multidimensional enough to be used by any survivor & yet gives space for tailoring to each individual.  Many survivors find relief in “out of the box” practices which can ignite or amplify healing. 

Giving yourself full permission to explore, experiment, and expand your perspective is essential. Personally, I chose resources with curiosity, investing my time, energy, and money where experiences resonated as truth and offered support. But first, I had to learn when to trust my curiosity and soften my inner skeptic. As trust in yourself may be impacted, this might also be part of your discovery process

My Medicine Kit: Breakdown of Alternative Approaches

1. Human Design: A Blueprint for Self-Discovery

Human Design is a comprehensive system that blends ancient and modern science to offer a unique “map” of your energy and decision-making style. It’s a framework that provides insights into your natural strengths, life themes, and optimal strategies for engaging with the world. For CPTSD survivors, this understanding can be particularly grounding, helping to illuminate aspects of your personality and purpose that may feel lost or fragmented by past experiences.

Your Human Design chart reveals elements like your Type (such as Manifesting Generator, Projector, etc.), Strategy, and Authority. These represent how you’re wired to make decisions, respond to life’s challenges, and align with your true self.

For instance, when I discovered that I was a Manifesting Generator with emotional authority, with connected channels related to “responsive power” and “deliberate creation”, it was like I was being handed the “book of me”. It allowed me to reconnect with my natural responses & creativity. To understand where I hold power and where I need greater acceptance. It serves as a compassionate reminder that, at a soul level, we each have unique gifts and rhythms that deserve to be honored.

Click Here to Access Your Own Human Design Chart— you’ll need your birthdate, birthtime, & birth location to receive a free HD chart & GK chart.  This can be fun to do as a family or community!

2. Gene Keys: Unlocking Your Highest Potential

Gene Keys expands on Human Design, guiding you through self-discovery by exploring how your genetic code may reveal your highest potential. Each Human Design gate corresponds to one of the 64 Gene Keys, representing different aspects of the human experience. Among these, four specific Gene Keys in your design offer profound insights into your core traits and life themes; for example, mine are 20/34 and 55/59.

Each Gene Key reflects three levels of expression:

• Shadow: the lower expression where challenges and limiting patterns arise.
• Gift: a balanced expression that transforms challenges into strengths.
• Siddhi: the highest expression, embodying your fullest potential.

For instance, Gene Key 20 evolves from superficiality (Shadow) to self-assurance (Gift), and ultimately to presence (Siddhi), where you radiate calm and wisdom.

For CPTSD survivors, Gene Keys offers a compassionate perspective, viewing struggles as gateways to strengths. This framework encourages a shift from “what’s wrong?” to “what gift could this challenge reveal?” It provides a gentle approach to healing, helping you transform life experiences into a powerful story of resilience and self-discovery.

Click Here to access your own Gene Keys Chart

3. Breathwork: Connecting with Your Body and Emotions

Breathwork is a transformative practice that utilizes intentional breathing techniques to shift your emotional state and deepen self-connection. Combining music with a 3-part breath (belly inhale, chest inhale, exhale out the mouth, repeat), it guides you into a state where you can access feelings, sensations, and beliefs. By trusting your breath, you can experience profound insights and release trapped energy.

Since getting out of your head can be challenging, pairing breathwork with music or guided sessions can facilitate emotional release, making it especially helpful for CPTSD recovery. Working with a guide during your initial sessions enhances the experience, allowing for expression through movement and sound while completing a stress response cycle that may have been stuck since a trauma.

4. Guided Journeys and Activations: A Gentle Path to Connection

If you tend to avoid introspection, connecting with yourself independently can feel intimidating. A guided journey or recorded activation can provide comfort to those parts of you that find this practice unfamiliar. By allowing your mind to quiet and tuning into the present moment, you can receive valuable insights and support.

5. Energetic Stewardship: Protecting Your Vital Energy

When you’ve faced constant projections from others and lack a supportive environment, you may find yourself absorbing energy that isn’t yours to carry. Practicing energetic stewardship helps you identify and plug these energy leaks, allowing you to protect and manage your most precious resource—your energy.

6. Elemental Medicine: Nature’s Healing Touch

Our ancestors engaged in community and healing practices rooted in their culture and environment. They relied on food, medicine, rituals, plants, dance, fire, water, and seasons & cycles, as guides for connection and support, connection individuals & the community to a larger perspective.

For CPTSD recovery, reconnecting with Source energy is essential. Exploring the elements of nature—fire, water, air, and earth—offers accessible resources for healing and self-discovery.

7. The Healing Power of Psychedelics

When used with intention, preparation, and integration—rather than recreation—psychedelics can offer profound healing, sometimes equating to “years of therapy” in a single session. Psychedelics help your brain rewire which aids in trauma recovery.

These journeys can expand your consciousness and introduce you to energy experiences that are unforgettable. However, they may also reveal parts of your psyche that you’ve been avoiding. While these journeys or “trips” can be healing and empowering, they can also be disorienting or confusing. Having an informed guide present before, during, and after can enhance the healing process.

To learn more about my training in Psychedelic Assisted Therapy (CPATP), click here to visit Integrative Psychiatry Institute.

Navigating Your Healing Journey

This list is not exhaustive, but it does represent what has helped me.  Whichever path you choose, from the above list or something else you discover, I encourage you to contemplate what lands as truth. Reflect on the lesson you learned, integrate the wisdom into your daily life, & embody the gift the medicine presented. Each resource is a portal or pathway to exploration & experience. 

Master Classes: 

If you’re ready to embark on your healing journey, I invite you to schedule a 1:1 RESET session with me. Together, we’ll explore personalized strategies tailored to your unique path. Just email me to get started!

Additionally, after you’ve received your free Human Design chart and want to dive deeper, consider purchasing my “Discover You” Masterclass. It’s the perfect starting point to uncover more about yourself and your potential.

Resources

Human Design & Gene Keys
To receive your free Human Design (HD) chart and Gene Keys (GK) profile, you’ll need your birth date, birth time, and birth location. This can be a fun activity to do with family or community!

• Human Design Chart: Get Your Chart
• Gene Keys Profile: Free Profile

Psychedelic Assisted Therapy Training
To learn more about my training in Psychedelic Assisted Therapy (CPATP), visit the Integrative Psychiatry Institute:
Integrative Psychiatry Institute Training