Alyssa Chavez [00:00:01]:
Hello, my friend, and welcome back to the Endo Belly Girl podcast. Today's episode is the second episode in our infertility fertility series for the month of April. During the month of April, this year it actually falls. April 21 through the 27th is national Infertility Awareness Week, but we are celebrating the whole entire month by going through some of these important topics related to fertility. So last week I did a solo episode that was going through my personal journey and story with endometriosis and fertility so far. And these next three episodes, including today, will feature a special guest who has a different area of expertise related to this topic. So today's guest is Jessica Sorensen and she is a reproductive and perinatal therapist who is based in Roseville, California. She owns her own practice called Bloom well therapy where she helps people who are struggling with challenges ranging from infertility to pregnancy and postpartum.
Alyssa Chavez [00:01:12]:
So she kind of goes through the whole range there. She provides virtual therapy to anybody located within the state of California. And she loves providing that holistic approach, which is something that we really connected on and something that we chat about within this episode that I think you guys will love, that focuses on both the mind and the body. So kind of a connection between the two, which I believe is super important as well. And she loves to just provide compassionate support to people who are struggling with these unique situations and has some strategies that are tailored specifically for you to help you build resilience and gain confidence as your natural navigating your journey. And that's what she's going to be sharing with us today. We had this beautiful conversation all about the ins and outs of basically taking care of your mental and physical health when you are going through a fertility journey. I think it's a conversation that's really powerful and I'm excited to share with you all today.
Alyssa Chavez [00:02:16]:
So without further ado, I will let Jessica take it away. All right. Hello, Jessica, and welcome to the show.
Jessica Sorensen [00:02:26]:
Hi.
Jessica Sorensen [00:02:26]:
Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited and honored to be in this space with you.
Alyssa Chavez [00:02:33]:
Awesome. Well, the feeling is mutual. I'm very excited to have you on here today, and I know everything you talk about is definitely something that is so valuable for everybody listening. So I'm excited to share that today.
Jessica Sorensen [00:02:48]:
Thank you. I'm looking forward to it.
Alyssa Chavez [00:02:50]:
Yeah, I would love if you can start off by just telling us a little bit about yourself so we can get to know you a little bit, a little bit about your personal story and journey and how you came to be doing what you're doing today.
Jessica Sorensen [00:03:04]:
Yeah. So I would love to start there. I think that it kind of goes into a mix of professional and personal. So I am a licensed therapist in California, and I'm the owner of Bloomwell Therapy, and I provide virtual therapy services to California residents specializing in reproductive and perinatal mental health. And so really, that's just, you know, two big words saying that I focus my work on anyone who's going through struggles or that journey from fertility, pregnancy, postpartum, and into parenthood. But before I was in private practice, I was a licensed clinical social worker in the hospital setting, and I spent about six years there. And I primarily worked in maternal newborn NICU. I risk maternity.
Jessica Sorensen [00:04:02]:
I even spent a little stent in the adult ICU during the COVID pandemic. So kind of this, you know, plethora of work that I did. But what transitioned me into private practice was seeing all of these challenges that individuals face on this journey and how, really, that healing takes place outside of the hospital. We go home, and we are walking away with all of these really heavy experiences. And so I wanted to be able to hold that space and help people with that journey of healing outside of that immediate crisis, so to speak. And then coupled with my personal experiences. So I am a mom of one and went through that journey while I was working in the hospital setting. And then coupled with my own experiences of secondary infertility, I, too, was diagnosed with stage three endometriosis.
Jessica Sorensen [00:05:09]:
And so I think, you know, it feels a bit full circle even coming onto this space with you and talking to this population of people, because I have had this experience, and it is such a journey, and there's so much healing that takes place physically and emotionally. So I just have such a huge passion for this population.
Alyssa Chavez [00:05:33]:
Nice. Yeah. Thank you so much for sharing. And I think that's something that's so powerful is to hear, because I know you're going to give us some, some practical information stuff along the way as well. But just the fact that you have that personal experience, you've been there, you've walked the journey. You know what it's like. I think that gives so much more impact and value to what you're going to share and also just the compassion that I know you have for everybody in this space. So I think that is beautiful, and thank you so much for being willing to come on here and talk about it, because I know it's not always an easy thing to talk about.
Jessica Sorensen [00:06:10]:
Yeah, no, I appreciate that. You know, it's something that I've learned to start talking about. And I think it's so important. You know, as therapists, we're really taught to have this like, blank slate mentality in our work. But, you know, I think it's something important to share about myself in the work I have with my clients. It's really this different piece. Like when you truly have walked that journey and you, you get it to some extent, right? All of our journeys are different, but I've been through some of these experiences and there's such a community out there of support for women where, you know, just knowing that we're not alone this and that there's other people who can relate to it is, I think, huge.
Alyssa Chavez [00:06:56]:
Yeah, I love that.
Jessica Sorensen [00:06:58]:
Yeah.
Alyssa Chavez [00:06:58]:
Now, infertility, of course, is a struggle that is very common with endometriosis. As you've experienced, as I've experienced, as I'm sure much of the audience listening here has experienced as well. And of course, mental health really is a big piece of that and that's what we're here to chat about today. So I was wondering if you can just because I know we work with that population a lot, if you can just speak to that a little bit and just some of the common struggles and things that you see. Women with fertility coming in with.
Jessica Sorensen [00:07:33]:
Infertility can be both physically and emotionally taxing for women, especially when we couple it with chronic illness such as endometriosis and juggling all the layered pieces of infertility. And then we're tacking on juggling this management of endo. And what I would say in my work is several common struggles I see when going through this infertility journey is grief and loss, identity and self worth, relationship strains, isolation, feelings of stigma around what they're going through, anxiety and depression, decision making challenges, coping with medical procedures on top of all of these things, financial barriers. And I say this, like, long list of things because I think it's so important to recognize that this is a very layered experience. When we talk about an infertility journey, we're not just speaking of, I'm walking in and I'm going to these medical appointments and I leave. No, there's so much more to it that impacts us physically and emotionally. So someone who's, you know, on their endo journey, but also being faced with infertility, they may be balancing surgeries, treatment recommendations.
Jessica Sorensen [00:09:06]:
Right.
Jessica Sorensen [00:09:06]:
And then it's impacting those experiences of that unknown journey or the loss that we may endure through that. So, yeah, so many things.
Alyssa Chavez [00:09:18]:
Yeah, I love that you're touching base on all of that, though, because there is so much that goes into it. And I think that's largely why I wanted to have you on here today, is just to speak to that and more than anything, just to help people to understand and recognize that they're not alone in that. They're not, you're not crazy for feeling all the different things that go along with it because I think so often in the medical world, and there are so many doctors out there who are very kind and compassionate and care about their patients, but they still have that limited time.
Jessica Sorensen [00:09:49]:
Right.
Alyssa Chavez [00:09:49]:
You're in and out of their office in 1015 minutes. They just don't have the time or the space or probably the training to really help people through all of the mental struggles that go along with it. So I love that you're just bringing light to all of that.
Jessica Sorensen [00:10:04]:
Absolutely. You know, something that I hope it's okay to share, you know, in this space is my personal experience of going into fertility clinics as a professional in mental health and in this area. I so vividly remember sitting in my room waiting for my doctor to come in and hearing another woman crying in the room next to me and hearing the doctor walk out and then hearing the doctor come into my room. And I think it just speaks to what you mentioned of they are busy, they're on the schedule of appointments. Maybe the training and support isn't there for what women are going through emotionally, but it is heavy and scary. And I think that when we go back into that idea of identity and self worth and stigma.
Jessica Sorensen [00:10:59]:
Right.
Jessica Sorensen [00:11:00]:
So many times what I hear is women feeling like they are not allowed to grieve what they're going through, that they need to keep going. And, you know, when they do reach out for support or share what they're going through, a lot of the times it's coupled with these dismissive statements of, well, at least you can try again, or at least you can do this.
Jessica Sorensen [00:11:27]:
Right.
Jessica Sorensen [00:11:28]:
And that just, like, leads to this cycle of isolation and feeling like they can't share their experiences. Grief and loss is also still there when you go through a failed cycle or you get told that you have to have another surgery before you can pursue treatment or that you have to do another surgery.
Jessica Sorensen [00:11:53]:
Right.
Jessica Sorensen [00:11:54]:
You know, all these things and just really setting that space of like, yes, you are allowed to grieve just like the person next to you. You can hold space for both sets of emotions.
Jessica Sorensen [00:12:07]:
Right.
Jessica Sorensen [00:12:08]:
And then if we jump to the idea of, let's say you do get pregnant and you are so excited, but now you're scared and nervous or you're still thinking about those really challenging times.
Jessica Sorensen [00:12:21]:
Yes.
Jessica Sorensen [00:12:22]:
You can hold space for both. You don't have to dismiss what you went through in order to get pregnant, or you don't have to dismiss your failed cycle as not counting as a loss or miscarriage, because I think it's so valid, and feeling like that is a huge loss.
Alyssa Chavez [00:12:43]:
Yeah, I totally agree. Yeah. And I. This is not something that I've even talked about a whole lot on the podcast, but I have been through IVF myself and did experience a failed round, and I was honestly, because obviously, you know, that that's a possibility going into it. In fact, a high possibility. But I was not prepared for the amount of grief that was going to come along with that. It was. It was a surprise to me, and I kind of didn't know how to.
Alyssa Chavez [00:13:10]:
How to handle that and how to deal with that. So I'm glad that you're speaking to that and just knowing that that's. That's normal, that's part of the healing process for. For so many people.
Jessica Sorensen [00:13:23]:
Yeah. Thank. Well, first off, thank you for sharing that, because I, too, I understand that feeling of it being so vulnerable. I've. I've been through IVF. I've had a failed cycle. And I love that you touch on that feeling of grief, because I know for myself, it was extremely heavy. And you don't realize, I think, going into it, how heavy that grief can be.
Jessica Sorensen [00:13:51]:
You know, I think it's so easy. I often talk to individuals about this, like, idea of a train that we're on during those times of our fertility treatment.
Jessica Sorensen [00:14:02]:
Right.
Jessica Sorensen [00:14:02]:
You get on this train and you're going, and it's so easy to just stay on that train and keep going. And we don't pause to kind of, like, not stay away from the train, but just, like, get off for just a second and take, like, a breath and say, wow, what journey have I been on and what have I gone through? Because I can say for myself speaking, when I went through that failed cycle, it was a surgery that I had to go through. And then, you know, okay, well, these are the next steps, or these are the odds of doing another cycle, and you don't really get that second to say, wait, I've gone through some really heavy things. I think I need a minute to grieve what I've been through. We don't need to dismiss it and put it away.
Alyssa Chavez [00:14:52]:
Yeah. Thank you. And I think that really leads right into the next conversation that I know is something that you talk about a lot, just reproductive trauma. And that's something that is not a term that I was even super familiar with. Again, it's something that's just not really talked about, but I think that really ties into what we've already been touching on so far today. So I was wondering if you can, first of all, just share what that means, because sometimes just having a name to what you're experiencing can be really powerful. So you know that you're not alone and just how somebody who may be struggling with that reproductive trauma can support themselves.
Jessica Sorensen [00:15:35]:
Yeah. So I love that we're touching on this oftentimes, especially what I'm seeing on social media right now, is this growing discussion on birth trauma, which I think is so powerful and exciting to see this movement. So when you hear the words reproductive trauma, really, this is that umbrella term that includes birth trauma as well, but it's referring to any distressing event that's occurred during the experiences related to infertility, pregnancy, birth, postpartum. So really, that whole experience, and this includes the women that are going through these struggles of infertility and IVF and IUI and all these treatments. And it's such a variety of experiences. And I like to say, too, you know, when we say trauma or traumatic responses, we're speaking to those various emotions and, like, those physical reactions that can be felt after a distressing event. And this commonly can happen through the journey of infertility, not just birth and postpartum, because we know, just like we mentioned, our own experiences, these are hard and heavy things. And so going into that, sometimes when we experience something that is traumatic or heavy, difficult.
Jessica Sorensen [00:17:13]:
Right.
Jessica Sorensen [00:17:14]:
Our nervous system can process it and store it where it feels like a distant memory. Maybe we look back on something and it feels a little grainy and foggy. It doesn't give us that emotional reaction that it once did.
Jessica Sorensen [00:17:30]:
Right.
Jessica Sorensen [00:17:31]:
That's this common response of our nervous system, digesting things like it should and storing it. Other times, when we experience things that are really distressful, our nervous system is not quite digesting it the way that it would. Another memory.
Jessica Sorensen [00:17:51]:
Right.
Jessica Sorensen [00:17:52]:
And so this is where it brings in that response, that traumatic response that our bodies are holding on to, because it is trying to keep us safe. And so it's trying to differentiate those things. And I think what I commonly hear is the response of, like, well, I logically know that I'm okay and I'm at home and I'm in this present moment, but I'm feeling, let's say, anxious and overstimulated and I keep thinking about this memory, so to speak.
Jessica Sorensen [00:18:34]:
Right?
Jessica Sorensen [00:18:35]:
And again, that's that example of our bodies trying to keep us safe from all those heavy things that we've been through. And it's proven that when we go through something distressing and traumatic, our nervous system, our brains are still looping in that memory, right? And so, you know, it causes this, like, effect of fight, flight, freeze, fawn response. And that could be a whole conversation. But what I like to say is really, when you, on the day to day, you feel those feelings of fear, which is really what commonly we say is anxiety.
Jessica Sorensen [00:19:21]:
Anxiety.
Jessica Sorensen [00:19:22]:
Is that fear really amplified, just like I mentioned, overstimulation, irritability, low mood, brain fog.
Jessica Sorensen [00:19:32]:
Right.
Jessica Sorensen [00:19:32]:
And so when we're feeling all those things, it's really like giving ourselves grace of saying, this is not something that, like, I'm in control of in this moment. This is my nervous system trying to make sense of these difficult experiences and trying to keep me safe from all of these hard things that I've been through and giving space to it, right. Because so oftentimes when we go through fertility treatment, for example, we are going to appointments, like, every other day, right? We're waiting for that egg retrieval date, so to speak, all these things. And so emotionally, we're putting it in a container and we're putting it on the shelf, and we're like, I'm going to keep going. I need to keep being strong and doing all these things to get from point a to point b. But what happens is we keep putting those things in that container, and if we don't go back to it, that container gets full, it gets dusty, and eventually it wants to explode, and that will happen at the most inconvenient times, and we want to go back to that container. Think of that container as your nervous system needing to digest and store those experiences, because right now it's trying to figure it out and it's doing the best it can through these hard things.
Alyssa Chavez [00:21:12]:
Yeah.
Jessica Sorensen [00:21:13]:
Yeah. So that's one piece of it. I feel like I could continue to talk about it, but from that, you know, it's helpful to know that when our nervous systems are responding to this distressing event, right. It can lead to those emotional mental health impacts, such as that increased risk of anxiety, depression, even PTSD. Again, we are now talking more about the trauma that can happen in, you know, post birth, which is great, or the birthing experience. However, yes, for all the women who have gone through these fertility experiences, it can happen to you, too, right? Like, it is hard stuff and our bodies and our minds are responding to that. And so, you know, what I will say again, when you go back to that idea of that container is it's so important to hold space for your emotions to know that it's okay to grieve and that it's okay to acknowledge the hard things that your mind and body are trying to process and go through. You know, from a therapeutic lens.
Jessica Sorensen [00:22:33]:
Like, we know that we can treat trauma such with modalities like EMDR, which is something that I practice. And it can have profound impacts of letting your nervous system really heal and digest those difficult and traumatic things that people have been through during this journey. But in terms of like, supporting yourself in this experience, if you're like, yes, this is me, I've been through some really hard things and I'm feeling this way, really like seeking professional support from a reproductive or perinatal therapist, someone who is trauma informed, possibly practices EMDR therapy or other trauma informed modalities. Connecting with a support group, going back to that idea of isolation, it can really feel lonely what we're going through. And I think it's really important to find that community because there are people out there that want that same support and are wanting to talk about it when it feels safe to do so. Other things would be like open communication, talking to your medical team if you need to like take a breath and regroup, or if you have an idea of what feels empowering for you on your journey, speaking to that boundaries, knowing who feels safe to talk to, who doesn't and giving yourself permission to say, I'm going to keep, you know, this person handy to talk to, but maybe I'm going to take a step back in this space because this feels dismissive to my experience and knowing that's okay. I often say that, you know, when somebody's coming to you and either asking you of something or you're, you know, asking of your experience before you respond, are you genuinely wanting to respond to that person and give share your experience or are you saying no to what you need? Right. Like are you quickly responding and then you just feel icky because that didn't feel honoring to what you needed.
Jessica Sorensen [00:24:59]:
And I think that's really important, saying yes to yourself on this journey. We don't need to do everything. We don't need to keep it all together. We are allowed to say this is hard and to take a step back. And then that goes into giving yourself that opportunity to grieve, giving yourself opportunity for self care. If you think about yourself on that train, on that fertility journey, and you can't remember the last time you got off to take care of yourself for a moment. We are so deserving of that self care. And what I often see is when we have this reproductive trauma and our bodies feel out of control or we're grieving and we're going through these hard things, we start to lose the self esteem aspect, the trust with the body.
Jessica Sorensen [00:25:59]:
And so oftentimes discussions I have with individuals is, you know, are you feeling like you trust your body? Are you feeling in tune with it? And if you're not, like, let's talk about it and find a space that we can get you back to trusting it, because a lot of the times through these fertility journey, you're. You're losing that lack, you know, that sense of trust and that self esteem. So giving yourself that time to get back in tune with it, I think is really important and also helpful for grounding our bodies when we are feeling this traumatic response that we talked about.
Jessica Sorensen [00:26:42]:
Right.
Jessica Sorensen [00:26:42]:
That fight, flight, freeze, or fawn response that can happen.
Alyssa Chavez [00:26:47]:
Nice. Yeah. Thank you. I love all the actionable tips that you're giving because I personally find that it's really empowering just to know that there's something like, you have some tools in your tool belt that you can refer back to when you're in those moments when you're struggling or trying to figure out what the next best step is for yourself and all the things. So I love that you're giving us some actual tools that we can use along the way. Love it.
Jessica Sorensen [00:27:16]:
Yeah. Yeah. You know, I think that it's hard. We. We can hear things and be like, okay, but what do I actually do? What do I do next to help with this? And I think just like you mentioned, right. Having those tools on hand is really helpful. So starting off small and saying, just even saying, like, I'm going to walk away today knowing and recognizing that, you know, my reproductive journey has been hard, I'm going to say yes to myself and my emotions today. That's a huge win.
Jessica Sorensen [00:27:52]:
And just acknowledging that.
Alyssa Chavez [00:27:55]:
Yeah, absolutely. Is. I totally agree. Now, we've touched base a little bit already today on the topic of grief. And I know that this is something that is challenging for a lot of people to just look at in the first place, much less talk about, have a conversation around. And I think that's where mental health professionals like yourself can be really beneficial. But, of course, when you are going through the infertility journey, especially if you've had pregnancy loss, miscarriage you know, those failed transfers we were talking about, any of the things that can come along with that. Of course, grief is something that comes up for so many people, and it just can be something that's so big and challenging to cope with.
Alyssa Chavez [00:28:43]:
And I know you already gave us so many wonderful tools along the way, but I was wondering if you can give us a little bit of an idea of just where to even begin if you are struggling with the grief. And what are some of the strategies and tools that you would use with clients or that you would just recommend with, uh, or patients. Sorry for you. That you would recommend, you know, people to help to work through that grief?
Jessica Sorensen [00:29:11]:
Yeah, I think that this is a great question and a good thing to touch on with the differences of, like, reproductive trauma and grief. So grief is a highly personal experience, and I always like to say it is not a linear experience. And a lot of the times I see individuals who have this expectation that their grief should be on a timeline of, like, these stages that we often hear about. And, you know, I think it's important to recognize that, again, our grief is unique, and you do not have to just get over it. You do not have to hit these stages of grief perfectly and walk through it and be like, okay, I'm ready to move on. I feel better. Grief is much more. It's deeper than that.
Jessica Sorensen [00:30:12]:
Right.
Jessica Sorensen [00:30:13]:
And so when we are looking at the differences of reproductive trauma and grief, they can feel really intertwined. So, like, you know, I have my hands together and, like, interlocking my fingers, but they really can feel intertwined. And what we want to do in, let's say, the therapeutic process is really peel those two things apart. So just like I mentioned before, we know we can treat trauma with evidence based modalities such as EMDR therapy, others grief is this different process. It's actually giving space to really process your grief, honor it, something that we don't have to store and put away. So really starting with acknowledging it and validating that you're on your grieving path and, you know, whether it's going through the fertility treatment process, going through pregnancy loss, birth trauma, whatever it might be, is knowing that, like, your grief is an expression of love. And so your love doesn't have to go away.
Jessica Sorensen [00:31:37]:
Right.
Jessica Sorensen [00:31:38]:
It may change and evolve. It may get to a point that you can honor it and then go back and you're doing what you were doing, right? Like, going through your daily routine, it will get easier, but it doesn't have to go away, and you don't have to tuck it away and move on. So when you feel like you're in the depths of your grief and it feels really heavy, knowing that it's going to be a journey and one day you're going to get to this, you know, path where you can be doing something, you're out with your family, let's say, and you think about it and you honor it, and then you're able to be present with your family.
Jessica Sorensen [00:32:24]:
Right.
Jessica Sorensen [00:32:25]:
But to get to that journey where you're able to navigate it in this smooth way, so to speak, start with acknowledging it and validating it and knowing that it doesn't have to go away and that you don't have to dismiss it. Seeking support.
Jessica Sorensen [00:32:46]:
Right.
Jessica Sorensen [00:32:47]:
Knowing that it's important to process and talk about if it feels safe to do so and honoring for you, finding ways to express your grief. So if you are the type of person that's like, I really don't feel ready to talk about it, that's okay. Let's find ways to digest it. Whether that's journaling through your experience, scheduling a time to grieve. I know that can sound silly to some, but genuinely, like, if you're going through your work day and you're like, feeling, you know, that impact, you're feeling that little mood or you're feeling anxious and it's that grief coming up, schedule some time to sit down and to honor it, I think that's really important. Connecting with nature and moving your body.
Jessica Sorensen [00:33:41]:
Right.
Jessica Sorensen [00:33:42]:
Establishing boundaries again, that feel honoring for you. You don't have to talk to everybody about your grief. And you can pick and choose who those people are. And then again, giving yourself permission for self care. And self care does not have to be something big or something that you have to, like, leave the house for, so to speak. It can be something as simple as nourishing your body with, you know, nutritional foods, not skipping a meal, going on a walk or just sitting out in the sunshine. If you're recovering from, you know, a surgery or, and, you know, an experience from your pregnancy journey, really, like leaning into the little things I think is so important.
Alyssa Chavez [00:34:33]:
Yeah, I totally agree on that. I love all of that. That's all things that can be such a powerful practice as you're, as you're going through that. And again, just having actionable tools in your tool belt, I go back to that again, I think is super powerful and important when you're along that journey because it can just feel so big and heavy and powerful and overwhelming. And I love that you're giving us some. Some tools that we can use along the way. Now, I know that you just touched on this a little bit as well, and I know that it's something that you and I are both big believers in, is that connection between your mind, your body, and your spirit, that we're all. We are human beings.
Alyssa Chavez [00:35:19]:
We are a whole body. We are a whole person. And I was wondering if that's something that you could touch base on a little bit and just how women can support themselves through those multiple modalities and kind of zooming out and looking at the big picture.
Jessica Sorensen [00:35:36]:
Yeah. So it is definitely something that I'm passionate about, is this holistic lens. And, you know, we talked just really briefly on, like, your nervous system, but that is so connected in how, you know, we're looking at our mind, body, our spirit, everything. And to get back in tune with that, we want to lean into different modalities that are speaking to each of those layers. And that's something that's really important to, I think, both of us. So I had somebody say to me this or share with me this table analogy on my endo infertility journey, and it's something that I hold on to in my practice as a therapist as well. And it's this analogy of a table. And so you have this table with your four legs, and you need all four legs to stand, stand up.
Jessica Sorensen [00:36:33]:
Right.
Jessica Sorensen [00:36:34]:
You need for this table to be sturdy. So one of the legs is stress, movement, sleep, and nutrition. And so when you think about this table with all four legs, we want it to stand up. And oftentimes, my clients will be like, okay, I need to take care of my stress, my movement, my sleep, and my nutrition. And we don't need to do all of these at once.
Jessica Sorensen [00:37:01]:
Right?
Jessica Sorensen [00:37:02]:
So let's say they're working with you and they're working on nutrition. They start with their healthy eating habits, really nourishing their body, and that is going to give us energy to move our bodies, and then it's giving us that ability to sleep better, and then we're decreasing our stress. And so it's all coming together to get that table to stand up. And so I really like to think about that table not only on my journey, but on my clients journeys of saying, start off really small with self care. It doesn't have to be this really big thing where we go on, like, a vacation, right? Starting with the basics of, like, our holistic mind, body, and spirit nourish our body. Let's think about our sleeping habits and our movement. So when we go to this idea of, like, our mind that can be therapeutic support. It could be implementing healthy breathing habits that are really grounding for our body, especially if we're having that traumatic response that we talked about.
Jessica Sorensen [00:38:18]:
And then we can go to body. This can be yoga. That's very grounding for our body when we're having those trauma responses. Getting outside and walking, it may sound silly, but even walking barefoot in the grass, picking up some ice cubes and holding them in your hands.
Jessica Sorensen [00:38:37]:
Right.
Jessica Sorensen [00:38:38]:
Really getting in tune with your response to your body and then with your spirit, connecting with nature. Journaling, I think is really helpful for this. Just as I mentioned earlier, oftentimes I see this level of distrust with our bodies and what we're going through on this journey. And I think it's really helpful to take that time to lean into that, like, spiritual aspect, whatever it might be, and then the nutritional support.
Jessica Sorensen [00:39:09]:
Right.
Jessica Sorensen [00:39:10]:
Nourishing our bodies, not skipping meals, really treating our bodies almost with this, like, level of respect of what am I giving it and gaining back that trust. And then, you know, the other aspect of letting that all come together over time again, we don't have to do all of these things at once. So all going back to that table, right. We don't need to put up all four legs at the same time. It's going to take time, and that's okay. But just picking something small to start with and building that into your daily routine can be so helpful on this journey.
Alyssa Chavez [00:39:54]:
Yeah, I absolutely agree on that. That's something that I definitely work on with my clients as well, is it's okay to go slow. Right. We don't have to completely flip your life upside down. In fact, I feel like most of the time when you try to make too many changes at once, it ends up becoming just overwhelming and unsustainable in the long run because there's just so much happening, so many changes. And I really love, and especially because when you're going through an infertility journey there, you already have a lot going on just with that. Right. So trying to add in all the things may not be the most beneficial, but find the thing that maybe resonates with you most right now that your body is telling you it needs the most and starting with that and then take it one little piece at a time.
Alyssa Chavez [00:40:41]:
I love that.
Jessica Sorensen [00:40:43]:
Yeah, definitely. Even if it's just something as simple as rest.
Jessica Sorensen [00:40:47]:
Right.
Jessica Sorensen [00:40:48]:
Oftentimes we feel this, like we're not allowed to rest. We need to do more. And during these journeys of fertility pregnancy, wherever you may be knowing that rest is productive and that is a part of that holistic lens of looking at our mind, body and spirit and knowing what it needs and leaning into that.
Alyssa Chavez [00:41:10]:
Yep, totally agree. Yeah. Well, I feel like we have covered a lot today, and I think there's so much in this episode. This might be one that you save and come back to when you need a new tool. Right. Maybe you pick one thing from this episode that really resonated with you. Work with that for a little while, see how that feels in your body, and then you can always come back and listen to this all over again and find another little nugget that will help you moving forward and kind of use that as an ongoing process. I think that could be really powerful.
Alyssa Chavez [00:41:43]:
Is there anything else that you feel like you would love to touch base on that we haven't talked about yet today?
Jessica Sorensen [00:41:50]:
Yeah, you know, we touched on a lot and went on to different paths, and, you know, it's such a layered experience.
Jessica Sorensen [00:41:57]:
Right?
Jessica Sorensen [00:41:57]:
There's so many things we can talk about. But I always like to say at the end of it is that if you are on this journey and you're needing that space to process these things, just knowing that support is out there, whether, you know, it's reaching for, like, nutritional support, a support group therapy, it is for everyone. You don't have to be at this, like, point of crisis to get that support and just knowing that it's available and that people are out there who really, like, get it and understand what you might be going through.
Alyssa Chavez [00:42:36]:
Nice. Well, thank you. All right, well, thank you so much for being here today, Jessica. It's been such a powerful and beautiful conversation. I love that you're digging into all the layers and all the little nooks and crannies of the experience. Experience. And I'm sure people are going to want to connect with you, hang out with you, learn more about you. Can you tell us a little bit more about where we can find you and potentially work with you in the future?
Jessica Sorensen [00:43:03]:
Yeah. So I am very active on my instagram. I, you know, just kind of spreading education and tips on reproductive and perinatal mental health. That's holistic, perinatal therapist. I also have a free monthly newsletter that I share, wellness tips along this journey, and monthly blog posts that can be helpful, and that is@bloomwelltherapy.com I'd love for anybody to reach out. If questions come up or things resonated. You can send me a message on either my website or Instagram. I'm active on, on both nice.
Alyssa Chavez [00:43:42]:
Thank you. And I will link all that in the show notes. So if you need to go back and reference that later, you can find all of that information there. And thank you so much for being with us today.
Jessica Sorensen [00:43:54]:
Thank you so much for having me. It was, you know, so full circle to be in this space. And thank you for sharing your experience, too. Of course.
Alyssa Chavez [00:44:04]:
Yeah. Happy to. And I hope that this has helped some of you out there along your journey. This is why I do what I do. And I know for you as well. So I hope that this has been helpful for everybody, sending you all lots of love and have a wonderful day. Bye.