How to Release Emotional Blockages + Dorrado

In this episode, Muunie explores the transformative power of music and creative expression in mental health recovery. She shares her inspiring journey from depression to emotional liberation through art, dance, and energy healing.

"Using self-expression as a channel for healing"

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction and guest overview
02:01 Using art therapy and energy healing for recovery
03:30 The healing power of music and dance
06:00 Live music performance and creative process
08:05 Advice for those struggling with mental health
09:02 Upcoming album 'Dorrado' and its inspiration
10:02 Future plans and living in Oaxaca
10:53 Daily mental health practices and self-care
12:05 Where to find the guest's music and resources

"Moving the body helps rewire the brain"

Other Takeaways:
*The journey from depression to self-love
*Overcoming shame through self-expression
*The role of music in emotional healing
*Moving the body releases emotional blockages.
*The benefits of ecstatic dance and movement
*Creating a music-based healing journey
*Practical mental health tips for daily life

Click here to watch the video version of this episode.

After the show, enjoy her first episode from March 15, 2022 to follow her journey by clicking here.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:10

A mental health break. We are bringing back a familiar guest after overcoming decades of depression. She now helps others get radically free. You've seen her on a mental health break. I'm pretty sure she was on that entrepreneur show a while ago. But in case you missed her, she's an artist, a healer, and also very funny. Her mission is emotional liberation. She's a singer, songwriter, performer, ecstatic dance party leader, soul voice liberator, and energy healer. And as she says, sexiest monkey, but we have a treat for today. A mental health break. We have a live music portion of the show. So get ready. It's great to see you. Welcome back to a mental health break.

SPEAKER_04 0:57

Thank you so much, Vincent. That was a beautiful introduction, and I appreciate it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:02

Hey, fellow podcast hosts, get yourself a podcast information sheet. If you need one, let me know. That's how I'm able to deliver an introduction that resonates and actually makes sense for the host because we help gather information together. But back to a mental health break, right? This is the number one podcast for mental health champions. Thank you so much for tuning in. And as you listen, please remember to share this show with someone you think could use what you are hearing today. We are brought to you today by Living Proof TBI Coaching at LivingProofTBI Coaching.com for your free call for traumatic brain injury survivors, families, and loved ones. But we've got a heck of a show today. I'm so excited to see you back here. Please share your mental health journey, right? What led you to today doing all this great work?

SPEAKER_04 1:52

Absolutely. Yeah. So rewinding, I'm currently 36 years old. And basically, since being a young teenager, I struggled with anxiety and depression and wanted to die and all that juicy stuff that happens when you hate yourself. And yeah, basically over the last whatever 36 minus 13 is 23 years. Meth is not my strong point. I have been trying to understand myself more deeply and understand why this is going on. As I said, I spent a lot of time really depressed, not knowing what my purpose was. And after going through the whole prescribed path of college, all the things, I ended up going back to grad school for my master's in art therapy. And that kind of started me down the track of like, okay, using self-expression as a channel for healing. And my intention was to work as a therapist, doing that as an art therapist, psychology plus visual arts as the main creative modality. But then I burned out myself. I was living in New York City and I wasn't doing the kind of work that I really wanted to be doing. I was working in a nursing home and it was brutal. And I thought, hey, death is cool with me. This will be fine. But it was not. It was the like day in to day out. We're not living. We're just pushing these people around from TV to bed. And it was like devastating. So yeah, I moved to LA. I started doing coaching. And then I did ayahuasca. And then I started to get these downloads about energy healing. So it was like my tool belt just kept widening and widening. And over the course of the things we learn, we heal ourselves. And so a part of my healing process was unearthing my desire to sing and make music and dance. And those were things that I loved as a kid. But there was a lot of shame on top of it. And there wasn't a prescribed path for like, well, how do I combine all of these things to bring this medicine full and keep healing myself? So that's kind of the journey.

SPEAKER_00 3:53

Well, congratulations on how far you've come and all the good you're doing into the world. And in a few minutes, everyone, we're going to get that song sample as she's talking about her music. But as far as mental health benefits you find with music, as you said, your creative modality of choice, describe how that makes you feel. Because there may be some music lovers out there. There may be some people who never thought of finding music for that outlet to fill that need, please.

SPEAKER_04 4:20

Yeah. So obviously, when we listen to a song, like we are finding emotional resonance with that singer, that band, like the musical elements, and we're connecting to that frequency. And that's great. And we put on music and it puts us in a hole and it puts us in a world. And one of the most amazing things about that world, which was also what I was starting to touch on with art therapy, is actually getting the body moving, having these processes not just happening through the mind, but moving them through the body, which is one of the biggest benefits that I got when I started doing ecstatic dance, was like starting to little by little comb through these layers of, oh, but how am I gonna look? And how's gonna see me? And what how do I move? What do I do? And just starting to open up these different places in the body. And that's when in combination with the plant medicine stuff, that's when I started to figure out about like, oh, this stuff is really stored. Our emotional traumas, the body holds all this stuff, but the body keeps a score kind of vibe. We can talk about it all day long, but if you're not moving it through your body, that kinesthetic process isn't happening. That transmutation isn't really happening at the level of depth that it needs to for you to really start repatterning your body and your mind. So listening to music and then actually allowing it to move through you and little by little like deleting or rewiring the patterns in your brain and talking about them making music and the process of connecting through making music, creating your own sound, that's a whole nother portal. And the voice becomes this portal to other dimensions. I'll leave it there.

SPEAKER_00 6:02

Hey, well, thank you for the inspiration for everyone. Everyone, each day may not be easy, but we can find things to make that day improve a little bit. She's a great example of music. So with that, a little drum roll on my end. Let's hear a piece of your music. She was very kind to offer that behind the scenes. Like, hey, do you mind? And of course not. And then, of course, when you're done at the end of the episode, we'll tell you how to find this great music, how to get in touch with her.

SPEAKER_04 6:29

Yeah, amazing. I was having some trouble with hearing the guitar. We don't necessarily need it, but I'm gonna test it and see if you can hear it.

SPEAKER_00 6:35

Yeah, test it out. Let's do it.

SPEAKER_04 6:39

You hear that?

SPEAKER_00 6:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 6:41

Okay. All right, amazing. Okay, I'm gonna flow a little bit because that's sort of my vibe. I usually do a little bit of a conversation.

SPEAKER_00 6:47

Hey, thank you for bringing this here, everyone. Be sure to subscribe to stay current so you don't miss shows like this. And now that you've heard a little bit, share it with someone who could find the value of all she has to offer. And with that, the stage is yours.

SPEAKER_02 7:46

Freckles of sunlight Freckles of sunlight dance across the stage dance dance across the stage, dance across the stage, freckles of sunlight freckles of sunlight, freckles of sunlight, dance across the stage.

SPEAKER_03 8:45

Oh my god. Don't be afraid.

SPEAKER_02 9:47

If you're feeling a little bad, if you're feeling a little sad, just put on something good and move your body. If you feel a little bad, oh if you feel a little sad Just put on something and put on something and put on something and put on something and move dance across the sea across the sea across the sea.

SPEAKER_00 10:46

Hey, thank you, everyone. This will be a video episode, so be sure to head to YouTube. You'll see her amazing work, and just a bit you'll see her social channel, so you know where to maybe find some clips of that. But we've talked about your inspiring journey, how far you've come. Say there's someone who was in your shoes, right? Who every day was waking up feeling that same way, but for you it went on years, and you didn't have that advice you needed. Now I see you smiling, doing so many great things. What advice can you give to someone who may be in your shoes right now?

SPEAKER_04 11:19

Take the risk of opening up to someone. Take the risk of opening up.

SPEAKER_00 11:24

And it could be anyone out there, say it's not family or friends. You can go to a coffee shop, you can go to a music store. Maybe that's who you'll bump into. But what's next for you? As we're recording this, finishing up summer as it airs, what's next for you for the rest of the year?

SPEAKER_04 11:41

I am very excited to say that I am working on my next album.

SPEAKER_03 11:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 11:47

It's kind of full-length-ish project, and it's actually a dance journey. It's pop, it's spiritual, it's fun, it's goofy, it's weird, it's healing, it samples therapy sessions of mine, and it is called Dorrado, and it is the search for gold, which is inside of you. It's a dance journey to self-worth. So yeah, I want people dancing, I want people like feeling it and going through their own journeys to discover their creative potential and find their gold.

SPEAKER_00 12:16

What was your inspiration for this project?

SPEAKER_04 12:19

I was actually dancing on the beach as I often do. It was two years ago that I was dancing. I was lucky enough to be in Italy and I was just by myself dancing on the beach like I always do with my headphones, looking like a psycho, like I normally do, worshiping the ocean. And the lyrics to the main chorus just downloaded. I am the treasure. And this idea of my ability to feel that is the goal, that is what matters. And then the whole rest of the album blossomed out of that. And I ended up digging up old songs I wrote when I was super, super depressed. And now they're gonna be like bops. And I am so excited to take people through this journey.

SPEAKER_00 12:58

Yeah, I'm excited for you. And she's got a lot of other great music on here. I think you came on the show once when you were releasing another EP or something a few years ago. Where in the world are you now?

SPEAKER_04 13:09

Right now I am in Oaxaca, Mexico. I've been living in Puerto Escondido for two years, but I'm about to move again. I am possibly starting being a part of starting a eco-community land project in Costa Rica. So I'm gonna be doing a lot of traveling and I'm gonna be trying to get like a community of loving friends to join me and protect the earth, protect the land.

SPEAKER_00 13:32

Yeah, I'm trying to think where you were the last time we spoke.

SPEAKER_04 13:36

Probably LA. I was living in LA, I think.

SPEAKER_00 13:39

Maybe. Yeah. I was gonna say somewhere really cool, so I don't want to discount that, right? I wonder if you're great online, everyone. You get her music, you get her journey. And before I let you go, we talked about some advice to give to someone in your shoes, but now that you are finding your way on the other side, right? A great example that, hey, a bad day today doesn't mean a bad tomorrow. What are things that you're doing day to day, maybe to take care of your mental health, to prioritize that feeling?

SPEAKER_04 14:05

Yeah. Well, again, to bring it back to moving the body, there's so much resistance that comes up for me, still, even like waking up. You know how good it feels to go to a yoga class, you know how good it feels to dance, to see friends, what whatever the thing is that just gets you out of your head, but your head is gonna pile on a bunch of reasons you shouldn't. And so for me, it's really like whatever that thing that kind of propels you through the resistance is. For me, it's honestly a love of myself and a love of how it feels when I do those things and remembering to put a coin and investing in that girl, bringing that bad bitch back by doing those things, moving my body a certain way. And sometimes it looks like screaming, and sometimes it looks like crying, and sometimes it looks like texting a friend, like, I'm like shit, wherever you can start.

SPEAKER_00 14:54

Oh my gosh. Yes, that's right, everyone. Take care of yourselves. It looks different for everyone, but we are not on this journey alone. If you feel alone, that's what this podcast is for to give you a new episode every week and a great guest. So, everyone, be sure to share with a friend the amazing episode she brought with us today. Please subscribe, leave a review to stay current, help us grow the show. And now, where can we find you online and the new music?

SPEAKER_04 15:18

Yes. So, not that many places can you find me online because for me, I'm like, I can't do Instagram. Instagram is not the best drug.

SPEAKER_00 15:28

You're right. You're right.

SPEAKER_04 15:30

My music is on YouTube and Spotify and all the music platforms where you can find music, but YouTube is specifically the best one because you can watch my videos. I released one sort of recently where I'm singing a version of that song. Ooh. The river, and it's like a live recording at the river. So peaceful vibes, river vibes, live looping, and also playlists that you can move to. So yeah, that's the goal. Get everybody moving.

SPEAKER_00 15:52

All right, everyone. Well, go check out all the great work she did and continues to do. Please share her amazing effort today with someone who comes to mind. As you heard the episode, let them know they are not alone. My name is Vincent A. Lancy, and thank you for supporting and keeping this show a top 5% global show. I look forward to bringing you each and every episode, as I hope it always helps you remember you are not alone. Thank you so much for coming back on.

SPEAKER_02 16:19

My pleasure. Thanks.