In this episode, Myrna sits down with James, the founder of Soma Reset Toronto and the creator behind the widely followed TikTok account Nervous System Care Toronto, where millions have discovered his grounded, accessible teachings on regulating the nervous system. Together, they explore what it truly means to come home to your body — not as a cliché, but as a disciplined, loving practice rooted in somatic science, safety, and self-compassion. James shares how he developed his approach to nervous system care, why so many people feel disconnected from themselves, and the gentle methods he uses to help clients re-pattern stress responses that have been decades in the making. This conversation moves between the deeply practical and the deeply human: -how the body stores survival responses -why regulation is relational -what healing looks like when we honour slowness -the power of simple, daily practices that build resilience from the inside out Whether you're a practitioner, a survivor, or someone curious about why soma-based work resonates across millions online, this episode offers insight, clarity, and a reminder that healing the nervous system is not a trend — it's a return to who we were before the world asked us to shut down.
In this powerful episode of The Trauma-Informed Lawyer Podcast, Myrna welcomes James, the somatic practitioner behind Soma Reset Toronto and the viral TikTok account Nervous System Care Toronto, where he has become a trusted voice on trauma, embodiment, and nervous system regulation.
James has a unique ability to translate complex somatic principles into simple, humane, tangible practices. His work resonates because it is grounded in the body, not theory — and because he speaks from a place of humility, lived experience, and deep compassion for the human condition.
Together, Myrna and James explore what it means to reconnect with the body after trauma and stress, why healing requires slowness, and how nervous system care is actually a path toward personal liberation.
In This Episode, We Explore:
✨ What a dysregulated nervous system looks and feels like
James breaks down the signs we often overlook — the ways our bodies communicate distress long before our minds catch up.
✨ Why regulation is relational
We heal through connection, attunement, and being witnessed. James explains how co-regulation shapes safety and eventually leads to self-regulation.
✨ Trauma as a bodily imprint, not a story
They discuss why insight alone doesn’t shift survival responses, and how somatic practices create change that talking cannot reach.
✨ The importance of slowness in healing
James shares why slow work is not “less work” — it’s nervous-system-friendly work. The body moves at the pace of safety, not urgency.
✨ How simple, consistent practices reshape the system
James offers examples of easy, daily nervous system resets that help build resilience and reduce chronic activation.
✨ Why somatic work is exploding online
From TikTok trends to collective burnout, they touch on why so many people are increasingly turning toward body-based healing.
About James (Soma Reset Toronto)
James is a somatic practitioner and educator based in Toronto. Through his practice, Soma Reset, and his fast-growing TikTok presence under Nervous System Care Toronto, he offers accessible teachings on nervous system regulation, trauma physiology, and embodied healing. His content has helped millions understand their patterns, reconnect with their bodies, and explore somatic work in a grounded, non-performative way.
Key Takeaways
Healing happens in the body first, story second.
Regulation is built in connection, not isolation.
The nervous system responds to consistency more than intensity.
Slow is safe. Slow is sustainable. Slow is healing.
Somatic work is not a trend — it is a remembering.
Connect with James
Soma Reset Toronto : https://somabody.com/pages/somareset
TikTok: @nervoussystemcaretoronto
Instagram: @somabody_
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>>Myrna McCallum: Hi, folks. Can you believe that we are at season four of the Trauma Informed Lawyer podcast? I certainly cannot believe it and I appreciate all of you for sticking with me through all of it and the delays and dropping episodes. I promise this season I'm going to be giving you a lot of content and on a more regular, predictable basis. I want to say that since I started this podcast, I don't know how long ago now, years ago, my evolution and my education has certainly, like, increased least. And I believe that becoming trauma informed in any respect is just the baseline, the bare minimum that we can do. The work for us is to become trauma responsive, culturally responsive, to become just and equitable, and to center humanity and integrity in all of the work that we do. In the spirit of that, the episodes, the conversations that are coming forward are intended to reflect that. And as I have come to learn, and probably you, the listener on understand, this conversation isn't just for lawyers and judges and law enforcement, like I, my initial intended audience. It has, like, spanned the globe, from lawyers to leaders to advocates, activists, practitioners, physicians, politicians. So many people listen to this content. Why? Because we are all dealing with human beings and all human beings are experiencing some degree of suffering, including ourselves. And so the work for us is to recognize that in each other, adapt and adjust accordingly so we do no further harm.
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>>Myrna McCallum: Hi James, welcome to the Trauma Informed Lawyer podcast. I'm really excited to have you.
>> James: Hi Myrna, nice to, nice to be here. Thanks for having me.
>> Myrna McCallum : I have to say, James, I, came across you on TikTok, which is sadly, where I get most of my education and information these days because my capacity to read a book is like, diminishing. And I immediately like, dialed in to all of your content. And and I, I don't want to describe what it is that you were talking about, what you talk about, and I'd like you to do that for yourself. So for our listeners, what would you like to say about who you are, where you're zooming in from for this interview and what it is that you do?
>> James: Yeah, so I mean, the title that I operate under is a Craniosacral Therapist, which is not so well known. it's a method of hands on therapy, that works with your craniosacral system, which essentially means everything from your skull, your head to your tailbone and everything within that, which is the central nervous system of your brain and spinal cord. So I am a hands on therapist. I help and work with people going through things like anxiety, insomnia, but I don't treat any particular diagnoses. I am more of a complementary therapy for people to help, people find a better connection with themselves, a better way to operate in their lives, to feel good in their lives. and that's what I do. I'm calling in from Toronto, Canada. That's where I'm based. and I've done this work for about a few years now.
>> Myrna McCallum : Okay, that is really interesting. I have questions about that. But can I ask, like, what inspired you to take this path?
>> James: Yeah. So originally the real instigator at the start was my own pain. So I had a lot of chronic neck and back pain. about 15 years ago I went bungee, jumping in South America, which in hindsight I don't recommend for everyone. But I got injured with a huge whiplash which resulted in me, suffering with very bad neck and back pain, and going through many different modalities trying to heal myself, trying to heal my pain. I tried so many different things. I tried massage, chiropractic, and through this journey I found what was called osteopathy and this method of treatment. and eventually that was a huge help to me. So I wanted to share that with other people as well. So that's really what got me onto this modality and this way of treatment and healing. and what inspired me to share it with other people.
>> Myrna McCallum : Okay, so on TikTok you talk about nervous system care, I think is that's your hand, like that's your handle sort of. Right? Nervous system.
>> James: Yeah, nervous. Nervous system care, Toronto.
>> Myrna McCallum : Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, let's talk a little bit about that. Like, how did that, like, did it morph into like nervous system care or is this really what it. This is?
>> James: It is technically what it is. It is essentially what I'm trying to get at with my hands on therapy. But the reason why I named my account Nervous System Care and why I have that as the main theme of my account and my, and my quote unquote marketing is because it's more understandable by people. When I say craniosacral, it's very niche. very few people know about it. And when you hear that it means nothing to people. Whereas when I say nervous system, I think as a general society we're starting to get a little bit more awareness around that concept. and people are, it's, it's part of people's vocabulary now. and I think a lot of people are. Even if they don't know much about it, a lot of people are intuitively feeling that nervous system is important and it has a big, impact on their health. and I just found that it was a great doorway that people can enter into to see a little bit more of my work and what I do. And at the end of the day, it is what I primarily have in mind when I am working with people. So.
>> Myrna McCallum : Okay, this is interesting. so cranial cranial sacral therapy. I tried it one time and, I was having a lot of, like, neck pain, shoulder pain. Like, this is where I carry a lot of my tension. And normally I will go for a deep tissue massage. Like, essentially I'm. I tell massage therapist, like, beat me up and leave me, like, you know, just whatever. And so, but then somebody suggested to me maybe you should try something different, because that doesn't seem to. You just keep coming back, coming back, coming back. Right. And, And so my experience was this, like, I didn't have to get undressed, I kind of laid on a massage table type of thing. This woman didn't even really touch me. She just kind of moved her hands around, like my head and my neck. And then I don't know what happened. James. I, like, start crying. Like, like I wasn't necessarily feeling a well of emotions, but, like, my eyes were doing crying things and like something was happening in the body. And it totally at the time freaked me out because I'm not a. Ah, you know, I'm, I was a lock it down kind of person. And now I'm crying in front of a stranger. And I couldn't articulate why, but that was the experience I had. And is that kind of, is that how you would describe how it goes sometimes for people?
>> James: Yeah, sometimes. Sometimes, definitely. essentially what I try to do is create space. Create space and time for you and your body to express and process what you need to process. And sometimes a lot of those things are subconscious, so we are not aware of what we need to process in that moment. but when we create that space and when we create that opportunity, it comes to surface and that can be emotions. we hold a lot of emotions, we carry a lot of emotions around. a lot of the times when we live our lives day to day, there's not great opportunities to express those emotions and for those emotions to come out. for example, when we're at work, we might be feeling things like anger, sadness, but it's not Appropriate to express those things. so we end up carrying it around. Like you said, when you lay on the table and all those distractions are gone and we support your body and we support you on that table, those things come to surface.
>> Myrna McCallum : Okay, interesting. And so nervous system care, I mean what I tend to hear from folks as a lawyer is people will talk about stress management, they'll talk about self care, they'll talk about workload management. And I think one of the first tiktoks that got my attention where I came across you was you were talking about like high performing individuals and sort of what, what the experience is for those types of people generally and kind of like what is the consequence on your nervous system. Do you want to talk a little bit about, about what you said there and why it was that you spoke directly to people who are high performers or like always on the go, what inspired that?
>> James: Yeah, so yeah, I would describe my core audience and my core group of people that I serve are people who are what I call high functioning, high performing whether it's high level executives, professionals, moms who are always on the go, who are always expected to perform, to show up, to get things done, to carry things. Whether that's emotional, whether that's physical, but because they are expected at so many different places at such high levels, they never really get the opportunity to come down, connect back with themselves and have an opportunity to process their own needs and fulfill their own needs. And what ends up happening is they, themselves and their bodies and their minds become the most neglected in their lives. so what I really try to address in my TikToks and the core theme of my TikToks is really putting yourself first. Even when it feels selfish and trying to decondition that. Trying to decondition that self care is selfish and trying to get across that we show up best for other people when our cups are full, as cliche as that is and to serve and to show up from an overflow rather than depletion. so the key theme that I see across people that I serve is people really going after what they want to achieve. Whether that's ah, whether that's their career, whether that's serving their families. but having spent years and decades of getting there and they've gotten there, they've gotten successful and they're, they are very high performing, they're very high status but along the way they really lost the ability and they traded off their ability to Rest and to come down and to downregulate their nervous system. Because when we are high functioning, our nervous systems are heightened. It's at, a state of overdrive. It's useful when we're high functioning. It allows us to perform. But when we stay up in that heightened state for too long, our nervous systems literally forget how to come back down. And that's when we get things like insomnia. That's when we have people laying in bed or sitting on the couch, not knowing how to rest, how to be at peace, because they're so wired in this heightened state. so that's what I do. That's. I help people kind of come back down, help their nervous systems remember how to relax again, how to heal again, and try to convince their systems that it's. It's okay to do that. It's. It's safe to be at ease. It's safe to rest.
>> Myrna McCallum : I have to say, listening to you, James, I wish you were in Vancouver. there would be, like, lineups around the block for you, and I would be there, and I'd probably be like, spending all of my money just seeing you on a daily basis. Because I would say, like, as a lawyer, a longtime lawyer, I've been a crown prosecutor, so I've been in litigation, in trials. Exactly. That heightened state you're talking about, like, fight or flight, right? And mostly it's fight because you're in an adversarial process, and you've got to show up and you've got to fight. And what I've seen happen in those spaces, for lawyers, for judges, for a lot of people, is that we don't know how to. Exactly what you said. We don't know how to come back down. So the thing that serves us and makes us so effective in the courtroom, that fight mode ends up being, like, the thing that follows us into our homes, into our relationships. So it's like, we don't know when to stop fighting. And we do it so long that eventually it starts to look like our personality. Like, we're abrasive, we're combative, we're confrontational. And I know after having done some work, like, who I really am is beyond that. Like, that's my stress response, that's my survival response. That's the thing that has allowed me to excel in some environments, but it's not who I am. And when I try to relax, as you say, like, I just took the last six months off work, and literally, James, I'm, like, on the Sofa. My fingers are tapping the table, my feet are swinging around like my body's like we should go we to do something. Because I'm always on the go doing something, making something happen. I mean my kids will call me a workaholic. I prefer high performer but whatever language right. And so my body is like go go go. Even though I'm trying so desperately to just like be still, go for walks in the forest, hang out with my dog, relax. But I find my brain wants to distract itself so I spend a lot of time on TikTok. I mean you know some people give in to the kitkats or they give in to the weed or the whatever it. For me it's totally like it's tick tock and like the doom scrolling and I know you talk about that in some of your videos and so and I come from a place of survival. Like I grew up in a really violent household where it wasn't safe to be there. It wasn't safe to be in my body. It wasn't safe to be me. As an Indigenous woman that has just continued living in Canada where you know, people know that they could murder us and no one's going to look for us. Like that's just a real reality. So for those people who have like their baseline is just pure survival all the time, what is something that you would say to them to help them begin to feel some sense of ease in the body when their body's never really known ease? James, what would you say and I know that's a lot to like ask of you but.
>> James: Yeah, I mean the first thing that I'll say is if, if you're listening to this and you do find yourself doing things like you know, doom scrolling giving into Kit Kats as you say, things like that are essentially at the end of the day attempts to soothe ourselves, soothe ourselves from the deep anxiety discomfort that we might be feeling in our bodies. And I think the first thing that I'll is to not to demonize those things and to understand that it's the best tool that you have currently to feel better and not to feel guilty about that because I think feeling guilty about that, demonizing them and beating yourself up over those actions is further detrimental to what you're going through. So yeah, being, being easy on yourself, giving yourself the grace, recognizing that you are participating in those things because you are suffering, because you are experiencing discomfort deep down I think is the first thing that I'll say. The second thing is Trying to change your environment to give yourself a little bit more space and time to do the work. the. The first thing that I usually recommend to my clients when they are in an activated state and they're chronically stuck there, is really locking time and space in your calendar where you can be by yourself, away from your family, away from your job, but time, where it's really dedicated for yourself and just yourself alone.
>> James: How that relates to the nervous system is that our nervous system's number one job is to react to our environment. So when there's stimulus around us, and by stimulus, I mean sounds, demands, responsibilities, light. It could be sensory things, or it could be things that we have to do or we're expected to do. So when those things are there around us, our number one reaction will be to respond to those things. And when we are in that state of response and that state of reaction, there won't be any time or opportunity for your system to actually come down and start healing. So really, when we do want to heal and when we do want to come down from that activated and heightened state, the number one thing is changing and influencing your environment to reduce that stimulus. this can look like, if I put it into more practical terms, this can look like putting time in your calendar where you're truly keeping that space sacred for yourself. So, turning off notifications, not going on your phone, not answering the phone, even if your boss is calling, even if your kids are calling, but really protecting that boundary and that time in your calendar just for yourself. and within that time period, it's a little bit more flexible how you spend that time. But it could be things like going for a walk out in nature, taking a bath. It's really the cliche things at the end of the day, what you do with that time. But it has to be time where you are spending just for yourself, giving yourself space and helping yourself also physically relax. So giving yourself physical cues where it signals to your body that it's safe to relax and come down. having said that, it can be very difficult at first. So when you first kind of secure that time for yourself and sit down, you might get antsy, you might feel anxious, you might not know what to do. And that's very common. but this process and this work is really about repetition, and constantly reminding your nervous system and letting it learn and convincing it that over time it is actually safe to come down and safe to be still and safe to be at peace.
>> Myrna McCallum : Hey, that's great advice. And I'm thinking about folks who don't, have a lot of time. Right. Like, I, I would see one of the manifestations of particularly people in the legal profession is they're always busy, always. The schedule is packed full. And I would say I think this is an indication of being in flight mode. Like, if we're always constantly on the go, constantly busy, constantly amped up, there's no time to feel, no time to process, and you can push down, like, the horrible that you were just exposed to or the horrible graphic evidence that you just had to, like, navigate, because you're moving on to next thing and next thing. But what I've come to understand is, you know, it's, like vicarious trauma. It's cumulative. It just piles up, piles up, piles up. And then eventually your life somehow blows up in, like, anxiety, depression, a moment of crisis, a dui, a thing, like something happens that brings your life to a sudden halt, and you've got to address the things. And so for those folks who have a pattern of doing that and who are recognizing that, because, like, I promote a lot of self awareness, like, let's just think about how we show up and how we do what we do. and still those folks who will say, ah, but, you know, my life is pretty busy. Like, I don't have control. Like, there's a lot of demands, external demands. I need to meet them. If you've only got five minutes between the things that you have to do, what is something that somebody can do, James, to bring their body back to a place of, like, you know, where they're not in a state of, like, hyper or hypo arousal, where they can maybe get to a baseline of calm, relax, something grounded. Like, what is the thing that they can do even if they've. They're short on time?
>> James: Why don't we take one minute right now and actually do it? Let's do it. Let's do a grounding exercise. Let's do something that literally takes a minute. It's something that I highly recommend you do between your meetings, between zoom meetings, or between in person meetings. So if you're going into a meeting, taking one minute to do this, if you're coming out of a meeting, taking one minute, the end of the workday, let's say you're driving home and you're about to enter your house, doing this in your car, so taking one minute of what we're about to do throughout your day so that you can repeatedly come back down into your body and remind yourself that your body is here, that you can be safe in your body throughout your day so that you're not forgetting about yourself and your body. To end up at the end of the day and being like, oh, my God, where did that day go? so, yeah, let's first close our eyes. So you're sitting in your seat, closing your eyes. Let's put your left hand around your heart area. Let's put your right hand around your belly. And at, first, just don't do anything. And slowly, you might start to notice your breathing. And if you are having trouble what I figuring out what I mean by noticing your breathing, Try to feel for your hands rising and falling with each inhale and each exhale. So you might notice with each inhale, your belly and chest rises. And each exhale, belly and chest falls. Stay with your breath and feel your breathing for another few breaths. And while you're doing this, if you have thoughts come into your mind, we don't have to try to block those thoughts. Just let those thoughts happen. And then gently bring yourself back to noticing your breathing. And then now imagine taking a pitcher of water, and someone's pouring that pitcher of water from above your head. M. Right onto your head. And you're feeling that water wash your body from your head down to your neck, your chest, your belly, down your legs and down to the feet and the ground. Let the water wash away everything into the ground. And, let's take one more deep breath, Let it all out, and let's come back. Open your eyes when you're ready. Yeah. So just notice how you feel now compared to one to two minutes ago. So it's a very quick, small thing that we can do, anywhere, really. and this is just one variation. There's a lot of different variations. but it's just something that you can do anywhere, anytime. You don't need any tools. Something that brings you back into your body, Something that reminds you of your body and. Yeah. Helping your system relax a little bit. Yeah. How do you feel, Myrna?
>> Myrna McCallum : Oh, my God. I'm, like, smiling, James. I don't smile a lot. No, I'm working on it. But I'm smiling because I'm like. When we started this conversation before we recorded, you asked me how I was doing, and I was like, you know, life is, like, life. Life is lifing sometimes. Right? Like, it's hard to say. We're witnesses to so much, like, horrific violence every time we pick up our physical phone and there's all this happening, and then that moment of, like you and I doing that exercise, I don't know why I. I came out of that with a smile, but I think part of it was my body remembered kind of why I'm alive, and that I am alive. And life doesn't have to be just horror and grief and suffering, which is what a lot of us are experiencing exposed to right now. So that was an awesome exercise. And anyone can do it. You could do it in your office, you could take a moment in the washroom. And at your office, you could do it in the car if you're pulled over or you're sitting in traffic for a long time. It's so important, especially when we're in a. In a, I don't know if it's a time or if it's always been this way, James, but I feel like so many of us are often running from our bodies. We're running from our feelings. We fear our feelings, we believe our feelings are fact. And, we. And there's so much call to disconnect, to be distracted. And what I am, realizing for sure is people are. Are. Are deeply, deeply seeking connection, but they're looking for it in these things that are highly disconnected. And this is one way where you can imagine. Immediately start to cultivate your own. The power of your own ability to connect. Right. Connect with your body.
>> James: Yeah, I, I really think it comes from the. This ease and the discomforts that we have in our bodies, whether we're conscious of it or not. And to avoid feeling that discomfort, we end up being attracted to those things that you're mentioning. and it's a natural reaction, right? It's a natural reaction to run away from something that's uncomfortable. And it's not to any of our faults. I think it's really the fact that we are not taught the tools to how to address that unease and that discomfort. Because when we have those tools, when we have the tools where we can actually address and process and help ourselves feel better, we don't have to run away. We can spend the time working on that. and we're no longer feeling that discomfort, and we don't have to run away. so I think it's really about spreading those. Those tools.
>> Myrna McCallum : Yeah. I think what is key in what you're talking about is, having the skill set to manage, like, to, like. I, I will often in the top. Like now my whole life has morphed into talking and educating, and I've Pretty much built now a career being a public speaker. And what I'm finding that resonates with people is when I talk about emotional intelligence and specifically cultivating an ability to self regulate, but also to, just simply become self aware. Like how we show up, why we do what we do, where is some of that rooted? And also destigmatizing all the things. And this not about shame, this is not about blame. It's really about being curious about the roots of our behavior. And also maybe what we didn't learn that we need to now learn as adults. Like emotional management, it's not conflict management, it's not mediation, it's not assertiveness training. It's just really learning the skills to manage, and work through your feelings and recognize that feelings are not fact and if you just move through them, they can't harm you. And that we have a particular relationship to fear and the things that cause us fear and managing all of that stuff. But it all, I think, comes back to the body and your relationship with your body and your ability to feel safe in your body. And sometimes it's. I think it's an ebb and flow, James, because sometimes I could be dialed into that. I'm in the forest, I'm hugging trees, and I'm like, I'm okay. Life is good, right? And then other times I'm back into like, oh my God, I'm not okay. And I'm sh. And you know, but the power is here. And that's one of the things I love about what you say is because in this world where there's all these wellness gurus on Tick Tock and Instagram, there's this idea that you don't have the things, like you are not your own medicine. You don't have the things you've got to subscribe to my app and buy my program, and then you will be better. But the reality is, and this is what you promote is like what you need is within you.
>> James: Yeah, exactly. I love what you said before where you said, we're remembering, right? It's already within you. Where we just need to remember it. one of the biggest things I say is, and it's on my website, it's the only quote on my website, is that you are your healer and that healing intelligence that you need is already within you. Your body already knows how to heal. Your body has been accumulating more than 2 million years worth of knowledge and experience of being alive, surviving, adapting, healing. And that's literally inside of you right now. That's in your DNA right now and we have the capacity to access that. But it, it gets accessed when we are feeling safe, when we have the opportunity, when we have the time to do it. so giving yourself that opportunity to the best of your ability and you are the, you are the person, the number one person that can give that for yourself. yeah. So the healing intelligence is in your body and you already possess it.
>> Myrna McCallum : I love that. Okay. I don't have you for much longer and there's so much more I want to talk to you about. So let's first begin with how has your life blown up since you started, doing TikToks? Because I think you're following your follower count has been like just going up and up.
>> James: TikTok has been life changing. I had no idea it would get the response that it got. I think it's a testament to what people are feeling really out there. Feeling dysregulated, feeling burnt out, feeling at unease. but it's been life changing. people around the world sending me messages, people from other countries as they visit Toronto, coming, coming in to see me for a treatment. and that's probably how 95 or 98% of people find me at my practice. so it definitely has been life changing. I know there's a lot of talk around TikTok and algorithm and but I, I think as long as we use it for, use it as a tool, use it to our advantage, I think it could be very useful. so it's, yeah, in short, it's been life changing.
>> Myrna McCallum : That's very cool. So how long is one of these treatments for those who are traveling to Toronto or in Toronto and are really curious about this?
>> James: Yeah, the treatment itself is about 45 to 50 minutes, sometimes to an hour. and, and one thing I'll say is there's craniosacral therapists everywhere so it doesn't have to be me. there's different flavors on it, there's different variations on it, like a massage, for example. but really if you can't come to Toronto, if you're not in Toronto, do look for a craniosacral therapist near you. quick Google search. hopefully there's someone near you that you can try. but yeah, it lasts about an hour. It's very non intrusive, low risk. there's no big movements, we're not doing joint manipulations so there's no risk of real big injury to your body. you're staying fully clothed, which I love. Which one of the things I love the most about the practice? the fact that, it's very, you know, low investment, low risk. You just kind of lay on the table, you relax. It's an hour of rest at the very least. and you're getting some really gentle work done for your body and giving your body the time that it deserves.
>> Myrna McCallum : Well, I appreciate you shouting out other craniosacral therapists out there, but the reality is, James, I think people are going to want to see James and travel to Toronto. Like, I know the next time I'm in Toronto for work, James, I be like, come in and see you. what are some of your repeat clients saying about what the impact is after making this investment in their nervous system care?
>> James: Yeah, so, I mean, one text message I got yesterday from a client who came to see me was that she felt like herself again, which is a very common theme. Feeling, at home in your body, feeling at ease. one professor that I work with, initially, they came in for regulation, just feeling dysregulated in their bodies, feeling, feeling tired all the time. So we worked together for a couple months. and all the symptoms that she initially came in for, like, her energy levels improved. And at that point I said, I graduated her, which means I said to her, okay, like, you don't really need to come anymore. So we kind of parted ways. and a few weeks later she text messaged me and saying, I want to continue the treatments. because I found that even after it helped my initial symptoms that I wanted to get better from, I realized that it was helping me on a cognitive level, that it was giving me clarity in terms of decision making, in terms of daily life. so she, she continued. so there's layers to this, I'm finding. there's layers to what it can do for your body and for your mind. so a lot of the quote unquote marketing that I do is for, you know, things like pain or real discomforts. but even for a generally healthy person, I think it can benefit them. yeah. So there's. Depending on what you're going through, there's going to be different things that you experience depending on the phase of your journey or what you're going through.
>> Myrna McCallum : Yeah, like I'm thinking just listening to you, probably one of the benefits, especially for like high performers people, who are always on the go, always busy, crazy is it probably is maybe one of the few or the only real breaks in Their life where they're not on the phone, they're not being stimulated by a whole bunch of things that want. That want their attention, and it allows them to just be still and be present. Like, I go for facials sometimes. I really don't like them because I don't like people who are not skilled at touching me to be touching. Like, because they always want to do a massage and stuff. And I. I'm really like, no, unless you're an rmt, don't touch me. but one of the benefits of going for the facial is just. Just being able to be in a space where the lights are dim, I'm kind of laid down, and I know it's like only this part of my body that's going to be touched. And I don't need to give anyone anything. I don't need to be in conversation. I don't need to look at anything. And so it's almost m. More of a, I don't want to call it one of those decompression chambers, which I don't know that I do well in, but it's kind of that same thing. Right. Like, it could have that benefit.
>> James: Yeah. So how I think about crafting my studio space is creating a sanctuary where inside that space, there is no expectation. You're not expected to do anything, to say anything, to be. Anyway. So, yeah, getting rid of those expectations, those external expectations, I think is what you're getting at. yeah. So I. I try to create that for my clients. Yeah.
>> Myrna McCallum : What is the science behind this? Or the. Like. Like, why does it work? Because when I think about my experience, this woman wasn't even touching me. She just kind of, like, was moving her hands, like, kind of around my head and my. My neck and my shoulder. But there wasn't, like the deep, deep tissue mist. Like, there wasn't even a massage. But something was happening that I couldn't explain. Explain.
>> James: Yeah. So the science behind it is it is grounded in very much physiology and anatomy. So, I mean, your body, at the end of the day is very connected in terms of layers. So when you're touching the skin, that touch. That skin is touching your bones. Your bone is touching an inner membrane. And that inner membrane has fluid within it, which your brain and your spinal cord is floating in. So when you are simply touching the outer skin, you're essentially influencing all those layers within. And when we are putting things back into balance or allowing your body to go back into balance, we are letting what's called your cerebral spinal fluid which is the fluid that your central nervous system floats in. We're letting that flow better. And that fluid, when it flows better, is allowing more nutrition to travel to your nervous system and more toxins to get away from your nervous system. Yeah, that's, that's the science in a very short snippet.
>> Myrna McCallum : That's pretty clear. Okay, that is very cool. And it just reminds me of what like Indigenous people have said for forever, which is everything is connected. So you're touching this one thing, but you're actually, you're working on so much more than that. Like the ripple effect inward is just limitless. I only have you for five more minutes, James. I want to rapid fire a few questions at you or at least like ask you one question you can rapid fire some info for us, these listeners.
>> James: Yeah, definitely.
>> Myrna McCallum : five things that you wish. People who are high performing, always on the go in states of fight for flight or shutdown or people pleasing or just really feeling. So they use language like burnout and toxic stress and like vicarious trauma. But I really think they're talking a lot about just feeling chronically disregulated. What are some, what are five things you would tell those people about something that they could do, something that they should consider, something that might help them, when it comes to nervous system care.
>> James: Yeah. Rest more. Don't feel guilty for prioritizing yourself. Spend more time in nature. Be mindful of all the sensory stimulus, so notifications, lights in your house and your office and try to reduce that stimulus for yourself. what would be the fifth thing? And get, get some hands on treatment. I think working with a, professional is really, really effective. It's, it's, I mean, it's beyond what you can do by yourself.
>> Myrna McCallum : When you say rest more, I'm stuck on rest because what is it like really?
>> James: What is it rest can. It's really different for everyone. To answer that question. It looks different for everyone. by rest, I mean doing something at your own pace where you can enjoy what you are doing and you're not doing the thing to get it done, but to, to do it. So being able to enjoy the actual process of what you're doing and experience that activity or what you're doing and that could be sleep, that could be, that could even be washing the dishes. But being, being able to stay mindful and stay present through that activity, in my opinion, is what's restful.
>> Myrna McCallum : Yeah, staying present, I think that's what we'll focus on. staying present, being like fully with the thing that you're doing. And, I'm now thinking about like the. The subject of joy. Right. Like we don't have time to talk. I hope that you come back because one of the things that I hear from people, and you probably hear it from people too, is like they've just been so much in the grind or so much in dysregulation that they have no idea, like not only who they are or, but what they, like what brings them joy or the last time they experience. Experience joy. And I would love for you to come back, James, so we could talk more about that.
>> James: Yeah, I would love that. Because at the end of the day, this, this what we're speaking to is really the journey of self connection and self discovery, in my opinion. So I would love to talk more about that.
>> Myrna McCallum : Yeah, right on. Okay. James, it was awesome to have you. For anyone who's looking for you in Toronto, what would you say about where they could find you?
>> James: they can find me @somabody.com. so that's S O M M A B O D Y. I specifically chose the word soma because it's your firsthand experience of your body. So, I mean, that's what soma means and that's why I named my company that. so somabody.com is really where you can find me or contact me if you have any questions or comments. Yeah, reach out to me.
>> Myrna McCallum : And then of course, TikTok.
>> James: Yeah, definitely my TikTok link is on the website.
>> Myrna McCallum : Okay, Right on. Okay, thanks, James. I really appreciate this conversation.
>> James: All right, thanks, Myrna.