Episode 16: “The Body Whisperer: Healing What Words Can’t Touch.”

SPEAKER_01 0:15

Hello, everyone, it's your host, Cher, and welcome back to Courageous Alignment. There are people who don't just walk into a room, they soften it. People whose presence feels like a deep exhale, like your nervous system finally unclenching. Abby Nickerson, clairvoyant raking master, is one of those people. For two decades, she's been a raking master, intuitive healer, and body whisperer whose work dissolves emotional, energetic, and physical blocks. Her clients have described her as an angel, a mirror, a guide, someone who sees the unseen and touches the untouchable. Her journey began with a sensitivity that most children would have been overwhelmed by. But instead of shutting down, she learned to listen, to feel, to translate, to heal. She has walked through her own fire seizures, chronic pain, emotional trauma, and emerged with a devotion to truth, alignment, and the intelligence of the body. Her work doesn't just soothe, it catalyzes, it awakens, it realigns people with the path they were always meant to walk. Whether she's working one-on-one in groups or across distance, Abby creates a space where people feel deeply seen, profoundly safe, and gently guided back to themselves. And today she's here with us to share her wisdom, her tools, her story, and the mechanics of the intuitive gift that has changed so many lives. This is a conversation about energy, sovereignty, healing, and the courage it takes to return to your own truth. I'm so happy you are here with us. Do you mind if we just dive right in? I do not. I'm ready. I'm happy to be here. Let's do it. Fabulous. So when you step into a healing space with someone, what is the very first thing you attune to in their energy or body?

SPEAKER_00 2:57

I the first thing I'll feel is you typically where their energy may want me to come in. Uh, I can feel whether they want me to approach from a certain space. I feel uh typically, even before I'm going into the session and when I'm setting up, I'll start to have some things come in, maybe a certain chakra or a different chakra is coming in or a different feeling, uh, down to even the music that I play. And so it's already building before they come in. Once they're there, I can usually feel this immediate communication. And a lot of times it is this welcoming, like, yes, they're choosing to be here, they want to be here, they feel my energy. For me, I feel that beginning of that uh connection with their energy in the sense of where it wants me to enter, how close it wants me to be, where it wants me to begin. Wow.

SPEAKER_01 3:51

For listeners who have not heard the word Reiki, or maybe they've heard the word Reiki, but don't really know what it is. How do you explain it in a grounded way? Sure. They'd be able to relate to.

SPEAKER_00 4:05

Sure. So I will so reiki itself, the word Rei is universal and key is energy, so universal energy. So I bring it more from a space of energy versus God's spirit universe, more of this universal energy we operate in. And so two things that I've utilized that will help people sometimes be able to put this physical understanding is if you imagine if you think of like a filter or a drain, and how over time they become clogged and blocked, and and the flow is not moving through as well, whether it's water, whether it's air, it's similar in our bodies. We are energy first, and that flow becomes blocked, stagnant, sluggish. That can be from stress, poor diet, trauma, illness, injury, surgery, which then just kind of mugs up the flow of the energy field similar to the way a filter or clog builds up over time when it's not properly maintained, when it's not taken care of, when it's not cleared. Uh so that seems to be something where people understand sort of a physical visual.

SPEAKER_01 5:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:12

And then ultimately understanding that we're similar to what I was just saying, as far as our energy flow and the things that can block or disrupt the flow, like the stress, so the illness, the injury, things like that, to uh to then come back to Reiki at the bare bones level is to clear balance and restore flow and harmony to the energy flow. The same way maybe you would clear a drain or or change a filter, and now there's this nice open expansive flow that that's what it's about is at a basic level to restore energy and balance. What drew you to Reiki? When did you decide it was your path? Yes, well, gosh. So I always knew when I was a child that I had some unique ability to communicate with people. I I just knew I had this ability to connect in. I could feel what others were feeling, and I could see when they were out of resonance, even as a kid. Like if they said something, I would I would sense if their body was or energy wasn't in alignment. Or I would hear this response in my head saying, Oh, no, you don't, or this, you know, this kind of opposite of what they were saying.

SPEAKER_01 6:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:19

So I was new and then became interested in the mind-body connection around age 12 and started working with Louise Hay and affirmations and so playing in that world. Or I had a shoulder injury, and my dad took treatments of putting his hands on my shoulder, and the pain was gone. And so for me, I've always come from this place of like, okay, I'll I'll try pretty much anything. And if it works, whether I understand it or not, it worked. There's something to this. And so then it was about six years later, I believe, I went to massage school and began practicing body work. And then within that, I was seeing the same communication within the massage sessions. I kept the energy work aside of it, the intuitive part of it hidden for a long time, unless someone was aware of it or asked about it. However, I could always just find where I needed to go in the body, and people would always say, How how do you just know where to go? And so I still noticed these, these communications happening with me and with people's bodies. And so then I began my Reiki training and dove more into that energy healing side of things, the chakras, the emotional body, all of that. And it was about 13 years I practiced massage therapy. And at that time, I was really feeling called to work more within this intuitive energy aspect. And I think for so long I attempted to fit into what was understood, what the norm was, what people could explain. And so for me, I've I really burned myself out physically with massage attempting to prove through that method, as much as I loved it and enjoyed it, and decided to surrender into this calling of this intuitive energy practice and and Reiki as the foundation, however, then evolving into what I do now, which is so much more than Reiki alone, and just really once I allowed myself to open up to the information that wanted to come through, it's been pretty magical and wild. I think it began with me noticing I had some abilities in some different ways, and at the same time always wanted to help people, always having this passion for supporting people with feeling better. As a kid, I I it wasn't until my mid-20s that I understood what it is to be empathic and clairsentient. And so as a kid, all I knew was I felt a whole lot of pain and sadness and trauma and unhappiness. And I, as a kid, I wanted to just fix it. I was like, oh my gosh, there's just so much that there's so much pain everywhere that needs healing. And so I think that it combined with me recognizing some unique abilities to connect with people is what continued to drive me to where I am now and doing what I'm doing.

SPEAKER_01 9:13

Hear the word clairvoyance and think psychic, but I'd love your definition. What does clairvoyance actually mean to you? And what does it look like when you're using it in a session?

SPEAKER_00 9:28

Yes. So, and I and I love this question because you know, clairvoyance, I know many people think of means the ability to predict future events. Uh, and that isn't necessarily what I do. I see it as is this unique way of being able to see and feel and know information. There's clairvoyance where I'm able to see things in a different way and then clair cognizant, this this different way of knowing things, clairsentient, a different way to feel things. And so all of these really come into what I provide. And so it's it's being able to see things in a different way. And so, for instance, within sessions, I will oftentimes be connecting with different ages of someone's self. A different age will come in. Oftentimes it begins with a younger self because we tend to start with buried trauma from not long ago. So I'm able to actually see within the body in a way where either this younger version of themselves might be communicating with me, and I also will see glimpses of their future self already healed. So that is one way that I've been able to see into the future a little bit, so to say. Sure. Uh, however, it's really feeling these aspects of them uh at different ages. And then also their body, if the body will show me things in different ways, like an organ literally talk to me in a way where it's like if someone's raising their hand, hi, you know, I need some, I need some help over here. So it's really unique in that way. Katie, I would say those are two of the primary ways that I I feel this clairvoyant and claircenti, claircognizant, clair audient. Sometimes I'll hear things as well. It's this combination of seeing, hearing, and feeling. And um so it's it's really more about that. It's the ability to see and interpret information in a different way that we uh, you know, aren't ways we typically utilize in our world today. Right.

SPEAKER_01 11:26

What does energetic safety mean to you? Not as a concept, but as a lived experience. Sure.

SPEAKER_00 11:33

Yeah, this is a big one for me. And I think it's so much uh so important for where we are in our world. But I'll say for me, the first I think real understanding was when I did in my mid-20s. I was living in New Jersey at the time. I was part of this holistic mentorship network. And I so I started connecting with other uh spiritual teachers and healers, and I began to then understand that I was empathic and clairsentient, this ability to feel in a different way. And I began to learn about energy myself in the sense of energy grounding, protection, and clearing. When I started adding those techniques to my life, I started being able to discern what was mine and what was someone else's. And that was a big game changer for me because then it helped me to create some separation between my energy and others. And what I've learned was energetic safety is that it's and from my perspective, it's not meant to be a guarded, fearful thing. It's this awareness that we each are our individual energies and yet part of this collective. And so where it's it really is a matter of what do we need to do to take care of our energy because that's really the only thing we have control over, and also has an impact on the world around us. Whether we choose on both ends, whether we choose to be mindful of our energy or not, I think our nervous systems are so deeply connected with this energetic safety because we're energy, our nervous systems are like these feelers out in the world of what tells us is safe and what's not safe. And so I feel like it's this, in my opinion, and in my life, it's this continual practice of a taking care of my energetic space through clearing, grounding, protection. And when I say protection, again, I don't mean that it's not sometimes it is to be protective of things that can seem and feel fearful. It's it's still we're still living in a human world where it's important to be mindful of our surroundings. However, a lot of times it's simply just setting this boundary. And when we have that boundary, we can feel safer within ourselves. Feel like we have more what's the word? I don't want to necessarily say control, however, a greater ability to be within the world in a space where we feel we're in our own protected space, so to say. Would you say presence and can assist journey? Yes, absolutely. I feel like presence is so key and not something that we all we're we're all so busy paying attention to others, going and you know, moving through life and really very distracted. And it's amazing. And I've seen this within my own life and clients, where when we pause to really be present and drop into our body, that is the best way we can actually make sure we are in tune and aligned with ourselves, our energy, our body, to then be able to respond to life. And and including with this energetic safety, being able to be discerning of the environment around us, to listen to our cells, our body, our energy, if it's saying, I don't feel safe, I need a moment, or uh, or this feels great, I feel good with this house. So yes, I think presence is absolutely key to to most be most aligned with ourselves and most accurate with what our energy is communicating to us with that understanding.

SPEAKER_01 15:07

Yeah. I found with myself when I'm not present and I'm so in my head about things and everything's going on outside of me and more focused out there than present within myself, I override everything my body is trying to tell me. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:28

And that's where we often I feel like when we do that, then that's when oftentimes an accident happens, an injury happens, an illness happens, something that that is strong enough to break us out of that distracted space to make us be present. I 100% agree with you. I've experienced that in my life as well. Yeah, kind of shakes you awake a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 15:49

Yes. You've been sensitive to others' emotions since childhood. When did you first realize that your sensitivity wasn't a burden, it was a gift?

SPEAKER_00 15:58

Oh boy, yeah. There's multiple times I feel like, but I would say I really do feel like it began more when I was starting to practice massage. And and because I had moved, I was it was around that same time or right beforehand, I learned how to energetically separate my energy from others and to decipher. And so that helped me to feel more comfortable within my body and being able to be within an actual healing modality like massage, where I was so easily able to find what where the body needed support with releasing it and then, of course, receiving the feedback from from clients. I feel like that's really when I was like, okay, this is this is a gift. And so it feels like it was key to learn that energetic grounding and clearing of protection because everything felt pretty chaotic and scary up until that point. And so then once I started learning my own energy, how to take care of it, how to separate it, it everything became a bit more relaxed. And I was able to go, okay, now I have a bit more understanding of this. And so the understanding needed to happen, and then boom, going into healing body work then allowed me to really see, okay, wow, this is this is a great thing.

SPEAKER_01 17:13

What was the moment you understood that the body speaks to you?

SPEAKER_00 17:18

I would say around age 12, where a good friend of mine showed me Louise Hayes' book, You Can Heal Your Life, and affirmations. And I remember when I started reading it, it just resonated. And then I decided to experiment with a few affirmations. And you know, I was 12, 13, right? So it was silly little things, which however I decided just to practice. And like, so I'll give I'll give one quick example. I remember looking up hips because I had some hip pain. And as a little girl at that age, I was like, I didn't I didn't love the shape of my hips. It was something silly like that, right? Sure. And I so then I looked up the affirmation and it was around forgiveness for the father. And at the time I thought, oh, I love my father. I didn't, you know, I that that surprised me. However, there was something that said, just continue with this, just play with this, this communication. And so I just started doing affirmations around forgiving my father, and the next thing you know, memories start to come up, and then feelings start to come up, and then understanding started to come. And then I was like, oh, wow, okay. And I physically saw shifts in my body and felt physical shifts in my body. And so that was the beginning, I would say, when I started understanding this mind-body connection and how everything was communicating with each other in that way, and our power to actually tap into that, work with that, shift that. Uh so yeah, I would say that would be my first timing when I started to have that recognition and awareness.

SPEAKER_01 18:46

How did healing your own seizures, chronic pain, or emotional trauma reshape the way you work with others today?

SPEAKER_00 18:54

Yeah, it's been quite the journey. And I really feel blessed that I'm able to share my journey with clients. It it helps me with them to be able to see what is possible. It's not always a fun journey. Uh, and at the same time, it's been one of the most empowering, liberate journeys of my life. And so that's where it's it's been helpful with clients when they see like what's possible and where where I was, what I moved through. And when I'm working with clients and tuning into their body and what it's asking for, what it's needing, uh, then I'm able to bring those lived experiences into the session to support them as well. It's been quite the journey, and yet it's it's one that I'm passionate about because I see people in general being okay with navigating pain and health conditions that only continue to get worse. And so then me being able to bring a bit of my journey to say, hey, here it doesn't have to be this way. What if it could be different? What if there are other ways? No the ability to bring that in as a support is has been really helpful.

SPEAKER_01 20:07

When you're working at someone, what does intuition feel like in your body?

SPEAKER_00 20:15

I would say it's a combination of seeing, hearing, and feeling. So I will hear communication from the person I'm working with, I will see things, and sometimes it might be an image, sometimes it may be a color, sometimes it may be then combined with a feeling. And so it's it's very much this combination, I would say. Yes, of feeling, seeing, and hearing.

SPEAKER_01 20:46

They're all happening simultaneously. Yes, yes. It's pretty wild. What does stuck energy actually look like or feel like?

SPEAKER_00 20:54

Sure. So I would say that in most cases I see it before I feel it. So for instance, I'll give an example where I had a client who had been having abdominal pain for several years. He'd been to many doctors, nobody could figure anything out. And we actually did a distance session. I hadn't met him before. I've actually still not met him in person to this day. We we connected, we're in different states, we connected virtually. And right away when I started to connect with his body, I feel like what I'll see is is light or darkness first. Uh-huh. Uh, and so what I saw was just blackness within his intestines. There was no movement, there was no light. It was just like this kind of stuck ball of energy. And so I saw that first. And then as I was, you know, moving toward that area and the energy was flowing to that area, then I could feel where it just felt restricted, it felt contracted, it felt tight, it felt stuck. And as the energy continued to flow and open things up, then I could feel more spaciousness, I could see more light. I could Could feel more flow. It's not always the easiest to put into words, however, that's that gives an example of it. Well, usually oftentimes there'll be no light. It'll feel very restricted, very tight. Uh, and then as energy begins to move, it's that I can I can start to feel that flow, that flow, that spaciousness. I can see the light coming through. Sure. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:25

The the whole distance thing. I think that is pretty amazing. I know many people that have had that done, and it works.

SPEAKER_00 22:32

Yes. A lot of people are already a bit uncertain about energy work and Reiki and and and and then you add in distance, and it's like, well, how can that work? And in many cases, when I talk about when you think about how we connect through the computer, through the phone, the moments when you think of someone next thing you know, they're calling you, you know, when we're it's all still energy and it's a matter of just intention and tuning. And then of course within Reiki, we're trained and attuned to be able to connect in and provide, you know, at a deeper level. Yes, I love the great success stories from the distance work. And this client, particular client that I was talking about, most of what came up was emotional. And so as I was clearing and moving energy and seeing everything start to open, all of these messages were coming through to me as far as feelings and emotions that were creating this. And so then it was opening up this discussion with him to look at some of these questions and just simply talking about it. And this is a lot of what I love to do is let's talk about what feels difficult and scary and bad, because the sooner we acknowledge and let ourselves talk about these things, the sooner the charge dissipates. And he ultimately didn't have pain for several years after that session, after having it for 10 years and and nobody knowing what was happening, and most of it was these uh suppressed emotions that he was just packing down in. Think about the intestines, and all of it's about movement and releasing, right? So when we start to block things up in that way, that's why so many people have a lot of digestive bowel issues. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:10

And why traditional medicine wouldn't work when it's an emotional block.

SPEAKER_00 24:17

Yes. 100%. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 24:19

Can you describe a moment when you sense something in a client's body that surprised even you?

SPEAKER_00 24:27

Yes, I think some of the things that have felt surprising to me, seeing uh I've had spirit babies come into sessions before. What is a spirit baby? What do you mean by that? Yes. So I had so for instance, the one example, you think about energies of babies that are going to be coming into a human. And so there's there is can I see connections with women and their spirit babies, whether they come into physical form or not. And so that was one of the in fact, literally here, my first practice session on a friend when I was deciding to let go of massage and step fully into this. A spirit baby came in. And I mean, for them in the moment, I was like, is this really happening? Am I seeing this? And yeah, and I had a very small awareness and shared it with her. And she was like, Oh my gosh, I didn't know you could do this. And I said, Well, I wasn't fully sure myself. And so this was where when I really was opening up to things, then I've seen I've seen commun um energetic communications between the client and a loved one, whether they're, you know, more times I would say it's it's been a bit clear when that person has passed on. I've seen healings that stand out to their family, to their home. I've seen energetic clearings happen and uh protection provided underneath and around their home. So those were things I didn't anticipate necessarily going into it of like, wow, these these connections to their family, spirit babies. It makes us because it's all energetically based. It's it is pretty amazing. And and yes, it comes back to that simple basic thing of everything is energy, and our minds are just so trained to see physical form and separate that energetic piece. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 26:34

So after two decades of healing work, what emotional or energetic pattern do you see most often in people right now?

SPEAKER_00 26:44

Yes, I would say, and it's gonna probably sound a little cheesy, however, a lack of self-love. I would in in most cases, what I'm seeing is a lack of self-love and or suppressed emotions that society has told us it are bad, whether it's shame, guilt, rage, the emotions that we're taught are icky, don't let people see those, you know, despair. And so that's where I see most of those overall. I would say, and in all these years of body work, the majority of what I see connected to anything physical, anything physical is emotional. It's it's it's what I'm talking about here with these suppressed emotions that people feel uncomfortable to discuss or afraid to discuss, or they don't feel safe with anyone. Talk about energetic safety, that's another big part of it as well, is for no one you're saved to be held to just talk about what is difficult and painful. I can easily say over all these two decades, there's almost always been an emotional component, and it's something connected to lack of self-love or some emotion that is tough to look at and feel and discuss. A lot of a big separation between emotions and the physical body. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:00

What do you think is causing the coactive exhaustion, anxiety, and emotional shutdown so many people are experiencing?

SPEAKER_00 28:08

I do feel like it's a lot of what we're talking about, where there is this for centuries really programming around everything being outside of ourselves. No discussion about energy, very little discussion of emotions, how to process emotions in a safe, safe way. And so when you for me, I think that's a big part of it, is there's we haven't done well, in my opinion, with teaching people how to take care of themselves, how to be present, like we talked about before, how to be aware of their energy, how to take care of their energy, how to process and and acknowledge difficult emotions. So that I feel like is a huge, massive piece that is impacting where we are all now. So then where there's just this outward force and this, you know, just we do more, do more. Yeah. But we've learned to pride ourselves on how much pain we can endure and how much we can struggle and suffer. And it creates this continued flow of like, oh, this is just normal. This is what's actually normal. And I think that's a big part of it, is so much of how everyone's grinding, is and there's this belief that this is normal, this is how we're supposed to be. And then on top of that, you add in a food system that has continually gotten worse, where there's so much in our food system that is creating and adding to the stress that we see in today's day and age, all of the disease. To me, it's a combination of both of those. It's this total disconnection from energy, emotions, self, and also so many toxins in our environment and food. Yes. Yeah. Not teaching people how to actually rest. I mean, there's even, we look at how people feel selfish to take a day of rest. They feel, oh, you're lazy. Oh, you're never gonna get anywhere being that way. Where it's there's such a disconnection to nature that's such a huge thing of learning to be presence. Yeah. We're so prided on self-sacrifice versus self-care. Exactly. Comes out of that.

SPEAKER_01 30:13

Yeah. People using their trauma as a badge, not feeling it.

SPEAKER_00 30:17

Yes. Someone I was talking to not that long ago talked about a show that started in the 50s, and it reminded me of like a Jerry Springer or a movie poet Warwick Poetry. We had all those shows come out where it was like, let's talk about whose life is harder, and let's talk about what's worse in your life. Oh, these are terrible. And then, like, and then that creates that badge of honor for the trauma, and the badge of honor for pity, and the badge of honor for being stuck in loops, and it's just just normal and a normal part of life. I think that's that there's all of that has been building and building to this domino effect of where we are today.

SPEAKER_01 30:52

Yeah. And it's really at the end of the day, it's a the flip side of that is um there's this badge of of I've been through this, but the courage is actually the healing of that. You know, have you moved through that and healed it so you can get beyond it when they're still talking about it 20 years later, it's still their badge. I find it interesting. I'm not judging it, I find it interesting. Yes, because I think we stop ourselves, block ourselves from continuing to grow because we think we've gotten to this, you know, rung the top, but not to drill down to what their true potential can be.

SPEAKER_00 31:36

It's true. And like you said, to be courageous, to actually be in the discomfort, to look at it, to face it, to actually begin to heal that process. Yeah, I agree with the courage. It is for sure. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:49

What are the earliest signs that someone is leaking energy out or absorbing what isn't theirs?

SPEAKER_00 31:56

I think that I would say two primary things coming to mind for me right now that I see pretty regularly with that uh are someone feeling overwhelmed, almost like uh they feel there's lack of clarity, they feel um really just kind of like this stress of overwhelm. And I'm I'm looking to expand on it a bit more in words here, however, in a way where it doesn't feel like them, where they don't necessarily know why. And I'm able to see a difference between someone who's just making excuses and kind of choosing not to look at something versus something where they're like, I don't know why I feel this way. I feel, you know, I don't, this doesn't make sense to me. I feel all these emotions. I feel like I'm not able to get clear. I feel like it's impacting my daily life. And someone who's very energetically sensitive and is taking on other people's things, and being able to say no, being able to um choose themselves. I tend to see both of those together, and I can speak to this from my own experience as well. So it's those, I would say those are the probably the two primary ones where they're feeling this overwhelm. I don't understand why I feel this way. It's felt like this my whole life. I've never felt like I fit in. I never feel like I'm understood. There's kind of that's a lot of times with that, and then also this uh difficulty in saying no and setting healthy boundaries to their own sacrifice.

SPEAKER_01 33:22

Our school systems don't necessarily teach any of this energetic type education. Right. Um and unless your parents understand it, you're really swimming out there and and trying to figure it out on your own.

SPEAKER_00 33:38

It's true. I think my I feel very fortunate that my father is very spiritual and he became a Reiki master. He ultimately did massage. However, I wasn't in his life a whole lot. We I was more with my mom, and and so I received pieces of that from him as I was growing up. However, I think about the fact that when I was in New Jersey, if I had not found that holistic mentorship network that really helped me understand what it meant to be an empath and clairsentient and how to navigate the world with that, I don't know where I would be at this point, right? I would it's not like I was flailing or suffering. However, it was a astronomically uh big support and like difference in my life that that definitely uh changed my ability to feel greater peace and ease and clarity in my own life. So, yes, that's something I'm really grateful for.

SPEAKER_01 34:37

And just to have a tribe of people that can understand and put put words to those feelings, right?

SPEAKER_00 34:47

Exactly. And to feel exactly, I love that tribe, you know, and then to feel like you're not crazy. Maybe I'm still weird when that's okay. However, to have some understanding of like, okay, I understand now why I have felt this way my whole life and and wow, to work with that and be able to respond versus react. I think before that, it just all felt so overwhelming that I just wanted, I was in this mode of I just want to fix everything, right? When really nothing needs to be fixed. But at the I just wanted the it had felt so overwhelming for so long that I just wanted everyone to be happy. Yeah, why can't we all of us be nice to each other and know what was overwhelmed? But why is it so hard? Yes, right?

SPEAKER_01 35:33

Does the body reveal emotional truth before the mind catches up to it?

SPEAKER_00 35:40

Yes, I feel like this is where feelings tend to be that beginning space feeling or pain in the body. This is something where I think the mind is so well trained in most cases and so good at suppressing and wanting to just stay in what it thinks is safe, that then ultimately emotions, physical pain, physical dis-ease begins to come in, and those are kind of like the hey, I need you to pay attention to this. And it's a shame because in most cases I think it it often, not most, in many cases, it does, it seems that it will take something almost to slap us in the face to get the mind to go, oh, okay, I guess I better pay attention to this. So I think there's there are signs and signals that come from feeling, whether it's emotional or physical feelings, that begin to show us, hey, something is off here, and I need you to stop and pay attention to this. When the mind is like, lape, we don't want to look at that, let's go do it instead. And the body's like, I'm gonna keep poking at you, and so you listen.

SPEAKER_01 36:47

Yeah, that's definitely how it is, no doubt. What happens physiologically when someone finally releases something they've been holding on for years?

SPEAKER_00 36:59

Yes, this is something I love so much in sessions because the body softens. And so, this is from my perspective, for from what I experience on my side with clients, is that this peace will just begin to flow. Everything softens, uh, and I will oftentimes feel it. For instance, if I'm on one side of the body, I can most times feel one area that's letting go and that's releasing and it's softening. The other side is still needing some more, and then of course it's all working together. However, that's where it's this softening. I'll see deeper breaths, they'll start to doze, they'll fall asleep, and then for them, a lot of times they'll express it like their pain that goes away. So that's a big one that people can really tangibly feel. Like I had like the the gentleman that I shared about earlier who had the stomach pain for so long. When we talked about he released it, then he was able to have better functioning with his bowels and then no pain. And so a lot of times it's it's that release. I had a client one time say, Abby, you're like the rotor router of energy. And it's essentially what I see and feel is just this energy moving, the body softens, the breath deepens, and I have people walking away saying that they've either never felt that level of peace, or it's been a long time. And so I think two people forget what it is like to actually feel relaxed and healthy, and there's where we've we've normalized pain, stress, pressure, uh, you know, tension. And so then when people start to release, especially something from a long time ago, then all of that starts to shift, and there's this lightness and this freedom and this clarity and groundedness and pain that's gone away.

SPEAKER_01 38:49

And for those that are listening, I've seen Abby, that's why she's on the show today. I've seen her several times. And the first time I've went to see Abby, I took a long trek from Wisconsin to Arizona, and my nervous system was completely out of whack. I've started seeing Abby once a month. It changed so much. The peace came, the sleep came, staying grounded, and um, you've helped me a great deal. Thank you, and thank you for sharing. I'm honored as an honor. What shifts do you see in clients when they begin living in alignment with their energy instead of against it?

SPEAKER_00 39:32

I will physically see not only their energy and their their bodies glow more, see more peace, more clarity. They start to respond to life versus reacting, healthy boundaries. It creates this up-leveling of their vibration and self. And so then being more discerning of the relationships they let into their lives. You know, any staying in any situation that isn't serving them. So I've seen people, you know, move out of relationships or into relationships that they might have been afraid of, or shifting jobs or careers because they start to feel greater self-love and alignment with themselves. And so then it it impacts everything around them. And that's really what I love seeing is not only do they tend to sleep better, have better digestion, feel more at peace, feel more grounded, they're in this place of responding and setting healthy boundaries and being discerning and what they decide is okay or not in their lives. What does lasting change actually look like from your perspective? Personally, learning to laugh and say, Abby, this work is never done. We're we're always, as long as you're alive in this human form, you're evolving, you're growing if you choose to, right? For me, I've always been growth-oriented. So I've always wanted to continue growing and evolving. And with lasting change, it's the consistency, it's the commitment, it's the loving yourself more. I think when we can bring this openness to allowing the continued unfolding and really acknowledging all where we have come from, I think reflection is great to recognize wow, I in the past I would have responded in this way, and now I'm responding in this way. It's it's really that continual building and consistency that then creates this lasting change. Or when we recognize this bigger picture of us as a human being first, energy first, that we're on this journey, and to find a way to be courageous in the difficult, uncomfortable moments.

SPEAKER_01 41:38

What's one practice that helps people return to themselves when they've abandoned their own needs?

SPEAKER_00 41:45

I love talking about this because it's like it's amazing how we just take a few moments, even 30 seconds. What I recommend is for anyone who's feeling off, they're feeling stressed, they're feeling tense, they're feeling pain. It's to go wherever they need to go. It can be into the bathroom if they need to, if they're not at home, or if they can go to a car, to pause, close the eyes. I always recommend closing the eyes because it shuts off the stimulation in the world, it brings you immediately inward, right? And start to deepen and slow the breaths. And so this is another thing I've seen consistently over all the years where people think they're breathing deeply and slowly and they're not. And I don't mean that from a place of judgment. This is however, I'm talking about full belly expanding up into your heart, chest, where it's you know, expanding your back, holding for a second and intentionally slowing the exhale, almost like there's a siphon that's kind of just you know, restricting the flow to just intentionally slow it down. Because as soon as we take a moment for ourselves to stop, close our eyes, pause, deepen and slow our breathing, we immediately begin to relax the nervous system, ground, move and clear this immediate communication of I feel you, I see you, I love you. Let's take a moment. You know, if you're able to do it for a few minutes, great. If not, though, I recommend at least three breaths. So go somewhere, close your eyes, stop placing your hands on your heart. Take at least those three deep, slow breaths. Aim for like at least a four to six count in and at least a six to eight count out, depending on where you're at with your breath. Always the exhale being longer than inhale. Right. Right. So stop, drop, and pause.

SPEAKER_01 43:28

Yes, exactly. Exactly. What role does spirit or the unseen play in your healing work?

SPEAKER_00 43:38

Oh boy, yeah, a lot. Uh for me, I would say mother nature is one of the best supports and guides for myself and also within clients. And so what I mean by that is nature elements. And so water, earth, air, and the different elements, fire will come into the session. A lot of times I'll see those with clearing. Uh it's kind of interesting the way I'll say clearings, and a lot of times they're being released into something like that. Water to be healed and flowed away, fire to be dissolved and burned and renewed. So a lot of nature comes in. People sometimes get a little tripped up when you bring in the word God, right? And so whatever works for the person, God, energy, spirit, universe, that divine energy that is this source energy is something that I will feel and is a part of every single session. Really, it's not me myself doing any healing. It's me being a facilitator, a conduit of this energy that is coming in to support. And then the client's body and nervous system knows what to do with it. It's really being there to facilitate energy that already knows what to do. That's saying it's okay. I've always been meant to be different and unique and bring something that our world hasn't quite been ready for, even though it's been around longer than any of us. Right? Yes. And so that's where it's like, oh wow, okay. So really embracing and moving through discomfort of putting myself out there, being more visible, seeming, you know, being weird and wooed, talking about things that people may think I'm crazy. If like that's okay.

SPEAKER_01 45:23

I just want to interject right there because if people are thinking that it's woo-woo or whatever they want to create, it's because they don't truly understand what it is and has been around for years. And it is a proven scientific fact that we are energy, it's science 101. Um, it it kind of blows me away that here we are in 2026, and there's still people out there that refuse to open their mind to truth.

SPEAKER_00 46:00

Thus, in many cases, it's easier to label something as weird or whoa, that's not proven scientifically, or they look, you know, than it is to actually go inward and look at what's uncomfortable. Yeah. It's easier to not change, it's easier to stay the same, even if it's not serving us. It's wild how we can stay in these loops of what is known and feel safe. And so, to your point, like right, this work has been around for centuries. It's been around long before any of us. Holistic healthcare, all everything we're talking about was more suppressed at one point, right? It seems really wild that this, it's the work we're talking about is still so misunderstood. And I just I do think that, and I don't even say this from judgment, I think a lot of times it is it is people afraid to go within, afraid to feel the emotions, afraid to feel the pain. And it doesn't always have to be all about that. It doesn't have to be this horrible, to be a long, tumultuous journey. However, I think, yes, in many cases it's easier to say, oh, I don't understand that, or oh, that's weird, versus, well, let me actually be open to that. Let me look at that. And what does that potentially mean for me? And where could I maybe open myself up and look at this a bit more deeply? And yeah, mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 47:14

And I think it just plays right into what's going on in the world with the split between people, being able to create enough space in our own mind and in our heart to be curious enough. Yes. And and that curiosity can create enough space to connect each other. Yes. And so this has been wonderful. What's one truth you wish every listener could feel in their bones?

SPEAKER_00 47:44

I feel it's it's a piggyback on what you just said because we're in this world seeing more and more disconnection, right? Disconnection from self, disconnection from each other, this illusion of separation, this illusion that everything is outside of us. And so for me, it's wanting people to know that they have way more agency over themselves, their health, their lives than they've been led to believe. And we actually, as a species, as a human race, are so incredibly powerful when we are working together and loving ourselves, loving each other. It's it's knowing that there's intentional distraction from self as soon as we decide to go inward and recognize the power we have to actually shift our lives, heal ourselves, that that then shifts everything for the better. And and that there are ways to do that, and there are ways to bring in daily life navigation skills that support with that. And it's it immediately dissolves this disconnection from self, disconnection from others, and it literally raises the vibration of the planet.

SPEAKER_01 49:00

So it doesn't mean that there's not conflict or opposing ideas, it just means that you're allowing someone else to have their idea without trying to change it for you. Yes, and holding that space that someone can have their own beliefs and ideas about someone, and you still can come around and work together, right? Yes, yes, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 49:26

Yeah, just being open.

SPEAKER_01 49:27

If someone listening is on the edge of a breakthrough, but terrified to take the next step, what would you whisper to them?

SPEAKER_00 49:35

I would say to keep going. I feel like it's when we're on the precipice, and I say this from my own life experience as well, that when we're on the precipice of this breakthrough and nervous to move forward, that's the best time to give yourself some positive love, to acknowledge the discomfort. I think that's the biggest thing is like acknowledge the discomfort, acknowledge the concerns and fears, and then still say, I love you, I believe in you, you've got this, let's keep going forward. I think the acknowledging of the the the fears that come in, the discomforts is such a huge thing is as soon as we acknowledge them, hey, I see you, I get this, it's okay. This is natural to feel this way, we're safe and everything's okay. Let's keep going because I love you, I believe in you, we got this. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 50:28

Abby, if someone wants to reach out, how would they find you?

SPEAKER_00 50:32

Yes, so I have my website, abbynickerson.com, and you can message me through that website. You can also schedule through that website directly. I am on Instagram under the Haven Maven. I'm on Facebook. I also have my email is Abby at AbbyNickerson.com, and my contact details are on my website as well. So I would say probably start with the website, abbynickerson.com. Fabulous.

SPEAKER_01 50:58

Thank you so much for being here. Public courageous alignment. Stay tuned because we'll be posting some retreats that are coming up. We thank you so much, and um I hope you'll come back on the show in the future.

SPEAKER_00 51:13

I would love to. It's been a pleasure being here. Thank you. I would love to be part of the retreats, absolutely. So thank you so much. It's been a pleasure.

SPEAKER_01 51:22

Your breakthrough won't come from forcing, it'll come from truth. Trust what your body keeps whispering. Honor it. Follow it. That's courageous alignment. And if you're ready to go deeper, reach out to Abby or me. We're here and support is available wherever you live. Thank you all for being here. I am truly honored that you have chosen to take time with me today. And if this episode resonated, please subscribe, follow, and tune in and share it with someone who's ready to step into their truth. You can also find more information about services and upcoming retreats at www.courageousalignment3.com. And follow us on Instagram at courageousalignment 3. New episodes are dropped once a week to help you rise, realign, and reconnect to who you truly are. Remember, when you are truly in alignment with your soul, your heart will follow and your mind will become its wingman. And life will become much easier. Courageous Alignment Podcast is where it all comes together. I'm looking forward to spending more time with you next week. I'll see you then.