🤍 Hey girlies! Let’s talk healing, culture, and feeling safe in your body…
In this episode, I had the absolute honor of sitting down with Gina Kiem and Dr. Niloufer Merchant for a conversation that felt equal parts grounding, eye-opening, and deeply affirming. We explored something that doesn’t get talked about enough: how body-based healing—especially through the lens of polyvagal theory—can actually honor our cultural identities instead of ignoring them.
Because let’s be real… healing isn’t one-size-fits-all.
🌿 So… what is body-based healing anyway?
We kicked things off by breaking down polyvagal theory in a way that actually makes sense in real life. At its core, it’s about understanding your nervous system—how your body responds to stress, safety, and connection.
But here’s where it gets deeper:
Your sense of safety isn’t just biological—it’s cultural, relational, and lived.
For women of color especially, “feeling safe” can shift depending on the space you’re in, who you’re with, and what you’ve experienced.
💭 When your body remembers what your mind tries to navigate
Both Gina and Dr. Niloufer shared personal experiences of how their cultural backgrounds shaped their nervous systems. We talked about the subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways our environments teach us when to soften… and when to stay guarded.
And honestly? It hit.
Because so many of us have learned to override our bodies just to function in spaces that weren’t built with us in mind.
🔄 Code-switching, exhaustion, and your nervous system
One of the most powerful parts of this conversation was around code-switching.
We all know what it is—but we don’t always talk about what it does to us.
Constantly adjusting how you speak, act, or show up to feel accepted or safe? That’s not just “social awareness.” That’s your nervous system working overtime.
We dove into the idea of allostatic load—basically the wear and tear on your body from chronic stress—and how code-switching contributes to it in ways that are often invisible but deeply felt.
🤝 Co-regulation isn’t the same for everyone
Something I loved about this episode is how we challenged the idea that healing practices are universal.
Co-regulation—feeling safe through connection with others—looks different across cultures. For some, it’s community. For others, it’s spirituality. For others, it’s simply being seen without having to explain yourself.
And therapy that doesn’t take that into account? It can miss the mark completely.
🧠 Cultural safety > surface-level inclusivity
We got real about power dynamics in therapy spaces too.
It’s not enough for a space to say it’s inclusive. Your body knows if it’s actually safe.
Cultural safety means:
Not having to translate your experience
Not being pathologized for your identity
Being understood in context—not in isolation
And that kind of safety? It allows your nervous system to finally exhale.
✨ Simple practices to feel more grounded
We also shared accessible, body-based tools that don’t require you to “fix” yourself—just reconnect.
Some of my favorites from this episode:
Noticing small cues of safety (a tone of voice, a familiar smell, a supportive presence)
Gentle breathwork without pressure to “do it right”
Allowing your body to guide what feels safe instead of forcing calm
Because grounding isn’t about perfection—it’s about permission.
🌍 Where culture and healing meet
What stayed with me most is this:
You don’t have to separate your identity from your healing.
Your culture, your lived experiences, your instincts—they are not obstacles. They are part of the map.
And when therapy honors that? That’s when real, sustainable healing begins.
💌 Resources & ways to connect
If you want to go deeper, here are some amazing resources mentioned in the episode:
Dr. Niloufer Merchant’s work:
Gina Kiem:
https://ginakiem-goldcounsel.com/
My links (come say hi 💕): https://bio.site/helenbass
Research:
2025 article by Elana Curtis and colleagues: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12063315/
2019 article: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12939-019-1082-3
🫶 Final thoughts
If you take anything from this episode, let it be this:
You are not “too sensitive.”
Your body is not “overreacting.”
You are responding exactly as someone with your story would.
And you deserve healing that sees all of you.
Let me know what resonated with you the most 💭
I’m always listening.
— Helen 🤍
