Faith Ashenden’s Approach to Unlocking the Body’s Ability to Heal Naturally

In a world where stress, pain, and emotional turmoil are commonplace, many individuals search for holistic and science-backed ways to heal and find solace. One remarkable leader, Faith Ashenden, has made it her mission to guide people on their path to self-healing. Faith Ashenden, the founder of “That Healing Feeling,” is a leading proponent of a multifaceted approach to healing that combines elements of visualization, science-backed nervous system regulation techniques, neuro-linguistic programming, and more. I’ve been following her work for years and believe she is one of the leading positive change agents in the wellness world. I’d love to share with you the transformative methods I’ve learned that Faith uses to facilitate healing, helping individuals regain emotional, mental, and physical well-being.

As a reference: Learn more about Faith Ashenden here! Listen to her incredible, impactful podcast here!

Okay, on to the good part: the amazing tools she uses to help people realize that their body has so much potential to heal naturally – so you can too!

Visualization: The Power of Mind Over Matter

Faith Ashenden emphasizes the profound impact of visualization in the healing process. Visualizing a state of being can stimulate the body’s healing mechanisms, a concept grounded in the mind-body connection. Research has shown that visualizing wellness can reduce stress, improve immune function, and accelerate physical healing.

Exercise: Find a quiet and comfortable place to sit or lie down. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths to relax. Visualize a peaceful scene where you are free from pain or stress. It could be a serene beach, a tranquil forest, or any place that resonates with you. Feel the sensations, hear the sounds, and see the vivid colors. Spend a few minutes here daily to promote relaxation and help the body get into the parasympathetic rest-digest-and heal state (and out of a sympathetic stress-response state that most people are in throughout the day).

Science-Backed Nervous System Regulation Techniques

Faith understands the critical role that the autonomic nervous system plays in the body’s healing processes. Through science-backed techniques like deep breathing, meditation, and mindfulness, she assists individuals in regulating their nervous systems. These practices reduce the body’s stress response, creating an environment conducive to healing.

Exercise: Try a 5-10 minute mindfulness meditation. Sit or lie down, focus on your breath, and observe the sensations in your body without judgment. If anything comes up for you, mentally approach it with compassion and curiosity. This practice can help regulate your nervous system, reduce stress, and promote healing.

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP): Rewiring Thought Patterns

Faith employs NLP techniques to help individuals identify and reframe limiting beliefs and thought patterns that hinder their progress. By reframing negative self-talk and mental blocks, you can achieve a more positive, empowered outlook, and increased emotional resilience.

Exercise: Identify a limiting belief or negative self-talk pattern you want to change. Write it down. Then, reframe it into a positive, empowering statement. For example, change “I can’t handle stress” to “I am resilient and can manage stress effectively when I address one small thing at a time.” Practice repeating this positive statement whenever the negative thought arises.

Top-Down Regulation Techniques

Top-down regulation techniques involve working on the mind’s conscious and cognitive aspects to positive impact the body. Develop an understanding of how your conscious thoughts and emotions impact your overall well-being. By harnessing these insights, individuals can take control of their mental and emotional states.

Exercise: When you experience a challenging emotion, pause and take a few deep breaths. Ask yourself what thoughts are triggering this emotion, while also understanding that the emotion is a message from your body designed to help you take action. Consider if the messages are helpful or not. If it is not helpful, challenge and reframe the thoughts to create a more positive perspective. This simple exercise can help you regain control of your emotions.

Bottom-Up Regulation Techniques

Bottom-up regulation techniques, on the other hand, address the body’s physical responses to stress and trauma. Faith assists individuals in recognizing physical tension, and she utilizes techniques like somatic experiencing to release stored emotions from the body, allowing healing to occur from the ground up.

Exercise: Perform a body scan. Start at your toes and work your way up to your head, paying attention to any tension or discomfort. Breathe into those areas, visualize releasing the tension, and imagine it dissolving with each exhale.

EFT Tapping: Balancing the Body

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) tapping is a clinically-proven method Faith uses to address imbalances within the body. By tapping on specific meridian points (which are used in acupuncture) while focusing on emotional issues, EFT can help decrease strong emotional charges and help restore balance.

Exercise: Learn the EFT tapping points (top of the head, eyebrow, side of the eye, under the eye, under the nose, chin, collarbone, under the arm, and top of the wrist). When you feel emotionally charged, tap these points while verbalizing your emotions. For example, “Even though I feel stressed, I deeply and completely accept and love myself.” This can help balance the body and release emotional blockages.

Check out my article on EFT Tapping here for a full guide!

Brain Training Neuroplasicity for Pain, Fatigue, and Anxiety

Faith Ashenden recognizes the role the brain plays in pain, fatigue, and anxiety. She employs brain training techniques to rewire the brain’s responses to these conditions. Neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to adapt, is harnessed to reduce suffering and enhance overall well-being.

Exercise: To rewire your brain to experience less pain, fatigue, and anxiety, it’s essential to shift your focus away from the pain itself. It’s important to acknowledge the sensation, but it’s not necessary to hyperfocus on it. The brain follows the principle that “neurons that fire together, wire together.” By deliberately engaging in activities that bring joy, relaxation, or diversion, you can weaken the neural connections associated with pain, fatigue, and anxiety, ultimately reducing the intensity.

Releasing Trauma & Limiting Beliefs

Trauma and limiting beliefs can be significant barriers to healing. Faith helps clients confront and release these emotional and mental blocks, creating space for personal growth and transformation. To release trauma, I recommend finding a professional therapist, my favorite therapy approach is Accelerated Resolution Therapy.

Exercise for Limiting Beliefs: In a safe space, journal about limiting beliefs (negative thought patterns) that affect your well-being. Write down how these experiences have impacted you and your beliefs about yourself. Reflect on how you can release these burdens, consider any good that came from the situation, and/or if you learned anything from the experience. Try to reframe the limiting belief into a growth mindset statement.

Subconscious Reprogramming

Faith Ashenden is a firm believer in the power of the subconscious mind since the true powerhouse of our minds, controling 95% of what we think, feel, and how we live. By accessing and reprogramming the subconscious, individuals can shift their internal programming towards relaxation so the body is in a healing state.

Exercise: Create positive statements related to your healing journey. For example, “My body is designed to heal” or “I am healing more each day.” Repeat these affirmations regularly, and pro tip – do this especially before sleep and upon waking when your brain is in the alpha (meditative state), to reprogram your subconscious mind.

Check out my article on subconscious rewiring here for a full guide!

Somatic Work: Identifying Emotions Stored in the Body

Emotions often get stored in the body, leading to physical ailments and discomfort. Faith’s somatic work assists individuals in identifying and releasing these trapped emotions, allowing for more healing to take place.

Exercise: Incorporate somatic stretching into your healing journey to release trapped emotions. Find a quiet space, close your eyes, and identify areas of tension in your body. With gentle stretches and deep breaths, focus on these areas, and feel the tension dissipating more with each movement. After a few minutes, you’ll experience a sense of release and relaxation. Take a moment to reflect on any emotions that may surface during the process, and practice this somatic stretching regularly to promote emotional and physical well-being.

Gratitude For Your Healing Body

In the journey to healing, it’s essential to understand that you “can’t heal in a body you’re at war with” as Faith says. She also reminds us that 99% of what we need to heal is already inside of us. This fundamental truth underscores the importance of trusting our bodies. Our bodies are always working for us, striving to restore balance and well-being. To facilitate this healing, we must actively engage in the work of releasing and processing negative emotions and stress to allow our bodies to get into the parasympathetic rest, digest, and HEAL state. Trust, compassion, and the commitment to inner work are the cornerstones of the transformative journey Faith Ashenden advocates.

Closing Thoughts

Faith Ashenden’s “That Healing Feeling” is a testament to the incredible potential our bodies have to heal when we help support its optimal function. Her multifaceted approach to healing encompasses visualization, science-backed nervous system regulation techniques, top-down and bottom-up regulation methods, EFT tapping, brain training, trauma release, subconscious reprogramming, and somatic work.

Faith’s philosophy revolves around the idea that 99% of what you need to heal is inside you, and the key is to remove all obstacles blocking your body’s natural ability to heal. By embracing emotional healing, individuals can achieve mental and physical well-being, creating a path to wholeness that transcends boundaries and limitations. Faith Ashenden’s healing journey is an inspiring example of the transformative power of holistic approaches to health and well-being, and I’m so grateful for her innovative work as she helps thousands of people heal naturally.

Learn more about Faith Ashenden here!

Listen to her incredible, impactful podcast here! 

Now is the time to take action on your healing journey. Use the provided exercises and examples to incorporate Faith Ashenden’s methods into your daily life. Remember that change starts with small steps, and consistent practice can lead to profound transformation. Your body has the incredible power to heal itself, and with dedication and these techniques, you can harness that power to achieve emotional, mental, and physical well-being. Embrace the journey and begin your path to wholeness today! As always, I’m cheering you on – every step of the way!

In wellness,

Jeanna