Reclaiming My Nervous System: A Week in the Woods, a Lifetime of Realizations
Trusting my body again and getting a view of a waterfall in the middle of mountains is pretty cool!
Reclaiming My Nervous System: A Week in the Woods, a Lifetime of Realizations
This past week was filled with a multitude of emotions, and major realizations came with them. I spent the week in New Hampshire—first camping in a tent for two days and then staying in a cabin for the rest. That wasn’t the original plan. We had intended to tent camp the entire week.
But life had other intentions.
From the moment we arrived, something felt off. Both Andrea and I were taking turns feeling unsettled. Despite the beauty surrounding us—the stillness, the river behind our site, the smell of the woods—something in our nervous systems wouldn’t settle.
We bathed in the river using only natural products. The water was cold, but perfect. Each morning, I did a cold plunge, and the very first one was what I can only describe as a religious experience. I was alone, the sun was shining on the surface, and the river carved its way through a valley with mountains rising in the distance. A picture-perfect moment.
When I submerged myself and came back up, something in me reset. All the stress, all the anxiety, everything from before that moment—gone. I felt completely transformed. Calm. At ease. Peaceful.
I started wondering: Is this what baptism really means? Maybe the submersion and rebirth metaphor in the Bible wasn’t just symbolic. Maybe this is where science meets spirit—where cold water therapy resets the nervous system in a setting so pure, so divine, it becomes more than just biology. I was in God’s country. That river, those mountains, the stillness—this was sacred ground.
That experience became my ritual. I plunged into that river every morning.
And yet, those first two days still carried a sense of imbalance. Something wasn’t right. We realized we were spending all our time moving gear, reorganizing food, building fires—it felt like we were just trying to survive.
And then it hit us…
We were just surviving.
All those years we spent proving to ourselves that we could rough it — they were reflections of the lives we were living back then. Lives built on uncertainty, dysregulation, and proving we could “handle it.” But we’re not those people anymore.
I’ve spent the past year healing from one of the darkest chapters of my life. My nervous system has been recalibrating. Andrea, too, is stepping into a version of herself that once seemed out of reach. And we realized: we don’t need to sleep on the ground to prove our strength. We already know we can survive.
Now, we’re choosing to thrive.
We moved 30 minutes north, back to a cabin we loved, and the rest of the week was joyfully peaceful. No proving. No pushing. Just being.
We roamed. Explored. I swapped river plunges for cold showers. Not the same — but still part of my ritual.
And then came the hike.
1,000 ft elevation. It should’ve felt small. But I felt it bubbling — the memory of the last mountain. The fear of my body not showing up for me. Anxiety whispered, can you do this? But I reminded myself — you’ve been training for this. You’ve been healing for this.
On the drive to the trailhead, I was quiet. Lost in thought. As soon as I stepped out of the car… tears. Unexpected, unprovoked, yet completely necessary.
Andrea didn’t say a word. She just knew.
We geared up and started the climb. The first mile was rocky, a scramble. But halfway through, something shifted. My breath evened out. My confidence returned. I felt strong. Steady. Capable. I wasn’t just making it through — I was thriving in it. For the first time in years, my cardio felt aligned, my breath deep, my chest open.
This is what healing looks like.
Cold showers. Breathwork. Fascia release. Reiki. Shamanic Journeys. Consistency. Ritual. All of it was showing up in my body.
It felt like I was five years old in a brand-new body. Alive. Capable. Free.
We reached the waterfall, and it was everything. A moment of stillness. A moment of I did this. I can trust my body again.
That hike wasn’t just about the mountain. It was about reclaiming a relationship with myself.
This week taught me so much. About where I’ve been, where I am, and who I’m becoming.
The Aftermath: Living Life Differently
This trip was full of lessons—individual ones, shared ones, quiet ones. Lessons about growth, surrender, embodiment, and choosing peace over survival.
I also realized something else during the trip: I haven’t been on social media all week. Aside from hopping on Instagram twice because Andrea tagged me, I’ve been unplugged. And I loved it.
In fact—I don’t want to go back.
So, if you're wondering where to find me… I’m choosing long-form expression. YouTube videos. Blog posts. Emails. I’ll still be posting events to our Danvers Wellness Center business page on both Facebook & IG for updates as to what’s going on. As for my personal, I will check messages, but I won’t be doom scrolling anymore. It sucks me in, and I lose hours of doing what I love and living my purpose.
I won’t sacrifice my nervous system for another dopamine hit. I’ve worked too hard to feel this good.
Just like alcohol, social media has become another escape — and I’ve been done escaping. I’m now chasing dopamine in new ways:
Meditation
Breathwork
Shamanic journeys
Ceremonies
Drumming
Hiking, kayaking, biking
Tennis and golf
Creating art again
Playing music — flute, ukulele, guitar
Trying new things, being fully present, rewiring my mind and body for joy
This is my new way of being.
One grounded in peace.
One rooted in intention.
One that says: I’m not surviving anymore.
I’m living.
Just a quick side note here…….
I have also spent the better part of the last 14 years healing in these ways, slowly adding what’s mentioned below each year.
Shamanic Journeys
Rituals
Ceremonies
Breathwork
Reiki
Massage Therapy
Meditation & MORE!
So, what was different this time? I spent a good chunk of 2024 immersed into my business and lost focus. I have coached hundreds of people over the last 17+ years but that doesn’t make me immune to lifes challenges. Now, I take them as a sign that I need to heal and lean into that healing.
I felt that this was important to state here and show you that coaches are human just like you, we just lean into the healing, the hurt, the pain when we see it and face the darkness. I had a client ask me if I still go through struggles and I laughed and said if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here.
If this message speaks to you, stay tuned here or on YouTube. That’s where I’ll be. Danvers Wellness Center by Soul Warrior - YouTube
In the quiet.
In truth.
In the process of becoming.
Mike
If You’re Looking for Physcial, Mental, Emotional or SPiritual Healing Near Danvers, MA
As a wellness practitioner in Danvers, MA, I often remind clients from Beverly, Salem, Peabody, and the North Shore that this work isn’t always pretty—but it’s necessary.
My healing and coaching practice supports men and women throughout the North Shore—including Beverly, Salem, Peabody, and surrounding towns—with inner child healing, nervous system regulation, emotional resilience work, and holistic rituals for personal growth. If you’re navigating your own emotional season and looking for a safe space to do the work, my office in Danvers is here for you.
