Nervous System Care & Healing

Death is a natural part of life… yet our death-phobic, grief-phobic society rarely acknowledges this fact.  We’ll eagerly plan for marriages, births, graduations, and other life milestones… but avoid discussing end of life. This is understandable, as confronting our mortality can feel scary & overwhelming. Yet conversations about end of life can also be meaningful & life-affirming, ensurin...

In this episode, we’re diving into the Asian American experience - going beyond stereotypes, and exploring deeper truths about belonging, identity, and authenticity. For Asian Americans: this episode is here to affirm you & help you make sense of your experiences. For non-Asian folks: this episode is here to educate & inform you, and invite curiosity & connection across communities. Jo...

What if we saw creativity as not just a nice-to-have extra thing, but as an essential part of the human experience & the healing process? We are all creative beings (yes, even if you think you’re “bad at art” or “not creative”).  In this episode, I’ll explore the link between creativity and healing. 01:48 Creativity can look so many different ways - from picking an outfit for the day to knitti...

Mainstream approaches to mental health tend to focus on the individual: “you need to fix yourself.” Meanwhile, a liberation-focused approach acknowledges the systems of oppression that shape each individual’s life. In liberation counseling, we see mental health as a social, political, & economic issue, not just an individual issue. After all, we can’t talk about healing & nervous system re...

If you discovered your neurodivergence (like autism or ADHD) later in life, it may feel like you’re getting to know yourself for the first time. The process can be exciting & expansive - and also overwhelming & disorienting. This episode is here to affirm you, support you, and awaken a sense of curiosity & self-compassion… wherever you are in your journey of unmasking & embracing y...

If the common “ADHD tips & tricks” don’t work for your ADHD brain, it might be time to slow down & tend to your nervous system in a different way.  The truth is, ADHDers need more than planners, apps, & executive functioning “hacks” in order to move sustainably through this world. Though all these tools can absolutely be helpful, they address only one layer of the experience.  It’s als...

If you struggle to regulate your nervous system, often experiencing burnout, meltdowns, & sensory overload… this episode is for you. I’ll share practical info on how to care for your nervous system, focusing on the 5 senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, & taste) and beyond (proprioception & intuition). We’ll reflect on these questions: What brings you joy? What makes you happy to be ali...

Let’s talk about the perinatal nervous system – what it is, how it differs from a non-perinatal nervous system, and how caring for mothers creates a ripple effect of healing across generations. In this conversation, Paige DiChiara & I explore the perinatal nervous system from a scientific, spiritual, & systemic lens.  We discuss: how to honor the perinatal transition as a rite of passage –...

We’ve all heard the claim that psychedelic drugs will “fry your brain.” We’ve also heard the opposite story: that psychedelics (like psilocybin, MDMA, & ketamine) are a “magic pill” that’ll cure depression, anxiety, & PTSD — overnight! With such polarizing narratives, it can be hard to discern what’s myth & what’s truth.  Whether you’re curious about psychedelic therapy, or skeptical a...

Though psychedelic medicines are often presented as a “quick fix” or “magic pill” in mainstream Western culture, the truth is far more complex than that.  In this episode, Mariya Javed-Payne & I explore a decolonial approach to psychedelic medicines — an approach that divests from capitalism, honors Indigenous wisdom, and centers relationship & reciprocity. We explore why psychedelic medic...

When the world feels like it’s on fire, it’s natural to become overwhelmed, dysregulated, and overstimulated. (In fact, that’s a sign that our nervous systems are working as designed, alerting us to threats to safety).  But no one wants to feel STUCK in overwhelm.  In this short & sweet episode, I share 3 reminders to help you tend to your nervous system and navigate the state of the world wit...

If you hold marginalized identities (like being queer, BIPOC, or neurodivergent), you’re used to navigating spaces that weren’t built for you — including the medical system.  Unfortunately, the mental health field has a history of pathologizing folks... leading many to believe, “there’s something wrong with ME.” It’s time that we change this narrative. Join me in a poignant conversation with thera...

We’ve all heard how important self-care is — but actually building a self-care plan that works for your brain, your unique needs, and your life… is a whole other story. If the typical advice, like “take a bubble bath!” or “have you tried meditating?”, simply doesn’t work for you… I created this episode with your needs in mind.  When it comes to taking care of your nervous system, I want you to hav...

Neurodivergence is often stigmatized in Western mental health. Autism & ADHD are seen as pathologies in need of a “cure.” But what if we viewed neurodiversity through a curious & affirming lens, acknowledging both the challenges AND gifts? In this episode, I explore an alternative to the pathology-based approach: an affirming, ancestral lens that views the individual within the context of...

Endless productivity is not realistic for most humans, yet many of us carry the burden of feeling “lazy,” like we’re not doing enough. This episode explores why no one is “lazy” in a capitalistic world — but every one of us does need rest, support, and care. I’ll share 5 questions to help you explore your relationship to rest, work, and systemic & cultural expectations. You’re invited to journ...

If you have an inner voice that tells you, “I’m unworthy,” “I don’t matter,” or “I’m crazy/too sensitive/overreacting”... this episode explains why these beliefs may stem from the impacts of systemic oppression, and what you can do with this awareness. We’ll explore how to unlearn internalized beliefs and understand yourself through a more compassionate lens. In this episode, I speak candidly abou...

If you’ve ever heard the advice “just be yourself” and felt frustrated by how generic it was, I want to share a framework that might be more helpful: masking vs. unmasking.  We mask when we hide our authentic selves, in order to fit in or stay safe in unwelcoming environments. But masking takes a toll on the nervous system (because it’s exhausting to pretend to be someone you’re not). This is why...

In this episode, I share why community is essential for our nervous system health, especially in times of injustice and collective transition. I discuss why it can be difficult to find community in our individualistic Western society; and why community is a two-way street, where we learn to give AND receive. Through the concept of “love languages,” we’ll explore how to build community in ways that...

The care you receive – whether in therapy, coaching, or other healing spaces – shouldn’t require you to mask. It should allow space for your authentic self, autonomy, and choice in every step of the process. In this episode, I explain what neurodiversity-affirming care is and why it’s helpful for everyone, even if you don’t identify as neurodivergent. I draw from my personal experiences as a highl...

Whether you are autistic, ADHD, or questioning; or you’re a practitioner who works with neurodivergent people… this episode is here to inform, affirm, & expand our collective conversation on what it means to be neurodivergent. I talk about why “normal” is a subjective term & social construct; why we shouldn't pathologize people for being different; and why we all fall somewhere along the s...

It’s okay if you’re not calm right now. Dysregulation isn’t a bad thing — it’s just information. In this episode, I explain what the nervous system is, what nervous system regulation means, and why the goal isn’t to be 100% regulated all the time, but rather to have a FLEXIBLE nervous system.  I share sensory-soothing strategies (based on sight, sound, smell, touch, & movement) to help you bui...

Welcome to the Nervous System Care & Healing podcast. I'm Liz Zhou (she/her), a neurodivergent therapist of color. In this trailer, I share about the core message behind this podcast: healing is not just about self-care - it's also about dismantling the systems of oppression that keep us dysregulated & disconnected. Be sure to follow/subscribe to stay up to date on new episodes! Weekly epi...