Stress: Triggers, Tools, and Healing Transformation

Feel like a walking stress ball? You’re not alone! Have you ever wondered if your stress is trying to send you a message? Join us for a panel discussion that unpacks the connections between stress, body awareness, and healing. 

Drawing on the wisdom of Peter Levine, Bessel van der Kolk, and Gabor Maté, we’ll discuss how to tune in to your body’s distress signals. Learn how mental-emotional stress and past traumas manifest physically and discover practical tools for managing them. Explore how these dynamics shape your thoughts and actions. Join us to understand and transform stress through a holistic approach!

This panel discussion will occur on March 31, from 6:00 – 7:00 pm at Wrong Way’s River Lodge. Ariana Figueroa, NBC-HWC, will facilitate the conversation. The event is free and open to Integrative Life Members and the public. Please RSVP via this link to attend in person! This event will also be broadcast via our YouTube and Facebook pages. It is not necessary to RSVP for the virtual broadcast.

Patti Elledge is a trauma healing specialist who has served as a therapist and somatic mentor for thousands of individuals over the past 25+ years, and before that as a child development specialist serving infants, children and families.  She trained directly with Drs Peter Levine, Raja Selvam, and Steve Hoskinson in Somatic Experiencing and assisted in more than 40 SE training sessions.  Patti also served as faculty for Dr Diane Poole Heller’s groundbreaking attachment training, DARe, for 9 years, and then, in 2020, she launched her own 3-month online Somatic Mentoring.  She continues to teach, most recently participating in a weeklong event at Blue Spirit Costa Rica with Bessel van der Kolk and Dick Schwartz.  Patti weaves cutting edge therapeutic strategies from somatic experiencing, attachment, interpersonal neurobiology, parts work, relational inquiry practices, deep ecology and the felt sense of embodiment.  By utilizing attunement, presence and the blending of these techniques, over-coupled survival energies (fight-flight-freeze) that appear so seemingly intractable with the essence of loving/bonding and attaching, can be shifted and healed.  By accessing all parts of our nervous system and moving out of dysregulated and early fear-based patterns we can embrace who we are meant to be and embody our True Essence in these fantastic, evolving times. 

Tricia Renshaw, a Delaware native born and raised in Newark, has lived along the east coast. After earning her BS in Dance from Skidmore College in 2008, she pursued her Doctorate in Physical Therapy at the University of North Florida. Following her 2011 graduation, she relocated to Western North Carolina’s mountains, where she has worked across various healthcare settings from acute care to outpatient clinics. Her expertise grew through Clinical Neuromuscular and Structural Bodywork certifications, dry needling, and as a Level 1 NeuFit Practitioner. In 2020, she completed her Level 2 Emotional Intelligence Mastery from Satori Prime, incorporating subtle energy work for holistic patient care. Beyond her clinical practice, Renshaw is a professor at Western Carolina University and Assistant Artistic Director at the Asheville Ballet. In these roles, she teaches, choreographs, and performs regularly. She maintains an active lifestyle outside of work, enjoying hiking, yoga, and photography. She cherishes time with her partner Andrew and family, while pursuing her interests in personal growth and wellness. Her diverse background in healthcare and dance allows her to bring a unique perspective to her work with patients and students.

Ariana Figueroa is a board-certified health and wellness coach with seven years of experience in coaching and facilitation. As a Coach and Facilitator, Ariana fosters a space where insight and meaningful change can flourish. She is pursuing a Master’s in Social Work at Western Carolina University. In her free time, Ariana loves diving into neuroscience, experimenting with new recipes, nurturing her garden, and staying active. You might find her kicking around a soccer ball with her son, hiking and gardening as a family, or enjoying a quiet moment with her knitting needles.