Exploring chakras journal article written by our patron!

We are so proud of SHARI LIESCH and all of her accomplishments! Here is a very informative article that she wrote and had published in a journal called Beginnings which is published by the American Holistic Nurses Association. The article is about chakras. Congratulations! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and creativity with so many colleagues and interested parties.

Poetry in Motion of Chakra Healing

Base red, our
survival, our root.

Body’s wisdom
honored

Its presence
& instincts alive!

Stability
sustained, traditions retained

Base root red
sings: I am.

Sacral orange is our flow

Creativity courses eagerly

Senses open and alive! Relationships made, sustained

Life filling flows as true identity flourishes.

I am comforted. Orange flow streams: I feel.

Solar plexus yellow. Glazed fire burns a yellow glow, our
fire.

Energy, power & willpower poised.

Joy, tears, fire. Creative powers shine; I play!
Goals, set, pathways made and followed, I achieve

Solar yellow fires crackles: I do.

Heart is life giving green for growth, for love.

Compassion surrounds, sustains, and pours within.

Interests and passions are identified and served

Kindhearted actions powered by wisdom pour out, give
strength

Heartfelt emotions fuel as I breathe in

Expanding my world and heart space.

Green heart vibes embrace: I love.

Throat Chakra is blue, my communications, the truth.

Creativity flows through spoken words.

Words chosen and expressed as truth is revealed

And encircles beyond voice and song.

I listen and seek to understand,

My authentic self speaks, integrity revealed

My throat declares truth: I speak.

Third eye indigo is insight.

Intuition & knowing balances moods

Meanings are visualized as thoughts, emotions &
feelings evolve

Insights sough; steadiness and peace rule.

My indigo third eye observes & understands: I know.

Violet crown Chakra is aglow, a halo; the spirit.

Spirit sings, purpose is honored

Life, and meanings shine bright

Soulful connections seek to understand

Prayerful meditations embraced

Crown violet sparkles: I understand.

Nursing the Inner Poet for Trauma Treatment

Chakras are energy fields that start at the base of the spine and run through the top of the head. Free flowing energy sustains and nourishes. When exposed to trauma in the present or in the past, energy flows can get stuck, leading to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES). Trauma can remain, thus impacting our energy and our health. With adversity our physical, emotional or spiritual health is exposed to cortisol stress response, thus impacting overall health and well-being (Brown, 2023).

The amygdala is the part of our brain responsible for our fight/flight response when emotions are uncomfortable. However, when we think about and label the emotions we feel, it causes brain activity to shift from the volatile fight/flight response of the amygdala to the upper part of the brain, specifically the right ventral lateral Prefrontal Cortex (PFC). Putting feelings into words is like hitting the brakes at a yellow traffic light. In articulating our emotions verbally, we hit the brakes on the emotional response just in time to stop the danger of running a red light. This alone helps us to heal. When we meditate and write, we strengthen the PFC part of the response and minimize the fight/flight response. This is part of the calming effect of writing.

Trauma is complicated and multilayered. It can leave one feeling fragmented, which can lead to confusion and lingering emotions. When we write, trauma is externalized and this helps separate the “emotions” from our own internal process. Emotions buried may resurface or may impact our energy flow. With expression, a more acceptable view of the situation and of one’s self evolves.

In “Bodies Tell Stories,” Shepard (2022) describes the benefits of meaning making and reflection, including writing and poetry creation as avenues to heal. It helps to breathe, talk, listen and share. Self-awareness helps us to discover meaning, however it may also cause discomfort in how the body feels. One way to help with this is by learning to “live” the question. We are to be patient with unresolved matters of the heart, as healing takes time. When living the question, we build self-awareness by assessing and adjusting our response to adversity.

Writing is a process used to evaluate thoughts and feelings. Writing promotes insight, healing, well-being and personal growth (Ruini & Mortara, 2022). Writing can be expressive or address trauma; or writing can be for self-identity, gratitude, forgiveness, wisdom and hope.

Writing poetry about chakras can be an especially healing tool for trauma because it is cathartic in itself. The rhythmic flow of words and creating something truthful out of pain and the release of pent-up emotions addresses trauma in a meaningful way. Engaging with the seven basic energy levels of the chakra system with the natural vibrations of the voice of poetry can help with healing in a holistic way. This is natural medicine made of life itself.

It has a positive impact on relationships shared. It helps us integrate feelings and counteract confusion and fragmentation that the emotions may cause. A new sense of personal being unfolds. Mindful of this, I invite you to experience poetic ruminations on the seven major chakras penned by me and Dr. Shannon Gauvin, a board certified advanced holistic nurse (see pp. 25-26). These poems are offered from the safety of houses deep in human emotions, where we discover the humanity that aligns us spiritually so that we may move forward in peace.

Shari Liesch, MSN, CPNP-PC, graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is a pediatric nurse practitioner caring for youth with diabetes and endocrine health needs. Her special interests include writing for health, poetry and bibliotherapy.