Release & Recharge (R&R)

Nervous System Support for Burnout Prevention

Release & Recharge (R&R) is an 8-12 week group exploring unconventional nervous system tools to help you release stored stress in your body and recharge with simple, accessible techniques to fill your cup.

black and white photo of Abby laying on the ground on a yoga mat at City Gym KC in savasana pose with her hands facing up and her eyes closed.

Release & Recharge

Think of it as grown up summer camp for burned out professionals. Come explore unconventional somatic tools that will serve you as you recharge for the next school year, as well as support you through your next one.

Our nervous systems have been totally wrecked since COVID hit. Finding your way back into safety and joy in your body does not have to be a daunting process. We can take an approach that allows for joy, creativity and out of the box thinking. There’s more to healing trauma than telling sad stories to strangers. Let’s explore together.

Abby is outside, leaning forward with her hand on her chest laughing

The inverse of trauma is joy.

The skills we learn in this 8-12 week group are components of working through things. These techniques are both weird and useful. It doesn’t have to be serious.

WHAT PAST PARTICIPANTS HAVE TO SAY

TESTIMONIALS

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  • What I loved most about the mind-body skills group was the acceptance I felt. I was apprehensive how I would be accepted by the group. And instead, the environment was warm and encouraging. And that allowed me to get outside my comfort zone and be more vulnerable to the moment. I felt I learned from everyone and that we had a lot in common.

    Paul Wenske

  • Abby has a skillful understanding of how mind-body functions are accessible. Now I can tap into capabilities I never knew I had.

    Angela Kreps

  • Sometimes I felt on the outside in other groups, but this group experience was so immersive and welcoming. I was able to engage in a way that I never have been able to before.

    Lauren Troast

  • We’re all on separate journeys but we sometimes walk the same road.

    Angela

  • I used a lot of the mind-body medicine tools before going into a giant open house packed with people. It helped me stay grounded and I didn’t panic once! In the past, a panic attack would have been inevitable in situations like that. I would arrive early to panic in the car before getting in and out as fast as possible. The other night, I met every single teacher, learned about different clubs and activities and actually interacted on a level I’ve never gotten to in most situations. It honestly feels like I was missing out on life until now!

    Lauren

  • I got myself out of a panic attack without medication. That was a good feeling!

    Lisa

Release and Recharge (R&R) is..

trauma informed support + a safe container for processing + joy forward.

a dog shaking water off with the ocean in the background

weird + unconventional

A lot of the techniques in this group are weird - because this is not a normal part of how we live. A normal part of how we live is stressed, with our shoulders slumped and carrying things from childhood, over giving, people pleasing and not asking for help when we need it. The way out of that involves all kinds of cool things, backed by science, like the shaking the dog in the above photo is doing.

Shaking is the natural way to release tension (stress) and return the body to harmony. In the wild, animals naturally shake after experiencing something stressful. Humans can apply this, too. Shaking can be fun, silly, and a pragmatic way to literally shake your stress off.

Release & Recharge (R&R):

The full details

Weekly 2-Hour Group Sessions

Complete Confidentiality

What’s said in the group stays in the group.

Private Portal

with weekly content, resources, and home practice ideas

Private What’s App Group

for group support and accountability between sessions

Intro to Various Movement Practices

like Qi Gong, Laughter Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Mindful Movement, Shaking & Dancing, and other expressive practices to help you shake up your experience of meditation

$600 - $900 Investment

Depending on length of group.

Topics Explored

Topics may vary based on the length of the group.

  • Gain a real world introduction to your nervous system. Learn creative drawing approaches to access unconscious wisdom.

  • Learn how to use your mind to regulate your body.

  • Explore how imagery can enhance the mind-body connection.

    Bonus Material- Embodiment Practices

  • Explore movement as meditation.

  • Break up fixed patterns of thought, feelings and physical patterns with out of the box breathing practices.

  • Explore journaling practices to dialogue with various emotions.

  • Learn the science behind intuition and how you can use your imagination to help you connect to your inner knowing.

  • Learn about yourself & generational patterns through the lineage of your ancestors.

  • Learn about the brain/gut connection and explore ideas and feelings about food, eating and body image. Recipes will be shared!

  • Discover the connection between science and spirituality and learn an introduction to forgiveness meditations or tonglen.

  • Use art and creativity to access unconscious wisdom. Closing ritual to honor and integrate what you’ve learned.

Hi, I’m Abby…

I’m interested in how grief, hope and joy are interrelated. As someone with a history of grief and trauma, I am personally invested in approaches that are fun, effective, and scientifically backed.

I’ve struggled with depression and anxiety since childhood along with a roller coaster of chronic illness. When modern medicine no longer provided help, I set out to find out how to best support myself. It’s been a wild journey, and I’m still learning, but it’s helped me develop the resources, knowledge, and experience to help other people who are feeling stuck and disconnected. I can’t wait to share in this immensely powerful group journey and help you reconnect to the strength and hope that’s waiting to be discovered!

professional headshot of Abby looking at camera smiling

FAQs

  • It’s $75 per session. An 8 week group is $600. A 12-week group is $900.

    Payment plans are available.

  • No, this group is not covered by insurance and will have to be paid out of pocket. Payment plans are available to spread out the cost of the program over time.

  • Future groups will be announced as they become available.

  • Join the waitlist through this link.

  • R&R is a powerful and effective combination of research based healing therapies that help you recharge your overwhelmed mind and body.

    R&R takes an approach that allows for joy, creativity and out of the box thinking. Finding your way back into safety and joy in your body does not have to be a daunting process.

  • R&R groups are highly experiential and integrate techniques such as Meditation, Guided Imagery, Laughter Meditation/yoga, Autogenic training (self hypnosis), Breath Work, Movement, Journal Writing, Drawing and other creative approaches into a supportive group environment.

  • Yes! Even if you have worked with Meditation or Imagery or another mind-body skill, a group can still be extremely helpful. Groups offer a supportive atmosphere and an exploration of many mind-body approaches, which often add a deeper dimension to an existing practice, or a desire to incorporate a new skill into that practice.

    Also, the group is designed not only to teach mind-body skills, but also to help participants develop a deeper level of awareness in everyday experiences and, as a result, an increased ability to cope with the emotional, physical and psychological challenges that face us in our daily lives.

  • In order for the skills and support of this group to come to life, you are encouraged to practice the skills outside of group sessions.

    Participants who set aside at least 10 minutes a day to practice the skills for the week have better results than those who don’t practice the skills outside of group sessions.

  • Anyone who is 18 or older and feeling burned out or on the verge of burning out. People who have chronic illnesses or conditions, anxiety, or who feel isolated have gained great benefit from R&R.

    Groups are comprised of adults of all ages and all types of backgrounds.

    The common theme is that all participants are seeking support in making changes in their lives, whether the desire is to decrease stress, increase coping ability, decrease pain (physical or emotional), enhance immune function, manage anxiety or depression more effectively, or any number of other concerns.

  • No! The only requirement is that you are respectful of other people’s views. We get many people who are recovering from past religious experiences, or who are trying to figure out what they believe in now as adults (or after a life transition).

    R&R groups are welcome and inclusive to all people, regardless of your religious or spiritual beliefs. This is a safe space where we bridge the gap between science and spirituality (or intuition).

    While we do explore our connection to a higher power in these groups, that higher power can be any reference point that is meaningful to you- for some that’s nature, energy, love, the feeling of awe or beauty, or the Universe.

    Creativity expert Julia Cameron refers to “God” as “Good Orderly Direction”.

  • No. You will want to make sure you can attend the first and last sessions, since those lay the groundwork and help with transition.

    While life happens and some things can’t be avoided, if you know that you’ll miss more than 1 or 2 sessions, it’s best to wait for a time when you’ll be able to make most of them.

  • No. Group sessions are held in person and not recorded if you miss a session. However, you will have access to the materials shared in group (exercises, meditations, YouTube videos, handouts) through the private portal.

  • The topics and skills we focus on each week will vary, but each group follows the same structure (the group model from the Center for Mind-Body Medicine:

    1. Opening Meditation

    2. Check In

    3. Mini Talk on the topic for the week

    4. Movement Break

    5. Experiential Exercise

    6. Suggestions for home-practice

    7. Closing Meditation

  • R&R is for adults 18 and older.

  • Results will be individual and based on many factors. However, results I often see in participants include:

    • A decrease in depression and anxiety

    • A heightened sense of well being

    • Better coping skills for managing pain, illness, and stress

    • Fewer physical symptoms of illness, less pain, less fatigue, and more energy

    • Enhanced immune system function

    • Greater self-awareness and positive perceptions about their own lives

    • More confidence and agency in their lives

    • A real world understanding of their nervous system and how to work with their nervous system responses rather than against them

  • No. Abby is not a therapist and this group is not a replacement for therapy.

    Abby has a Master’s of Science in Mind-Body Medicine and has been trained to facilitate these groups through The Center for Mind Body Medicine.

    If you have a history of trauma, we recommend that you continue to work with a therapist while participating in this group to help you process further.

  • Join the waitlist to be notified of future groups that you can enroll in.