Meet Lynn Fraser

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lynn Fraser a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Lynn, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

I get my resilience from persistent interest and action to build a strong mind and nervous system. I understand now how trauma works, both from childhood and the everyday trauma we all experience.

I had a stable upbringing but it was emotionally cold. When things started to go wrong for me as a teen, I felt I had nowhere to turn for help.

I was 40 when I reached out and learned how to meditate. Through meditation, I began to understand my mind and that I was not doomed to endless catastrophic thinking. Through yoga, I began to heal the disconnect from my body. Through lovingkindness and compassion, I developed a friendly relationship with myself and began enjoy my life much more.

In my early 50’s I was physically assaulted when I was riding my bicycle to work and developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). At that time, there were almost no resources to understand what was happening in my brain and my body. I had been meditating and practicing yoga for 12 years and with my knowledge of mind and body I developed a program to heal. It took time, and I learned a lot through that experience.

When I was almost 60, I was emotionally healthy enough to leave my difficult long term relationship. I began at that time to also learn about childhood developmental trauma Complex PTSD through pioneers like Gabor Maté MD and Pete Walker. This brought my healing to a new level. I learned how the nervous system assesses threat, has a negativity bias, and about our survival responses of fight, flight, freeze and fawn. I discovered tools that break the trance of catastrophic thinking and worry. When people feel under threat, we often tighten our neck, back and gut, and we hold our breath. When we experience chronic stress and anxiety, these become habits that send a continuous signal of danger to our nervous system, even though we are safe in the present moment.

I integrated this learning into classes and guided practices on developing a strong mind and resilient nervous system. Trauma is stored in our body with associated thoughts and sensations. Through 32 years of yoga and meditation, I know how to breathe and relax my body. Developing somatic mindfulness allows us to be aware of the sensations and energies and how to become comfortable being in our body.

I teach classes and guide nervous system strengthening practices through online platforms like Insight Timer and Yoga Farm as well as through my website LynnFraserStillpoint.com.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am a senior teacher in the Himalayan Yoga Meditation tradition and founder of the Stillpoint Method of Healing Trauma.
I have been interviewed on major podcasts and summits in my field, such as The Trauma Therapist Podcast, Therapy Chat, Not Another Anxiety Show and more.

In 2017, I founded of the Radical Recovery Summit, innovation in healing trauma and addiction through a social justice lens. I interview leaders and innovators in the field, including Gabor Maté, Deb Dana, Prentis Hemphill, Sah d’Simone, Stephen Porges, Rick Hanson, Michelle C Johnson, Resmaa Menakem, Scott Kiloby, Diane Poole Heller, and James S Gordon.

You can find me on Insight Timer (16.4k followers) where I am on live several days a week guiding meditations and nervous system practices, including a Friday Night Dance Party followed by an hour long meditation. I have hundreds of guided practices and meditations as well as audio courses on topics such as Friends With Your Mind: How To Stop Torturing Yourself With Your Thoughts.

Every day for 10 years, at 8AM Eastern, I offer a live, free online practice on Zoom. Each Friday I publish a newsletter and each week I teach a Sunday free community class on Zoom. My website is rich in resources, emergency practices for when you are panicking or wanting to build strength and resilience, and links to my offerings. https://lynnfraserstillpoint.com

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

You can heal! We can understand our nervous system and how trauma works. You are not alone in being affected by trauma, whether that is long term chronic neglect and abuse ,or the impact of shock or crisis trauma. We can all teach ourselves to breathe in a way to signals safety to our nervous system. We can use powerful tools to break catastrophic thinking and anxiety.

Healing takes time AND is completely possible. You don’t have to go through life with a dysregulated nervous system.

Do something every day to support your body and nervous system. Over time, this heals our past trauma, we begin to trust and connect, and we enjoy happiness.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

When we feel overwhelmed, we need to come back into awareness that right now, in this moment, we are safe. Use reliable tools like these:

Look around the room and notice five things you see, four things you can touch, three sounds, two scents, and one taste.
Do a breathing practice like cyclic sighing which is a double inhale through your nose, and a long slow exhale like you are breathing through a thin straw.
Hold your own hand and savor the warmth.
Give yourself a hug or cuddle with a safe person or a pet.
Go outside and breathe in some fresh air.
Go to this page on my website when you are panicking and learn some of these tools.
https://lynnfraserstillpoint.com/emergency-practice-overview

Learn about your nervous system and do something each day to build strength and resilience. You are not alone. Life changes when we reach out for healing. Once our nervous system is more settled, we have the capacity to look at our life and know what changes we need to make.

Most important, be kind and patient with yourself. Life can be difficult and we don’t need to struggle on our own.

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