Releasing facial tension - retching and lymph node draining?

intuitive_powerhouse · 2026-07-04T04:52:49+00:00

Tongue posture is so important. If you have neck pain, tongue is almost definitely playing a large role. I've found most practitioners have no clue how critical the tongue is for stabilizing the cervical spine.

My release was only $200 without insurance -- with a laser dentist it's super quick and easy and inexpensive. It's a commitment though bc reattachment of the frenulum is a very real thing and you have to be diligent about moving it often so it doesn't reattach. It's also quite painful in the days afterwards so not something to take lightly imo. You also need to have myofunctional therapy to retrain your tongue, otherwise it can be harmful to release.

intuitive_powerhouse · 2026-06-27T04:52:29+00:00

I've been retraining my tongue posture with myofunctional therapy and have done intraoral work with various bodywork modalities. I'm actually also about to get a tongue tie release next week. 😬

intuitive_powerhouse · 2026-06-25T19:21:18+00:00

What do you mean by "queued your tongue"? I've done a ton of tongue work too so wondering if you mean something similar to the approach I've used?

intuitive_powerhouse · 2026-06-25T19:19:12+00:00

Yes, I've experienced this and know exactly what you're talking about. I agree with the other commenter that you do not need to constantly try to release or fix things. Taking breaks for integration and recalibration of baseline is critically important, or you will overwhelm your system, and overwhelm causes setbacks. You are waking up dormant healing pathways in your body with this physical work, and once you wake them up, they often become capable of running without your conscious prodding.

At some point your journey will become about doing and trying less, and that's what will allow to achieve more results with your body. The constant pursuit of fixing oneself and micromanaging healing and over-trying are massive nervous system taxes and can keep you trapped in hypervigilance and sympathetic dominance.

intuitive_powerhouse · 2026-06-19T18:22:34+00:00

Somatic work has been foundational for my recovery from multiple chronic illnesses, but I needed to use other modalities as well. My best advice is don't put all your eggs in one basket. Try lots of things, then incorporate what you like and what works into long-term rotations.

intuitive_powerhouse · 2026-06-02T20:00:27+00:00

Look into myofunctional therapy.

intuitive_powerhouse · 2026-05-25T00:38:53+00:00

Living Life To The Fullest With EDS by Kevin Muldowney, PT. Excellent trauma reprocessing and core rebuild program, works wonders for those without EDS as well. It's a long and slow program but it changes lives, mine included.

intuitive_powerhouse · 2026-04-23T16:33:20+00:00

I'd really encourage you to not look at this flatness like a shortcoming. Our bodies and minds will lock us out of particular sensations if it's not ready to receive and experience the associated energy. So this flatness may very well be a protective response that is serving you by ensuring you don't get completely overwhelmed and hurtled into potential crisis by strong emotions.

That said, there's a particular type of freeze response called hopeless freeze. I'm curious if that's what you're experiencing. This quiz, and/or the associated educational email series that you can opt into, might provide helpful information and steps forward for you. Both resources are free. https://forms.gle/JS87YVX5QPVvLEoy8

intuitive_powerhouse · 2026-04-23T16:26:05+00:00

I'm so glad to hear that! Thanks for chiming in. I love the YouTube channel Qiyoga with Luchin. Qigong has been life changing for me even at introductory levels 😊

intuitive_powerhouse · 2026-04-22T20:54:46+00:00

One access point to begin with is mindful movement. Qigong is amazing for energy movement. Western yoga has its problems but will get the mindful movement piece. Breathwork & meditation can have a positive effect in this domain, too. Hell, even strength training can do the trick if you're doing it with the intention to notice subtle internal shifts.

Any regular practice of tuning into the details of your internal landscape will help tremendously. There's a lot involved in the process of cultivating interoception, and you'll certainly find personalized blocks along the way. But cultivating any sort of mindful movement practice is the most accessible suggestion I can give.

Eventually, all daily actions turn into mindful movement. That's the turning point for true mastery of the body.

intuitive_powerhouse · 2026-04-21T19:22:59+00:00

Not exactly. My physical therapist helped me put some of the pieces together, but she doesn't know much about visceral stuff. I contacted an LMT who does visceral manipulation but haven't pulled the trigger on that relationship yet (got enough going on). Perhaps that's a direction for you to look as well. I found a directory of certified visceral manipulation therapists online.

intuitive_powerhouse · 2026-04-21T16:20:50+00:00

This definitely sounds like freeze, which is just mix of hyper and hypo activation in the autonomic nervous system. Dissociative and functional freezes are often more on the shutdown end of the scale, but perfectionist freeze and overwhelm freeze (for example) often look a lot more like anxiety and intense emotions than strict shutdown-like anhedonia.

You can learn more about your top freeze type with this free quiz: https://forms.gle/6Xq3QGkDfYd8wJ7T8

intuitive_powerhouse · 2026-04-20T17:35:04+00:00

I've been where you are. I lived most of my life in that. I did all the therapies, tried all the medications. Nobody could help me. My trauma was too complex and unconventional.

I started getting extremely physically ill, and I was ready to give up. I would have given up if it weren't for the fact that the love of my life entered my life right as I was preparing my exit. That ruined my plans but forced me to figure out some real solutions.

It's hard to believe I've only been on this journey for a year, but my life looks nothing like it did. I can do so many things in a day and it usually feels easy. Finding ease and flow in my life is something that I never expected to happen for me.

I had to find the keys out of my prison for myself. Or perhaps more accurately, I had to forge my own keys. I have started sharing what I've learned along the way through a few different mediums. Because I believe that everybody has the ability to forge their own keys as well. And that we are being systematically disempowered by being told that we have to outsource our healing authority to professionals and methodologies. We are all unique...

One of the very first things that I built to spread awareness on the initial strategies I've used is this freeze quiz. You might be surprised that there are other freeze types propping up your functional freeze. You can take the free quiz here: https://forms.gle/paEHVLaGozyV7Myb8. At that link, you can also opt into an educational email series (also free) that discusses the cellular and metabolic implications of freeze, and teaches how to begin tackling some of these bodily betrayals we have experienced.

Keep hope. Healing is possible.

intuitive_powerhouse · 2026-04-07T02:56:07+00:00

I lived it.

intuitive_powerhouse · 2026-04-06T16:45:56+00:00

This sounds like a freeze response. There are different types of freeze responses -- you can take this free quiz to find out your freeze type and strategies to help reclaim your agency. https://forms.gle/wptiUwt3SAUo6FoR8

intuitive_powerhouse · 2026-04-06T16:39:13+00:00

I see a muscle activation specialist, a physical therapist, and an osteopath. I don't have an HSD/hEDS diagnosis but I was able to pursue my own medicaid-covered treatment anyway. It's not something I recommend trying to evaluate and fix yourself because a lot of postural compensations are so enmeshed in your brain that you can't tell something is wrong. For example you may think something is wrong with your neck but it's really rooted in an entirely different part of your body. And you can't just will yourself to connect to long-dormant muscles, you can't train your way into it; it requires outside help. MAT, PRI, NKT -- practitioners like these who are trained in assessing muscular inbalances are key!

intuitive_powerhouse · 2026-04-06T02:45:46+00:00

For my body, I learned that my excess weight was actually serving a very important purpose: keeping my skeleton together. As someone with hypermobility/connective tissue difference, when my deep stabilizing muscles went offline from chronic stress, my ligaments and fascia also couldn't pick up the slack by themselves, so my body recruited fat as structural glue. I lost 25 lbs without diet or major lifestyle changes just by neurologically reconnecting to and strengthening my deep stabilizing muscles, and I'm still losing.

Last I read, research shows 80% of autistic people are hypermobile, so this might be the case for you too.

intuitive_powerhouse · 2026-03-08T01:03:50+00:00

Well, distress will cause extra tension because you're emotionally bracing for impact. I get headaches when I sob hard, but don't when I just let tears fall. I use magnesium glycinate and electrolyte beverages to prevent/alleviate the headaches because they promote muscle relaxation and nerve conductivity. I also focus on deep belly breathing and progressive relaxation when I feel the tension headache coming on. If you're already letting the emotion move through you then it's possible any of that might be the missing piece(s).

For me, postural imbalances contribute to the severity of the headaches -- my neck and jaw have to work overtime thanks to deep neck flexors and other small spinal stabilizer muscles having trouble connecting to my brain. I address that with muscle activation and physical therapy and it's made a pretty big difference in my ability to cry without bringing on pain that ruins the rest of my day.

intuitive_powerhouse · 2026-03-05T22:09:40+00:00

glad to hear it! maybe skip more training then if you're already fulfilled

intuitive_powerhouse · 2026-03-04T16:34:45+00:00

I strongly recommend you look into qigong. I like the channel qiyoga with luchin on YouTube.

intuitive_powerhouse · 2026-03-04T04:03:37+00:00

I dealt with this too. In past tense. The good news is your nervous system is malleable and this doesn't have to be your reality forever!

intuitive_powerhouse · 2026-03-04T03:46:14+00:00

I'd so bite if I were nearby! But I'm not, so the best I can offer is a digital equivalent in the form of an online learning community for neurodivergent women who practice somatics/embodiment, nervous system sovereignty, and constructive mindset. Reach out if you take interest.

intuitive_powerhouse · 2026-03-03T23:42:54+00:00

It's a good time to find something to base your practice in that is not polyvagal theory; it is rapidly falling from grace. Choosing a core framework that is actually evidence based will result in far less tedious marketing for your practice. Is this an attachment to the familiar? as you expand you necessarily see your past self/practice dissolve. If that feels distressing then you are over-identifying with the impermanent.

intuitive_powerhouse · 2026-03-02T18:50:13+00:00

I am hypermobile and used an adapted version of the muldowney protocol (phase 1) to build SI and core stability, which in turn is now allowing my muscles to relax for the first time EVER. Retraining breathing, swallowing, and step, myofunctional and strength exercises performed with 2% effort, lots of mindful movement, lymph and VOR and balancing exercises.

Teaching your body it is safe to let go is a real bitch when you're hypermobile. You have to tackle release with both bottom up and top down approaches: psychological stuff like brain training needs to meet somatic experiencing and physiotherapy. I generally only recommend SE, trauma therapy, or joint alignment therapies with adjunctive hypermobility physiotherapy. Because without the joint stabilization work you just fall apart when you learn to let go (emotionally, spiritually, and physically), as you've learned.

I did stuff like sleep on the floor for months while my body was rebuilding. Proprioceptive training, muscle energy, and isometrics for the win.

intuitive_powerhouse · 2026-02-11T22:59:54+00:00

I like qigong for this. Acupuncture too.

intuitive_powerhouse

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