Chronic Fear to Calm in 90 Minutes

The first time I met Jane* was unforgettable. It was the day before our city shut down for COVID. Jane had just returned from overseas, where she laid her beloved life partner to rest. The previous year had been challenging for her—caring for him, arranging his memorial service, and making the long journey to his home country. She requested a private yoga lesson to reconnect with herself and her body.

At 77, I was struck by how young Jane looked and acted. She was vibrant, carrying herself with an energy that was both surprising and inspiring. Our session was slow and gentle, each movement allowing her to ground herself and regain a sense of physical presence. She wanted another session, but the next day, the city of Eugene shut down for COVID (March of 2020), and our connection was paused. Nine months later, Jane joined a small, vaccinated yoga pod class I was teaching. Over time, I got to know the depth of her unique and bold personality. 

Jane’s Vibrant Spirit

Jane is passionate, open, fun, expressive and everyone in our class loves her. She became a cornerstone of our group. She had an uncanny ability to lift everyone’s spirits, whether by singing a heartfelt, operatic rendition of "Happy Birthday." Or, if someone was wrestling with a challenging aspect of life, she would passionately say, “Coraggio!” to them, the Italian word for courage. Her background as an opera singer in New York and later as Facility & Concert Manager at the University of Oregon's School of Music added to the uncommon tapestry of who she is.

Life-Altering Events: Tech Stress and Jane’s Car Accident

In 2021 I noticed Jane began to express fears about using technology. She took an online class from me, and I remember her being stressed about using Zoom. She told me she was terrified when she had to do things on the computer. She mentioned her spine seizing up whenever she had to deal with a big technological challenge.

In September of 2023, Jane’s life took a sharp turn. A devastating car accident shook her deeply. She was sitting in her car at a traffic light when a reckless driver drove toward her, hit a guardrail near her, bounced off and skidded into the driver’s side of her Scion. Jane said it felt like he was using his car like a weapon, with an intention to harm. She had to be extracted from the car by emergency support. She was 81 years old at the time. Though she escaped without broken bones, the trauma left its mark, both physically and emotionally. Her rib cage was injured, and the experience rattled her nervous system.

Jane missed yoga class a few times after the accident. She went through the process of filing a claim with the insurance company, getting a new car (since her old one was totaled) and starting physical therapy. All of these changes added challenges to her life and stress levels. After the accident, I noticed changes. Jane seemed more mentally scattered and increasingly anxious. Her fear of technology, which she had struggled with before, became more pronounced. Small mishaps, like misplacing her phone or keys, sent her into a panic. Several times she shared her fears about not being able to keep up in a society where everything is driven by technology. One day in yoga class, I noticed only one side of her mouth moving as she spoke. She attributed it to stress, and although it improved during the class, it was one of many signs that told me Jane was not herself. She seemed calm during yoga class, but before and after class her nervous system was on high alert. 

The Weight of Fear

I feared that without intervention she would most likely either spend the rest of her life constantly panicking over her mental hiccups or she would develop dementia or Alzheimers. I had seen it in other friends and clients - their fears becoming reality. Jane confided in me that both her mother and sister had experienced Alzheimer’s, which fueled her anxiety about cognitive decline. Despite fairly recent tests showing “normal” function for her age, her concern remained, and she was caught in a mental loop of fear that overshadowed her reality.  I was deeply concerned that Jane might spiral further, trapped in this state of panic and stress. I knew she needed something to break the cycle, and I was learning HigherCx, an energy healing protocol that I hoped would calm her nervous system. 

Introducing HigherCx

When I suggested a HigherCx session, Jane agreed, not with high expectations, but trusting me and willing to explore the unknown. During our session, she completed a questionnaire identifying her key concerns:

1. Cognitive clarity struggles and mental exhaustion.

2. Symptoms worsening with emotional stress.

3. Coordination and balance challenges.

4. Recovery stagnating or treatments failing to yield improvement.

   
   

I won’t go into details of the session, but I will say that it revealed her nervous system was in a chronic threat state, compounded by the trauma of the car accident. We discovered she was not fully “in her body” because she did not accept her brain as part of her body, a form of disconnection from the ongoing cognitive stress and fear. We addressed each of these things and more, one by one, meeting them with acknowledgement, compassion and brain integration.

The Shift

By the end of the session, Jane’s nervous system was no longer in a threat state, and she reported feeling calm—truly calm. When she returned to yoga the next week, she was visibly different, and all she wanted to talk about was how much it had changed her. She described seeing a long, vertical, rectangular bar-shaped "cloud" dissipate from her visual field on her right side. I noticed her panic had eased, her demeanor was relaxed, and she did not fret over any misplaced items. Jane said she felt like herself again, with a clarity and calm she hadn’t experienced since her partner’s passing.

The Gift and the Bigger Picture

I felt such a sense of relief seeing that Jane was restored to her glorious self and that I would no longer see her suffering.  My session with Jane was THE most rewarding thing I have ever been part of in my life.  To see her return to the person I knew and loved in a 90 minute session was remarkable!  HigherCx brought her back to herself, shifted her from fear and chaos to calm and integration, something no other therapy had managed to achieve. Her transformation was the most radical change in someone in the shortest period of time that I've ever seen. (And I've seen a lot of cool changes in people!).

Why This Is Exciting!

Before discovering HigherCx, I wouldn’t have known how to help someone like Jane. Her case would have felt daunting, and I would be at a loss of who to refer her to. She was already going to a neurologist, physical therapy, chiropractic and doing yoga once a week. None of those therapies addressed the root issue. HigherCx offered a quick and intelligent way to meet her where she was and help her move forward. I am overjoyed that this tool exists. I have always believed people don't need to suffer as much as they do. But to do that, natural healing needs to get smarter, more efficient. To me, that is what HigherCx does. 

A Final Reflection

After her session, Jane spoke with a new perspective about her grief and isolation after her partner’s passing. She spoke about being in the house where he died, with nowhere to go, and not being able to spend time with friends due to fear of COVID. At the time, it was absolutely devastating. Now she says,  "I'm still upset, but I'm not devastated." 

Finally she could speak about these experiences with clarity and compassion for herself. It wasn’t just that the threat state was gone—it was that Jane could finally integrate her experiences and move forward.

This is why I believe in HigherCx. It doesn’t just offer relief—it creates a space for integration, empowerment, and true healing. Jane’s story shows that profound change is possible, even for complex cases, and at any age.

*Name changed to protect anonymity