In the past few months I have been learning a new healing modality called HigherCx. I think it's very valuable and important work, for each individual it touches and for the healing potential it offers to our community and the world.
How I got here
It's hard to believe I have been a health educator for more than 15 years (and this is my second career)! Little did I know when I started out as a Nia teacher in 2006 that I would become so enamored with human potential and become a pioneer/nerd of the healing arts! Ever since I experienced instant forgiveness in 2008, I have adopted the belief that humans are not meant to suffer as much as they do. And with that guiding belief, I have sought again and again to find ways to reduce human suffering through whatever natural methods seem most beneficial. Which brings me to my latest discovery!
What is HigherCx?
Its full name is HigherCx Restorative Facilitation. It's a new energy healing modality designed to balance and reset the nervous system, using muscle testing and movement to elevate life force. My friend and teacher Sara McRae created it (yes, she is an incredible innovator!) in response to issues that were coming up for clients in her thriving private practice. Since the pandemic closures in 2020 she has been talking about seeing some of her clients in a state she called 'The Void' where they were not like their usual selves, experiencing a myriad of symptoms that were different from how they usually presented. She described them as "going through the motions of life" and over time she identified a list of symptoms that she associated with 'The Void.'
Symptoms of 'The Void'
Fatigue or pain that worsens with exercise
Cognitive clarity struggles, mental exhaustion, "brain fog"
Pain or symptoms worsening with emotional stress
Pain or symptoms that are worse or more pronounced on one side of the body
Challenges with coordination or balance
Reduced emotional range, emotionally dulled
Lack of motivation, energy, drive
Compassion fatigue, lack of emotional resonance
Overall recovery stagnating or treatments failing to yield improvement
As Sara kept talking about it, I started to recognize these symptoms in some of my own clients, myself and others. I started to realize that 'The Void' is a state we can all fall into. The question is how long we stay there. It's not something you can will yourself out of - it's a holding pattern that the nervous system is choosing in order to protect you. HigherCx is a way to get out of the energetic state that is holding us there so we can live fuller lives.
'The Void' / Long COVID relationship
It turns out that many of the 'The Void' symptoms are present in Long COVID sufferers too. It seems that for some, COVID triggered a void state in many healthy, high functioning people. Interestingly, Western medicine has no pill, surgery or quick solution for Long COVID. The recommended treatments are education, mindfulness, chair yoga, slow walking, breath work, cross crawl exercises etc.
About a year ago Sara and I started to see how her work with people in the void state related to Long COVID sufferers. She theorized that without addressing the nervous system's shutdown state (like HigherCx does) other treatments will struggle to yield impressive results because access to life force energy is so restricted in the void state.
I connected Sara to Robert Stalbow, a cardiopulmonary therapist at RiverBend Hospital, because he runs the Long COVID support group there. Subsequently RiverBend has become quite interested in Sara's modality and wants her to train some of their staff and potentially do a study with their Long COVID patients in the future. Meanwhile, Sara has been using HigherCx with Long COVID clients in her private practice with great success and will document her results with a study that is set to begin in April.
A Smart and Effective Tool
Watching Sara's success this past year has been very exciting and I wanted to be part of it. So I asked Sara if she would teach me and she said yes! I took my first training with her in July, along with a couple other students. I have been practicing HigherCx weekly for the past two months and I have seen some pretty incredible results. After two of the sessions I facilitated, I felt so fulfilled, that I wrote in my journal, "This is the best day of my life!" What Sara has created is so incredibly smart and effective - people that are really suffering see significant improvements immediately, and more changes unfold over time. This work reveals that getting out of a void state can be simple and direct. It's like a quick reset button for the nervous system, which is especially valuable when one gets really rattled from a disturbing life experience (like COVID) and can't get back on track. At least, that's my interpretation, but here is the official description of HigherCx:
HigherCx Restorative Facilitation is a cutting-edge modality designed to balance and reset the nervous system, using muscle testing and movement to elevate life force energy and support healing on all levels. By identifying and harmonizing nervous system states where you may be stuck—such as chronic stress, fight-or-flight responses, or shutdown states—this approach helps release deeply held patterns that may be holding you back. As these patterns are cleared, your nervous system can shift from survival mode to a state of resilience and integration, empowering you to move from stagnation into a thriving, vibrant state of well-being.
I am thrilled to be adding HigherCx to my healing work and will be offering it on my schedule in March (2025). Until then, I will be practicing as much as possible, and I would love your support in this journey! Here are a few ways you can help:
Ways to Support Me & HigherCx:
Attend our next HigherCx talk – In March, Sara, my fellow trainees, and I will host an informational session where we’ll share insights about HigherCx, answer questions, and demonstrate how it works. Save the date: March 22nd from 4-6pm. Email me for more info.
Spread the word – Do you know someone who might benefit from HigherCx? Forward this Blog, share Sara's Long COVID study, or invite them to book a practice session with me.
Volunteer for a clinic practice session – If you have Long COVID and would like a session as part of our student clinic, reach out!
So excited about this, Mandy!!