Holistic Healing for Christian Women | Biblical & Neuroscience Wisdom

Welcome to the Rewired for Purpose podcast, where faith meets neuroscience, healing meets identity, and women rise into the fullness of who God created them to be. This is the place where you will learn how to turn your pain into purpose. I'm your host, Rosangela Atte, certified Christian life and brain coach, prophetic voice, mentor, mother, grandmother, and a woman on a mission to help you renew your mind, regulate your nervous system, and break free from the lies that have kept you stuck. My heart is to empower you to walk in your God-given identity and Discover your purpose. Welcome back, friends. Today's episode is one I want you to listen to slowly, not while multitasking, not rushing, but with presence. Because what we're talking about today is not just information, but it's about formation. We're talking about God's blueprint, his very design for a healthy brain, A regulated nervous system, and a whole life. For a long time, many believers have lived with an unspoken divide. We love God, we read our Bibles, we pray, we fast, and yet we are anxious, exhausted, emotionally reactive, inflamed, and overwhelmed. Then we quietly assume that something must be wrong with our faith. But what if the issue is not A spiritual issue? It is not spiritual failure? What if the issue is biological dysregulation? What if God has always cared about our brain, our hormones, our nervous system, the rhythms in our life, the nourishment, and our rest because he designed them? Before we go any further, I would like to read 1 Thessalonians 5:23. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely And may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. What Paul is describing here is not a partial sanctification. He is describing integration— spirit, soul, and body. It's holistic because we are 3-part beings, and so we have to address all 3 parts. God's work touches all 3. Or else it would be incomplete. So today I'm going to talk to you about the 7 pillars of a healthy brain, what we call the LLMNNOP of a healthy brain. These are not just wellness trends. They are rhythms that affect our neurochemistry, our hormones, our nervous system, our emotions, and our spiritual receptivity. And I want you to understand this and hear this clearly as we begin. A regulated body creates space for a receptive soul. What I mean is when your nervous system gets out of survival mode, in which the amygdala is always firing, making us react a certain way to certain triggers, then we cannot think clearly. But when our nervous system is regulated, Our prefrontal cortex, which is the thinking part, decision-making part of our brain, gets online. And so we can start making decisions from a regulated place, from a place of trust and faith, and see clearly and consciously make decisions. That way we can also receive from the word of God and begin to transform our minds, rewire our brains, and not be conformed to the pattern. Of this world. So before we step into the 7 pillars, let me give you a simple framework so everything else makes sense. Our nervous system has 2 primary modes. One mobilizes us for action— stress, urgency, and danger— and the other restores you— rest, digestion, connection, and healing. God designed both. The problem is not that we have stress responses. The problem is that many of us never come out of them. The vagus nerve is a major pathway that helps your body shift into safety. It influences your heart rate, your breathing, your digestion, your voice tone, your facial expressions, and even how safe you feel in your own skin. When your nervous system feels safe, the brain chemistry changes. Cortisol lowers. Oxytocin, serotonin, dopamine, and GABA can function properly. When our nervous system feels threatened, even good theology can feel unreachable and impossible. That's why these 7 pillars matter so much. The first one, the L. Stands for love and connection. And this is where God starts. Love and connection. Our body has never been designed to regulate itself in isolation. From the moment we are born, our nervous system learns safety through relationship, tone, touch, eye contact, and presence through our caregivers. When we experience safe connection, our cortisol, the stress hormone, begins to come down. Oxytocin, which is called the bonding and trust hormone, increases. And it doesn't just make you feel warm emotionally. It actively calms the threat circuits in the brain, and it tells our body, you're not alone, you are safe. The vagus nerve responds to this kind of connection. When someone's voice is gentle, when their face is kind, when their presence is attuned, our vagal pathways signal safety to the heart and the lungs. Now let's talk about our soul. Our soul is our thoughts, our will, and our emotions. When you are connected, your mind settles, rumination quiets, shame loses its grip because isolation magnifies distorted thoughts, but connection brings reality back online. Spiritually, this was never optional in God's design. Let's read Galatians 6:2. Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. Now let's see Proverbs 17:17. A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity. So we were always meant to help each other, to connect with each other, to cry with each other, to mourn with each other, to smile and laugh and rejoice with each other. We are meant for community. And if you want to see what a regulated Spirit-filled community looks like, let's read Acts 2:42-47. And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul. Many signs and wonders were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all as any had need. And day by day attending the temple, Together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. That's such a beautiful passage of the Bible. As I'm reading, I can see these brothers and sisters eating together, laughing together, drinking together, rejoicing together, helping the poor, helping the widower, taking care of the orphans. It's just Such a beautiful picture of what the church should be. Notice how much of that passage is about togetherness, shared meals, shared rhythms, and joy. The early church didn't just believe together, they lived together. They shared everything together. This means something very practical for us. Healing does not happen in isolation. If you're dysregulated and your instinct is to withdraw, that instinct may be understandable, but it will not heal you. So here's what love and connection might look like on a daily basis. It looks like eating together at least one meal a day without screens. It looks like hearing someone's voice instead of just texting. It looks like letting someone pray with you instead of just praying alone. Food also helps a lot. Meals that are simple and shared, like soups, eggs and fish, vegetables, bread, cheese, they slow the body and invite presence. Eating together, it's not just relational, it's regulating. Planning meals together, cooking together, cleaning up after dinner, it's such a beautiful communal experience. I know that in everyday life, especially if you are a busy mom who works and takes care of the kids and the house, it's a lot. It doesn't sound like something beautiful or relaxing, but it's something that we Third, enjoy. It's all about perspective. It's all about gratitude. I'm grateful today, God, that I get to sit at the table with my husband, my children, and cook and eat food and have a roof over my head and just enjoy and rejoice. The other L is for laughter, the second pillar of a healthy brain. Laughter is so Important, and it feels so good. And God designed it as a medicine. When we laugh, our bodies release tension. The breathing changes. The diaphragm moves. The endorphins, which are our body's natural pain relievers, are released. Cortisol decreases. Laughter gives the nervous system a powerful signal that danger has passed. This is not shallow. Joy is not shallow. Laughing is not shallow at all. It's biological. Emotionally, laughter widens your range. Trauma narrows emotional experience and it makes everything heavy. Laughter reminds our mind that joy still exists and it's okay to laugh, that beauty still exists and it's okay to enjoy it, that delight is still allowed even in moments of grief, even in moments of sadness. It is okay to smile. It is okay to feel grateful and enjoy the blessings of the Lord. Spiritually, scripture could not be clearer. Let's read Proverbs 17:22. A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. See the connection between our emotions and our body, how our emotional state has so much influence on how we feel physiologically and physically. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 says, for everything there is a season, And a time for every matter under heaven, a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to break down and a time to build up, a time to weep and a time to laugh, time to mourn and a time to dance, time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together, time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to seek and a time to lose, a time to keep and a time to cast away, a time to tear and a time to sew. Time to keep silence and a time to speak. Time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace. So when we are experiencing moments of peace, joy, laughter, building, dancing, let's be grateful and enjoy those moments. And in the moments that are not so lighthearted, let's keep ourselves close to the Lord because He is our strength. He is our joy, and He could give us peace that surpasses understanding. God Himself names laughter as a God-ordained season. Philippians 4:4-9 says, rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made to the Lord. And the peace of God Which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there's any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise—think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Joy is not denying or ignoring what is happening. Joy is strength, is knowing that God is in control and no matter what, he has your back. It means that you're allowed to laugh daily. You're allowed to enjoy pleasure without guilt. 5 minutes of genuine laughter can shift your physiology more than an hour of forced positivity. Even food can support joy without dysregulation. Berries, dark chocolate in small amounts, warm tea, meals that are not just delicious and nutritious, But beautiful. It's nice to prepare your plate in a pretty way because our eyes need beauty. And if something looks beautiful, we're more inclined to wanting to eat it. And all these things support pleasure without blood sugar chaos. Blood sugar is very bad for our body and also for our mood. And it's very important to meditate on these honorable, just, lovely, commendable, excellent things because Our brain becomes really good at what you focus on. If you focus on positivity and joy and peace, your brain will rewire and you will automatically go to those things, will automatically see the glass half full. You will not default to negativity, but you will begin to default to positivity and you will not focus on negative things anymore. You will give more importance To the positive things in your life and not focus so much on the negative things. This doesn't mean that you're ignoring and denying reality. You're just choosing to focus on what is positive in your life because there is always something to be grateful for every day. There's always a silver lining. M is the 3rd pillar of a healthy brain: movement. Stress is not just emotional, but it's also physical. When your body mobilizes for stress, it releases hormones and neurochemicals that prepare you to act. If that action never happens, those chemicals remain trapped in your body. Dancing, praising, anything that moves your body is very healthy and helpful. When you move your body, blood flow increases to the brain, and neurochemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine are better regulated. Movement also improves vagal tone through rhythmic motion and breath. Emotionally, movement restores agency. It tells your nervous system, I can move, I am safe. Nobody's watching. I can do whatever I want right now, and I just feel this freedom and this joy coming upon me, especially if you're dancing to worship music. Many emotional states soften not through thinking but through moving. Romans 12:1-2 says, therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is your true worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may discern What is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God? Notice how Paul links the body and the renewing of the mind. Your body is not an obstacle to worship; it is the vessel that you use to worship. Movement does not need to be intense to be effective. Walking daily, especially after meals, is one of the most regulating things you can do. Stretching with worship music, gentle strength, dancing in your kitchen. Food supports movement. Protein stabilizes. Blood sugar, and supports muscle recovery. Food like eggs, yogurt, fish, meat, lentils— rich in proteins— they nourish the body so that movement doesn't become stress. Having a regulated nervous system activates the prefrontal cortex so that we are able to focus on positive things and rewire our neurons and transform our thoughts and consequently rewire the brain. N is for nature. Moving in nature, combining the two, it's even more powerful. Your nervous system recognizes creation. Sunlight, fresh air, trees, water— these lower sensory overload and stress signaling. Nature anchors circadian rhythm, which affects melatonin, cortisol timing, sleep, and mood. Emotionally, nature interrupts rumination. It restores your perspective, and it creates awe. And awe is one of the fastest ways to quiet self-focus and anxiety. You just feel so small and insignificant. Everything realigns when you are out in nature looking at the grandeur and the majesty of the mountains, of the ocean, of the forest, of the trees. Wherever you are in the world, there's something that you can look at in nature and say, wow, what a God we serve! Look at this beauty. It just puts everything into perspective. You just realize there is a God and you are so small and still he cares about you. Creation has always been a preacher. Even the Bible in Psalm 19:1-6 says, the heavens declare the glory of God and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands. Day after day they pour out speech, night after night they communicate knowledge. There is no speech, there are no words, Their voice is not heard, and yet they can preach to us about the beauty, the majesty of God. Matthew 6:25-34 says, Therefore I tell you, don't worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn't life more than food and the body more than clothing? Consider the birds of the sky. They don't sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you worth more than they? Can any of you add one moment to his lifespan by worrying? And why do you worry about clothes? Observe how the wildflowers of the field grow. They don't labor or spin thread, yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. If that's how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won't he do much more for you, you of little faith? So don't worry, saying, what will you eat, or what will you drink, or what will you wear? For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all things will be provided for you. Therefore, don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. And this chapter is called The Cure for Anxiety, Matthew 6:25-34, because if we begin to actually do what this passage of scripture says, We will look at things so differently. We will begin to shift our thoughts, put everything into perspective, and really say, if you believe that you're a child of God, God cares about the flowers, about the birds, about everything that He created. Aren't you worth much more than that? I mean, Jesus died for you. So obviously God cares about you so much that He gave His only begotten Son so that we might be reunited to Him for all eternity. For sure, he will provide for you everything you need on a daily basis. Let's focus on the kingdom of God, and everything will come. Wow! Jesus didn't just teach theology; he pointed people to nature to regulate anxiety. Practically, this means you eat near sunlight when possible. You go outside and have a picnic, or even your balcony, your garden, and enjoy nature. Enjoy the sun. Or enjoy the snow, enjoy the ice, the mountains. I'm more of a beach girl. I'm Italian. I grew up in the south. We went to the beach like 4, 5 months out of the year. So, to me, heat, sun, saltwater, sand under my toes, palm trees. I love tropical places. This is what nurtures me. But I live in Canada and Canada doesn't have much of that, but it is such a gorgeous country, specifically BC, British Columbia. has so many mountains and lakes and rivers and forests, and it's so beautiful. And I do feel such communion with God when I go out and I walk my dog, even if it's just in my neighborhood. There's so many parks and everything looks so green and beautiful. It just gives you life. It just gives you energy. There was actually studies that proved that children that faced the windows at school performed better than children that did not. And even having just a poster in your classroom or in your office or in your home of mountains, trees, the beach, whatever it is that you prefer, helps you with anxiety. So nature works. So the 5th pillar of healthy brain is novelty. Let's talk about novelty. What is novelty? Novelty is doing something different than you would usually do. Learning a new language, a new skill, a new word, learning how to cook a different cuisine, trying a different food, going to a place you've never been to, just breaking routine, doing something different, something that you would've never done or something that you don't usually do. And if you pair that with nature and community, it's so much powerful than it could be just Doing something by yourself, let's say puzzle, sitting down at your desk or at your table. If you combine it with people, if you combine it with nature, even movements, I mean, it could be such a powerful, powerful tool because your brain is designed to learn. Novelty activates dopamine pathways that support curiosity, learning, and adaptability. Trauma teaches the brain to fear the new, but novelty gently retrains it to explore again. It's okay to change things, to try a new route to go to work today, because the brain is very functional. It wants to spend the least energy possible and doesn't want you to change your routine. That's why it's so hard to begin to do new things like going to the gym or waking up earlier, because your brain is trying to keep you safe in your little box and doesn't want you to explore. It doesn't want you to try something new because it, it feels that that's a threat to your safety. But that's why we have to work hard and break that pattern, because as we age, it's so important to do these things and to keep active with our mind and with our body because of cognitive decline. Let's read Isaiah 43:18-19. Do not remember the past events. Pay no attention to things of old. Look, I am about to do something new. Even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness Rivers in the desert. Lamentations 3:22-24: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul. Therefore I will hope in the Lord. God's mercies are not just theological. They are experienced through openness. Practically, novelty does not mean chaos. It means trying a new recipe, Walking a new route, a new worship song, a new creative outlet. Small doses build resilience. Food is also very important, especially omega-3 and proteins and healthy fats. Sardines with lemon and herbs, lentil salads, avocado with sesame seeds, new spices. Simple changes teach the brain that new can be safe. 6th pillar of a healthy brain is Oh, omega-3 and nourishment. What you eat becomes information to your brain. Omega-3 fatty acids support brain cell membranes and reduce inflammation. Inflammation tells the brain that something is wrong. Nourishment tells it you're safe. Blood sugar stability is critical. Spikes and crashes can feel like anxiety, irritability, or emotional instability. Many women blame themselves spiritually for what is actually happening physiologically. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, so whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. And also Daniel 1 talks about how Daniel and his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah refused the food that the king had ordered them to eat so that they could only eat vegetables, legumes, and not drink any wine. And the eunuch that was assigned to them didn't really wanna do it 'cause he didn't want the king to be mad at him, but Daniel said, test your servants for 10 days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king's food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see. So he listened to them in this matter and tested them for 10 days. At the end of the 10 days, it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king's food. So the steward took away their food and the wine. they were to drink and gave them vegetables. Notice the connection between food, clarity, and favor. Practically, nourishment means prioritizing real food, whole foods, slow foods, protein with every meal, healthy fats like olive oil, nuts, seeds, fish, avocado, reducing ultra-processed foods and excess sugar. Meals don't need to be complicated. Yogurt with berries and walnuts, eggs and veggies, Fish and meat with vegetables and potatoes or lentils. Simple, repeatable, regulating food. And actually, for the first time in, I believe, 50, 60 years, the US government has flipped the food pyramid. Before, it used to be that grains and carbs were supposed to be the main source of your nutrition, of your diet, followed by veggies, fruits, dairy, eggs, and meat. Now it's reversed. Meat, protein should be the major source of your diet, and the rest should be veggies, fruits, and carbs is at the bottom of the pyramid now because they realize how healthy and how important healthy fats and proteins are for the brain and the body. P, pause and rest. This is the last and final pillar of a healthy brain. Resting is not laziness, but it is essential, and it is regulation. Sleep and pause regulate cortisol rhythms. They calm the amygdala. They restore emotional control. Slow breathing with longer exhales stimulate the parasympathetic activity through the vagal pathways. Spiritually, rest is commanded, and it is a gift. God rested on the seventh day. He gave us the example that we are to follow. And that is called the Sabbath. God rested not because he was tired. God doesn't get tired, but to establish rhythm and to show us, to be an example to us. Exodus 20:8-11 says, remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 6 days you shall labor and do all your work, but the 7th day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, or your livestock. Or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in 6 days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the 7th day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. I'm not saying that you should not do anything on the Sabbath. For some of us, this is not feasible, it's not possible, but I can tell you as a business owner that when we started closing on Sundays, the Lord blessed us so much in those 6 days more than when we were open 7 days. God will bless you for being obedient to this commandment. And also, it is essential for you to take a rest. Rest from screens, rest from work, rest from stress, rest your body from physical activity. Just take a chill, relaxed day with family and friends. This is God's blueprint For a healthy brain and body, spirit, soul, and body, because everything is connected. If our mind is not healthy, our brain and our spirit are not healthy. If our spirit is not healthy, our soul and our body are not healthy. If our body is not healthy, our spirit, our soul also are not healthy. When all 3 are healthy together, we all rise. When one is affected negatively, everything comes down. Because when the body feels safe, the Soul can process truth. When the Soul is settled, the Spirit can rest in God. Holistic healing is not extra. It's obedience to design. This week, pick 2 of the 7 pillars and try to put them into practice in your daily life. Build rhythm, not perfection. Don't stress out, Don't feel like you have to do everything. Just pick 2 and implement them in your daily life. And remember, you are not broken, but you are becoming regulated. Thank you for listening to the Rewire for Purpose podcast. I'm so grateful you spent this time with me today. Remember, you were made for greatness. You were chosen for such a time as this. No matter what season you're in, pressing or blooming, God's purpose for your life is still unfolding and his joy is your strength. If you're ready to discover your God-given purpose and walk in true healing and freedom, I would love to walk with you and guide you through that process. You can learn more about my coaching and resources at www.theshifthercoaching.com. Until next time, stay rooted, stay joyful, and keep rewiring your mind for the purpose God created you for.