Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Hilgers.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
After working for almost 20 years in Neuromodulation Sales and Sales Leadership, I developed a deep understanding of the who we are in our human condition. For 10 years, I worked directly with chronic pain patients and even though our implantable devices were very good at treating chronic nerve dysfunction, every treatment fell short. It is almost impossible for a chronic pain patient to find complete relief, reliant on western medicine alone. As I worked directly with each of them, I learned about their stories and how so many of them had some kind of underlying trauma that was a part of their story.
This led me to research and study anything I could find on the physical manifestations of trauma and what science existed to support my theory. I hypothesized the reason our pain treatments fell short was that we were only treating one part of the issue…one part of the whole human and that all treatments would have better outcomes if medicine moved to a holistic view of the person…mind, body and spirit as one.
Concurrent to this journey was my own experience with incredible stress and physical ailments. I was working 16 hour days, trying to be the best mother I could be to my only daughter, running the household, and supporting my family. I never had time to breathe and when I did stop, the pain of acknowledging the state of my life was too much, so I would jump into another project and keep moving. Consequently, my body was deteriorating. I had chronic migraines, back pain, constant digestive issues and was taking about 8 meds a day to get through the day, including something to sleep. One day I ended up in the ER with random stroke-like symptoms that after a full workup was diagnosed a “complex migraine.” As I was laying there alone in the hospital bed, this voice screamed to me, “You better make some changes or this stress will kill. you.”
I began working with a wellness coach. She was amazing and treated my energetic body, while helping me find myself. I began to understand my past and how it was contributing to my present reaction to my life. I learned that our sub-conscious drives how we live our lives and the crazy thing is that it is formed by the age of 8. I learned that as things happen, our brain looks for memories that feel the same and then draws the same conclusions that we must protect our safety before using our logical brain to make different choices. It is really all neuroscience and it DEFINITELY leads to some of our current physical issues. At the very least, it is a part of the equation.
I considered getting my PhD, but found that the study of the Polyvagal Theory (the mind/body connection via the vagus nerve) and trauma-sensitive somatics were likely not going to be part of a traditional psychology program, which led me to hypnosis and coaching. Since coaching is new and can be very specialized, I have spent the last 5 years gaining certificate after certificate and over 600 hours of education. I am able to help people tap into their holistic wellbeing through a journey of self-discovery and understanding with a focus on gaining the tools to move forward in their life and truly connect their mind, body and spirit through easy daily practices. My goal is to help as many people as possible find the health, joy and freedom in their life that I have discovered…one person at a time.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The hardest part has been jumping away from a 30 year career in Sales for corporations, to following my heart and speaking my truth before people understand the connections. Everything I do is based on science, but many physicians still do not even understand the vagus nerve and it’s entaglement in our physical, chemical and energetic bodies. I am educating physicians on the body as well as showing people they are stronger than they know and more resilient than they feel.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I use the science behind the Vagus Nerve to teach people how to tap into their inner pharmacy and connect their body and mind for holistic well-being using an energetic leadership assessment, trauma-sensitive somatic techniques, and SOMA Breathwork. I combine the science of the Mind/Body Connection to show people how to create holistic wellbeing in their life. It is easy, fun and effective.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.innersectioncoaching.com
- Instagram: @urholisticwellbeing
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissadavidian
