Inspired by the book: Call of the Wild / Activate Your Inner Jaguar by Kimberly Ann Johnson
As women, we are often masters at adapting, pleasing, and being cooperative. But our bodies harbour a deep, instinctive power that we have frequently lost touch with in modern society. In her transformative work, somatic trauma resolution practitioner Kimberly Ann Johnson invites us to reclaim that primal strength. For my practice, her teachings on the “Inner Jaguar” were a true celebration of recognition.
A Western Framework for Recognisable Patterns
This somatic approach originally caught my attention because it beautifully combines the deep mechanics of the nervous system with extensive clinical experience. In my daily practice, it provides an incredibly useful Western framework for the stress patterns I observe in the treatment room.
Moreover, I recognise these dynamics within myself, such as the nervous system’s sudden shutdown response and its fiery activation. It is actually remarkable that we often know ourselves so poorly on this fundamental level of being. It is high time to increase our somatic literacy and bodily awareness.
In the traditional psychological view of recovery, you are only considered healthy once you are productive again, have analytically processed your childhood traumas, or have absolute control over your mind and body. But is nervous system regulation truly about control and keeping calm regardless of the situation? Or is it actually about vitality and aliveness?
Many women in my practice default to fawning: over-pleasing others just to be liked and accepted. As women, stepping into the role of the nurturing, altruistic caretaker is an easy card to play for societal approval. However, self-protective responses lose their power when your care is constantly directed outward instead of inward. What part of yourself have you lost along the way? The answer lies in reclaiming your inner jaguar.
The Core: Your Body Already Holds the Answer
While many self-help books get stuck in mental analyses, the focus must be on pure physiology. Chronic stress, micro-transgressions, and daily corporate or relocation tension manifest deeply in our nervous system. We often respond to overwhelming situations with a freeze response, swallowing our anger or turning rigid. The jaguar symbolises our healthy, vital aggression and boundaries. By allowing this protective energy to exist, our nervous system can finally downregulate and relax deeply.
The most eye-opening lesson is that there is no universal protocol that works for everyone. The wisdom of the body is unique to you. It is about learning to acknowledge what is happening inside your body while simultaneously expanding your own capacity and internal grounding. Embracing pleasure and genuine downregulation is also difficult for many high-achieving women, simply because it doesn’t feel ‘productive.’
Learning to work with your body and mind is not a linear process that you can simply check off a list; it is a deeply personal path. The recovery process does not depend on an explicit, narrative memory. Here and now, your body already carries everything it needs to leave the imprints of the past behind.
The Connection to the Practice at Natural Waves
At Natural Waves, I see daily how the default state of the nervous system directly impacts the female organs. Chronic stress and tension have a profound effect on the pelvis and the uterus. This is entirely logical: reproduction and cycle regulation are biological functions that the nervous system immediately de-prioritises the moment survival triggers are active. All energy and blood circulation are instantly diverted to survival modes, such as the fight, flight, or freeze response.
To understand these deep physical reactions, we often use models like the Polyvagal Theory in somatic therapy as a valuable metaphor. Although modern neuroscience explains the exact biology behind it with more nuance today, the psychological recognition of ‘freeze’ or ‘fawning’ remains undeniably powerful.
When your nervous system is chronically stuck in survival mode, it takes a physical toll. This manifests as cycle and menstrual complaints, a challenging fertility journey, or deep anxiety surrounding pregnancy and childbirth. Women navigating these challenges need guidance that views the body, nervous system, and cycle as an interconnected whole.
The Internal Geography of Stress & Fertility
Initially trained as a human geographer, I look at stress through a unique lens. This perspective is strongly validated by recent landmark research from the Erasmus MC University Medical Centre in the Netherlands. Their studies on maternal vulnerability demonstrated for the first time how environmental factors and systemic pressures physically get “under our skin,” triggering chronic biological stress responses that directly impair early first-trimester growth and perinatal health.
For expats, this reality is highly recognisable. Moving abroad, navigating a new corporate culture, and building a life without a local familial safety net creates a distinct form of chronic, high-performance stress. This stress acts as an internal geography: it literally constricts your blood vessels, tightens the deep layers of the pelvis, and closes off the very areas that require space, warmth, and softness to welcome new life.
Fascia and Fertility: How Stress Locks into Your Pelvis
When discussing the impact of chronic stress on the pelvic organs, we cannot overlook connective tissue. Your myofascial network, the fascia that envelops all your muscles, blood vessels, and organs, responds instantly to the state of your nervous system. Stress and trauma are physically stored in our tissues. When your nervous system is stuck in a chronic survival loop, this deep tissue contracts unnoticed. The pelvic area becomes rigid, circulation drops, and the natural mobility of your uterus and ovaries becomes compromised.
To truly discharge deep-seated tension, I work through two vital entry points: from the outside in, and from the inside out.
- From the outside in: Using targeted myofascial and reflex techniques, such as reproductive foot reflexology and acupressure, we manually unlock physical relaxation in the pelvis. We dissolve adhesions and invite the fluid flow back into the tissues to get things moving again.
- From the inside out: We combine this with powerful top-down interventions like hypnotherapy and somatic visualization. By safely guiding your brain and nervous system into a state of deep safety, you signal the fascia from within that it is safe to release the muscular tension.
This synergy between releasing the physical fascia and calming the nervous system allows the natural, feminine flow in your body to reclaim its full space.
Try It Now: The 1-Minute Positive Sensation Exercise
A beautiful and highly effective somatic exercise to try right now is to spend just one minute directing your attention toward a positive sensation.
We are so conditioned to analyze the negative aspects of our health or turn our healing journey into our entire identity. In doing so, we almost forget that we can choose to experience joy and safety at any given moment.
- If you see a breathtaking sunset and feel touched by it, stay with it. Consciously hold onto that feeling for one full minute.
- If you feel the warmth and affection of a beautiful drawing made by your child, or find joy in a stranger’s smile, let that sensation settle into your cells.
- Alternatively, place a warm hand on your lower abdomen. Feel the temperature. Stay there for one minute. That is enough to start, and you are immediately training your nervous system in safety.
Returning to Your Your Personal Women’s Health Journey
True healing does not arise by thinking harder, but by returning to the natural flow of your body. Reading about it is a wonderful first step, but embodying and releasing old and current tension is a journey we do together. And please remember: to me, you are already whole, exactly as you are.
Are you recognising yourself in this story, and do you feel your body saying yes? Trying to conceive can be an intense and deeply personal process. Alongside the physical aspects, it often brings emotional pressure, uncertainty, and a constant awareness of time and cycles. Within my 1:1 Care in the Netherlands, I offer integrated support to help regulate your nervous system, balance your energy, and create more space and steadiness during this phase.
Depending on your unique situation, you can choose the level of support that fits your needs:
- 1:1 Support Sessions: For targeted, short-term support during your fertility process, including IVF/ICSI/IUI support, cycle-based guidance, and support around embryo transfer. ➔ Start with a tailored fertility support intake
- A Soft Start — Your Integral Conscious Conception Journey: A comprehensive, 3-month programme designed for couples who want to prepare more deeply, including nutrition, lifestyle, and mindset support. ➔ Explore the Soft Start journey
If you are not sure where to start, feel welcome to book a short conversation to explore what kind of support fits your situation. ➔ Book a discovery call