I came into SBSM after going through The Essentials, not knowing much about Irene or her work. I’d been searching for healing for a long time… from preverbal and early childhood trauma, and I’d tried everything — coaching, retreats, chiropractors, healers, diets, yoga, meditation, breath work, inner child work. Some things helped for a while, but a lot kept me in the cycle of one step forward, two steps back.

When Irene first went through the basics — orienting, feeling the ground, watching the breath, following impulse — my brain said, this is so basic, but the rest of me said, yes, finally. Without even deciding to, all the other tools I’d clung to just dropped away.

Whenever I felt overwhelmed, couldn’t move forward, or things felt like too much, I went back to the basics. I didn’t freak out or start searching for something else — I knew to just go back to the basics.

I’ve discovered so much in slowing down and focusing on the basics. I’m building capacity. I feel more space inside, I can work through emotions quicker, I don’t shut down as easily, and I feel more stability. The biggest thing is I feel like I’m home — in myself and in SBSM.

The way Irene weaves nervous system work, somatic experiencing, movement, and caring for the physical self feels whole — like I’m no longer fragmenting myself. The content is vast, the community support is unlike anything else, and I don’t feel alone.

If you’re tired of searching, if other healing has felt incomplete, or if you feel a pull to do SBSM — I can’t recommend it enough.