We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Amber Cummings. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Amber below.

Amber, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear stories from your time in school/training/etc.

I went to Shaman School in Mexico City, taught all in Spanish. Ok, actually it was called “Camino Medicina” = a yearlong shamanism and transpersonal therapy training taught by world renowned mystic Paola Ambrosi Sánchez. It rocked my world and I emerged transformed.

The second month we zoomed in on the topic of CONTROL.

Paola asked us to bring a boot and handcuffs to class. Cue lots of dirty jokes, and I showed up with a high-heeled black boot and some cheap plastic handcuffs I bought in a sketchy sex store. Before the day ended, we were instructed to handcuff the boot to our wrist. Don’t take it off! See you tomorrow!

It was uncomfortable walking home, trying to cook dinner, trying to change my clothes with a stupid boot handcuffed to my wrist! Yeesh! In the middle of the night I woke up and my wrist was burning. I rubbed it, looked at it: where was this heat coming from!? It was plastic! What was happening? I couldn’t sleep. The boot burned me.

The next day, there we were at 8am, all of us with boots strapped to our wrists, grumpy and complaining. Paola continued teaching nonchalantly. We kept waiting! Waiting for her to say the boot could come off! These were long days. Eight hours later we were all still wearing boots.

Finally she said: “Why are you all still wearing those boots? Aren’t they uncomfortable?”

The room erupted in shock and outrage: “BUT YOU SAID WE HAD TO WEAR THEM!”

“So you’re going to do whatever I tell you? That’s ridiculous. There’s no reason for you to wear a boot all night, it’s uncomfortable. You have free will. You can take that boot off whenever you want to.”

We all breathed a sigh of relief and sheepishly unlocked our boots and freed our wrists.

That boot represented all the control and programming I received as a child. From my parents, from my society! I had been raised in a very controlling Christian home where guilt and critiques were the equivalent of love. How many shackles, boots, weight, crappy programming was I carrying around decades later buried deep in my subconscious!?

There are so many things we believe we “should” or “must” do – ridiculous expectations we carry that are boots handcuffed to our souls. Our minds are “programmed” from the ages of 0 to 7. As adults? Most of us run on subconscious programming 85 to 90% of the time. If we don’t ever examine that programming and choose to make changes? We’ll spend our lives running on the programming we received as small children. True story.

After I got burned by the boot, I began examining and questioning my own programming. I realized I had a bunch of bunk beliefs running my life that didn’t actually make logical sense. Beliefs that didn’t align with who I desire to be! I decided to make changes – because I DO have free will. This is what it looks like to claim your power, baby!

Now when a “should” or “must” passes through my head I wonder: is this something that I am consciously choosing? Or is this a subconscious boot I’m carrying around for no reason? And like layers of an onion, I’m shedding guilt and programming that no longer serves me.

Our subconscious is massively powerful, I still am shocked to discover what is unearthed from my depths when I go soul diving. But now I’m able to identify my own boots fast, and I’ve been able to release many of them. That empowers me to act from a conscious place – as adult Amber now – aligned with my highest self and goal trajectory.

Now I work with clients on this too. We’ve all got our boots. And when we can see them, sometimes it really is as easy as unlocking cheap plastic handcuffs. Sometimes we can simply say: “no more, I’m done” and consciously decide differently. That’s a power flex move and those AH HA moments are quantum leaps that add up to massive growth.

Do you have a boot handcuffed to your wrist? What is it? Are you ready to take it off? Your choice. You’ve got that power too, rebel hero! ;)

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hi! I’m Amber 🌟 a mental freedom evangelist and coach who promotes that we can be mentally, physically and spiritually healthy WITHOUT needing pharmaceutical mental health drugs like antidepressants, benzo tranquilizers or ADHD stimulants. Here’s my story:

Anorexia landed me in a doctor’s office at the age of 12. I was told I had incurable mental health issues like anxiety, depression and bipolar – and I would need to be medicated for life. I believed I had been born profoundly broken and lived out that destiny: I acted like a crazy person. I had hyperventilating panic attacks, an eating disorder, attracted abusive romantic + work relationships and tried to cope with alcohol, cigarettes and a cocktail of pharmaceutical mental health drugs. I felt like a victim of my mind and my emotions.

In my 30’s my mental state spiraled into a dark hole. I was hospitalized multiple times after kneeling drunk in the streets screaming. It wasn’t until after my second suicide attempt that I finally realized: “These drugs aren’t fixing me.” I had a lot of recovery to do, but I began exploring holistic options. Yoga was my gateway to spirituality.

Searching for answers, I left the USA. I began chanting mantras at a yoga teacher training in Bali. Synchronicities lead me to Mexico where my shaman therapist convinced me the pharmaceutical mental health drugs were holding me back from my own soul growth. Bravely, I took the leap and detoxed off all the drugs. Unfortunately, I was poorly informed about the dangers of that move. I did a too-fast 3-month taper and experienced extreme withdrawal.

It took a year to get back on my feet again. Turns out, I am SO MUCH better without the drugs! Energy work practices like meditation, mantras, breathwork and yoga had helped me train my brain + nervous system. I have holistic coping tools!

In 2021 I lost a baby and it was devastating. But I didn’t go backwards; instead, I practiced everything I preached and was able to feel my pain fully and safely. I emerged knowing I am a truly transformed woman strong enough to serve. That’s when I decided to launch Mental Health Rebels! I chose this company name because it’s a rebel hero act to manage mental health holistically! 80% of people who receive a mental health illness diagnosis end up on prescription mental health drugs. I am now the 20% and I want to preach that this is possible + help others join me as present, powerful and sane rebels too ;)

Of course, my story doesn’t end there. After five years of mysterious health collapses, I recently discovered that my unsafe detox left me with a traumatic brain injury and autoimmune disease in my brain – which I will have to manage for life. Once again, my holistic practices have supported me and helped me grow! This part of my story only makes me more passionate about helping others avoid pharmaceutical mental health drugs and warn against the danger created by abruptly stopping them. I want people to be able to free their minds, but with much less pain than I experienced. It’s possible to do this project slow and safe especially when properly supported.

Intensely curious, I have devoured information about holistic healing. I’ve done yoga and mantra trainings and graduated as a Medicine Woman from a yearlong shamanism and transpersonal therapy training in Mexico. Along the way, I’ve discovered ALL the medicine we need already lives inside of us. It’s just waiting to be activated – and that’s exactly what I do with my clients.

I currently live in Tepoztlán – a magical Mexican mountain town. I offer virtual coaching sessions for clients across the globe. We work on:
– Mindset makeover: evolving your thinking and actions to promote healing and growth. Choosing to do life ALL IN present and powerful and finding the opportunities even when it seems complicated.
– Energy work practices: using your body to go deeper, finding and processing emotion. A daily practice for brain training and coping tools for crisis moments.
– Joyful living: this is also about enjoying life! How can you inject more pleasure and delight into your days?
– Freedom from pharmaceutical mental health drugs: to avoid taking them, help you free your mind if you are taking them, or help you start a new chapter after having taken them.

Curious to discover what it’s like to work with me? Claim your free call – it’s the best way to meet me and get a taste of my coaching style. All the info here: https://mentalhealthrebels.com/coaching/

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I lost a baby in 2021. I wanted that baby. Every morning I woke up and made it my practice to whisper words of love to her. We made it almost three months. And then, instead of delivering life, I delivered blood and death. It broke my heart into a million pieces.

My partner walked out on me three days later. A lot of loss. All the plans crumbled. My tower had fallen and I was left weeping in the rubble.

A former version of Amber would have tried to disassociate from pain like that. I used to try to cope with handfuls of benzos, booze + cigarettes. But two years prior, after many years of learning holistic mental wellness modalities, I had finally detoxed off all the substances. Now it was time to face my pain in presence.

I discovered there is incredible beauty feeling the full depth of heartbreak. Weeping on your knees can be exquisite. My heart ached with love for that being that visited my body for a short amount of time. She was a master teacher who showed me I’m far more resilient and strong than I dreamt possible.

Instead of turning to substances to disassociate, I called friends. Beloveds sat with me and held my hand and we swapped stories of heartaches and miracles. My friends held a healing ceremony to offer me energy and love. I let myself cry. I gave myself a few months to be in the void, not knowing.

I leaned into the grief, stat with it, explored it, felt it, loved it. Because there was no fight, it didn’t get stuck. It passed, leaving only blessings behind.

I’ll never forget my baby because by opening fully to her death I saw a new version of my own self be born. A version of Amber who, by facing the sorrow, also unlocked the joy. A version of Amber who is truly transformed and has proved herself strong enough to now serve.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Presence!

As a coach, the best strategy for working with clients is to show up 100% present. When I start a call, I attune myself to my client and listen with every cell in my being.

I try *not* to think about what to say or what to do. When I try and have the right answer? Eh! I never have anything smart to say. I struggle for words.

When I am totally present, absorbed in their world, their truth, their share? That’s when I have intuitive downloads hit. That’s when I connect the dots in surprising new ways. That’s when I am actually of service.

True presence is the greatest gift we can give to any other human being – client, friend or family. You’re invited to try this too! ;)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mentalhealthrebels.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mentalhealthrebels/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mentalhealthrebels
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mentalhealthrebels
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@mentalhealthrebels

Image Credits

These are all my phone images :)