Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Melissa Brunetti. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Melissa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?
One of my earliest memories, at the age of four, was wanting to be a nurse. Whenever anyone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, that was my response. I had an innate calling to help people heal. As I got older and was deciding on a career, I narrowed my choices down to medical imaging or psychology. Unfortunately, one bad psychology teacher in junior college made the decision easy for me. I became an X-ray Technologist and, a few years later, a Sonographer. After working in this field for over 33 years and staying with the same company throughout my entire career, you could say that I don’t like U-turns! I used to resist change as if my life depended on it. But the Universe had other plans for me, and those plans are still evolving, growing, and expanding in ways I never thought possible.
Being a professional in traditional medicine has been rewarding over the years. I have been instrumental in saving many lives and fulfilling my innate need to help heal people. However, I started noticing that many of my patients were spending tremendous amounts of time and money trying to find the cause of their aches, pains, and ‘dis-ease,’ only to find no medical explanation. This noticeable pattern soon became very personal, as I became one of those patients. I experienced significant discomfort, anxiety, and panic attacks. Despite numerous tests, no cause was found. I felt like I was dying, and no one could figure out why. I had intrusive thoughts and suicidal ideation. Who was this person? I felt hopeless and alone. My doctor put me on medications to mask my symptoms, but everything escalated even more. What could possibly be wrong with me that no medical test could find the answer? This made no sense! The foundation of my security, my job, and everything traditional medicine stood for started to crumble beneath me, until one day there was a shift that changed my entire life and purpose.
I remember being on antidepressants and anxiety medications, and instead of helping, they made me feel even worse. I felt so desperate. No one was going to figure out what was going on with me except ME. Little did I know that I was actually the answer to my healing and happiness. What I did next is not recommended by doctors, but I decided to stop all my medications cold turkey. Soon after, I had a vision. It was like a dream playing out in my head. I saw myself floating on a beautiful ocean on a sunny day, just me and my floatie, relaxing with my eyes closed. Then, all of a sudden, I panicked! I sat up and opened my eyes. I had drifted out too far—so far that I could barely see the beach. In that moment, I realized I was the beach. My authentic self, my purpose in this life. If I didn’t start swimming back to ME right now, I would be gone forever. I had a choice to make. I could drift off deeper into the ocean and potentially end my life, or I could start swimming back to myself. I had to do it now. There was not a moment to lose. There would be no second chance. In that moment, I chose to start swimming.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Today, I am a 56-year-old part-time sonographer, which is my “security job” as I transition into building my Somatic Mindful Guided Imagery® practice. Deciding to stop being an actor in my own life and make myself and my purpose a priority in my early 40’s didn’t mean things changed overnight. After realizing that not living an authentic life or fulfilling my purpose was literally killing me, change was inevitable, whether it felt comfortable or not. I didn’t even know what my favorite color was! I had no idea what the future would look like, but I was excited to follow the breadcrumbs to whatever it was, and that’s exactly what I did. It took about 10 years of discovery and I learned to embrace change in the process. To actually look forward to it! To look at each new day as an exciting adventure. The transformation was amazing and surprisingly fun!
In September of 2021 I had just lost a close friend that I had been taking care of to cancer when I was scrolling through Facebook and saw an ad for a podcast course. Mind you, I had never even listened to a podcast in my entire life so I was puzzled as to why this was drawing my attention at all, but I couldn’t get it out of my mind. What the heck did I have to say that others around the globe would want to listen to? No one cared what I thought. I procrastinated and waited until the very last hour to sign up for the course. What did I just do? I had no idea, but I had to follow the bread crumbs. Where was this going to take me? I had no clue, but I was excited to find out.
To make a long story short I launched my podcast Mind Your Own Karma on 12/21/21, winter solstice, and for about 26 episodes I talked about living your authentic and purpose filled life and had a few guests on that had interesting stories and gifts to give the world. Then one day, again, I was scrolling on Facebook when I ran across an adoptee support group and I thought it would be fun to join as I was adopted at 10 weeks old. It would be interesting to connect to others with the same experience, so I jumped feet first into this new community. Boy, did that open pandoras box! Joining that group opened my eyes to things like adoption trauma and the struggles adoptees have later in life due to the separation of the biological maternal bond and so much more! The first thing I thought was, “We aren’t supposed to talk about this stuff! Adoption is a good thing, right? That’s what we all have been told our entire lives.” I discovered a term that adoptees use called coming out of the adoption fog, which means that you start to see how your adoption has actually shaped you and made you who you are and that’s exactly what happened to me when connecting to other adoptees. It gave me permission to explore my own feeling and emotions about being adopted in a safe space and soon after making these discoveries about myself I knew I had to change my podcasts mission and focus to adoption stories. I had to educate the world on the complexities of adoption. So in May of 2022 that’s what I did and continue to do today. I have listeners all over the world-Tasmania Australia, Maharashtra India and Calabarzon Philippines. I was seeing great success and fulfilling my goal of adoption education, but I still felt I had to do more. So many adoptees are struggling with preverbal childhood trauma and again I was witnessing that traditional therapies just weren’t working for them. I believe we all have a healing combination, but what was that combination for trauma that you can’t remember? Trauma that was experienced at birth and sometimes even before that? Generational, past lives or pre birth trauma? How can we access and heal from that type of subconscious or hidden wound? One older adoptee gentleman, probably in his 70’s, told me he had pain in his body ever since he can remember, even as a young child, but he didn’t know where it was coming from or what the root cause was. My heart went out to this man and I wrote what he said on a sticky note and posted it on my office wall. I was on a mission to find something that could help. Five days later the answer came….
I was getting a massage which I do every other Friday afternoon. I have known my masseuse for almost 20 years now so we know each other pretty well. She was telling me about how she was using a somatic therapy called Somatic Mindful Guided Imagery® to help heal a deep wound from a tragic loss that she had recently experienced. My ears perked up and I started asking questions about this therapy. She said it could heal trauma that was stored in the body. Trauma that wasn’t released or dealt with, and that trapped trauma could cause all kinds of pain and disease in a person, mentally and physically. I was intrigued and had to know more. I went home and started researching everything I could find about Somatic Mindful Guided Imagery® or SMGI®.
I devoured every single word, video or website I could find and everything I read about this modality made so much sense to me. I knew this might be the missing piece to what many people were looking for as a effective holistic healing option. In doing my research I discovered the creator and developer of SMGI® was starting a 6 month intensive course, and if I passed, I would become one of a handful of certified practitioners in the world. The more I read about Somatic Mindful Guided Imagery® the more I knew this was the key to the pre verbal trauma that adoptees were experiencing. Heck, this was the key to a lot of things non-adoptees grapple with-crushing addictions, anxiety, depression, stress management and so many other mental health issues that affect people in their every day life. Through my six months of training I not only learned how to be a trauma informed practitioner using SMGI®, I also got to experience the gentle, easy and efficient healing it can brings myself. It literally changed my life and healed deep wounds that I had been carrying since before I was born without having to relive the experience itself. Truly amazing! I unpacked stuff I didn’t even know I was dragging around. That sack of heavy rocks was getting lighter and lighter as I unpacked my trauma. Letting go of one stone at a time. I felt so much healing, relief and inner peace.
I became a certified Somatic Mindful Guided Imagery® practitioner and my practice, Somatic Healing Journeys was born. I couldn’t wait to share this amazing modality with the world.
Somatic Mindful Guided Imagery® is an up and coming therapy that uses hypnosis, meditation, guided imagery and feelings in the body to notice your innate mind/body connection. It gently accesses your subconscious mind and inner wisdom where all your power, intuition and knowing resides. Truly the answers are already inside of you. You might just need some help and guidance to unlock the answers you are seeking. It is a scientific fact that trauma can and does get stored in the body and with SMGI it can be discovered and released or integrated to give the client a feeling of peace. homeostasis and wellness.
SMGI® is well-suited for individuals experiencing a range of issues, including unresolved trauma, chronic stress, emotional imbalances, PTSD or physical discomfort. It also benefits those seeking to address deep-seated emotional patterns, improve body awareness, manage pain, or enhance overall well-being. With SMGI® there is no cookie cutter technique that is used for every session, therefore, every session is unique and tailored to each individual client and their desired outcome. No two sessions are ever the same. In fact, each session you experience will look and feel different as well. That is why this work is so effective. It meets you where you are at in that moment to help you to reach your desired goals.
Why work with me? Because I genuinely care about you and what you want to accomplish out of this work.
My 33+ year background in traditional medicine not only equips me with technical knowledge but also instills a profound sense of compassion and empathy. This compassionate approach, combined with Somatic Mindful Guided Imagery®, allows me to deeply connect with individuals, understanding their unique needs and facilitating healing journeys with genuine care and understanding. I get great joy out of showing people the incredible power they possess to healing themselves, and I am honored and humbled to be a witness to these life changing sessions.
I also have had the gift of a heightened intuition my entire life which enhances my effectiveness as an SMGI® practitioner by allowing me to attune deeply to each individual’s needs, facilitating a more profound understanding of their subconscious processes and emotional states. This intuitive sensitivity enables me to tailor guided imagery experiences with precision, fostering profound healing and transformation more quickly and easily.
When working with me, you are simultaneously working with a Trauma Informed Somatic Hypnotherapist, Mind-Body Healing Coach, Interactive Guided Imagery Practitioner and a Parts Work Healer Guide that uses body-based trauma informed coaching and guided inner journey work with SMGI®, that gets results that are life-changing and soul-affirming in a relatively short amount of time.
What am I most proud of? That I have overcome what cold have been soul crushing obstacles, learned from them, grown from them and now share my journey of hope, tenacity and healing with others that want to listen and need encouragement from my experiences. I have learned kindness and compassion for myself and those around me. My favorite quote is, “Just because I’m not on your path doesn’t mean I am lost.” After all, we all are doing the best we can with what we have experienced. It’s all part of the journey to wholeness and happiness. Just remember, you may not have caused some of the pain you are now experiencing, but it is your responsibility to heal yourself from it. There is hope, and your healing combination is out there. Stay curious and you will be amazed at what doors can open. Never give up on yourself.
If you are seeking a somatic approach you are most likely looking for a more holistic healing modality that addresses the connection between your mind and body, aiming to alleviate physical and mental symptoms by exploring their underlying emotional or psychological causes. If you are curious about how somatic work might benefit you or are serious about your healing journey and finding other modalities just aren’t quite getting the results you are seeking you are a great candidate for experiencing SMGI®.
More information and free consultations are available at somatichealingjourneys.com
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
A big lesson I had to unlearn during this transformation of authenticity was that I thought I had to have my mental and physical health totally in order to help others. What I learned was that people want to see your authentic self and they can tell when you aren’t! If you don’t know something, say it! If you are working through something that’s great! People want to see that you are human and can relate to what they are going through. Then you can share how you overcame the issue to continue to help others. The best advertising you have is YOU. Show case your vulnerability and your strengths. People want to connect with someone that understands and can sympathize with them, not some AI robot that has all the answers and sounds perfect.
You have a purpose in this life that only YOU can fulfil and the only way to do that is use what your momma and the Universe gave you! That special combination of gifts that you have is unique and is what is going to draw the perfect clientele to you. Don’t know what those gifts are? Here are a few tips I have learned along the way that helped me find mine.
1. Ask friends and family to list a few things that they see in you that are strengths in your personality and who you are. Things that stand out to them about you. Many times those close to you can see special things about us that we don’t.
2. Ask yourself who you admire and what is it about that person that stands out to you? You will find if you compare this list to the ones you asked family and friends about you, you will find a lot of similarities between you and those you lookup to. What we look up to in others often times is the same qualities that we possess and don’t even realize it. Try it and see!
3. What did you want to be when you grew up? Doctor? Astronaut? Actor? Ask yourself what qualities come to mind of the person filling that role? Usually the traits that come to mind for these roles are things that are innately you, and those traits can help point you to your unique purpose and gifts.
4. Be curious and follow your intuition. Be open every day to new possibilities. Be excited about what you will be shown today. Follow the bread crumbs. It just might lead to a brand new life. If you find a dead end you can always make that U turn. Just because you tried something and found out it wasn’t what you wanted that’s great! Knowing what you don’t want helps you define what you do want. Now go find that!
Bottom line is, if you don’t fulfil your purpose, then not only are you missing out on the joy of living your best life, but the rest of us are missing out on what you were born to bring to the world.
If you still struggle with figuring out what your purpose is Somatic Mindful Guided Imagery can help you access your subconscious mind, clear whatever is standing in the way of your dreams and goals and bring forth what that purpose is and how to attain it gently, easily and efficiently.
If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?
This is a great questions because I did find a lot of satisfaction in the medical field as a sonographer, but the reason why I wanted to do it back in 1990 is no longer relevant. Not because I don’t want to help people heal, but because traditional medicine today is more about making money than helping people in need. After working for the same company for over 30 years I have seen a disheartening flip. It is no longer about patient care, and I am just a employee number with no name that makes them money. That’s the bottom line. It’s been sad to watch and experience. I still go over and above for my patients as much as I can, but at the corporate level my priorities are no longer their priorities. That’s why when I came across Somatic Mindful Guided Imagery® I became excited again about my new career and the benefits people could experience.
So to answer the question, yes, I think I would do it all over again because it taught me compassion and highlighted for me some of the gifts I have that make me unique. Gifts I might never have discovered if I hadn’t taken that road. There are days I regret not following my other dream career of being a psychologist, but now being a Somatic Mindful Guided Imagery® practitioner combines both roles in a unique way that is even more meaningful and fulfilling. I truly want to help people live their best lives and I believe this modality is the missing number that many people are looking for in their healing combination.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://somatichealingjourneys.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mind_your_own_karma/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissaannbrunetti/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-brunetti-5a666aa2/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MindYourOwnKarma
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@somatichealingjourneys?_t=8n5m6OgUu8k&_r=1
Mind Your Own Karma-The Adoption Chronicles podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/melissa-ann-brunetti
Image Credits
They are all photos I took.