Case study: how I prepared for my Akashic records reading to heal my trauma & relationships
I’m not a stranger to trying the weird, the woo, or the wondrous in an effort to heal my ish somatically.
The line is drawn in the sand where wild mushrooms meet aya-whatever drinks.
So when I reconnected with Donna Piper during a 2023 case study interview for Marisa Corcoran’s CCS program—it was divine timing indeed.
Now… I’m still not ready to share all the details, but in this post I’m going to:
Introduce you to my friend, Donna
Share my experience of Akashic record reading
Tell you what life is like now—post-trauma-healing-session (hint: really good—in less than a month!)
I’ll start by catching you up on life in the world of Brittany Herzberg circa 2022.
Challenging. Emotional. Growth. ALL come to mind.
Some of them were business-related. Some were in my personal life.
All were 100% guiding me toward recognizing and addressing my traumas in a way that resonates with me—somatic healing techniques.
And if you’re wondering “what does somatic healing even mean?” ↓
Somatic therapy (according to Psychology Today) = body-centered therapy that looks at the mind-body connection and uses both psychotherapy and physical therapies for holistic healing.
I have known—intuitively—for a long time that traditional talk therapy wasn’t quite what I needed.
The second I became a massage therapist, I knew why.
Our bodies hold ON to stories. Specific moments in our lives.
And we get “stuck” in certain patterns (or loops, as I’ve come to think of them) until we literally release the story from our physical being.
So my timeline looked a bit like this ↓
2020: Brought some stuff to light for me (my stories, my traumas).
2021: Was a year where I played The Observer & just—noticed. What bothered me? Who did I feel certain ways around? Was I self-sabotaging anything?
2022: I began dipping my toe in the healing waters of somatic therapies (beyond massage therapy & acupuncture).
2023: I’m getting even serious-er. This is my year. Let’s heal this ish.
And since 2023 is my freaking year, I decided to kick it off with a bang.
I might’ve even convinced myself to make this a yearly “thing.”
Where did I go? What did I do? Who treated me?
→ Orlando, FL
→ Network Spinal Chiropractic
→ Dr. Scherina
I’ve been on the hunt for the people & modalities that I can feel deep in my bones will help me break out of the shackles of my spiritual & emotional wounds.
So when I was asked to lead a round table with peers from a business messaging program I’ve been a part of since 2021—
I was NOT expecting to reconnect with Donna in such a powerful way.
Truthfully I didn’t remember exactly what it was she did or who she helped.
I remembered that both our moms were going through cancer treatment when we first met.
Happy to report they’re both doing well!
After the group chat inside The Copy Chat FB group, we started exchanging messages on Voxer.
My second favorite hangout spot right after Instagram << go be my friend! 🤣
And one day I asked Donna, “could you tell me more about this Akashic record reading?”
Of course she could!
She loves sharing what it is & the ways in which she’s seen it help her clients—typically women in midlife looking for love.
I fit exactly zero of those qualifiers, but guess what? That didn’t mean she couldn’t or wouldn’t help me!
I’m stating that for all my “I’m nervous to niche—it will mean I’m telling people no” friends/peers/clients/readers.
Donna went on to share that Akashic records readings go beyond the somatic—it deals with the unconscious.
→ And the unconscious informs your somatic body.
People often think that somatic work only includes modalities that are in person & involve bodywork (things like tapping where work is actually being done on the body).
Akashic records work really deals with the unseen—which is at the root of what’s playing out in your life.
The unconscious “stuff” that is stuck signals the body to go into protection mode.
I’m stating that for all my friends/peers/clients/readers who might be thinking “I’m nervous to niche—it means I’m telling people no.”
Donna has a wicked interesting story. Take a look for yourself ↓
Once it had been established that:
Donna could help me
She had all of that ↑ under her belt
I really clicked with her
…I couldn’t ask to book with her fast enough!
The first time she had available that worked with my nutty schedule was about 2 weeks away.
I snagged it!
As someone who checks out the parking situation for any new place I’m going (coffee shop, chiropractic office, grocery store —
I so appreciated that Donna shared with me how I could prepare for the Akashic records reading session.
She mentioned that I should think of open-ended questions.
(Not yes/no questions.)
That leaves room for both of us to be guided in the actual session.
So I spent time journaling about what thoughts and experiences were happening leading up to our call.
And then I’d leave a voice memo sharing the bigger overlapping things.
She also shared that a totally different topic/feeling/direction might show up the day of the call.
Donna was not wrong.
More on that soon!
Since I’ve done quite a bit of somatic work, I knew exactly what she was referring to.
So I made sure to keep an open mind and just be aware of anything that crossed my path.
I scheduled time with Donna on a Friday afternoon in March.
Partly because I knew we’d be home and not off adventuring, partly because it just “felt” like the right day to book.
As the clock ticked nearer to 3pm, I made sure to get myself all snuggled in a cozy spot.
I clicked “join Zoom” and Donna’s friendly face popped up.
She explained what to expect during the Akashic records reading experience.
Reminding me of what she’d already shared & adding on a few new points to be aware of.
The most important thing I remember her saying to me was:
Do whatever, be however, express in whatever way you need. This is a safe space & there’s no judgment.
That can be a particularly comforting reminder when it comes to any somatic experience because—if you’re with the right person, at the right place, & the right time—some STUFF can surface & surprise you.
Then she began the session in earnest.
Donna opened with a silent prayer & I instantly felt calm.
My eyes were closed, but I remember feeling as if someone had both their hands around the top of my head.
For you that might not sound pleasant, but for me that is a HUGELY comforting gesture.
I should also mention that before we started the session, Donna asked me what I wanted to explore that day—what questions I had. She used that to filter the information she was picking up.
The next part I remember is Donna guiding me through different scenes.
It was almost like a daydream with a tour guide.
(I’m honestly not sure what was unique to me and my session, so I’m intentionally being vague and not giving much away.)
Something I really didn’t expect from the session is that I’d be able to interact with different versions of myself & people in my real life—but on like… a soul level.
When I entered each new scenario, I felt very shaky. But not in a way that made me feel scared.
Moreso in a way that was foreshadowing something really deep was being tapped into.
But as I settled into these scenes with these people, I was instantly calm.
After walking me through a few different scenes, guiding me through different exercises, & giving me the space to process some really BIG things (I’ll share one day, just not today), Donna closed the session.
She made a special point to share with me that I didn’t need to say anything. Just to reach out when I’d had some time to “come back down to Earth” and process what had just transpired.
→ I was SO grateful for that simple reminder.
I’m someone who often feels the need to let others know they’ve done a good job. And share with them all the details about what they just helped me work through.
But being given “permission” to just sit—it was exactly what I needed in that moment.
I sent a Voxer message to Donna a couple days after that session saying everything I wanted to say immediately after the session.
THANK YOU!
Wow. I almost don’t have words for it.
Was all that… normal?!
She reassured me that everything was “normal.” But it was also an experience unique to me.
Everyone has a different story, different experiences, different wounds and traumas, & they’re at different points in their lives.
At the beginning of the record reading call, I thought I just wanted to go in to heal my relationship with money.
If you’ve been following me on Instagram or reading my emails, you’ll know I’ve been reading You’re a Badass at Making Money—and now you know why!
But what I really needed was something deeper that revealed itself on the call.
It was a story—a trauma, a wound—that had gotten stuck in my body at a young age.
And she was able to walk me through the exact steps to recognize it & heal it—in a way that worked for me.
It’s been less than a month, but I already feel much more calm & confident.
I’m able to recognize patterns in my behaviors & self-correct faster than ever.
I have a much deeper & more grounded/solid/supported sense of self & self-worth.
Not sure if you’re familiar with the feeling of not being “enough” or “good enough” or “worthy” but those all revealed themselves to me within the last couple years.
Donna has been an incredible guide on my somatic healing journey.
I loved the session so much that we have a few more on the books!
I felt so supported and taken care of every single step of the way.
She let me know what to expect and how to prepare for the session.
And she was even there for the “after.”
She’s a kind, gentle, & dedicated soul. And it feels so good to have her on your side!
As I mentioned before, whenever I venture into new healing territory, it’s critical that I work with the right PERSON.
I’ve worked with practitioners before who just weren’t the right providers for me. They weren’t bad people, or untrained—we just didn’t… click.
Maybe you’re like me in that way.
If so, I highly recommend checking out Donna and her work.
At the very least, you could always just say hi to her! I promise—she’s super friendly.