Have you ever walked into the same frustrating situation for the hundredth time and thought, "Why does this keep happening to me?" On a recent episode of the Health Up Podcast, Dr Niikee'sha (drniikee.com) shared a perspective on exactly that question. Her view: the pattern is rarely about the situation itself. It's about the belief running quietly in the background.
Her journey to this work is a story in itself. This article pulls together the main ideas from our conversation: how she moved from university research to energy-based work, how a hidden belief can colour what we notice, and the simple breath practices she recommends for calming a busy nervous system.
From the Lecture Theatre to Energy Medicine
Dr Niikee'sha trained in naturopathic medicine and spent years as a teaching academic, researching natural medicines in a university medical school. Alongside that career, she had always been drawn to the esoteric and to traditional systems like Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda, which point to deeper emotional and mental threads behind physical complaints.
She described feeling like she was living a split life. In academic settings she would sit quietly while colleagues dismissed anything "woo-woo", feeling anxious on the inside and saying nothing. In her words, that kind of inner divide doesn't create peace or harmony. Leaving the "box" wasn't easy either. It was only when her department lost its funding that the decision was effectively made for her, and she stepped fully into clinical practice and the work she does today.
It's a reminder many of us can relate to. When we follow a pre-paved career path because it's what society expects, the quiet calling underneath tends to get louder over time.
The Belief Behind the Story
A theme running through the episode was the idea that our life plays out through the lens of our core beliefs. Dr Niikee'sha gave a simple example. Imagine someone holds the belief that "people don't listen to me". They may then notice, again and again, every moment someone talks over them or misses what they said, even in situations that have nothing to do with them. The belief finds its evidence wherever it goes.
Her approach with clients is to help them reach these beliefs without having to retell every painful story. She spoke about research suggesting that re-living a story can recreate the distress, so rather than going back through every incident, she works in a calm, meditative space to name the underlying belief directly. As she put it, the story is the result of the program, so the work is to go to the program itself.
She also noted that beliefs can come from our own experiences or from the family patterns we absorb very early in life. Her takeaway was an empowering one: once you can see the belief, you can start to notice it when it appears. In the example above, the next time someone doesn't respond, you get a moment to pause and consider, "Maybe they simply didn't hear me."
Why Stress Shuts Down Our Best Thinking
When I asked what helps people respond differently once they've spotted an old pattern, Dr Niikee'sha started with the body. When we're in a stress response, she explained, we lose easy access to the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain involved in problem-solving, understanding consequences and social behaviour. In survival mode we're scanning for danger, which is useful when facing a genuine threat but unhelpful when the "threat" is a crowded schedule or the fear of disappointing someone.
Her observation, shared as her own view, was that a large share of the struggles people face in the modern world are stress-related rather than purely "mental health problems". Whatever your view on that, the practical point stands: it is hard to make wise choices, or change a long-held habit, while your nervous system is on high alert. If you're curious about how long-term stress affects the body, I've also written about chronic stress and heart health.
Simple Ways to Calm the Nervous System
This is where Dr Niikee'sha got very practical. She called basic relaxation "completely understated" and believes awareness of how the nervous system works should be a starting point for health care. A few of the tools she shared:
- Slow the breath. She described how slowing the breath stimulates the vagus nerve, which acts like a brake on the stress response. These practices have been used for thousands of years in yogic traditions.
- Make the out-breath longer. A simple pattern is breathing in for a count of four and out for a count of six. A longer exhale than inhale creates a relaxation response.
- Count your breath. Any method that takes you out of the story and onto the breath can help, because it's the story that keeps the stress response running.
- Try humming. The vagus nerve runs down through the neck, so humming is another easy option in the moment.
- Do what you enjoy. Gardening, dancing, time by the ocean. Dr Niikee'sha believes these should be a priority for our health and wellbeing, not something we get to only when we have a spare minute.
None of these require special equipment or a lot of time, which makes them easy to try this week.
Busy Culture and the Pull of the Phone
We also talked about why so many of us keep running at full speed. I wondered whether part of it is simply copying everyone around us, because everyone else is busy and we feel we need to fit in. Dr Niikee'sha agreed that there is a collective program around busyness. She remembered how "busy" became a badge of honour in the late nineties.
I added that when I was growing up, the news was on for thirty minutes in the evening. Today, with alerts on our phones, that thirty minutes can stretch across the whole day. Constant input keeps many of us in a state of alertness, and it's worth asking how much of it we actually need.
Some of the conversation also moved into wider views on society, systems and awakening. Those are Dr Niikee'sha's perspectives and beliefs, and listeners may draw their own conclusions. What I found most useful was the personal angle: we can choose where we put our attention.
Meeting the Same Lesson at a Higher Level
One of my favourite moments came near the end. Many of us get discouraged when an old issue shows up again, thinking, "I thought I'd worked on this." Dr Niikee'sha shared the Sanskrit idea of samskaras, which she described as life lessons we meet repeatedly, each time at a higher level. Her encouragement was to notice progress. Maybe this time the old reaction only lasted a day instead of a month.
That fits neatly with something I said during the episode: there's nothing wrong with you. Life is a process of learning and growing, and being grateful for how far you've come is a healthier response than beating yourself up for not being "there" yet.
Key Takeaways
- Beliefs shape what we notice. Naming a core belief gives you a chance to pause and respond differently.
- It's hard to change patterns while the stress response is running, so regulate first.
- Try a longer out-breath (in for four, out for six), counting your breaths, or humming.
- Treat the things you enjoy as essential, not optional.
- When an old lesson returns, look for the progress. You're likely meeting it from a higher level.
Connect With Dr Niikee'sha
Dr Niikee'sha shares free resources, including a video on raising frequency, at drniikee.com. She also offers a self-paced 111-day program with a small weekly teaching, practice and process, called Intuitively You. You'll find the link in the show notes.
This article is general information from a podcast conversation and reflects the guest's views. It isn't medical advice. If you're struggling, please speak with a qualified health professional.
If you'd like support working out what's driving your stress and building habits that help you feel better, me&my wellness offers a free 15-minute clarity call. Book one through the website and we can talk about where to start.
