Beloved Roots
Nutrition
So many of us live our lives disconnected from our bodies. After years of doing this work, I am finally able to find the space of worthiness within myself, and so much healing has unearthed from that. And because it is such a powerful way of living, I long to help others find the same.
Hello and welcome. My name is Nikki Ngo. I am a neurodivergent mother of two, survivor of complex trauma/PTSD, and lifelong learner. Throughout my journey of healing, I became increasingly intrigued with the importance of mind-body connection in mental health and how this can often be lost following trauma. Supporting a healthy connection between mind and body is an integral part of my work.
I provide nutrition education and counseling using a non-diet approach. Although my services do not focus on strict meal plans or weight loss counseling, I do provide support with therapeutic eating patterns and identifying and correcting nutritional deficiencies. Treating the body as a whole while seeking the root source of health concerns is very important to heal more efficiently.
As a trauma-informed practitioner, I understand that while our bodies may have been the seat of painful experiences, it is also the place where we begin the process of healing.
"As traumatized children we always dreamed that someone would come and save us. We never dreamed that it would, in fact, be ourselves, as adults."
~ Alice Little
My story
I first became passionate about nutrition when I was working in the public school and education system. While there, I noticed a great need for resources and services for students whose health was influenced by lack of nutrition. These were also children who were on numerous medications for ailments their families had minimal knowledge about. Navigating this experience exposed me to Western medicine’s perspective of disease and the downfalls of the pharmaceutical industry. This sickness model of treating everything as a deficit and disease did not make sense. This gave me the introspection to dig deeper into my health history and upbringing.
I was born into a family lineage plagued by oppression, violence, and trauma. For the first half of my life, I turned to food and substances as a means for coping. My body spoke in a language of illness, pains, aches, and rage as I battled with eating disorders and other addictions for over ten years. Seeking help throughout my adult life, it wasn’t until I pieced together the lifestyle that I aim to share through my healing practice that I was able to wholly free myself. Unknown to me then, it was the myriad ways in which I endured that would eventually give definition of a deeper meaning and purpose.
The turning point of my journey took place through finding my way back to my body. I began to consciously seek answers. I studied everything I could get my hands on about nutrition, natural healing modalities, and transformational change work. These were all deeply practical tools for peeling off the layers and messaging that have become such an enmeshed part of society - one that holds so many captive to a narrative that disempowers individual experiences. The result of this has been the handing over of our power to individuals and institutions and a disconnect from our own wisdom.
I started to figure out that it was nutritional deficiencies and brain chemical imbalances that were hindering my body to heal. Once I started to address that, much of my physical ailments went away. This produced a renewed sense of energy and optimism that had been missing for the majority of my life. I couldn’t have imagined what true health really felt like without the power of nutrition and supplementation. Learning about whole, nutrient-dense foods and finding what foods and herbs supported my body was the gateway to an even deeper healing.
Soon after, I began my journey of trauma healing and somatic work. At first I did not understand that the pull to somatic (body-based) healing was a call of my ancestors. I was being pulled to embody all the gifts my parents spent their life suppressing, to feel the things my grandparents had no language for. During this process, I discovered gifts hidden beneath these repressed emotions. These gifts were the healing and creativity of my lineage. They grow into my practice today.
I believe we have the power to re-pattern old ways, to re-write our stories. To find freedom from self-limiting beliefs, shame, and self-abandonment. To find pleasure and ease in our bodies. To transmute and alchemize pain into compassion and connection.
My entire being is filled with gratitude to those whose unconditional love has opened my heart and strengthened my faith in the resiliency of the human spirit. It was not long ago that I believed that I would never overcome my own suffering. Now I know it is my life's purpose to help others along this path.