Shelter in the Storm: From Triggered to Grounded

Learn to regulate overwhelm in real time so you can stay grounded, connected, and clear—even in challenging moments.

Befriending Your Nervous System

Learn how to recognize overwhelm early, regulate in real time, and return to yourself—so you can stay present, connected, and clear about what you need—even in challenging moments with others.

There’s a moment when your body takes over.

Your chest tightens.

Your thoughts speed up—or disappear entirely.

What you meant to say gets lost.

And suddenly, you’re no longer choosing how you respond.

What happens when you get overwhelmed

When your nervous system gets flooded, it becomes harder to:

• stay present
• communicate clearly
• access what you actually need

This isn’t a failure of willpower—it’s your body doing its job to protect you.

In this workshop, you’ll learn how to work with your nervous system instead of against it.

What we’ll practice

In this workshop, you’ll explore how to:

• Recognize the early signs of overwhelm in your body
• Interrupt the stress response before it escalates
• Stay connected to yourself in moments of intensity
• Gently return to a grounded, regulated state

What you’ll walk away with

A personalized set of body-based tools you can use in real time

A deeper understanding of your trigger patterns and stress responses

Practical ways to navigate moments like:

• conflict
• intimacy
• emotionally charged conversations
• everyday stress

More choice in how you respond—even when things feel intense

This workshop is for you if…

• You want to feel more grounded and clear, even when things feel charged or vulnerable
• You notice yourself getting overwhelmed in conflict and don’t know how to slow it down
• You shut down, people-please, or go quiet—and later wish you had said what you needed
• You react quickly or get pulled into patterns that don’t reflect how you actually want to show up
• You can sometimes stay present—but lose that access when things feel intense
• You’re curious about your nervous system and want practical tools you can use in real life

What to expect

This is an experiential workshop centered on practice and integration.

You’ll be guided through:

• body-based (somatic) exercises
• reflection and awareness practices
• partner and small group exercises

You’ll be supported throughout, with clear guidance and structure.

There’s no pressure to perform or get anything “right.” The focus is on noticing, experimenting, and building skills you can use in real life.

The goal isn’t to never get triggered

It’s about knowing how to come back.

To your body. To your clarity.To what actually matters to you in the moment—especially when it’s hardest to access.

This is a space to practice that—gently, and in community.

Facilitated by Heather Atles

Heather is a Relationship, Sex & Intimacy Coach who designs immersive, consent-forward experiences where connection becomes a lived practice. Through private coaching with individuals and couples, as well as experiential workshops, she blends play, vulnerability, and somatic exploration to untangle shame, expand capacity for pleasure, and create relationships rooted in honesty, confidence, and aliveness.