What does it really look like when healing begins? In this deeply personal reflection, licensed therapist Raquel Perez explores how emotional defenses soften through self-love, nervous system safety, and embodied awareness — and how healing often starts in the smallest moments of everyday life.

Old defenses don’t disappear by force — they soften when the body feels safe. In this guided meditation, licensed therapist Raquel Perez invites you to gently meet protective patterns with tenderness, grounding, and compassion. This practice supports nervous-system healing and integrates beautifully with therapy and ketamine-assisted therapy for those learning how to feel safe enough to receive love again.

If love has ever felt hard to receive — or if your heart has learned to stay guarded to feel safe — this inner child healing meditation offers a gentle place to begin. Guided by licensed therapist Raquel Perez, this practice focuses on creating safety in the body, meeting the inner child with compassion, and slowly letting love in without force. A tender, therapy-informed meditation for those ready to soften, reconnect, and remember that love is safe now.

After betrayal, heartbreak, or long-term disconnection, intimacy can feel confusing and unsafe — even when love is still present. In this article, therapist Raquel Perez explores how the body learns to protect, why desire disappears after hurt, and how trust and intimacy can be rebuilt through safety, attunement, and compassion.