About Jackie (‘Buddika’) Brinkerhoff
Helping People Let Go of Stress— One Nervous System at a Time
I teach practical, body-based tools that help you release stress, regulate your nervous system and feel more like yourself again.
My Story
From High Achiever to Nervous System Advocate
For most of my life, I thought stress was just part of being successful. I pushed through exhaustion, ignored my body’s signals, and kept going.
From the outside, things looked like I had things under control as I continued to be the “department of YES“ for my work and personal life. Inside, my nervous system was carrying far more than I could have even realized.
The body remembers what the mind has long forgotten.
Discovering TRE
My Body Already Knew What to Do
After nearly 30 years in the fast-paced corporate world, my body finally said, "enough."
Stress had become so normal that I barely noticed it anymore. But over time, the effects became impossible to ignore. Anxiety coursed through my body, nerve pain became a constant companion, and I found myself feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and disconnected from the ease I knew was possible.
I've always been fascinated by the body and its remarkable ability to heal. In fact, I've been on my own healing and wellness journey for more than 20 years—exploring different modalities, gathering tools along the way, and continually searching for ways to better support my body and well-being.
So when I stepped away from corporate life, I found myself exploring once again.
And then one day, I came across TRE®.
What surprised me most was how simple it was.
The tremors came naturally, and it was fascinating to experience my body in a way I never had before.
The process felt good—almost like a massage from the inside.
After my first session, I felt less tense, more relaxed, and more at ease.
I even noticed changes in my body that caught me completely off guard and challenged what I thought was possible.
But the thing that truly blew my mind …….
There was no story to process.
If you've ever been through years of “healing work/personal development”, you may appreciate that too.
I didn't have to revisit painful memories.
I didn't have to analyze my past.
I didn't have to figure out why I felt the way I did.
It honestly felt as natural as flushing a toilet!
As I continued practicing, emotions, sensations, and memories occasionally surfaced—but they moved through me rather than consuming me. I could notice them, feel them, and let them pass.
For the first time, I experienced what self-regulation actually felt like.
Not as a concept.
Not as something I read about.
But as something I could feel in my own body
And I discovered something powerful
My body already had a way to release stress.
I just didn't know it.
What began as curiosity became trust—trust in myself and trust in my body.
Today, I have integrated TRE® as part of my weekly ‘energetic hygiene’. I can feel when my body has stuff to discharge.
Through this practice, I've become:
more aware of the stress I carry
more intentional about supporting my nervous system
and more trusting of my body's natural ability to return to balance.
Perhaps the greatest gift was realizing that my body wasn't working against me.
It was working for me.
I simply learned to listen.
And my body already knew what to do.