Kelsey voller, MS, SEP, LMT
Somatic Chronic Illness Strategist
I’m Kelsey. I lost much of my 20s to chronic illness, but never gave up on understanding my body and my health. Through years of study, personal exploration, and support from licensed healthcare providers, I learned to identify core factors that were shaping my lived experience.
Today, I’m building my dream life in Maui, Hawaii and I’ve supported over 3,000 clients as they navigate their own health and wellbeing.
How Stress Shapes the Nervous System
Our experiences educate the nervous system’s built-in self-protection responses. When the nervous system encounters intense or prolonged stress, it adapts in ways designed to support survival.
I like to think of it like this: our experiences educate our nervous system’s “self-protection software.” When our nervous system experiences a BIG stress or a chronic STRESS, the nervous system adjusts to anticipate and prepare for more of that stress. This is why if you get hit in the face by something, you may notice you will flinch when similar situations arise later - your nervous system anticipates what’s coming next based on what you’ve experienced in the past. The self-protection software prioritizes your SURVIVAL above all. But, what if you have been through really hard things that are over now, you’re ready to move on and THRIVE, but your nervous system is still responding to life from that survival state? It’s costly. It’s exhausting. And, eventually it tends to impact physical health substantially. Survival responses help you survive, but at a cost.
Many people reach a point where life is safer and more stable, yet their nervous system still operates from a survival state. Over time, this can influence how they experience daily life, stress, and vitality.
Nervous System Stress & Resource Allocation
Research suggests that when the nervous system is under prolonged stress, the body may prioritize immediate survival responses over other long-term maintenance processes. This may influence experiences related to:
digestion (survive now, digest later)
immune balance
libido & reproductive hormones (survival time isn’t when the body wants to get pregnant)
energy levels
sleep quality
metabolism and weight (conserve energy for survival responses)
emotional responsiveness and focus
logic, empathy, impulse control (allowing survival reflexes to be prioritized for quick reactions)
hair growth
skin integrity
This information is offered as general education, not as diagnosis or treatment.
Kelsey’s Primary Focus
Food and Supplement Education
Somatic Exercises (adapted and modified for sensitive systems)
Services are educational and wellness-oriented and are not medical care, psychotherapy, or mental health treatment. I do not diagnose, treat, or cure medical or psychological conditions. Information provided is not a substitute for licensed medical or mental health care.