The Purple Phoenix Collective

You didn’t “lose your mind.” Your mind did exactly what it needed to do to survive. It split things off. It numbed what was unbearable. It created patterns to keep you safe. The problem is— those same patterns can keep you stuck later. So now you’re here. Not broken. Not starting from scratch. But learning how to update a system that was built in chaos. That’s deep work. And you don’t have to do it alone. 🔥 The Purple Phoenix Collective

I lost my mind—and it changed everything. I don’t mean that metaphorically. I mean my reality fractured. The rules dissolved. What I thought was solid… wasn’t. It was terrifying, disorienting, unreal. But here’s the part no one talks about: When the mind breaks, the body is still there. Breath is still there. Sensation is still there. And in that chaos, I found something real. Not the stories. Not the interpretations. Just the raw, immediate experience of being alive. That experience reshaped me. I don’t trust every thought anymore—and honestly, that’s a relief. I don’t need to analyze everything to death. I don’t need reality to make perfect sense to exist inside it. “Lose your mind and come to your senses.” — Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī Sometimes breaking is what brings you back.

I’m offering 1:1 trauma-informed coaching through The Purple Phoenix Collective 💜 This isn’t about fixing you. It’s about helping you come back to yourself. My work focuses on reclaiming your narrative through creativity, metaphor, and symbolism—because not everything can be processed through logic alone. Sometimes we need poetry, imagery, and meaning to access what’s deeper. We might explore: ☯️ Shadow work + parts of you that have been pushed down ⭐ Writing, symbolism, and personal mythology 🌿 Rituals, nature, and grounding practices 🧘 Somatic work + nervous system regulation This is spiritual, but not dogmatic—deeply influenced by Taoism, Buddhism, mindfulness, and lived experience. I’m not a guru. I’m a survivor. I live with C-PTSD and bipolar 1 disorder. I’ve experienced profound trauma, loss, and rebuilding from nothing. That’s my main credential—I understand this from the inside. This is a collaborative space. You are the expert of your own experience. If you’re feeling disconnected, stuck in survival mode, or craving something deeper, this work might resonate. You can also explore workshops + support circles through The Purple Phoenix Collective. Email me if you feel called 💜 Kristina Pingston p2collective@protonmail.com

SHIFT YOUR STATE (fast): THE TIP SKILL 🔥💧 When your nervous system is overwhelmed—whether you’re anxious and spiraling or shut down and frozen—your thinking brain won’t get you out. You have to work with your body first. In Dialectical Behavior Therapy, the TIP skill is designed to quickly reset your nervous system. T = Temperature (cold exposure) → Splash cold water on your face or hold an ice pack to your cheeks/eyes → Triggers a reflex that slows your heart rate → Best for: panic, intense anxiety, emotional overwhelm I = Intense exercise (short burst) → 30–60 seconds: jumping jacks, sprinting in place, push-ups → Burns off stress hormones and activates your system → Best for: anxiety or coming out of freeze P = Paced breathing → Inhale 4 seconds, exhale 6–8 seconds → Longer exhales signal safety to your body → Best for: calming anxiety and grounding (Bonus P = Paired muscle relaxation) → Tense + release muscle groups slowly → Helps you reconnect to your body if you feel numb or disconnected FOR ANXIETY (too activated): Cold + slow breathing → bring it down FOR SHUTDOWN (numb/frozen): Movement + muscle activation → bring it up These are biological switches you can use to shift your state in minutes. You don’t have to wait to feel better to act. Sometimes acting is what changes how you feel. 🟣 The Purple Phoenix Collective

I am slowly healing and expanding my window of tolerance. ☯️

I am enough exactly as I am.

Parts Work: Learning to Lead Your Inner World I don’t experience myself as one consistent “self.” I experience parts. And honestly, that realization changed everything. In approaches like Internal Family Systems, the mind is seen as a system: • wounded parts that carry pain • protective parts that try to prevent it • reactive parts that step in when it gets overwhelming None of them are random. They all have a job. 🐥 Chicken Little → expects everything to fall apart 🦊 Protector Fox → scans, guards, keeps distance 🌌 Observer → detaches when it’s too much 🔥 Screaming Woman → pure overwhelm when it breaks through 🌊 Wavy Purple → the part of me that can hold it all Healing isn’t about getting rid of these parts. It’s about integration: • noticing who’s activated • getting curious instead of reactive • separating past fear from present reality • building trust inside yourself When parts feel heard, they soften. When they soften, you don’t have to live in constant reaction. You start responding. You start leading. Not a perfect, peaceful self… but a grounded one that can hold complexity. ☯️ The Purple Phoenix Collective

Limiting Beliefs in C-PTSD A lot of “limiting beliefs” aren’t random. They’re survival strategies that never got updated. They once kept you safe, quiet, or connected. Now they keep you stuck. ⸻ 🧠 Common beliefs + how to work with them: “I’m too much.” → You were shamed for having needs Try: Say one honest thing instead of shrinking Affirmation: “I’m allowed to take up space.” ⸻ “I’m not enough.” → Love felt conditional Try: Write 3 things you did each day Affirmation: “I don’t have to earn my worth.” ⸻ “People will leave.” → Attachment felt unsafe or inconsistent Try: Look at actual evidence, not fear Affirmation: “I can be myself and still be chosen.” ⸻ “I have to do it alone.” → Support wasn’t safe Try: Ask for something small Affirmation: “It’s safe to let people show up.” ⸻ “Mistakes aren’t safe.” → Mistakes led to punishment Try: Make a small “safe” mistake and observe Affirmation: “I’m allowed to be human.” ⸻ You don’t erase these beliefs. You update them through new experiences. ⸻ Reflection: Which belief still feels true in your body, even if your mind knows better?

My poem from the workshop: I am a shining star and no one can take the light from my eyes. When my star collapsed into a supernova, I became Wavy Purple. My black hole is the abyss that opens when things get quiet. I attach, I cling, I pull you in like gravity but I am finding more secure attachment now. I have electromagnetism in my boundaries and I attract my desired life. I am a sprawling galaxy, healing day by day and transmuting pain into beauty.

Understanding Shutdown (Dorsal Vagal State) Sometimes it’s not anxiety. Sometimes it’s the opposite. It’s the heaviness. The numbness. The “I can’t move” feeling. That’s the dorsal vagal state—your nervous system shutting things down when everything feels too overwhelming or inescapable. This is a survival response. When you’re in it: • Low energy • Brain fog • Disconnection / dissociation • Slowed breathing • Feeling stuck or frozen Your body is basically saying: “We can’t fight. We can’t run. We’re going offline.” When this becomes chronic, it can look like depression, isolation, and loss of motivation. How to gently come out of shutdown You don’t think your way out—you move your body. Try: • Wiggle fingers/toes, small movements • Slow breath (longer exhales) • Cold water or fresh air • Look around and name what you see (orienting) • Wrap in a blanket or hug yourself • Do one tiny task The goal isn’t to feel amazing. It’s to go from frozen → a little activated → safe enough. Shutdown is common with trauma, especially CPTSD. It makes sense your system learned this. You’re not “lazy.” Your nervous system is trying to protect you. And it can learn something new. 🕊️ The Purple Phoenix Collective