Today I’m exploring MCAS and anaphylactic reactions or anaphylactic-like sensations through a somatic healing lens, however, this approach can be used for most types of chronic illness, pain or other sensation in the body.
Before continuing with this blog, please review the disclaimer.
Disclaimer:This blog is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional before taking any medication or making changes to your treatment.
Understanding MCAS, Anaphylaxis, and the Nervous System
If you are living with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome or Histamine Intolerance, you likely know the genuine fear and discomfort that can arise during a reaction where your throat and mouth begin to swell, dizziness comes on suddenly, along with nausea, disorientation, and possibly other symptoms such as diarrhoea or rashes. Like myself, you may have some ambulance rides, oxygen and epinephrine interventions in your medical history as well.
Others of you may not have the same experience with MCAS, but may have a past trauma history regarding the throat, breathing, or being restrained. This practice may apply to you in other ways as well.
A Somatic Healing Approach to Chronic Illness and MCAS
In this post, I’ll share insights from a deeply personal somatic practice that I actually caught on video, which I was then able to turn into a free lesson on exploring sensations through a somatic lens. I’m going to discuss approaches for creating safety and presence with intense sensations, trauma resolution, and the importance of safety and self-awareness in this work. Whether you’re a beginner or experienced in somatic work, these techniques can serve as a helpful guide to reconnect with your body and initiate healing safely.
Having worked through challenges like anaphylaxis, chronic conditions, and unresolved trauma, I understand how debilitating, confusing and isolating these symptoms can be. This article combines my lived experience with practical, actionable steps you can take to work with your sensations, grounded in safety, self-compassion, and awareness.
If you’re ready to deepen your understanding of somatic and intuitive healing and explore how to work with intense sensations, read on, or consider watching the full video (please note this video and the lesson associated with it are free, but you will need to login with a free account before the community app allows you to access it). You’ll find relevant strategies, insights, and tips to guide your journey.
Safety First: Medication, Mast Cell Stabilization, and Somatic Work
Safety first, always.
First I want to transparently share, similarly to how I did in the video, that I am not a medical professional and I cannot (and do not) prescribe or advise on medications. I do, however, have concerns around how some people believe that pharmaceuticals should never be considered as useful tools or even something to bridge a gap in one’s healing process. While my work is not medication-focused and does center around symptoms as messengers from the body, incomplete stress or survival responses being held in the system, and alternative healing through exploring sensation and the potential repressed emotions, blockages, traumas, inherited trauma or other patterns being held in the body, I also believe medication can be an important piece of MCAS treatment and stabilizing the mast cells for safety for those who need it, prior to going deeper into this work.
I go deeper into this in the video, however, I don’t want to risk being lumped in with the dangerous health coaches and wellness guru’s out there that preach about how medications repress symptoms without treating root causes, further repressing the emotions or other blockages in the system that may have been contributing to the symptoms initially, while completely bypassing the important role that medications, supplements and pharmaceuticals can offer in the right situations.
In my opinion, if someone is at risk of anaphylaxis, medications can be a valuable tool to be considered to support mast cells in beginning to stabilize before being able to safely go to the depths required for this type of deeper healing work.
I’ll share a little bit more about my own journey and why I was recording in the first place, and then I’ll go on to share more about MCAS, anaphylaxis, pain, air hunger or shortness of breathe, and the globus sensation or throat swelling through a somatic lens.
A Personal Experience of MCAS, Anaphylaxis, and Somatic Awareness
Why I was recording:
I have experienced anaphylaxis from Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) several times and the other day, I thought that I was about to experience it again. I was experiencing the sensation of my throat closing, globus sensation, shortness of breath and air hunger, along with some sense of disorientation, dizziness and nausea.
I have treated for MCAS a few times throughout my adult life; and by treated, I mean suppressed the symptoms and stabilized mast cells using H1 and H2 blockers like claritin, reactine, ketotifen, pepcid, etc. For a couple of years I was on the highest therapeutic dosages of 3 different H1 blockers (2 at a time, rotating them as prescribed by my internal medicine doctor), and I was still occasionally going into anaphylaxis. Through first stabilizing using medication and then, once safe to do so, treating myself through somatic healing and intuitive energy healing, I have reached a point where I have successfully titrated down to a fraction of the medication safely without return of anaphylaxis or anaphylactic-like episodes.
In my opinion, medication can play an important role in MCAS so that patients can safely stabilize their systems and keep themselves safe, and I believe this was the right decision for me. Safety has to come first, however, we also understand that the medication is generally repressing symptoms more than treating root causes.
Exploring MCAS through a somatic and energetic lens gives us the opportunity to explore sensation in the body as well as previously incomplete survival responses that may be asking for completion or further exploration in a more physiological way.
While I was experiencing these symptoms the other day, I started to think I needed to take an emergency antihistamine for safety. Because I know my system well, I know how to keep myself safe physically, mentally and emotionally in regards to both MCAS and somatic healing, and, I am highly attuned to my body somatically, energetically and intuitively, I connected inwards and asked myself, “am I safe? Is this an MCAS flare that I need to take antihistamines for, or, is this sensation rising in my system to be explored for deeper layers of healing?”. The answer I received was that this was a deeper layer coming to the surface to be healed or further explored.
I decided to use this as an opportunity to record on camera how I would work with this sensitive of a sensation (anyone who’s experienced their throat swelling or the sensation of being unable to breathe, knows how sensitive this really is) in a somatic way, but I never could have predicted where this session would actually take me. To have it on camera recorded is a beautiful gift and rare opportunity, but also deeply vulnerable.
Working with MCAS Symptoms Through a Somatic Lens
Effectively exploring sensations, especially highly sensitive ones like those involved with throat restrictions, air hunger or breathlessness, is something that requires time, education and connection to safety. If you are just beginning this work, it is recommended to build a relationship with a skilled practitioner to guide you, prior to exploring sensations of this sensitive nature.
How I worked with these sensations somatically:
Using my education in somatic inquiry, somatic parts work, somatic reconditioning, intuitive energy healing and therapeutic touch, I began by reconnecting with my body, resourcing to safety (creating a felt-sense of safety in my system), and from there, exploring and remaining present with sensation with a sense of curiosity.
This process led me through embodiment practices, movement, exploring sensation, somatic parts work and inner-child work, trauma processing, and energy work.
Some of what arose for me during this practice was:
- Sensations of pain, throat closing, globus sensation, shortness of breathe, air hunger, followed by expansion, relaxation, and greater ease and flow in my body
- Past trauma and flashbacks
- Parts of self: both were protector parts; a 3-year old part and a 19 year old part
- Deeper connection and safety in my body
- Nervous system regulation
- Presence and safety within discomfort
- Deeper layers of awareness and healing
- Ease of symptoms
Why Somatic Healing Matters for PTSD, MCAS and Complex Chronic Illness or other Chronic Symptoms
Healing the deeper layers of stuck survival responses in our bodies is, in my opinion, almost as important as the initial stabilization of Mast Cells in MCAS. Yes, high doses of H1 and H2 blockers can support the system in stabilizing and reaching a place where the body is physically safe from anaphylaxis, however, in a situation like mine, even on the highest therapeutic dosages of two different H1 blockers (unable to take H2 blockers due to side effects), I was still going into anaphylaxis.
Mast Cell Activation Syndrome can bring on significant lack of safety in one’s body as well as unpredictability. What is safe and non-reactive one day may not be the same on a different day. If someone’s histamine bucket is lower one day, they may be able to tolerate certain foods, chemicals or fragrances. On another day when their histamine bucket is quite full, a trip to the grocery store could put them into sudden, unexpected anaphylaxis in the laundry detergent aisle due to the fragrance leeching from the bottles.
For a few years, going to a grocery store, public bathroom, or any public area, was not safe for me. The fragrance in the hand soaps, perfume on other patrons, or fragrance and chemicals leeching from various products on the shelves would trigger a significant physical response in my body. Throat and mouth swelling, globus sensation, nausea, diarrhea, an increase in pain, significant dizziness, aphasia, and incredibly high cognitive symptoms made it dangerous for me to go to most places. The vibrations from the car would often do the same, making it difficult or impossible for me to be a passenger in a vehicle as well. I’ve lost count of how many outings turned into ER visits.
Through somatic inquiry, somatic parts work, somatic reconditioning, and intuitive energy healing, I have been able to create safety in my body where it previously was not accessible, work with sensation to explore what was beneath it, listen to my body in a different way that allowed me to hear what my symptoms were trying to express to me, and bring tangible healing to deeper layers of my nervous system and the physiological expression of unprocessed trauma, repressed emotions, and incomplete survival responses in my system.
A Gentle Invitation to Explore Healing in Your Own Way
Final Thoughts:
If you’ve been suffering from mast cell activation syndrome, histamine intolerance, or sensations such as throat swelling, lip tingling, dizziness, nausea, diarrhoea, rashes, chronic pain or other chronic symptoms and you’ve already explored the medical route, it may be time for you to take a step into somatic healing. It’s important to note for safety that not all somatic healing or intuitive energy healing is the same. Don’t be afraid to ask your potential practitioner questions about what types of somatic healing or energy healing they work with, what their specialties are, and what their level of understanding is of the nervous system, complex chronic diseases, and, if they’re trauma-informed, what makes them trauma-informed? Are they aware of the MCAS-amygdala link and the vicious cycle this can create between genuine anxiety and physical mast cell reactions?
Many of these terms are not regulated terminology. Anyone can call themselves trauma-informed. It doesn’t always mean that they are.
Especially when working with sensitive areas such as the throat, or sensations of air hunger, breathlessness, or anything related to anaphylaxis, it’s incredibly important that your practitioner has the education and skills to be able to safely guide you through these processes.
And please, please don’t let some health coach or wellness guru talk you out of potentially life-saving medication if that’s what your body needs right now. If you are not at risk of anaphylaxis or your MCAS has not progressed to this severity, you may be able to begin the deeper layers of healing without medication. This would be for you and your medical professional to decide on what is safe for you. However, if you are experiencing or at risk of anaphylaxis and more severe MCAS symptoms: stabilize the mast cells, reconnect with a sense of safety in your body, do the deeper healing work, then you can begin to re-evaluate.
Resources to Support You
If you’re tired of piecing together different practices that don’t support one another, or feel drawn to connect with a practitioner or other like-minded people who are working towards a similar goal of inner-healing more intentionally, I have various resources to support you.
EmbodiedSoul with Denise Elysa Community
The EmbodiedSoul with Denise Elysa Community is a desktop and mobile-friendly web app and community platform. Inside you’ll have instant access to over $1000 worth of on-demand guided practices, workshops, ceremonies, meditations and more. Additionally, I host 2-3 live events per month for community members. These events are free to members and consist of Live Guest Experts, Live Connection Calls, The Seasonal Pause: Equinox & Solstice Ceremonies, Live Energy Healing Sessions, Guided Practices and more.
Explore more about what you can access inside the community.
Read some of the FAQ and other details.
Work with Denise
I offer a few different ways of working with me depending on your individual needs and commitment levels. Explore how to work with me.
Free Resources
Somatic Healing for Chronic Symptoms
How do we take what we learn about somatic inquiry, somatic healing, and somatic parts work and actually apply them in real time when we’re experiencing symptoms that, quite reasonably, feel scary? This free lesson will walk you through the experience. If you don’t already have an account to access this free lesson, you can create one here. You will need to be logged in to access it.
The Blog
I aim to continue offering resources and guidance for free through weekly blog posts here.
The Podcast
The first Sunday of every month, a new podcast episode releases on the Coming Home to Ourselves with Denise Elysa Podcast. Available on web browser, Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music and Amazon Music.
The Newsletter
Join our free newsletter for energy updates, resources, tools, event invitations and more.
Other Videos
Although most of my video content, guided practices, workshops, etc., are reserved exclusively for the EmbodiedSoul with Denise Elysa Community, it is worth following my general YouTube channel as I occasionally add guided practices and other video-based resources there outside of the podcast as well.
Social Media
Last but certainly not least, I post to social media regularly and enjoy interacting with each of you there! Feel free to follow me, comment, like, share and interact on my content there. I’d love to hear from you!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is anaphylaxis?
Anaphylaxis is a severe and fast allergic reaction that can simultaneously impact several bodily systems. It often comes on suddenly and can feel overwhelming, especially when symptoms like nausea, dizziness, breathing difficulties, or swelling of the throat arise. Because of how quickly it can escalate, it can become life-threatening and requires immediate medical attention.
For many, it’s not just physical; it can be extremely uncomfortable, as if the body is no longer a safe place to be.
How long does anaphylaxis last?
Anaphylaxis usually begins within minutes to an hour after exposure to a trigger.
- The most intense symptoms may last from a few minutes to several hours
- In some cases, symptoms can return later in what’s known as a biphasic reaction
Even when the body begins to settle, it’s important to stay supported and monitored, as reactions can be unpredictable, especially in sensitive systems.
How long does somatic healing take?
Somatic healing isn’t something that follows a strict timeline, it’s a gradual unfolding.
It’s less about reaching an endpoint, and more about relearning safety, connection, and trust within your body.
- Some people notice subtle shifts like a deeper breath or a moment of calm early on
- Deeper layers of healing often unfold over time, often with guided support and education from a skilled practitioner, informed on any extra sensitivities unique to your needs, for example trauma-informed or complex chronic disease informed
Your body moves at the pace it feels safe to move. It’s important to the effectiveness of somatic healing not to rush it. Healing happens in relationship with safety.
What are signs your body may be releasing stored trauma?
As the nervous system begins to process and unwind held experiences, the body can express this in different ways.
You might notice:
- Gentle shaking or trembling
- A spontaneous deep breath, sigh, or yawn
- Warmth, tingling, or waves of sensation moving through the body
- Emotional release, like tears or unexpected feelings
- A sense of softening, grounding, or relief afterward
At times, it can feel unfamiliar or even intense. This is why it’s so important to move slowly, with awareness, and within a space that feels safe and supported.
Is MCAS caused by trauma?
MCAS is a complicated disorder involving the immune system, environment, and other elements; it is not solely brought on by trauma. However, trauma and long-term stress can increase the nervous system’s sensitivity, which could affect the body’s response. Supporting both medical care and nervous system regulation can help some people feel safer in their bodies and lessen their symptoms.
