Jaye's Story
Jaye Houston, Ph.D.
Do you remember the phrase, “It’s like riding two horses at the same time and the horses are going in opposite directions"? Where would you begin to make sense of living out this scenario? This was the message I was given starting at age six up to age seventeen. Let me explain.
Think with me here: I was a tiny kid with the nickname Chigger. Yes, one of those tiny insects. Each Saturday, my dad and I drove about 30 miles to my maternal grandparents’ home, where we worked in their grocery store. I stood on a box to stock fruit, cereal and even check out customers' groceries. My granddad continually smiled saying ,“She is so smart!” At home, my Mom asked, "You don’t want to go to college, do you?" Given the negative framework of her question and the tone of her voice, I knew the only right answer was “No!” She looked relieved. I felt confused. I was smart to one family member and not college material to the other. Two horses going in different directions at the same time. Just imagine what that would feel like and the mixed wiring in my brain!
Fast forward to age 15. My 39 -year-old dad had passed, Mom had remarried, I’d been moved from my childhood hometown, had a strict step-dad and a hell-raiser of a step-brother. Mom was busy building a relationship with them. I was left to fend for myself. It appeared to be a new horse going in a new direction; however, I was still riding the childhood horse, and believing I was not college material. The only thing I knew to do to fix my feelings of grief and loneliness was to feed myself. I sought a relationship with the only comforting thing I could find, chocolate fudge brownies and iced cinnamon rolls! Now, not only was I not college material to my mom, but I was also fat. I certainly didn’t fit into the new family. At this point, life felt like there was only one horse and it was going nowhere fast.
What do you see looking at me today? Yes, after decades of yo-yo dieting, I’ve conquered the diet mentality. I now coach individuals who suffer with emotional eating. Yes, after years of blood, sweat, and a few student loans, I earned a PhD. What happened? I got curious about who I was. What I could actually accomplish in life? I felt a wave of self-love permeating my being. I gained self-integrity and a soulful, blissful sense of well-being.
Introducing HeartMath Tools
As you bring your physical, mental and emotional systems into coherent alignment, you begin to experience increased access to your heart’s intuitive guidance.
Tuning into your heart’s wisdom creates a profound shift within that helps you approach situations with more emotional balance, compassion, clarity and personal confidence. Instead of eating your heart out, she invites you to practice heart-brain coherence.
As a HeartMath™ practitioner, Dr. Houston offers a means of connecting deeply with yourself. This is a meaningful way of life that empowers you to know yourself, inquire into what’s eating at you, and rise beyond moods and habits that have led to excessive weight.
Achievements
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Heart Math™, Certified Practitioner
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Heart Math™, Trauma Certification
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Women and Spirituality, Ph.D. Claremont Graduate University
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Diet Center, Franchise Owner, Riverside California
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Diet Directions, Creator/Owner, Ojai, California
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Women on the Move Network, Board Member, Upland, CA.
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People for Peace and Prosperity, Board Member, Upland, CA.
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Research Associate: Institute of Metapsychiatry, New York