Holiday Gift Guide for Self Healers
Look no further if you're struggling to find thoughtful and unique gift ideas for the empath or highly sensitive person in your life who is on a trauma healing journey and highly values holistic wellness. This is a holiday gift guide tailored to trauma healing support with over 40 suggestions.
I love giving gifts. It’s funny because gifts are not my personal love language—as in, even though gifts are nice, I prefer quality time and acts of service. But, I do love giving a good gift and making others feel loved.
The number one way to give thoughtful gifts is to be a good listener so you can pick up on what your loved ones might mention wanting or needing. This implies that you’re in relationship with the person you’re gifting to. If you’re not, there are other tactics to give thoughtful gifts.
Once I’ve noticed something a loved one wants, I then make notes in my phone so when it comes time to give a gift, it truly is thoughtful. Oftentimes, the recipient ends up surprised and feeling special because they didn’t even remember mentioning to me what they wanted. You can do this too!
When you’re able to pick up on what someone wants or needs without them having to directly ask for it, they feel appreciated, understood, and seen for who they truly are.
Of course, there are those times when someone isn’t in need of much, and perhaps they don’t even know what they want or need.
In a time when most of us have what we need and much of what we want, the gift of wellness can be incredibly helpful and life changing.
And regardless of whether someone knows what they want or need or not, if they’re healing from trauma, they definitely need gifts that promote:
Detoxification
Calm and soothing
Nervous system and emotional regulation
Immune system strengthening
Decrease in inflammation
Nutritional, energetic, and full body support
Movement (whether physical, emotional, spiritual, or energetic)
Here’s my list of go-to wellness gifts for just that. Also, there are gifts in here for every budget.
(AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER: I’m an affiliate for two of the products listed below, and that’s it. And even if I wasn’t, I’d still recommend them. That means that for most of these products, I get nothing in return and that’s okay. For two, I’ll get a small commission at no additional cost to you when you purchase using my link. I’d appreciate this support as it helps me keep this blog and life-changing coaching services going! I’ll be sure to make very clear which products I’m affiliated with.)
Now, let’s dive in.
Table of Contents:
Gifts to to Relieve Anxiety and Stress-Related Tension
Not only do these gifts help regulate a loved one’s (or your) nervous system, therefore providing a calming effect, they also have many other mental and physical benefits.
You Might Also Like: Natural Ways to Relieve Physical Tension at Home
ASMR Soap Cutting Supplies
ASMR stands for autonomous sensory meridian response. That response is a tingling, static, or chill bumps sensation triggered by auditory and visual stimuli, such as soap crushing and cutting. The sensations produced can give a euphoric feeling and it can also be quite calming. Not only does watching and listening to soap cutting get results for many, actually doing the soap cutting can engage your senses and mind in a totally different way, focusing you on the present moment and therefore decreasing anxiety.
To get started on soap cube cutting, you’ll need to buy a utility knife with snap off blades and bars of soap.
If your gift recipient is a regular ASMR consumer, they’ll likely want to sculpt the soap into roses and make soap boxes filled with textured contents. For that, you’ll also need to purchase a vegetable peeler, bulk cornstarch, and glitter. Glitter can be optional if your gift recipient is environmentally conscious. Or you can substitute a more environmentally friendly option, like paper confetti, if you want.
Here are the basic supplies you can gather up in a pretty basket (that they can later reuse for storage) to get someone started on the fun hobby:
Utility Knife
Bulk Bar Soaps
Vegetable Peeler
I prefer to stay away from plastic where possible, so the one I recommend here is all metal.
Cornstarch
Start with a medium to small-sized container of powdered cornstarch. Once your gift recipient decides they want to do more soap cutting and crushing, they can opt to get an even larger supply.
Glitter
The chunky, holographic kind of glitter is the best for crushing with cornstarch inside soap boxes.
Confetti
By the way, I know this can seem wasteful, but there are plenty of uses for the left over soap once it’s cut.
Plus, check out how beautiful and artistic this ASMR pro does it. She has mastered Dadaism, and there’s complete value in that regardless of whether the soap is thrown out afterwards or not.
If your gift recipient is new to ASMR and soap cutting, you could get really fancy and print out QR codes that link to free YouTube tutorials that they can watch to get started. Put the paper with the QR code in a nice card and you’ve packaged up a complete experience!
You can get 3 free QR codes here.
Here are some great tutorials:
Bed of Nails Acupressure Products (USE MY DISCOUNT!)
Acupressure helps target those pesky muscle knots (a.k.a. trigger points) that form in your shoulders or back (and other muscles) as a result of chronic stress and tension. It does this by increasing circulation to those areas and promoting relaxation, movement, and healing. I’ve used my acupressure mat and neck pillow on and off since 2012, and it’s great for when I can’t regularly get a professional massage.
When you first try it, it can get a little uncomfortable, so you can start out lying on it with a t-shirt. Over time, you get the hang of distributing weight on it and the only way to go is shirtless (with a warm blanket covering you), actually.
After you're on it for a few minutes, your back gets warm and then starts pulsing. Then, you start to relax. It truly is a gift.
Feel free to SHOP ALL PRODUCTS (using this affiliate link). Use code BON15BRANDI at check out to get a 15% discount.
Here’s the list of my favorite products. I have the pink mat and pillow set and can’t wait to get that yoga mat!
BON Mat and Pillow Set
It comes in three different colors or you can get the ECO version. And, if you’d rather just buy the mat or just buy the pillow, you can find them separately for purchase as well.
BON YOGA Mat
This yoga mat is so cool because it’s made of cork with natural rubber on the back and is 100% biodegradable. Win!
BON Aromatherapy Spray for Relaxation
This room and/or body spray were made to emphasize relaxation, which can come in handy when someone deals with chronic stress, anxiety, and overwhelm, as many of my clients do. I love using aromatherapy spray on my bed and furniture to freshen it up naturally. And, my cat loves the lavender scent on her bed too! In addition to the relax spray, BON also has options to relieve and refresh.
This is a great stocking stuffer.
Queen of the Thrones Castor Oil Products (USE MY DISCOUNT!)
When I first started using Queen of the Thrones castor oil products, I was at the sickest I’ve ever been in my life. After two years of pandemic-induced chronic stress piling on to an already intense trauma healing journey, my body was tired. Mystery symptoms that doctors couldn’t diagnose after months were persisting. So, I hooked up with a functional diagnostic nutritionist who recommended that I use a castor oil liver pack regularly in addition to eating whole, unprocessed foods, drinking plenty of clean water, and moving my body.
I’ve used the liver castor oil pack regularly for over a year now to detox and reduce anxiety naturally. It has been an invaluable addition to my self care routine. Combined with the other efforts mentioned above, my anxiety levels are almost to a 1 on most days, I’m able to digest foods better and therefore absorb more nutrients, so my energy levels are higher, and I don’t have mysterious pain on my right side anymore.
If I’ve had a stressful day and I can’t seem to shake fight or flight, when I put my castor oil liver pack on, I can feel my body shifting into a calmer state almost immediately. It’s like a warm, fuzzy hug.
Organic, clean castor oil has many healing benefits whether you use it in liver pack or other Queen of the Thrones products, which I’ll show you below.
Castor oil is not only known to support liver detoxification, which is incredibly important when you’ve had a high amount of stress hormones running rampant for a long time, but it helps put your nervous system into the “rest and digest” state, also known as the parasympathetic state. In other words, it helps calm anxiety and relax.
It may also help regulate poops, balance hormones, deepen sleep, reduce bloating, inflammation, and leaky gut.
Feel free to SHOP ALL PRODUCTS (using this affiliate link). Use code BRANDIFLECKCOACHING10 at check out to get 10% off. And, here are specific products I love from Queen of the Thrones that would definitely help the self healer in your life.
Liver Castor Oil Pack Kit + Organic Castor Oil
This is the liver pack I personally use and I would recommend to anyone as a self care gift.
Lymphatic Dry Brush
Dry brushing is really important when you’re detoxing stress hormones from a past life of trauma as well. Dry brushing moves lymphatic fluid around your body, which assists with moving toxins out and opening up detox pathways.
Back Body Buddy
The Body Back Buddy is a self massage tool that allows you to apply trigger point (muscle knots from tension) therapy to yourself, at home. It’s a firm plastic stick with hooks on both ends, so it looks like an S. It also has knobs of different shapes and sizes at various points on the hooks to reach different parts of your body. It has been an absolute game changer in my ability to get rid of chronic, tension-related knots in my upper back. Your gift recipient will surely appreciate it.
Buck’s Coffee
Now, coffee has been known to increase anxiety and I typically recommend that clients with high anxiety give up coffee for a time. I don’t typically recommend going decaf because traditional decaffeinated coffee is put through a chemical process to strip the caffeine from the coffee, and the chemicals then transfer to you — it’s pretty toxic. And if you’re healing from trauma, you need to detox to lower inflammation.
BUT, my old friend from middle school (yes, you heard that right), recently started roasting his own coffee and he has made coffee accessible to those of us with anxiety! I was so excited when I heard.
His shop is called Buck’s coffee Co.
He has high ethical standards for organic beans, plus he uses a special water process to extract the caffeine. Therefore, his decaf coffee is the cleanest I’ve found! So, if you know someone who has major anxiety and they want to kick caffeine, but just can’t seem to give up the amazing taste of coffee (and who can blame them?), give them the gift of Buck’s el Volcan Central Blend Swiss Water Decaf.
El Volcan Central Blend Swiss Water Process Decaf
Gift the Experience of Life Coaching
Life coaching can be highly empowering when a person is ready to make positive, lasting change in their life with the support of a trained professional.
Trauma-Informed Life Coaching with Me!
Learn more about what my one-on-one coaching is about here. Click an image below to go to the purchase page for my gift cards.
My 60-Minute Session Bundle Gift Card
My 4 Session Bundle Gift Card (BEST VALUE!)
The Restore Group Program with Stephanie B. Dunn Coaching
This is a perfect gift for the clergy woman in your life. Whether it’s a family member, friend, or pastor at your church — check in on how they’re doing. And if they seem burnt out, sponsor a spot for them. They’re so busy taking care of us, we forget to take care of them.
That’s why this group program is designed specifically for women in ministry who want to nurture their spirit, heal in community, and who would like a safe space to do so. The in-person version is based in Nashville, TN, but there is also a virtual version that you can join regardless of location. The next cohort starts in January 2024, but Coach Stephanie offers several cohorts throughout the year.
Inspirational Merch
Okay, I love supporting other coaches. And here are two that have their merch game on point. (Of course, check out their coaching offerings too!)
Coach Kay Wds’ Inspirational Merch
Coach Kisha Woods is host of the Empowering Real Talk podcast and owner of the Upgraded MindsetZ shop. Here are some of my faves in her shop (but browse the whole thing):
Be Real, Not Perfect Tumbler
BE Brave. Strong. Fearless. Hoodie
From Havoc to Healing: 30 Days of Reconditioning
Oh, and did I mention she has an Amazon best selling book?! It's perfect for self help lovers who need to know they’re not alone if they’re struggling to find their voice and it is possible to find confidence and start priortizing themselves. Here it is.
Your Coach Meg’s Less Bitter More Glitter Merch
Coach Meg Smidt is a life and business coach with a merchandising background (among many other creative things, like singing in bands and owning a record label!). Her shop is eclectic and quirky, which is right up my alley. Here are some of my faves in her shop (but browse the whole thing):
Let That Shit Go Mug
Killin’ It Mug
Gloria Steinem Empathy Quote Print
This is a beautiful 8x8 original art print channeling the energy of women’s rights leader, Gloria Steinem, which is ready to be framed.
The Gift of Light, Heath, and Warmth for Winter Months
I learned from naturopath Dr. Catherine Clinton that as the sun recedes in the Fall and Winter months, so does our greatest source of infrared energy. Infrared energy helps boost our immune systems. So the gifts in this section are all about ways to increase our infrared energy and support our winter health, energy, mood, and immune system. These physical aspects of health go hand-in-hand with trauma healing because our minds, bodies, and spirits all work together to form a whole human.
Solo Stove - Smokeless Fire Pit
A wood burning fire has so many benefits. And the fact that Solo stove creates a high-heat wood-burning fire that is nearly smokeless makes it even healthier. Your recipient breathes in less harmful smoke particulates and it’s better for the environment too. This particular version is the Bonefire 2.0, which is the best-selling size and model. It’s great for 3-6 people in the back yard. It’s portable (although not the most portable option), and it’s beautiful to boot.
Warm Spices and Teas
Warm spices are typically orange and red in color. They warm the body when ingested. And teas, which typically have antioxidant properties, are a nice way to deliver the warm spices. Make sure the tea is organic because it tends to have a lot of inflammatory and toxic pesticide residue otherwise. You could select a variety of warm spices and tea and create a gift basket. Here’s what I’d put in one if I were making it:
Ginger and Chamomile Tea
This combination has a great relaxing and digestive effect.
Turmeric Tea
Turmeric supports a healthy response to inflammation.
Cinnamon Tea
Cinnamon warms the body while promoting relaxation and relieving tension, stress, and irritability.
Local, Raw, Unfiltered Honey
Local, raw, unfiltered honey is the best natural sweetener for teas because it doesn’t spike blood sugar like other sweeteners do. Keeping blood sugar regulated is part of a balanced lifestyle and is a priority when healing trauma (and in general). Additionally, local honey is said to help with allergies. Whether that’s true, I’m not sure. But, at least you’re supporting local business when you buy local honey. If local isn’t an option, here’s one that my family enjoys that’s widely available.
Infrared Sauna Package, Gift Card, or Membership
Infrared saunas are known for being able to help people calm their nervous system, detox, and decrease their autoimmune disease symptoms. Many people healing from trauma go on to develop autoimmune diseases, and regularly sitting in targeted infrared light for specific ailments is incredibly healing. I do it myself. Other benefits include pain relief, skin health, weight loss, reduced stress, and better sleep.
Here’s my favorite studio, Pure Sweat & Float primarily located in Tennessee with locations popping up in North Carolina and Florida too. If there isn’t one in your particular location, you can find plenty of other infrared sauna studio options out there.
Educational and/or Crafty Gifts
I love educational and crafty gifts—even better when there’s a healing element involved. Here’s a little list of both education and art that are great to add to the nerdy self healer’s toolkit.
Neurographica Online Course
This is an art form developed by Pavel Piskarev In 2014. It employs specific algorithms (rules and techniques) to rewire neural pathways in the brain for various purposes.
This particular course that I’ve taken and enjoyed is perfect for the everyday person who wants to learn how to start but doesn’t want to become an instructor. This course I’m recommending helps with money mindset and manifestation. However, the technique presented can be applied to other life areas as well and I find it very meditative and calming when anxiety hits.
To purchase this course and others like it as a gift, you may have to register in your own name and forward the login info to your gift recipient after presenting them with a card telling them what you got them. Get creative with how you present it.
Neurographica Art Supplies to go with Course
To get started on neurographic art, your gift recipient will need letter size paper (a sketch book is great), a pen that can handle pressure, fine liner pens with thing and thick sizes, sharpies (in case they need bolder lines), colorful markers and/or colored pencils (avoid metallic inks or paints). Here are some highly-rated suggestions:
Sketch Book
A Sturdy Pen (Non-Gel)
Fine Liners
Sharpies
Colorful Markers
Colored Pencils
Books About Healing Trauma
Here are my all-time top three picks that I highly recommend. They’re mainstays in the trauma world.
The Body Keeps the Score by Dr. Bessel VanderKolk
When the body Says No by Dr. Gabor Mate
The Brain’s Way of Healing by Dr. Norman Doidge
Gifts of Water and Flow
Clean, high-quality hydration is so important when we’re healing and should be part of everyone’s self care routine. Water also has many wellness uses beyond hydration, and supports our bodies natural healing process.
Water Filtration System
Thanks to the Environmental Working Group for researching and recommending water filtration systems to find the best ones for every budget that actually remove forever chemicals from water so they don’t go into our bodies, creating inflammation and disease.. Drinking plastic can’t be healthy.
Travel Berkey Gravity-Fed Water Filter
This specific Berkey water filter is my favorite one tested and recommended by the EWG that I use for my family. Even though there’s a bit of a larger upfront cost, the lifetime cost is lower than most because you don’t have to replace the filters as often. So your saving your gift recipient larger costs in the long run in addition to giving forever chemical-free water. Plus, they can take it camping. Win-win-win.
Small Berkey Stand
Bonus: add this countertop stand to your gift so the water spout is accessible without your recipient having to set the Berkey by the sink to get drinks.
Float Package or Membership
Floating in tanks that allow you to be present with your senses has a ton of benefits, such as stress management, relaxation, pain relief, sleep optimization, pregnancy and postpartum support, and bolstering creativity. Most importantly, the amount of magnesium floaters receive nourishes the nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, and muscular systems—all of which are impacted by trauma and need to be brought back into balance.
You can purchase packages, memberships, or gift cards from sweat and float studios around the country. My favorite studio is Pure Sweat & Float, mostly located in Tennessee and few other southern states. I’ve linked to it below.
Flewd Bath Soaks
Flewd specializes in anti-stress bath soaks to refuel the body with nutrients needed to combat stress-caused anxiety, insomnia, and aches. These bath soaks are a more DIY way to get the magnesium at home that you would otherwise get in a float session in the above mentioned gift idea of a float session or membership. This helps lower the stress hormone, cortisol. They also include nootropics to boost serotonin and vitamins that dampen adrenalin, which is important for someone who is regularly stuck in fight or flight. Plus, They’re clean, biodegradable, and vegan. (If you’re lucky, you can catch Flewd’s holiday sale going on for 35% off!)
Nutrition and Supplements as Gifts
Clean nutrition (think whole, unprocessed foods with important vitamins and minerals) is foundational for healing trauma—it creates safety and health in the body by reducing inflammation and fueling energy, balance, and movement. Here are some of my fave ways to get nutrients back into our lives:
Cymbiotika Magnesium Spray
This clean body oil supports joint and muscular health, promotes relaxation and decreases symptoms of anxiety, and reduces inflammation— all of which need attention if the gift recipient has a history of chronic stress or trauma. I personally love it!
Cymbiotika Adrenal Super Tonic
This clean tonic meant to be consumed daily was formulated to balance mood, manage stress levels and anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, sleep disorders, and muscle aches. Over time, it may also improve immune system function and help regulate the menstrual cycle— all of which need attention if the gift recipient has a history of chronic stress or trauma.
Cymbiotika Liposomal Glutathione
This gel supplement contains powerful antioxidant properties that combat premature aging, enhances energy metabolism, promotes gut health, and helps with liver detoxification—all of which need attention if the gift recipient has a history of chronic stress or trauma.
Wild Pastures Box
All meat from Wild Pastures is 100% regeneratively pasture raised by small family farms in the USA. That means the nutritional value of the meat is higher and the sickness and pain in the animals is lower. It’s better for the animals, our bodies, and the environment. Click below to see if Wild Pastures delivers to where you want it go, and schedule a box! (You can order one or subscribe monthly.) Make sure your gift recipient will be home when it’s delivered, however.
Hydroponic Indoor Garden
Gardening isn’t for everyone, but this indoor garden, called Gardyn, (and many others like it in other price ranges) make it easier for your gift recipient to grow their own food with AI monitored watering and lighting. And, when you grow your own food, it’s easier to control what goes into your body. That equals fewer to no harsh chemicals or processed ingredients. This particular version has heirloom and non-GMO seeds too.
Natural Beauty and Hygiene Gifts
Similar to the nutrition and supplement gifts, the cleaner you can get with the fewer ingredients and fewer harmful chemicals, the better the product is for the body. Reducing inflammation in these ways promotes healing and let’s the body know you care. So, fill a basket with some of the natural treats below. I know that each small business behind them puts a lot of love, thought, and care into their products.
There are two small business that I love for small batch, clean soaps. One is Chagrin Valley Soap & Salve and the other is SoapLife 360. They have a ton of other bath and body options you should definitely browse, but here are my faves and a few other popular items.
Patchouli Hemp Natural Soap
This soap is good for all skin types. The patchouli may be good for reducing anxiety and therefore reducing insomnia. This soap is a good exfoliator.
Get Grounded Daily Self Care Set
This set includes pillow mist, conditioning soap, natural deodorant, body cream, and a moisture treatment soap. Bonus: the labels are meant to inspire cultural and social justice-related conversations. And they do!
Whipped Squalane Face & Eye Cream
This natural, clean face cream helps with anti-aging, moisturizing, dryness, and balancing skin oils.
Spiritual Practice Gifts
These are for the meditative mystic self healer in your life.
Crystals
Here are some great start crystals that can help with grounding, healing, and energy clearing. Any listed below would complement a trauma-healing journey. They’re all from my favorite indie shop, Abstract Serenity.
You Might Also Like to Read: Crystals for Healing Trauma
Black Tourmaline Tower
Selenite Wands
Amethyst Point (Double)
If you’d rather pick out several more crystals to give as one gift together, check out my Crystals for Healing Trauma article, which lists my recommendations for which ones to get for healing trauma and why, mostly geared toward beginners but also includes more advanced options.
Spiritual Subscription Box
Spiritual box subscriptions are always fun! It’s the gift they get to open again and again after the holidays pass, brightening a somewhat dark season that can accompany holiday with the short winter days and less warmth and sunlight available. Here’s a highly-rated one with a variety of crystals, jewelry, self care items, and mindful decor.
13 Moon Journal
I love this limited edition journal by Moon Phase Studios because it emphasizes the lunar cycle over the traditional Gregorian Calendar format. So, it promotes more of a natural flow in gaining self awareness through introspection and writing. It also has areas for setting intentions and goal tracking.
The Gift of Time
Do the new parents need a night out and babysitting with someone they trust? Or what about a friend who recently went through a divorce? Does she need help setting up her new home or organizing the garage? What about your co-worker who recently lost a loved one? Maybe you could help out with laundry or dropping off groceries. The possibilities are endless, and oftentimes, choosing something to do and letting someone know you’re willing to do it is a gift in and of itself so the person who’s grieving or in the midst of overwhelming transition doesn’t have to expend the mental energy to make the decision.
Of course, your gift of time doesn’t just have to be acts of service. They can be acts of quality time as well. You could promise to plan and organize a picnic, hike, trip to the zoo, roller skating, or even a vacation — you take care of all the details and give your loved one a stress-free experience with you while you’re being present and attentive. Simply make the promise and let them pick the time when it’s convenient for them (and you — we all have busy schedules.)
Make Coupons
To put together the gift of time, pump up your inner child and pull out your arts and crafts supplies to make coupons! They don’t have to be fancy — you can literally use printer paper and pens if that’s what you have. If you’d rather let someone else do it for you, you can find free coupon templates online like these, which are so cute and editable:
That wraps up the gift guide for self healers this holiday season. Did it spark any creative and thoughtful gift ideas that you’re going to use this year?
Questions or Comments?
Feel free to let me know if you have any questions in the comments, or you can schedule a free consultation.
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Hey there!
I’m Brandi Fleck, TICC. I’m a private practice, certified trauma-informed life coach and trauma recovery coach. All genders, sexualities, and races are welcome here. I primarily serve clients via one-on-one coaching and self-paced trauma education.
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