rooted in science. guided by soul. shared with heart.
The Roots of the 4 Keys to Inner Peace: The Science and Soul Behind Stress Transformation
The teachers, traditions, and research that shaped my framework for understanding the science and soul of stress and the path to healing, health and wholeness.
The 4 Keys to Inner Peace framework didn’t emerge overnight. (New to the framework? Explore the 4 Keys in depth here.)
They’re the culmination of more than 30 years as a nurse, deep study with teachers across neuroscience, psychology, and contemplative traditions, and thousands of conversations with people experiencing stress from sources most approaches never address.
This page reveals the wisdom that shaped my framework—the researchers, philosophers, and ancient teachings that helped me understand:
- How stressors (both visible and hidden) affect every dimension of our being (body, mind, emotions, soul)
- How chronic stress and hidden stressors like personality patterns, gender conditioning, soul hunger and others create stress effects—nervous system dysregulation, health issues, disconnection, fragmentation
- How we can transform stress from the inside out by addressing both the science (nervous system regulation) and the soul (meaning-making and purpose)
A Glimpse Into the Roots
Through meditation and study with diverse teachers across neuroscience, psychology, and contemplative traditions, I discovered that transformation doesn’t come from managing stress or eliminating stressors—most of which we can’t control.
True transformation comes from:
- Understanding which of the hidden stressors are affecting us
- Addressing the effects of stress on our body and being
- Integrating all parts of who we are
The 4 Keys translate these teachings into practical, lived experience—a holistic path that bridges ancient wisdom and modern science, the needs of our nervous systems and the longings of our souls. They guide people from stress and disconnection to inner peace and the possibility of living a vibrant, connected and meaningful life.
Below, you’ll discover the thinkers and traditions that shaped each Key—and why they continue to guide people home to themselves.
The 4 Keys to Inner Peace:
Self-Regulation – Cultivating Calm & Clarity
Foundational Wisdom
- HeartMath Institute – Heart-brain coherence and nervous-system regulation.
- Emily & Amelia Nagoski – Research on burnout and the distinction between stressors and stress, and completing the stress cycle in the body.
- Nervous-System and Stress Research – Informed by decades of study in the physiology of stress and resilience, integrating insights from neuroscience, psychology, and mindfulness-based approaches.
- Sarah McLean – My contemporary meditation teacher, who established the McLean Meditation Institute. She’s known for the SEED (Simple, Easy, Every Day) meditation approach, which cultivates focus, mindfulness, body awareness, and heart-centred wisdom.
These teachings remind us that we can’t always change what’s happening around us — but we can change what’s happening within us. Self-regulation shifts us from survival to presence, restoring the calm clarity that allows life to flow again.
Self-Love – Nourishing Yourself From Within
Foundational Wisdom
- Dr. Kristin Neff & Christopher Germer – Pioneers of mindful self-compassion, teaching both tender and fierce expressions of care.
- Dr. Kelly McGonigal – Research on how compassion and self-kindness build physiological resilience.
- Dr. Rick Hanson – Positive neuroplasticity and “taking in the good” to rewire the brain for safety and worthiness.
- Tara Brach & Jack Kornfield – Practices of mindfulness, loving-kindness, gratitude, and forgiveness that reopen the heart to life.
Self-love begins as inner safety — the felt sense that we are enough, that we can rest inside ourselves without striving or self-judgment.
When we learn to treat ourselves with warmth and respect, our nervous system softens, our capacity for connection expands, and the healing process unfolds naturally.
Self-Discovery – Reconnecting With Your True Self
Foundational Wisdom
- Carl Jung – Shadow work, individuation, and the journey toward wholeness.
- The Enneagram (Riso-Hudson, Beatrice Chestnut & other lineages) – Understanding patterns and pathways to integration.
- Ancient Wisdom Teachings – Buddhist psychology, Esoteric teachings (William Meader), and New Thought.
Self-discovery helps us recognize the hidden stressors that arise from personality patterns and conditioning — the unconscious ways we disconnect from our essence.
Through awareness and compassion, we reconnect with our inner truth and rediscover the wisdom that has always been within us.
Self-Expression – Living in Alignment With Your Soul’s Desires
Foundational Wisdom
- Ken Wilber – Integral theory’s approach to human development and transformation. This work taught me that becoming who we’re meant to be requires both vision and practice—a container that supports us to consistently embody our emerging self.
- Dana Jack – Silencing the Self theory on how women lose their voice and vitality.
- Parker Palmer – Vocation as listening to your life; letting your life speak its truth rather than imposing shoulds upon it.
- James Hollis – Creating a life of meaning by asking “What does my soul ask of me?” and having the courage to answer honestly and follow a path that feels good to your soul.
Self-expression is the flowering of wholeness.
It’s the courage to live, speak, and create from alignment with your soul — where personal authenticity ripples outward to inspire wholeness in others.
From Wisdom to Practice
The 4 Keys to Inner Peace translate these profound teachings into practical, daily practices. They’re a bridge between ancient wisdom and modern science, between the needs of our nervous systems and the longings of our souls, between healing what’s been wounded and actualizing what’s waiting to emerge.
The 4 Keys remind us that inner peace isn’t found by escaping life’s challenges but by transforming how we meet them. Each Key invites us to relate differently to ourselves — to soothe what’s stressed, love what’s wounded, remember who we are, and live what’s true.
Together, they form a compass that guides us home to wholeness.
Ready to experience the framework in action? Explore how to work with me or begin with my foundational Learn to Meditate workshop. I’d be honored to guide you!
To learn more about my professional background and certifications, visit About Bev.
