You’re hosting a neuroregulation retreat for Scorpios this year. Could you tell us a bit about what brought you here?
Xico One of the things that attracts us to a collaboration with Scorpios is that, alongside art, we are able to bring in technology. And this is something we are starting to see more of in healing and wellbeing spaces — technology that helps us access different states to our usual ways of operating, what we call our “default mode network”. We are always in a state of rumination, and in places like [Scorpios], we get into a more present state, through sound, light, breath and visuals.  

Can you describe neuroregulation? 
Rodhø We are machines that operate through our neurochemistry. We only understand our  psychological input — but the moment you start altering your neurochemistry, your  emotions and thoughts become more positive. You can start to take control of your  mind and not be a victim to your default mechanism.   

Can you tell us more about the relationship between sound and neuroflexibility? How do sound and music soothe the nervous system? 
Rodhø Harmony is a somatic rather than an intellectual concept, and if you are someone  with a hypervigilant nervous system...you might understand the term [intellectually] but you don’t feel it [somatically]. When you’re training your system to regulate and relax through our practice, increased CO2 puts pressure on the nervous system. Sound can help us to self-regulate at the same time as applying that pressure, which improves neuroflexibility. 

What do you think makes the Ritual Space a special setting for bringing awareness to the nervous system?
Xico We work a lot with resonance and coherence. These concepts come from sound  and physics but we apply them to human interaction. When we create resonance  between two people, that leads to coherence and co-regulation. It’s easier for me to   regulate if I regulate with you rather than trying alone. That’s why spaces like this are  important, so people can come together and join in practices that will help them co-regulate. 

Rodhø My take is that because it is built for this purpose, the moment you sit in a temple you create resonance. Just seeing this place, you already feel inspired. The beauty of the sounds and the visuals creates a kind of primitive connection. 

How do herbalism and brain mapping interact in your July retreat? What led you to collaborate with ARVERA? 
Xico Once you understand your brain data and how you are as an individual, the next step is how to improve your self-regulation. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, so taking specific boosters and adaptogens can help you find what you need in that specific moment. And that differs from one day to the next, so it’s important to assess what you need and to know what exists out there to help you regulate.

What’s one piece of advice you could give someone looking to improve their wellbeing? 
Rodhø You cannot control your mind, but you can navigate it through the breath. 

Xico Listen to your nervous system as much as possible — it’s always communicating  with you. 

Scorpios is a place for celebration and inner journeys. How do you see these two sides relating to one another?
Xico I think what we’re doing here is celebrating our health and our wellbeing, the two go  hand in hand. I think people forget that and tend to separate the two. It’s the  intersection that is the goal — celebrating our own beings in a more regulated way.  Allowing sound and music to help us get in tune with ourselves. 

What would you like members of our community to take away from the retreat that you’re hosting here in July?
Rodhø My personal mission is a greater understanding of the concept of “baseline”. When  your nervous system is regulated, when our brain is in coherence, you understand  your baseline...It is about how you regulate your system between performance and  time to decompress. It’s about understanding why I work out, why I dance, why I  sing, why I breathe.

Xico And in more practical terms, I want people to have tools. We’re going to have brain scans so people can do a brain scan* and understand their baseline and have data to guide our methodologies. And we’re going to have self-regulation technologies, like light and sound therapy, all combined with Rhodo’s approach with the breath and CO2. ■

SCORPIOS NEURO-ALCHEMY RETREAT 

Three days of workshops and shared rituals exploring the nervous system through breath, sound and movement.