This is The CC - Christen Cerrito

08/04/2026

The best healers I know work from lived experience.

They're people who've walked through some of the hardest parts of being human and somehow found a way to let those experiences soften them instead of harden them. They've learned to see light through their own darkness. They've come into a new way of being because of it.

It's not just that they've suffered. Everyone suffers. It's that they're willing to share themselves because of it.

They relate instead of rescue. They listen without trying to be the expert. They sit beside people instead of above them. They open up their own healing hearts to offer the kind of unconditional acceptance so many of us have spent our lives looking for.

I see that as one of the bravest things a person can do.

To take the parts of yourself that once hurt the most and let them become the very thing that helps someone else feel less alone.

That's what makes their work so powerful.

08/02/2026

Yesterday morning I had the opportunity to be interviewed by One Breath Institute for their upcoming “The Breath That Breaks the Silence” summit. We talked about what it means when healing isn’t linear, and the conversation stayed with me long after it ended.

I spent the rest of the day reflecting, and that reflection turned into this essay.

This is one of the most personal things I’ve written. It’s a letter to my younger self about the many ways life has taken me away from myself… and the many ways it’s led me back again. It touches on growing up in dysfunction, people pleasing, traumatic brain injury, breathwork, chronic illness, and learning to trust myself through it all.

So much of the work I do through Introspective Breathwork is rooted in this idea: healing isn’t about never getting lost again. It’s about learning how to find your way back to yourself, over and over again.

My hope is that if you’ve ever felt like your own healing has taken unexpected turns, you’ll find a little bit of yourself in these words.

I’d love to hear what resonates with you if you decide to read it.

https://www.thisisthecc.com/post/when-healing-doesn-t-look-linear

07/28/2026

Several years ago, during my breathwork facilitator training, I wrote an essay about my relationship with sobriety.

At the time, I believed I was learning about quitting alcohol and ma*****na. Looking back, I realize I was learning about something much deeper. I was learning how it feels be safe in my own skin.

Before publishing this essay, I revisited it and added a present day reflection. My relationship with sobriety has evolved over the years, especially while navigating chronic pain and endometriosis. I wanted the essay to reflect that honestly. Healing isn't always linear, and neither are we.

This isn't an essay about having it all figured out. It's an honest reflection on learning to come home to myself, again and again.

If you've ever felt disconnected from yourself, or found yourself searching for comfort, escape, or relief, I hope something in these words resonates with you.

You can read the full essay here:

There was a time in my life when I didn't know what it felt like to simply be myself.Everything began to change when I made one simple decision: I wanted to learn how to be me. The journey that followed wasn't simply about getting sober. It was about finding a way to feel at home within my own skin....

07/26/2026

I’ll be hosting two events today at R3Miracles Center! Still some time to join if you’re interested 😊

07/24/2026

Tell yourself you love you today 💖

07/23/2026

I was sharing my story with a friend during sea turtle patrol this morning, and it reminded me of the thesis I wrote for my Introspective Breathwork Therapy graduation project a few years ago. Since then, it’s mostly just sat in my documents after being read by one person… my teacher.

I realized it deserves more than that. So I decided to turn it into a series of blog posts.

The first one is the story of how I found breathwork. It’s about the path that led me here, the experiences that changed me, and the philosophy that continues to shape the way I approach healing today.

Looking back, it’s been really meaningful to see how much has changed and, at the same time, how much has stayed the same. Special thank you to Christina Maffia and everyone at One Breath Institute for helping shape who I’ve become today.

If you’d like to read it, I’d love to hear what resonates with you.

Since the first significant revolution in our human evolution, our civilization has consistently prioritized power, technology, and social structures, often at the cost of essential values like love, community, and balance. As a consequence, an increasingly unnatural sense of separateness has taken....

07/16/2026

A little sensory reset for anyone who needs it 💙

If you enjoy experiences like this, you might love what we’re creating at R3Miracles Center at the end of the month.

Immersion Room is a multisensory experience that blends sound healing, therapeutic touch, ASMR-inspired sensory elements, and gentle breath awareness into an evening designed to help you slow down and reconnect.

July 26 in Palm Harbor. Comment “IMMERSE” for more info!

07/16/2026

I know most people mean well when they say things like, “it could be worse.”

They’re usually trying to offer perspective. Trying to help someone feel better. Trying to remind them of what they still have.

But when someone is hurting, reminding them that other people have it worse doesn’t actually make the pain go away. It often just adds guilt on top of it.

You can be grateful and still be struggling. You can recognize that others have it harder and still acknowledge that something is difficult for you.

Pain isn’t a competition. Compassion doesn’t require comparison. It requires presence.