Podcasts about somatic therapy

Danielle (00:02):Hey, Jenny, you and I usually hop on here and you're like, what's happening today? Is there a guest today? Isn't that what you told me at the beginning?And then I sent you this Instagram reel that was talking about, I feel like I've had this, my own therapeutic journey of landing with someone that was very unhelpful, going to someone that I thought was more helpful. And then coming out of that and doing some somatic work and different kind of therapeutic tools, but all in the effort for me at least, it's been like, I want to feel better. I want my body to have less pain. I want to have less PTSD. I want to have a richer life, stay present with my kids and my family. So those are the places pursuit of healing came from for me. What about you? Why did you enter therapy?Jenny (00:53):I entered therapy because of chronic state of dissociation and not feeling real, coupled with pretty incessant intrusive thoughts, kind of OCD tendencies and just fixating and paranoid about so many things that I knew even before I did therapy. I needed therapy. And I came from a world where therapy wasn't really considered very Christian. It was like, you should just pray and if you pray, God will take it away. So I actually remember I went to the Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, partly because I knew it was a requirement to get therapy. And so for the first three years I was like, yeah, yeah, my school requires me to go to therapy. And then even after I graduated, I was like, well, I'm just staying in therapy to talk about what's coming up for my clients. And then it was probably five years, six years into therapy when I was finally like, no, I've gone through some really tough things and I just actually need a space to talk about it and process it. And so trying to develop a healthier relationship with my own body and figuring out how I wanted to move with integrity through the world is a big part of my healing journey.Danielle (02:23):I remember when I went to therapy as a kid and well, it was a psychologist and him just kind of asking really direct questions and because they were so direct and pointed, just me just saying like, nah, never happened, never did that, never felt that way, et cetera, et cetera. So I feel like as I've progressed through life, I've had even a better understanding of what's healing for me, what is love life like my imagination for what things could be. But also I think I was very trusting and taught to trust authority figures, even though at the same time my own trauma kept me very distrusting, if that makes sense. So my first recommendations when I went, I was skeptical, but I was also very hopeful. This is going to help.Jenny (03:13):Yeah, totally. Yep. Yeah. And sometimes it's hard for me to know what is my homeschool brain and what is just my brain, because I always think everyone else knows more than me about pretty much everything. And so then I will do crazy amount of research about something and then Sean will be like, yeah, most people don't even know that much about that subject. And I'm like, dang it, I wasted so much effort again. But I think especially in the therapy world, when I first started therapy, and I've seen different therapists over the years, some better experiences than others, and I think I often had that same dissonance where I was like, I think more than me, but I don't want you to know more than me. And so I would feel like this wrestling of you don't know me actually. And so it created a lot of tension in my earlier days of therapy, I think.Danielle (04:16):Yeah, I didn't know too with my faith background how therapy and my faith or theological beliefs might impact therapy. So along the lines of stereotypes for race or stereotypes for gender or what do you do? I am a spiritual person, so what do I do with the thought of I do believe in angels and spiritual beings and evil and good in the world, and what do I do? How does that mix into therapy? And I grew up evangelical. And so there was always this story, I don't know if you watched Heaven's Gates, Hells Flames at your church Ever? No. But it was this play that they came and they did, and you were supposed to invite your friends. And the story was some people came and at the end of their life, they had this choice to choose Jesus or not. And the story of some people choosing Jesus and making it into heaven and some people not choosing Jesus and being sent to hell, and then there was these pictures of these demons and the devil and stuff. So I had a lot of fear around how evil spirits were even just interacting with us on a daily basis.Jenny (05:35):Yeah, I grew up evangelical, but not in a Pentecostal charismatic world at all. And so in my family, things like spiritual warfare or things like that were not often talked about in my faith tradition in my family. But I grew up in Colorado Springs, and so by the time I was in sixth, seventh grade, maybe seventh or eighth grade, I was spending a lot of time at Ted Haggard's New Life Church, which was this huge mega, very charismatic church. And every year they would do this play called The Thorn, and it would have these terrifying hell scenes. It was very common for people to throw up in the audience. They were so freaked out and they'd have demons repelling down from the ceiling. And so I had a lot of fear earlier than that. I always had a fear of hell. I remember on my probably 10th or 11th birthday, I was at Chuck E Cheese and my birthday Wish was that I could live to be a thousand because I thought then I would be good enough to not go to hell.(06:52):I was always so afraid that I would just make the simplest mistake and then I would end up in hell. And even when I went to bed at night, I would tell my parents goodnight and they'd say, see you tomorrow. And I wouldn't say it because I thought as a 9-year-old, what if I die and I don't see them tomorrow? Then the last thing I said was a lie, and then I'm going to go to hell. And so it was always policing everything I did or said to try to avoid this scary, like a fire that I thought awaited me.Yeah, yeah. I mean, I am currently in New York right now, and I remember seeing nine 11 happen on the news, and it was the same year I had watched Left Behind on that same TV with my family. So as I was watching it, my very first thought was, well, these planes ran into these buildings because the pilots were raptured and I was left behind.Danielle (08:09):And so I know we were like, we get to grad school, you're studying therapy. It's mixed with psychology. I remember some people saying to me, Hey, you're going to lose your faith. And I was like, what does that mean? I'm like 40, do you assume because I learned something about my brain that's going to alter my faith. So even then I felt the flavor of that, but at the time I was with seeing a Christian therapist, a therapist that was a Christian and engaging in therapy through that lens. And I think I was grateful for that at the time, but also there were things that just didn't feel right to me or fell off or racially motivated, and I didn't know what to say because when I brought them into the session, that became part of the work as my resistance or my UNC cooperation in therapy. So that was hard for me. I don't know if you noticed similar things in your own therapy journey.Jenny (09:06):I feel sick as you say, that I can feel my stomach clenching and yeah, I think for there to be a sense of this is how I think, and therefore if you as the client don't agree, that's your resistance(09:27):Is itself whiteness being enacted because it's this, I think about Tema, Koon's, white supremacy, cultural norms, and one of them is objectivity and the belief that there is this one capital T objective truth, and it just so happens that white bodies have it apparently. And so then if you differ with that than there is something you aren't seeing, rather than how do I stay in relation to you knowing that we might see this in a very different way and how do we practice being together or not being together because of how our experiences in our worldviews differ? But I can honor that and honor you as a sovereign being to choose your own journey and your self-actualization on that journey.Danielle(10:22):So what are you saying is that a lot of our therapeutic lens, even though maybe it's not Christian, has been developed in this, I think you used the word before we got on here like dominion or capital T. I do believe there is truth, but almost a truth that overrides any experience you might have. How would you describe that? Yeah. Well,Jenny (10:49):When I think about a specific type of saying that things are demonic or they're spiritual, a lot of that language comes from the very charismatic movement of dominion and it uses a lot of spiritual warfare language to justify dominion. And it's saying there's a stronghold of Buddhism in Thailand and that's why we have to go and bring Jesus. And what that means is bring white capitalistic Jesus. And so I think that that plays out on mass scales. And a big part of dominion is that the idea that there's seven spheres of society, it's like family culture, I don't remember all of them education, and the idea is that Christians should be leaders in each those seven spheres of society. And so a lot of the language in that is that there are demons or demonic strongholds. And a lot of that language I think is also racialized because a lot of it is colorism. We are going into this very dark place and the association with darkness always seems to coincide with melanin, You don't often hear that language as much when you're talking about white communities.Danielle (12:29):Yeah, I don't know. Yeah, it's interesting when you talk about nuts and bolts and you're in therapy, then it becomes almost to me, if a trauma happens to you and let's say then the theory is that alongside of that trauma and evil entity or a spirit comes in and places itself in that weak spot, then it feels like we're placing the victim as sharing the blame for what happened to them or how they're impacted by that trauma. I'm not sure if I'm saying it right, but I dunno, maybe you can say it better. (13:25):Well, I think that it's a way of making even the case of sexual assault, for instance, I've been in scenarios where or heard stories where someone shared a story of sexual assault or sexual violence and then their life has been impacted by that trauma in certain patterned ways and in the patterns of how that's been impacted. The lens that's additionally added to that is saying an evil entity or an evil spirit has taken a stronghold or a footing in their life, or it's related to a generational curse. This happened to your mother or your grandma too. And so therefore to even get free of the trauma that happened to you, you also have to take responsibility for your mom or your grandma or for exiting an evil entity out of your life then to get better. Does that make sense or what are you hearing me say?Jenny (14:27):Well, I think I am hearing it on a few different levels. One, there's not really any justification for that. Even if we were to talk about biblical counseling, there's not a sense of in the Bible, a demon came into you because this thing happened or darkness came into you or whatever problematic language you want to use. Those are actually pretty relatively new constructs and ideas. And it makes me think about how it also feels like whiteness because I think about whiteness as a system that disables agency. And so of course there may be symptoms of trauma that will always be with us. And I really like the framework of thinking of trauma more like diabetes where it's something you learn to moderate, it's something you learn to take care of, but it's probably never going to totally leave you. And I think, sorry, there's loud music playing, but even in that, it's like if I know I have diabetes, I know what I can do. If there's some other entity somewhere in me, whatever that means, that is so disempowering to my own agency and my own choice to be able to say, how do I make meaning out of these symptoms and how do I continue living a meaningful life even if I might have difficulties? It's a very victimizing and victim blaming language is what I'm hearing in that.Danielle (16:15):And it also is this idea that somehow, for instance, I hate the word Christian, but people that have faith in Jesus that somewhere wrapped up in his world and his work and his walk on earth, there's some implication that if you do the right things, your life will be pain-free or you can get to a place where you love your life and the life that you're loving no longer has that same struggle. I find that exactly opposite of what Jesus actually said, but in the moment, of course, when you're engaged in that kind of work, whether it's with a spiritual counselor or another kind of counselor, the idea that you could be pain-free is, I mean, who doesn't want to be? Not a lot of people I know that were just consciously bring it on. I love waking up every day and feeling slightly ungrounded, doesn't everyone, or I like having friends and feeling alone who wakes up and consciously says that, but somehow this idea has gotten mixed in that if we live or make enough money, whether it's inside of therapy or outside of healing, looks like the idea of absence of whether I'm not trying to glorify suffering, but I am saying that to have an ongoing struggle feels very normal and very in step with Jesus rather than out of step.Jenny  (17:53):It makes me think of this term I love, and I can't remember who coined it at the moment, but it's the word, and it's the idea that your health and that could kind of be encompassing a lot of different things, relational health, spiritual health, physical health is co-opted by this neoliberal capitalistic idea that you are just this lone island responsible for your health and that your health isn't impacted by colonialism and white supremacy and capitalism and all of these things that are going to be detrimental to the wellness and health of all the different parts of you. And so I think that that's it or hyper spiritualizing it. Not to say there's not a spiritual component, but to say, yes, I've reduced this down to know that this is a stronghold or a demon. I think it abdicates responsibility for the shared relational field and how am I currently contributing and benefiting from those systems that may be harming you or someone else that I'm in relationship with. And so I think about spiritual warfare. Language often is an abdication for holding the tension of that relational field.Danielle  (19:18):Yeah, that's really powerful. It reminds me of, I often think of this because I grew up in these wild, charismatic religion spaces, but people getting prayed for and then them miraculously being healed. I remember one person being healed from healed from marijuana and alcohol, and as a kid I was like, wow. So they just left the church and this person had gotten up in front of the entire church and confessed their struggle or their addiction that they said it was and confessed it out loud with their family standing by them and then left a stage. And sometime later I ran into one of their kids and they're like, yeah, dad didn't drink any alcohol again, but he still hit my mom. He still yelled at us, but at church it was this huge success. It was like you didn't have any other alcohol, but was such a narrow view of what healing actually is or capacity they missed. The bigger what I feel like is the important stuff, whatever thatBut that's how I think about it. I think I felt in that type of therapy as I've reflected that it was a problem to be fixed. Whatever I had going on was a problem to be fixed, and my lack of progress or maybe persistent pain sometimes became this symbol that I somehow wasn't engaging in the therapeutic process of showing up, or I somehow have bought in and wanted that pain longterm. And so I think as I've reflected on that viewpoint from therapy, I've had to back out even from my own way of working with clients, I think there are times when we do engage in things and we're choosing, but I do think there's a lot of times when we're not, it's just happening.Jenny (21:29):Yeah, I feel like for me, I was trained in a model that was very aggressive therapy. It was like, you got to go after the hardest part in the story. You have to go dig out the trauma. And it was like this very intense way of being with people. And unfortunately, I caused a lot of harm in that world and have had to do repair with folks will probably have to do more repair with folks in the future. And through somatic experiencing training and learning different nervous system modalities, I've come to believe that it's actually about being receptive and really believing that my client's body is the widest person in the room. And so how do I create a container to just be with and listen and observe and trust that whatever shifts need to happen will come from that and not from whatever I'm trying to project or put into the space.Danielle (22:45):I mean, it's such a wild area of work that it feels now in my job, it feels so profoundly dangerous to bring in spirituality in any sense that says there's an unseen stronghold on you that it takes secret knowledge to get rid of a secret prayer or a specific prayer written down in a certain order or a specific group of people to pray for you, or you have to know, I mean, a part of this frame, I heard there's contracts in heaven that have agreed with whatever spirit might be in you, and you have to break those contracts in order for your therapy to keep moving forward. Now, I think that's so wild. How could I ever bring that to a client in a vulnerable?And so it's just like, where are these ideas coming from? I'm going to take a wild hair of a guest to say some white guy, maybe a white lady. It's probably going to be one or the other. And how has their own psychology and theology formed how they think about that? And if they want to make meaning out of that and that is their thing, great. But I think the problem is whenever we create a dogma around something and then go, and then this is a universal truth that is going to apply to my clients, and if it doesn't apply to my clients, then my clients are doing it wrong. I think that's incredibly harmful.Yeah, I know. I think the audacity and the level of privilege it would be to even bring that up with a client and make that assumption that that could be it. I think it'd be another thing if a client comes and says, Hey, I think this is it, then that's something you can talk about. But to bring it up as a possible reason someone is stuck, that there's demonic in their life, I think, well, I have, I've read recently some studies that actually increases suicidality. It increases self-harming behaviors because it's not the evil spirit, but it's that feeling of I'm powerless. Yeah,Jenny (25:30):Yeah. And I ascribed to that in my early years of therapy and in my own experience I had, I had these very intensive prayer sessions when therapy wasn't cutting it, so I needed to somehow have something even more vigorously digging out whatever it was. And it's kind of this weird both, and some of those experiences were actually very healing for me. But I actually think what was more healing was having attuned kind faces and maybe even hands on me sometimes and these very visceral experiences that my body needed, but then it was ascribed to something ethereal rather than how much power is in ritual and coming together and doing something that we can still acknowledge we are creating this,That we get to put on the meaning that we're making. We don't have to. Yeah, I don't know. I think we can do that. And I think there are gentler ways to do that that still center a sense of agency and less of this kind of paternalistic thinking too, which I think is historical through the field of psychology from Freud onwards, it was this idea that I'm the professional and I know what's best for you. And I think that there's been much work and still as much work to do around decolonizing what healing professions look like. And I find myself honestly more and more skeptical of individual work is this not only, and again, it's of this both, and I think it can be very helpful. And if individual work is all that we're ever doing, how are we then disabling ourselves from stepping into more of those places of our own agency and ability?Danielle (27:48):Man, I feel so many conflicts as you talk. I feel that so much of what we need in therapy is what we don't get from community and friendships, and that if we had people, when we have people and if we have people that can just hold our story for bits at a time, I think often that can really be healing or just as healing is meaning with the therapist. I also feel like getting to talk one-on-one with someone is such a relief at times to just be able to spill everything. And as you know, Jenny, we both have partners that can talk a lot, so having someone else that we can just go to also feels good. And then I think the group setting, I love it when I'm in a trusted place like that, however it looks, and because of so many ethics violations like the ones we're talking about, especially in the spiritual realm, that's one reason I've hung onto my license. But at the same time, I also feel like the license is a hindrance at sometimes that it doesn't allow us to do everything that we could do just as how do you frame groups within that? It just gets more complicated. I'm not saying that's wrong, it's just thoughts I have.Jenny (29:12):Totally. Yeah, and I think it's intentionally complicated. I think that's part of the problem I'm thinking about. I just spent a week with a very, very dear 4-year-old in my life, and Amari, my dog was whining, and the 4-year-old asked Is Amari and Amari just wanted to eat whatever we were eating, and she was tied to the couch so she wouldn't eat a cat. And Sean goes, Amari doesn't think she's okay. And the four-year-old goes, well, if Amari doesn't think she's okay, she's not okay. And it was just like this most precious, empathetic response that was so simple. I was like, yeah, if you don't think you're okay, you're not okay. And just her concern was just being with Amari because she didn't feel okay. And I really think that that's what we need, and yet we live in a world that is so disconnected because we're all grinding just to try to get food and healthcare and water and all of the things that have been commodified. It's really hard to take that time to be in those hospitable environments where those more vulnerable parts of us get to show upDanielle (30:34):And it can't be rushed. Even with good friends sometimes you just can't sit down and just talk about the inner things. Sometimes you need all that warmup time of just having fun, remembering what it's like to be in a space with someone. So I think we underestimate how much contact we actually need with people.Yeah. What are your recommendations then for folks? Say someone's coming out of that therapeutic space or they're wondering about it. What do you tell people?Jenny (31:06):Go to dance class.I do. And I went to a dance class last night, last I cried multiple times. And one of the times the teacher was like, this is $25. This is the cheapest therapy you're ever going to have. And it's very true. And I think it is so therapeutic to be in a space where you can move your body in a way that feels safe and good. And I recognize that shared movement spaces may not feel safe for all bodies. And so that's what I would say from my embodied experience, but I also want to hold that dance spaces are not void of whiteness and all of these other things that we're talking about too. And so I would say find what can feel like a safe enough community for you, because I don't think any community is 100% safe,I think we can hopefully find places of shared interest where we get to bring the parts of us that are alive and passionate. And the more we get to share those, then I think like you're saying, we might have enough space that maybe one day in between classes we start talking about something meaningful or things like that. And so I'm a big fan of people trying to figure out what makes them excited to do what activity makes them excited to do, and is there a way you can invite, maybe it's one, maybe it's two, three people into that. It doesn't have to be this giant group, but how can we practice sharing space and moving through the world in a way that we would want to?Danielle (32:55):Yeah, that's good. I like that. I think for me, while I'm not living in a warm place, I mean, it's not as cold as New York probably, but it's not a warm place Washington state. But when I am in a warm place, I like to float in saltwater. I don't like to do cold plunges to cold for me, but I enjoy that when I feel like in warm salt water, I feel suddenly released and so happy. That's one thing for me, but it's not accessible here. So cooking with my kids, and honestly my regular contact with the same core people at my gym at a class most days of the week, I will go and I arrive 20 minutes early and I'll sit there and people are like, what are you doing? If they don't know me, I'm like, I'm warming up. And they're like, yeah.(33:48):And so now there's a couple other people that are arrive early and they just hang and sit there, and we're all just, I just need to warm up my energy to even be social in a different spot. But once I am, it's not deep convo. Sometimes it is. I showed up, I don't know, last week and cried at class or two weeks ago. So there's the possibility for that. No one judges you in the space that I'm in. So that, for me, that feels good. A little bit of movement and also just being able to sit or be somewhere where I'm with people, but I'm maybe not demanded to say anything. So yeah,Jenny (34:28):It makes me think about, and this may be offensive for some people, so I will give a caveat that this resonates with me. It's not dogma, but I love this podcast called Search for the Slavic Soul, and it is this Polish woman who talks about pre-Christian Slavic religion and tradition. And one of the things that she talks about is that there wasn't a lot of praying, and she's like, in Slavic tradition, you didn't want to bother the gods. The Gods would just tell you, get off your knees and go do something useful. And I'm not against prayer, but I do think in some ways it seems related to what we're talking about, about these hyper spiritualizing things, where it's like, at what point do we actually just get up and go live the life that we want? And it's not going to be void of these symptoms and the difficult things that we have with us, but what if we actually let our emphasis be more on joy and life and pleasure and fulfillment and trust that we will continue metabolizing these things as we do so rather than I have to always focus on the most negative, the most painful, the most traumatic thing ever.(35:47):I think that that's only going to put us more and more in that vortex to use somatic experiencing language rather than how do I grow my counter vortex of pleasure and joy and X, y, Z?Danielle (35:59):Oh yeah, you got all those awards and I know what they are now. Yeah. Yeah. We're wrapping up, but I just wanted to say, if you're listening in, we're not prescribing anything or saying that you can't have a spiritual experience, but we are describing and we are describing instances where it can be harmful or ways that it could be problematic for many, many people. So yeah. Any final thoughts, Jenny? IJenny (36:32):Embrace the mess. Life is messy and it's alright. Buckle up.Kitsap County & Washington State Crisis and Mental Health ResourcesIf you or someone else is in immediate danger, please call 911.This resource list provides crisis and mental health contacts for Kitsap County and across Washington State.Kitsap County / Local ResourcesResourceContact InfoWhat They OfferSalish Regional Crisis Line / Kitsap Mental Health 24/7 Crisis Call LinePhone: 1‑888‑910‑0416Website: https://www.kitsapmentalhealth.org/crisis-24-7-services/24/7 emotional support for suicide or mental health crises; mobile crisis outreach; connection to services.KMHS Youth Mobile Crisis Outreach TeamEmergencies via Salish Crisis Line: 1‑888‑910‑0416Website: https://sync.salishbehavioralhealth.org/youth-mobile-crisis-outreach-team/Crisis outreach for minors and youth experiencing behavioral health emergencies.Kitsap Mental Health Services (KMHS)Main: 360‑373‑5031; Toll‑free: 888‑816‑0488; TDD: 360‑478‑2715Website: https://www.kitsapmentalhealth.org/crisis-24-7-services/Outpatient, inpatient, crisis triage, substance use treatment, stabilization, behavioral health services.Kitsap County Suicide Prevention / “Need Help Now”Call the Salish Regional Crisis Line at 1‑888‑910‑0416Website: https://www.kitsap.gov/hs/Pages/Suicide-Prevention-Website.aspx24/7/365 emotional support; connects people to resources; suicide prevention assistance.Crisis Clinic of the PeninsulasPhone: 360‑479‑3033 or 1‑800‑843‑4793Website: https://www.bainbridgewa.gov/607/Mental-Health-ResourcesLocal crisis intervention services, referrals, and emotional support.NAMI Kitsap CountyWebsite: https://namikitsap.org/Peer support groups, education, and resources for individuals and families affected by mental illness.Statewide & National Crisis ResourcesResourceContact InfoWhat They Offer988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (WA‑988)Call or text 988; Website: https://wa988.org/Free, 24/7 support for suicidal thoughts, emotional distress, relationship problems, and substance concerns.Washington Recovery Help Line1‑866‑789‑1511Website: https://doh.wa.gov/you-and-your-family/injury-and-violence-prevention/suicide-prevention/hotline-text-and-chat-resourcesHelp for mental health, substance use, and problem gambling; 24/7 statewide support.WA Warm Line877‑500‑9276Website: https://www.crisisconnections.org/wa-warm-line/Peer-support line for emotional or mental health distress; support outside of crisis moments.Native & Strong Crisis LifelineDial 988 then press 4Website: https://doh.wa.gov/you-and-your-family/injury-and-violence-prevention/suicide-prevention/hotline-text-and-chat-resourcesCulturally relevant crisis counseling by Indigenous counselors.Additional Helpful Tools & Tips• Behavioral Health Services Access: Request assessments and access to outpatient, residential, or inpatient care through the Salish Behavioral Health Organization. Website: https://www.kitsap.gov/hs/Pages/SBHO-Get-Behaviroal-Health-Services.aspx• Deaf / Hard of Hearing: Use your preferred relay service (for example dial 711 then the appropriate number) to access crisis services.• Warning Signs & Risk Factors: If someone is talking about harming themselves, giving away possessions, expressing hopelessness, or showing extreme behavior changes, contact crisis resources immediately.Well, first I guess I would have to believe that there was or is an actual political dialogue taking place that I could potentially be a part of. And honestly, I'm not sure that I believe that. Well, first I guess I would have to believe that there was or is an actual political dialogue taking place that I could potentially be a part of. And honestly, I'm not sure that I believe that.

Send us a textIn this deeply moving episode, Joey Pinz sits down with Erica Bonham, a trauma recovery therapist, EMDR clinician, and author of Always Enough, Never Done. Together, they explore how healing doesn't happen through willpower or “positive thinking”—it begins in the body.Erica reveals the difference between “big T” and “little t” trauma, how experiences get stored in the nervous system, and why self-compassion is a biological necessity, not a luxury. She opens up about her own story of adoption, identity, and transformation—showing that what breaks us can also become the soil for growth.You'll learn how to calm your body's alarm system, regulate your vagus nerve, and approach personal change with both structure and softness. Erica and Joey discuss how modern society confuses discipline with punishment, and how true strength comes from balance, not burnout.

Send us a text & leave your email address if you want a reply!Breaking the Silence: The Truth About Painful Sex That Almost No One Is Talking About. Are you one of the 20-30% of women experiencing painful penetration, feeling like your body is betraying you while the world stays silent about sexual wellness? Painful sex affects up to 35% of women worldwide at some point in their lives, yet most suffer in silence. Whether you've been diagnosed with vaginismus, dyspareunia, or genito-pelvic pain penetration disorder, you're not alone—and more importantly, you're not broken. In this episode of Sex Reimagined, tantric experts Leah Piper and Dr. Willow Brown expose the truth about painful sex that medical professionals rarely discuss. They reveal why traditional diagnoses often miss the mark and share revolutionary somatic therapy techniques that are transforming women's sexual wellness around the globe.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTSThe Permission That Changes Everything: "Something bad didn't have to happen to you in order for this to occur"—Leah dismantles the myth that sexual trauma is required for painful penetration, offering relief to countless women blaming themselvesAncient Wisdom: Dr. Willow shares the profound Taoist teaching that sexual essence (Jing) and your true self are the same word—reframing sexuality from shame to sacred life force energyThe Pain-Pleasure Connection: Discover the neuroscience breakthrough that pain and pleasure activate the same brain receptors, meaning your greatest challenge could become your pathway to earth-shattering orgasmsPartner Communication Magic: Get the exact scripts that work—"I really like what you're doing and I want to feel it even more, so if you could slow down to half speed, I probably could feel it even more"—language that heals instead of hurtsThe Somatic Breakthrough Technique: Learn the step-by-step breath and sound method to move trauma out of tissues—breathe the "block" up to your throat, give it a voice, and vibrate it out of your body for real, lasting healingLINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE CAN BE FOUND ON THE WEBSITE, CLICK HERELAST 10x LONGER. If you suffer from premature ejaculation, you are not alone, master 5 techniques to cure this stressful & embarrassing issue once and for all. Save 20% Coupon: PODCAST20. THE VAGINAL ORGASM MASTERCLASS. Discover how to activate the female Gspot, clitoris, & cervical orgasms. Save 20% Coupon: PODCAST 20Support the show FREEBIE- Introduction to Tantric Kissing Video and Workbook SxR Website Dr. Willow's Website Leah's Website

What if mania isn't a malfunction — but a message from the psyche trying to heal?Sean Blackwell is an author, teacher, and researcher who has spent nearly two decades exploring the spiritual and somatic dimensions of bipolar disorder. His work challenges the mainstream psychiatric model by suggesting that episodes of mania, depression, and psychosis often have trauma roots and can reflect deep inner attempts at healing rather than symptoms of a broken brain.In 1996, Sean went through a sudden and life-altering psychotic-spiritual emergency - an experience that would send him on a lifelong path of studying consciousness, trauma, and the symbolic nature of extreme states. Years later, after training with Grof Transpersonal Training, he developed Bipolar Breathwork, a somatic healing method designed to help people safely release the emotional and energetic blockages underlying bipolar symptoms.Since 2007, Sean has taught internationally, run immersive healing retreats, offered long-distance breathwork sessions, and released dozens of educational videos to help people reframe bipolar disorder as a potentially meaningful and transformative process. His book Bipolar Awakenings and his upcoming second book continue this work - bridging psychology, spirituality, trauma science, and subtle-body energetics into a new way of understanding human breakdown and human growth.Sean's approach is deeply interesting, compassionate, and grounded in real lived experience - a perspective that has helped many people find hope, coherence, and self-understanding after years of confusion or misdiagnosis.This episode explores the somatic roots of bipolar disorder, the symbolic language of psychosis, the role of trauma in extreme states, and how Kundalini and breathwork can create dramatic shifts in consciousness.Notable quotes from the episode:“People think delusions are random. But around the world, the same 13 spiritual delusions show up. There is structure.” - Sean“Breakdowns often happen because something in us finally refuses to stay buried.” - Sean“I've met so many people who weren't sick - they were overwhelmed by a truth they weren't taught how to carry.” - Jacob“What psychiatry calls a disorder can be the beginning of a profound inner journey.” - Sean“Trauma doesn't live in the mind. It lives in the body - and the body tries to heal in dramatic ways.” - Sean“The body whispers for years, and when we don't listen, it eventually sends a storm.” - Jacob“When those energetic blockages release, the result can look like mania, visions, or symbolic delusions.” - Sean“Sometimes healing looks like falling apart in ways we can't cleanly explain.” - Jacob“The psyche speaks in myth and metaphor. Mania is often that language becoming audible.” - SeanIf this conversation expanded your understanding of bipolar disorder or spiritual awakening, consider following the show and sharing it with someone it might help.00:00 Sean Blackwell on Bipolar Disorder & Spiritual Awakening00:00:25 What Bipolar Disorder Really Is (Symptoms vs Reality)00:01:30 Bipolar I, Bipolar II & Psychosis Explained00:02:20 Spiritual Delusions & the Ram Dass Connection00:03:38 Sean's Landmark Experience: The Turning Point00:05:05 Entering Psychosis: The Dreamlike State & Ego Death00:06:32 Crisis, Hospitalization & Early Integration00:08:05 How Helping Others Became Sean's Calling00:09:16 Supporting His Niece Through Awakening00:10:49 Why Psychiatry Defaults to Lifelong Medication00:11:35 Kundalini, Trauma Energy & Somatic Roots of Bipolar00:14:11 Which Book to Read First00:15:24 Breathwork, Distance Sessions & Trauma Release00:18:53 Meaning, Intuition & Sean's Multiverse Theory00:21:27 Closing Reflections on Healing & Awakeningbipolar disorder, mania, psychosis, spiritual emergency, kundalini awakening, trauma healing, somatic therapy, breathwork, transpersonal psychology, Stanislav Grof, mental health, bipolar healing, consciousness, subtle body, emotional release, awakening process, nervous system regulation, alternative mental health, spiritual awakening, bipolar awarenessCheckout more Sean here: https://www.bipolarawakenings.com/Grab his latest book: https://a.co/d/8UUU1rTand 'Am I Bi-Polar or Waking Up?': https://a.co/d/4qX7nR2Browse his 25k+ subscriber YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@bipolarawakeFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/bipolarawakeningsSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Xz36ES0eiX2c4L4SyCJno?si=319134dba8e740d1

In this episode, Heather Sutton, MA, LPC—somatic counselor, Dance/Movement Therapist, and chair of Naropa's Somatic Counseling program—explores the healing intelligence of the body through somatic therapy and dance/movement counseling. Drawing on more than twenty years of clinical practice and her leadership in adaptive movement, Heather shares her journey from dancer to therapist and clarifies the distinctions between dance/movement therapy and body psychotherapy. She explains why not all experiences have words—and how movement helps us navigate difficult emotions, reclaim safety in the body, and stay with sensation long enough to learn from it. Heather also explores real-world applications of somatic counseling, the nuances of Naropa's two somatic concentrations in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, the central role of emotional attunement in therapeutic relationships, and how embodied practice fosters resilience, presence, and transformation. Special Guest: Heather Sutton.

What if you stopped trying to outthink your pain and started to feel it? We welcome therapist and somatic practitioner Amanda Newton for a candid, deeply practical journey from hospital based psychology and burnout to body led healing, nervous system regulation, and the intentional use of MDMA-assisted therapy for trauma.Amanda traces the moment a heart scare forced her to question a 70-hour workweek and a mind only approach. From there, she dug into herbs, acupuncture, and somatic practices that shifted her baseline from survival to safety. We unpack how dysregulation hides in everyday life. Alarms, inboxes, caretaking and society. And why the body must learn to feel safe before the mind can think clearly. Expect tangible tools: shaking to complete stress responses, interoception to locate emotions as sensations, and an anger practice that moves charge out of the system in under two minutes.We also touch on psychedelic medicine used in therapy. Specifically MDMA. When used intentionally it can can raise oxytocin, reduce fear, and make it possible to revisit a trauma without reliving it,  and rewiring triggers at the physiological level. Amanda shares outcomes she's witnessed, addresses MDMA myths, and explains why integration ~ nature time, somatic exercises, and daily regulation ~ turns breakthroughs into durable change. We touch the edges too: personality disorders that resist awareness, partners stuck in cycles of people-pleasing and control, and how shifting your internal frequency changes who you attract and how you relate.If you've tried talk therapy and still feel stuck, this is a map to the other 50% of the work. You'll leave with clear practices, a fresh lens on anxiety as a safety signal, and a grounded sense that your body isn't the problem. It's the map. If this conversation resonates, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs it, and leave a review to help others find the show.Connect with Amanda here: https://wellnesssomaticcenter.com/Books we covered:All the Way to the River: https://amzn.to/47pHABUWhen the Body Says No: https://amzn.to/47VoZxzThe Body Keeps the Score: https://amzn.to/4939uVw Microdosify 10% OFF our trusted microdose supply!1:1 Discovery Calls Are psychedelics right for you on your healing journey? Book a discovery call to ask us anything. Support the showOur Website:https://linktr.ee/seeyouontheothersidepodcast

Regulate Your Nervous System for More Prosperity & AbundanceStruggling with burnout, anxiety, or feeling like you're constantly forcing things in life? In this powerful episode of Transparent with Tina, we welcome embodiment mentor and somatic practitioner Nina Elise to reveal the profound link between a regulated nervous system and creating true prosperity & abundance in every area of your life—financially, in relationships, and in your health.We dive deep into:

If you've been feeling disconnected from your body or overwhelmed by emotion, this Somatic Therapy Guided Tutorial will help you come home to yourself.

Send us a textHow do we turn trauma into transformation? In this powerful episode, Joey Pinz sits down with a trauma specialist and licensed clinician who blends science and spirituality to guide people through healing journeys. From EMDR and somatic therapy to ayahuasca visions, sound healing, and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, she shares how diverse tools can help release trauma and reconnect us with our higher selves.

Licensed clinical professional counselor and board-certified dance/movement therapist Erica Hornthal (“The Therapist Who Moves You”) joins Aaron to explain how changing the way we move changes the way we feel. Recorded on November 3, 2025, the conversation grounds movement therapy in the realities of Chicagoland life: financial pressure, screen-driven immobility, community trauma in Highland Park, and heightened anxiety around recent ICE activity across the North Shore. Erica shares practical, accessible ways to regulate the nervous system, reduce anxiety, and communicate nonverbally when words are not enough.Key TakeawaysMovement is already part of therapy: posture shifts, breathing, pacing, and small gestures can be therapeutic starting points.We have “out-evolved” our natural instinct to move; immobility amplifies anxiety.Stressors show up differently across communities. Whether it is public-safety trauma or fear tied to immigration enforcement, the body stores that stress.You can change your state by changing your movement, even with simple, seated interventions.Nonverbal work helps couples and families de-escalate conflict and build empathy.Parents can meet kids' energy with movement rather than suppression, then teach time-and-place skills.Research supports dance and movement as effective for anxiety and depression; therapy fit and relationship still matter most.Practical access: look for “somatic,” “body-oriented,” or “creative arts therapy” in your area; insurance coverage depends on the clinician's license.Timestamps00:00 Intro to Erica and dance/movement therapy02:00 What movement therapy looks like in practice04:50 Why Erica wrote “BodyTalk” and how readers use it08:15 Why we feel so stressed today, and how immobility feeds anxiety10:45 Local context: Highland Park trauma and recent ICE activity on the North Shore12:30 Changing movement to change mood and cognition15:15 Treating the “snake bite” before debating the “why”16:00 Individual vs group work, and what movement builds between people17:35 Getting over discomfort and starting small20:40 A simple intervention: washing hands slowly to interrupt anxiety22:20 Working across ages: from 3 to 10726:15 Coaching kids and meeting their movement needs31:30 Nonverbal communication in relationships and negotiations35:00 “Embodied listening” and the limits of AI for mental health39:30 Walks, showers, and why ideas arrive during movement42:00 Using your body as a free mental health resource43:00 Finding somatic or creative arts therapists and dealing with insurance46:45 What the research says about dance, anxiety, and depression49:00 Where to find Erica and her books50:00 ClosingPractical Exercises MentionedSeated reset: notice shoulders, jaw, feet; slow your breath and lengthen exhale.Pattern interrupt: pick one daily action and do it slowly for 20 seconds (example: handwashing) to downshift intensity.Conflict pause: step outside or to separate corners, walk, then reconvene.With kids: “shake out the wiggles,” go outside for 60 seconds, then return.GuestErica Hornthal, LCPC, BC-DMTFounder and CEO, Chicago Dance TherapyAuthor of BodyTalk, Body Aware, and The Movement Therapy DeckWebsite: https://www.ericahornthal.comPractice: https://www.chicagodancetherapy.comInstagram: @thetherapistwhomovesyouEmail: erica@hornthal.comResources MentionedBodyTalk: 365 Gentle Practices to Get Out of Your Head and Into Your BodyBody AwareThe Movement Therapy DeckSearch terms for local care: “somatic therapy,” “body-oriented therapy,” “creative arts therapy,” “dance movement therapy,” plus your city.For Listeners in ChicagolandIf anxiety has spiked for you or your family due to recent events in the region, consider brief, daily movement check-ins. Even small posture and breath changes can reduce a constant state of alert. Nonverbal practices can help when words feel risky or overwhelming. ConnectHost: Aaron Masliansky — The Chicagoland GuideSubscribe, rate, and share if this episode helped you. New episodes highlight people and ideas that make Chicagoland a great place to live. Thank you for listening to The Chicagoland Guide!For more insights into the best places to live, work, and explore in Chicagoland, visit thechicagolandguide.com. Connect with us on social media for more updates and behind-the-scenes content. If you have any questions or want to share your own Chicagoland stories, feel free to reach out! Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review if you enjoyed this episode.

GQ's Top 10 Coaches of 2025, Rick William unpacks the real story behind personal transformation. From near-death experiences and early business success to radical inner shifts, Rick walks us through the journey that changed his life and now helps others do the same.In this conversation, we explore:Nervous system regulation and embodied healingWhy success without connection leaves us emptyHow to rewire deep-rooted patterns and beliefsThe role of psychedelics, breathwork, and somatic therapyWhat true transformation looks like in your relationships, work, and self-worthWhether you're at a crossroads or chasing more from life, this episode is a masterclass in conscious, embodied change.----------Resources:Eckhart Tolle – The Power of Now - https://tinyurl.com/tbns885aViktor Frankl – Man's Search for Meaning - https://tinyurl.com/mr2ebd3yBessel van der Kolk – The Body Keeps the Score - https://tinyurl.com/4refpee8Donald Miller - Building A Story Brand - https://tinyurl.com/23uznzjaPeter Levine & Richard Schwartz - Somatic healing - https://tinyurl.com/rvr26xv3Dr Gabor Mate - https://drgabormate.com/Dr Joe Dispenza - https://drjoedispenza.com/Instagram: @iamrickwilliam https://www.rickwilliam.com/For more resources visit: www.charleylaw.com ----------Time Stamps:Chapters00:00 Rick William's Journey of Transformation02:22 The Catalyst for Change05:17 Mastering Achievement vs. Connection08:23 The Search for Authenticity and Depth10:05 The Quest for Fulfillment11:56 The Hero's Journey of Self-Discovery13:19 Tools for Transformation17:25 The Role of Awareness in Change18:59 Navigating the Path to Healing28:50 Understanding Somatic Therapy31:04 The Importance of Inner Work37:10 Manifesting Change from Within39:43 Unpacking Inner Patterns and Self-Worth43:02 Breaking Patterns and Learning from Others45:23 Navigating Relationships During Transformation53:35 Transitioning to Coaching and Personal Growth01:00:12 Understanding Nervous System Regulation----------Contact us: team@charleylaw.comCharley's Website: https://www.charleylaw.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawcv/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charley_law/Twitter: https://x.com/charleylaw41

What if every argument in your marriage was actually an invitation for deeper connection?

Vanessa Ogaldez, LAMFTSPECIALTIES:TraumaCouples CommunicationIdentity/Self Acceptancehttps://www.dcctherapy.com/vanessa-ogaldez-lamftFrom Her website: Maybe you have said something like, “What else can I do?” and it is possible you feel stuck or heartbroken because you can't seem to connect with your partner as you want or used to. Whether or not you're in a relationship and you have experienced trauma, hurtful arguments, or life changes that have brought on disconnection in your relationships, there is a sense of loss and heartache. You may find yourself in “robot mode” just going through your daily tasks, causing you to eventually disconnect from others, only to continue the cycle of miscommunication and loneliness. Perhaps you feel misunderstood, and you compensate by being helpful to everyone else while you yearn for true intimacy and friendships. Sometimes you feel there are so many experiences that have contributed to your pain and suffering that you don't know where to start. There are Cultural norms you may feel that not everyone can understand and therapy is not one of those Cultural norms. I believe therapy can be a place of safety, healing, and self-discovery. As a therapist, my focus is to support you and your goals in life and relationships. I am committed to you building deep communications, connections and feeling secure in the ability to share your emotions.Danielle (00:06):Good morning. I just had the privilege and honor of interviewing my colleague, another therapist and mental health counselor in Chicago, Vanessa Les, and she is located right in the midst of Chicago with an eye and a view out of her office towards what's happening with ICE and immigration raids. I want to encourage you to listen into this episode of the Arise Podcast, firsthand witness accounts and what is it actually like to try to engage in a healing process when the trauma may be committed right before someone comes in the office. We know that's a possibility and right after they leave the office, not suggesting that it's right outside the door, but essentially that the world in which we are living is not as hopeful and as Mary as we would like to think, I am sad and deeply disturbed and also very hopeful that we share this power inside of ourselves.(01:10):It's based on nonviolence and care and love for neighbor, and that is why Vanessa and I connected. It's not because we're neighbors in the sense of I live next door to her in Chicago and she lives next door to me in Washington. We're neighbors because as Latinas in this world, we have a sense of great solidarity in this fight for ourselves, for our families, for our clients, to live in a world where there's freedom, expression, liberation, and a movement towards justice and away from systems and oppression that want to literally drag us into the pit of hell. We're here to say no. We're here to stand beside one another in solidarity and do that together. I hope you join us in this conversation and I hope you find your way to jump in and offer your actual physical resources, whether it's money, whether it's walking, whether it's calling a friend, whether it's paying for someone's mental health therapy, whether it's sharing a meal with someone, sharing a coffee with someone. All these things, they're just different kinds of things that we can do, and that's not an exhaustive list.(02:28):I love my neighbor. I even want to talk to the people that don't agree with me, and I believe Vanessa feels the same way. And so this episode means a lot to me. It's very important that we pay attention to what's happening and we ground ourselves in the reality and the experiences of black and brown bodies, and we don't attempt to make them prove over and over and over what we can actually see and investigate with our own eyes. Join in. Hey, welcome Vanessa. I've only met you once in person and we follow each other online, but part of the instigation for the conversation is a conversation about what is reality. So there's so many messages being thrown at us, so many things happening in the world regarding immigration, law enforcement, even mental health fields, and I've just been having conversations with different community members and activists and finding out how do you find yourself in reality what's happening. I just first would love to hear who you are, where you're at, where you're coming from, and then we can go from there.Vanessa (03:41):Okay. Well, my name is Vanessa Valez. I'm a licensed marriage and family therapist. Before becoming a therapist five years ago through my license, I worked in nonprofit for over 20 years, working with families and community and addressing what is the need and what is the problem and how can we all get together. Been involved with different movements and nonprofit organizations focusing on the community in Humbolt Park and Logan Square in the inner city of Chicago. My parents are longtime activists and they've been instrumental in teaching me how to work in community and be part of community and to be empathetic and thoughtful and caring and feeling like what happens to me happens to us and what happens to us happens to me. So that's kind of the values that I come from and have always felt that were true. I'm a mom of three and my husband and I have been together for 29 years, so since we were teenagers.Thank you. But yeah, so that's a lot of just in general who I am and culturally, I come from an Afro Latina culture. I am a Puerto Rican born here, well born in New York where my family was from and they migrated from Puerto Rico, my grandparents did. And in our culture, we are African, we are indigenous, and my dad is Puerto Rican and Native American. So there's a lot in here that I am a hundred percent all of it. So I think that's the view and experience that I come from is knowing who I am and my ancestors who are very important to me.Danielle (06:04):I mean, that encompasses so much of what I think the battle is over who gets to be American and who doesn't. Right? Yeah, definitely. From your position in your job and you're in Chicago right on the ground, I think a lot of people are wondering what's really happening? What are you seeing? What's true? Can you speak to that a little bit?Vanessa (06:32):Yeah. What's really happening here is, I don't know, it's like what's really happening here? People are really scared. People are really scared. Families that are black and brown, families that are in low income situations, families that have visas, families that have green cards, families that are undocumented, all of us are really scared and concerned, and the reason is because we feel that there is power being taken from us without any kind of accountability. So I see my friends and family saying ICE is in our neighborhood, and I mean a block away from where I live, ICE is in our neighborhood, in our schools. We have to watch out. ICE is in front of our church or ICE is patrolling our neighborhood, and we have to all come together and start throwing whistles and we have to know what it is that we're supposed to do if we get interact, if we interact with ice or any kind of federal agent, which is just in itself disturbing, and we're supposed to just get up in our day and send our kids to school, and we're supposed to go to work and do the things that we're supposed to do.(08:07):So it's traumatic. This is a trauma that we are going through, and I think that it only triggers the traumas that a lot of us, black and brown people and community have been trying to get the world to listen and recognize this isn't new for us. It's just now very aggressive and very violent and going backwards instead of forward.(08:39):I think that's how I would describe what is really happening in Chicago. On the other side, I think there's this other place of, I'm kind of really proud of a lot of our people where I think it is understandable to say, you know what? It's not me or mine, or I got my papers all together, so that's really unfortunate, but it's not something that's happening in front of me. I could understand that there are some of some people who feel that way because it does feel like a survival situation. I think though there are others who are saying, no, what happens to you is happening to me too, I'm going to keep accountable to my power. And there's a lot of allies out there. There are a lot of people who are moving and saying, I'm afraid, but I'm still going to act in my fear.(09:37):And I think that's really brave. So in that way, I feel like there's this movement of bravery and a movement of we've had enough and we're going to reinvent what it is that is our response. It's not this or that. It's not extreme to extreme, but I'm going to do it in the way that I feel is right and that I feel that it's good for me to do and I can be truthful in that. And so today I'm really proud because my kids are going to be protesting and walking out of their school and I'm super, super proud and I was like, send pictures because I'm so proud of them. And so someone could say, is that doing anything? I'm like, hell yeah, doing something. It's doing something. The kids are saying, what power do we have? Not much, but whatever I have, I'm going to put that out there and I'm going to be brave and do it.(10:34):And it's important for us to support them. I feel their school does a really good job of supporting them and guiding them through this and letting us parents know, Hey, talk to your kids about this shadow to Belmont Intrinsic Charter School. But they really are doing something. And I find that in a lot of the schools around Chicago, around the Hermosa, Logan Square, Humbold Park area where I live in Humboldt Park, I find that a lot of the schools are stepping up and saying, we are on the community side of taking care of our kids and what's best for our families. So there's that happening and I want to make sure to give that. We have to see that too.Danielle (11:15):One thing you really said at the beginning really struck me. You said power without accountability. And two things I think of you see a truck, you see a law enforcement person acting without accountability. Not only does that affect you in the moment and that trauma particularly maybe even chase you, but I think it activates all the other sense and remembrances of when you didn't have power and there was no accountability. So I thought of that, but I also thought of the people perpetrating these crimes and the way it's reinforcing for inside their own body that they can do whatever they want and not have to pay attention to their own soul, not have to pay attention to their own humanity. And there's something extremely dehumanizing about repeating and repeating and normalizing that for them too. So I was, those are the two things that kind of struck me at the beginning of what you said.Vanessa (12:14):Yeah, I think what you're saying right now is I think the shock factor of it all of how could you do this and do these things and say these things and not only feel that there won't be any accountability, and I think all of us are kind of going like, who's going to keep this accountable? But I think also, how can you do that and feel okay about it? And so I think about the president that just is, I think a person who I will always shock me all the things that he's doing and saying, it shocks me and I'm glad it shocks me. It should never be normal, and I think that's important. I think sometimes with a lot of supporters of his, there's this normalcy of that's just him. He's just really meaning what he's saying or he's just kind of blunt and I like that about him. That should never be normalized. So that's shocking that you can do that. He can do that and it not be held accountable to the extent that it should be. And then for there to be this huge impact on the rest of us that he's supposed to be supporting, he's supposed to be protecting and looking out for, and then it's permissible, then it's almost supported. It's okay. This is a point of view that other people are like, I'm in supportive.(13:47):I think that sounds evil. It sounds just evil and really hard to contend with,Danielle (13:58):Which actually makes what the students do to walk out of their schools so much so profoundly resistant, so profoundly different. Walking itself is not violent kids themselves against man and masks fully. I've seen the pictures and I'm assuming they're true, fully geared up weapons at their side, tear gas, all this, and you just have kids walking. Just the stark contrast in the way they're expressing their humanity,Vanessa (14:30):Right? Yes. I think, yeah, I see that too, and I think it's shocking and to not recognize that, I think that's shocking for me when people don't recognize that what is going on with I think the cognitive process, what is going on with people in society, in American society where they look at children or people walking and they demonize it, but then they see the things and hear the things that this administration is doing and that they're seeing the things that our military is being forced to do and seeing the things that are happening with ice agents and they don't feel like there's anything wrong with it. That's just something that I'm trying to grapple with. I don't. I see it and you see it. Well, it is kind of like I don't know what to do with it.Danielle (15:34):So what do you do then when you hear what happens in your own body when you hear, oh, there's ice agents at my kid's school or we're things are on lockdown. What even happens for you in your body?Vanessa (15:48):I think what happens for me is what probably a lot of people are experiencing, which is immediate fear, immediate sorrow, immediate. I think I froze a few times thinking about it when it started happening here in Chicago more so I have a 17-year-old little brown boy, and we're tall people, so he is a big guy. He might look like a man. He is six something, six three maybe, but this is my little boy, this is my baby, and I have to send him out there every day immediately after feeling the shock and the sorrow of there's so many people in our generations. I could think of my parents, I could think of my grandparents that have fought so that my son can be in a better place and I feel like we're reverting. And so now he's going to experience something that I never want him to experience. And I feel like my husband and I have done a really great job of trying to prepare him for life with the fact that people are going to, some of them are going to see him in a different way or treat him in a different way. This is so different. The risk is so much greater because it's permissible now,(17:19):And so shock a freeze, and then I feel like life and vision for the future has halted for everybody here.(17:29):We can't have the conversation of where are we going? What is the vision of the future and how can I grow as a person? We're trying to just say, how can I get from A to Z today without getting stopped, without disappearing, without the fear completely changing my brain and changing my nervous system, and how can I find joy today? That is the big thing right now. So immediately there's this negative effect of this experience, and then there is the how can we recover and how can we stay safe? That's the big next step for us is I think people mentioned the word resilience and I feel like more people are very resilient and have historically been resilient, but it's become this four letter word. I don't want to be resilient anymore. I want to thrive. And I feel like that for my people. My community is like, why do we have to feel like we, our existence has to be surviving and this what's happening now with immigration and it's more than immigration. We know that it's not about just, oh, let's get the criminals. We know that this is targeted. There's proof out there, and the fact that we have to keep on bringing the proof up, it makes no sense. It just means if you don't believe it, then you've made a decision that you're not going to believe it. So it doesn't matter if we repeat it or not. It doesn't matter if you're right there and see it. So the fact that we have to even do the put out the energy of trying to get this message out and get people to be aware of it(19:24):Is a lot of energy on top of the fact that we're trying to survive this and there's no thriving right now. And that's the truth.Danielle (19:38):And the fact that people can say, oh, well, that's Chicago, that's not here, or that's Portland, that's not here. And the truth is it's here under the surface, the same hate, the same bigotry, the same racism, the same extreme violence. You can feel it bubbling under the surface. And we've had our own experiences here in town with that. I think. I know they've shut off funding for Pell grants.And I know that's happened. It happened to my family. So you even feel the squeeze. You feel the squeeze of you may get arrest. I've had the same talk with my very brown, curly hair, dark sun. I'm like, you can't make the mistakes other kids make. You can't walk in this place. You can't show up in this way. This is not a time where you can be you everywhere you go. You have to be careful.Vanessa (20:38):I think that's the big thing about our neighborhoods is that's the one place that maybe we could do that. That's the one place I could put my loud music on. That's the one place I could put my flags up. My Puerto Rican flags up and this is the one place that we could be. So for that to now be taken from us is a violence.Danielle (21:01):Yeah, it is a violence. I think the fact, I love that you said at the very beginning you said this, I was raised to think of what happens to me is happening to you. What happens to you is happening to me. What happens to them is happening to me and this idea of collective, but we live in a society that is forced separation, that wants to think of it separate. What enables you to stay connected to the people that love you and that are in your community? What inside of you drives that connection? What keeps you moving? I know you're not thriving, but what keeps youVanessa (21:37):Surviving? That's a good question. What keeps us surviving is I think it's honestly, I'll be really honest. It's the knowledge that I feel like I'm worth it.(21:53):I'm worth it. And I've done the work to get there. I've done the work to know my healing and to know my worth and to know my value. And in that, I feel like then I can make it My, and I have made it. My duty to do that for others is to say, you are worth it. You are so valuable. I need you and I know that you need me. And so I need to be well in order to be there for you. And that's important. I think. I see my kids, and of course they're a big motivator for me of getting up every day and trying to persevere and trying to find happiness with them and monitor their wellbeing and their mental health. And so that's a motivation. But that's me being connected with others. And so then there's family and friends that I'm connected with talking to my New York family all the time, and they're talking to me about what's going on there and them asking them what's going on there. And then we're contending with it. But then, so there's a process of crying about it, process of holding each other's hands and then process of reminding each other, we're not alone(23:12):And then processing another level of, and we can't give up. There's just too much to give up here. And so if it's going to be taken, we're going to take back our power and we're going to make it the narrative of what it's going to be, of how this fight is going to be fought. And that feels motivating. Something to do. There's just so much we've done, so much we've built(23:35):These communities have, I mean, sometimes they show the videos of ice agents and I'm like, wow, behind the scenes of the violence happening, you could see these beautiful murals. And I'm like, that's why we fight. That's why every day we get up, that's why we persevere is because we have been here. It wasn't like we just got here. We've been here and we've been doing the work and we've been building our communities. They are taking what we've grown. They're taking research from these universities. They're taking research from these young students who are out here trying to get more information so that it could better this community. So we've built so much. It's worth it. It's valuable and it's not going to be easily given.Danielle (24:29):Yeah, we have built so much. I mean, whether it's actually physically building the buildings to being involved in our schools and advocating because when we advocate just not for our rights, but in the past when we advocate for rights, I love what Cesar Chavez talks about when you're advocating for yourself, you're advocating for the other person. And so much of our advocacy is so inclusive of other people. And so I do think that there's some underestimation of our power or a lot, and I think that drives the other side mad. Literally insane.Vanessa (25:14):I think so too. I think this Saturdays protest is a big indicator of that. I know. Which you'll see me right there because what are we going to do? I mean, what are the things we can do things and we can do. And I feel like even in the moments when I am in session with a family or if I'm on a conversation with a friend, sometimes I post a lot of just what I see that I think is information that needs to get out there. And I am like somebody's going to see it and go like, oh, I didn't see that on my algorithm. And I get conversations from friends and family of, I need to talk about this. What are your thoughts about it? And I feel like that's a protest of we are going to join together in this experience and remind each other who we are in this moment and in this time. And then in that power, we can then make this narrative what we want it to be. And so it's a lot of work though. It's a lot of work and it's a lot of energy. So then it's a job right now. And I think that's why the word resilience is kind of a four letter word. Can we talk about the after effect? Because the after effect is depleted. There's just, I'm hungry. My nervous system is shot. How do I sleep? How do I eat? How do I take care and sell? soThe(26:54):A lot of work and we got to do it, but it's the truth of it. So both can exist, right? It's like how great and then how hard.Danielle (27:08):I love it that you said it's a job. It is an effing job, literally. It's like take care of your family, take care of yourself, whatever else you got going on. And then also how do you fight for your community? Because that's not something we're just going to stop doing.Literally all these extra work, all this extra work, all this extra job. And it's not like you would stop doing it, but it is extra.What do you think as jumping in back into the mental health field? And I told someone recently, they're like, oh, how's business going? I'm like, what do you mean? How's your client load? And I was like, well, sadly, the government has increased my caseload and the mental distress has actually in my profession, adds work to my plate.And I'm wondering for you what that's like. And it almost feels gross to me. Like someone out there is committing traumas that we all see, I see in the news I'm experiencing with my family, and then people need to come in more to get therapy, which is great. I'm glad we can have that process. But also, it's really gross to say your business has changed because the government is making more trauma on your people,Vanessa (28:29):Right? And I don't know if you experienced this, but I'm also feeling like there's this shift in what the sessions look like and what therapy looks like. Because it's one thing to work on past traumas or one thing to say, let's work on some of the cognitive distortions that these traumas have created and then move into vision and like, okay, well then without that, who are you and what are you and how can you move? And what would be your ideal future that you can work towards that has all halted? That's not available right now. I can't say you're not at risk. What happened to you way back is not something that's happening to you right now that it's not true. I can't tell those who are scientists and going into research, you're fine. You don't have to think about the world ending or your life as you know it ending because the life as people, their livelihoods are ending, have ended abruptly without any accountability, without any protection. It has halted. And a lot of these families I'm working with is we can't go into future that would serve me as let's go into the future. Let's do a vision board that would serve my agenda. But I'm going to be very honest with you, I have to validate the fact that there is a risk. My office is not far from Michigan Avenue. I could see it from here. My window's there, it's right out the window. I have families coming in and going, I'm afraid to come to session(30:25):Because they just grabbed somebody two years ago and no one said anything that was around them. I have no one that I can say in this environment that is going to protect me, but they come anyway because they freaking need it. And so then the sessions are that the sessions are the safe place. The only semblance of safety for them. And that's a big undertaking I think emotionally for us as therapists is how do I sit and this is happening. I don't have an answer for you on how to view this differently. It is what it is. And also this is the only safe place. I need to make sure that you're safe with the awareness. You're going to leave my office and I'm going to sit with that knowledge. So it's so different. I feel it's changed what's happening.Danielle (31:27):Oh man, I just stopped my breath thinking of that. I was consulting with a supervisor. I still meet with supervision and get consult on my cases, and I was talking about quote anxiety, and my supervisor halted me and she's like, that's not anxiety. That's the body actually saying there's a real danger right now. This is not what we talk about in class, what you studied in grad school. This is like of court. That body needs to have that level of panic to actually protect themselves from a real threat right now. And my job isn't to try to take that away.Vanessa (32:04):Right? Right. Yeah. And sometimes before that was our job, right? Of how can I bring the adult online because the child when they were powerless and felt unsafe, went through this thing. Now it's like, no, this adult is very much at risk right now when they leave this room and I have to let them say that right now and let them say whatever it is that they need to say, and I have to address it and recognize what it is that they need. How can I be supportive? It is completely mind blowing how immediate this has changed. And that in itself is also a trauma. There had not been any preparing for, we were not prepared,Danielle (32:57):Vanessa. Then even what is your nervous system? I'm assuming it goes up and it comes down and it goes, what is it like for your own nervous system to have the experience of sitting in your office see shit some bad shit then with the client, that's okay. And then you don't know what's happening. What's happening even for you in your own nervous system if you're willing to share?Vanessa (33:24):Yeah, I'm willing to share. I'm going through it with everybody else. I really am. I'm having my breakdowns and I have my therapist who's amazing and I've increased my sessions with her. My husband and I are trying to figure out how do we hold space and also keep our life going in a positive way. How do we exemplify how to deal with this thing? We're literally writing the book for our kids as we go. But for me, I find it important to let my, I feel like it's my intuition and my gut and my spirit lead more so in my sessions. There have been moments where I find it completely proper to cry with my clients, to let my tears show.(34:34):I find that healing for them to see that I am moved by what they are sharing with me, that they are not wrong to cry. They're not wrong. That this is legitimate. And so for me, that is also healing for me to let my natural disposition of connection and of care below more, and then I need to sleep and then I need to eat as healthy as possible in between sessions, food in my mouth. I need to see beauty. And so sometimes I love to see art especially. So I have a membership to the art museum, a hundred bucks a month, I mean a year. And that's my birthday gift to me every year around March. I'm like, that's for me, that's my present. And I'll go there to see the historical art and go to the Mexican art museum, which is be beautiful. I mean, I love it. And that one, they don't even charge you admission. You give a donation to see the art feels like I am connecting with those who've come before me and that have in the midst of their hardships, they've created and built,(36:06):And then I feel more grounded. But it isn't every day. There are days and I am not well, and I'll be really honest with that. And then I have to tell my beautiful aunt in New York, I'm not doing good today. And then she pours into me and she does that. She'll do that with me too. Hey, I'm the little niece. I ain't doing all right. Then I pour into her. So it's a lot of back and forth. But like I said before, I've done the work. I remember someone, I think it was Sandra, in fact, I think Sandra, she said to me one time, Vanessa sleeping is holy.Like, what? Completely changed my mind. Yeah, you don't have to go into zero. You don't have to get all the way depleted. It's wholly for you to recover. So I'm trying to keep that in mind in the midst of all of this. And I feel like it's done me well. It's done me really good So far. I've been really working hard on it.Danielle (37:19):I just take a big breath because it isn't, I think what you highlight, and that's what's good for people to know is even as therapists, even as leaders in our communities, we have to still do all these little things that are necessary for our bodies to keep moving. You said sleep, eat the first one. Yeah, 1 0 1. And I just remember someone inviting me to do something recently and I was just like, no, I'm busy. But really I just needed to go to bed and that was my busy, just having to put my head down. And that feeling of when I have that feeling like I can put my head down and close my eyes and I know there's no immediate responsibility for me at my house. That's when I feel the day kind of shed a bit, the burden kind of lessens or the heightened activity lessens. Even if something comes up, it's just less in that moment.Vanessa (38:28):Yes, I agree. Yeah, I think those weekends are holy for me. And keeping boundaries around all of this has been helpful. What you're saying, and no thank you. Next, I'll get you next time. And not having to explain, but taking care of yourself. Yeah. So importantDanielle (38:51):Vanessa. So we're out here in Washington, you're over there in Chicago, and there's a lot of folks, I think in different places in this United States and maybe elsewhere that listen and they want to know what can they do to support, what can they do to jump on board? Is there practical things that we can do for folks that have been invaded? Are there ways we can help from here? I'm assuming prayers necessary, but I tell people lately, I'm like, prayer better also be an action or I don't want it. So what in your imagination are the options? And I know they might be infinity, but just from your perspective.Vanessa (39:36):Yeah, what comes to mind I think is pray before you act. Like you just said, for guidance and honestly, calling every nonprofit organization that's within the black and brown community right now and saying, what is it that you need? I think that would be a no-brainer for me. And providing that. So if they're like, we need money. Give that money. We need bodies, we need people, volunteers to do this work, then doing that. And if they need anything that you can provide, then you're doing that. But I think a lot of times we ask the question, what do you need? And that makes the other person have to do work to figure out to help you to get somewhere. And so even though it comes from a very thoughtfulI would say maybe go into your coffers and say, what can I give before you ask the question? Because maybe just offering without even there being a need might be what you just got to do. So go into your coffers and say, what do I have that I can give? What is it that I want to do? How do I want to show up? Asking that question is the first thing to then lead to connecting in action. So I think that that might be my suggestion and moving forward.Danielle (41:05):One thing I was thinking of, if people have spare money, sometimes I think you can go to someone and just pay for their therapy.Vanessa (41:23):Agree. Yeah. Offer free therapy. If you are a licensed therapist in another city, you have colleagues that are in the cities that you want to connect with and maybe saying, can I pay for people that want therapy and may not be able to afford it? Maybe people who their insurance has been cut, or maybe people who have lost income. If there's anybody, please let me know. And I want to send that money to them to pay for that, and they don't have to know who I am. I think that's a beautiful way of community stepping up for each other.Danielle (41:59):The other thing I think of never underestimate the power of cash. And I know it's kind of demonized sometimes, like, oh, you got to give resources. But I find just sending people when you can, 20, 15, 30, 40 bucks of people on the ground, those people that really love and care about their community will put that money to good use. And you don't actually need a receipt on what it went for.So Vanessa, how can people get ahold of you or find out more about you? Do you write? Do you do talks? Tell me.Vanessa (42:39):Yeah, like I said, I am busy, so I want to do all of those things where I'm not doing those things now, but people can contact me through the practice that I work in the website, and that is deeper connections counseling. And my email is vanessa@dcctherapy.com. And in any way that anybody wants to connect with me, they can do that there.  Well, first I guess I would have to believe that there was or is an actual political dialogue taking place that I could potentially be a part of. And honestly, I'm not sure that I believe that.

In this deeply inspiring episode of WITneSSes, Amb. Elisha sits down with Angel Howard, a somatic movement therapist, author of “Issues in Your Tissues,” and transformational speaker, to uncover the powerful connection between the body, emotions, and healing.

Are you exhausted from constantly trying to make everyone else happy, and losing yourself in the process? Today, we're talking about breaking free from the burnout of people-pleasing, perfectionism, and emotional outsourcing, and how to regulate your nervous system, trust yourself, and stop abandoning your own needs for the comfort of others.We're joined by Beatriz Victoria Albina, NP, MPH, SEP, a Family Nurse Practitioner, Somatic Experiencing and Breathwork Practitioner, and Master Certified Somatic Life Coach. Bea unpacks the hidden cost of emotional outsourcing™, AKA the survival habit of looking to others for validation, self-worth, and emotional regulation, instead of tuning into yourself.We dive into polyvagal theory, recognizing when you're in functional freeze, and using somatic tools and nervous system mapping to heal the patterns of codependency, self-abandonment, and avoidance that keep you stuck.If you've ever Googled “how to stop people-pleasing,” “why do I care so much what people think,” “how to heal my nervous system,” or “how to set boundaries without guilt,” this episode is for you.Tune in to learn about:What Emotional Outsourcing really means — and why it's a nervous system response, not a personality flawHow people-pleasing, perfectionism, and codependence develop from early survival patternsPolyvagal theory 101: how understanding your vagus nerve can help you stop self-abandoningAre you in a state of functional freeze? How to recognize and heal from itUnderstanding social hypervigilence (and the empath paradox)How to set boundaries and make decisions without guilt or second-guessingNervous system mapping and somatic tools to interrupt your automatic responsesHow to find balance between flexibility and authenticityHow to stop “performing” to earn love and acceptancePractical tools for reclaiming your identity, rebuilding self-trust, and honouring your own needs without fear of conflictFollow Bea's Instagram and podcast. Buy Bea's book End Emotional Outsourcing! For advertising and sponsorship inquiries, please contact Frequency Podcast Network. Sign up for our monthly adulting newsletter:teachmehowtoadult.ca/newsletter Follow us on the ‘gram:@teachmehowtoadultmedia@gillian.bernerFollow on TikTok: @teachmehowtoadultSubscribe on YouTube

What happens when a personal trainer realizes that loading someone under a barbell without asking about their sleep, relationships, and emotional state is like trying to run software on a broken operating system?In this compelling conversation, Aleks Rybchinskiy shares his transformation from conventional personal trainer to Check Institute practitioner - one of fewer than 100 people to complete the full program. After a near-death experience at age 3, Aleks developed an insatiable curiosity about the deeper mechanics of human health that goes far beyond exercise and nutrition.Through fascinating case studies, he demonstrates how mysterious chronic pain often stems from unresolved emotional conflicts, how a client's complete colon removal led to breakthroughs in holistic healing, and why measuring pelvic angles might matter more than counting reps. His approach integrates movement, breathing, food, emotions, and relationships into a comprehensive system for addressing the root causes that conventional approaches miss.The conversation takes an unexpected turn into entrepreneurship as Aleks explains how his quest for clean, nutrient-dense snacks led to creating Bursky - meat sticks made from grass-fed, grass-finished beef, heart, and liver without the industrial additives hiding behind vague labels like "spices." From learning that citric acid comes from black mold to fighting manufacturers who insisted on shortcuts, his journey illuminates why getting real food to market is so challenging.This isn't just another health podcast - it's a masterclass in seeing the human body as an integrated system where physical symptoms often point to deeper imbalances in how we think, feel, and relate to others.BIG IDEAWhen people are moving, they're also having somatic experiences where their emotions are stuck in muscles, and the moment someone realizes they need to break up with a toxic partner, their back pain can disappear instantly.Instagram: health.performance.engineerWebsite: EatBerski.comBodhi Building InstituteSend Dr. Ovadia a Text Message. (If you want a response, you must include your contact information.) Dr. Ovadia cannot respond here. To contact his team, please send an email to team@ifixhearts.com Like what you hear? Head over to IFixHearts.com/book to grab a copy of my book, Stay Off My Operating Table. Ready to go deeper? Talk to someone from my team at IFixHearts.com/talk.Stay Off My Operating Table on X: Dr. Ovadia: @iFixHearts Jack Heald: @JackHeald5 Learn more: Stay Off My Operating Table on Amazon Take Dr. Ovadia's metabolic health quiz: iFixHearts Dr. Ovadia's website: Ovadia Heart Health Jack Heald's website: CultYourBrand.com Theme Song : Rage AgainstWritten & Performed by Logan Gritton & Colin Gailey(c) 2016 Mercury Retro RecordingsAny use of this intellectual property for text and data mining or computational analysis including as training material for artificial intelligence systems is strictly prohibited without express written consent from Dr. Philip Ovadia.

In this special Halloween episode, I explore Sleepy Hollow (1999) and its portrayal of the importance of working somatically to process emotions. Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owner of Many Moons Therapy...............................................................Show Notes:For the month of October, use code ITSOCTOBER for 15% any program in the Final Girls Club.Your Halloween Blessings Kit —Halloween psychoeducation and rituals to help you connect with your own depths, enjoy the blessings this Halloween has to offer you, and harness Halloween's true meaning, legends, and traditions as a pathway back to yourself.Illuminative Tarot for Working with Trauma — This is my most popular program! Learn how to move beyond tarot spreads and use tarot in creative ways to visualize trauma narratives, organizing principles, feelings, and experiences as a supportive partner in the healing process.Out of the Broom Closet — Move from shame to pride in claiming your identity as a witch.  Through the Dream Veil — Heighten your psychic abilities by developing your own dreamwork practice.Want to work together? I offer 1:1 psychotherapy both virtually (Ontario) and in-person (Toronto), along with tarot, horror, and dreamwork services (anywhere my bat signal reaches), both individually and through my group program, the Final Girls Club. Podcast artwork by Chloe Hurst at Contempo Mint

Travel isn't just about the logistics of getting from one place to another — it's the nervous system spikes, the old body image stories that flare when you're around people from your past, and the challenge of feeding yourself in a group. In this episode, I talk about a recent trip with college friends and the layers that came with it: Flight anxiety and how I work with my body in real time when panic hits mid-air The anticipatory dread before seeing old friends (and why it often feels worse than the reality) Navigating group meals without abandoning your own needs The strange crash that happens when you come home and how to soften that landing What it takes to speak up when diet culture sneaks into social situations If you've ever come back from a trip feeling heavy, disconnected, or like you lost your footing with food, you're not alone. This conversation unpacks why travel brings all of this to the surface and how to move through it without betraying yourself. Connect with Stefanie: Website: www.iamstefaniemichele.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/iamstefaniemichele Substack: www.substack.com/@iamstefaniemichele Email: stefanie@iamstefaniemichele.com

Psychotherapist, author, and former model Dr. Nadine Macaluso joins us to unpack what healing really looks like after high-profile chaos. Best known for her past marriage to stockbroker Jordan Belfort (“The Wolf of Wall Street”), Nadine has spent the last two decades helping clients understand trauma bonds, rebuild boundaries, and develop secure attachment.In this episode, we break down the difference between love-bombing and genuine intimacy, how narcissistic dynamics form, and practical tools to recognize and exit toxic cycles. Nadine also shares what the film got right—and wrong—the realities of co-parenting after public scandal, and the somatic and relational practices she uses in clinical work.Whether you're navigating a difficult relationship or supporting someone who is, this conversation offers grounded, science-backed steps to move from survival to self-trust.What You'll LearnHow to spot love-bombing vs. authentic intimacyWhy trauma bonds form and how to break themThe role of boundaries in healing and secure attachmentSomatic techniques to calm the nervous systemCo-parenting after public scandal: what actually helpsWhat The Wolf of Wall Street got right (and wrong)About Dr. Nadine MacalusoDr. Nadine Macaluso is a licensed psychotherapist and author specializing in relational trauma, narcissistic dynamics, and attachment repair. She draws on both clinical training and lived experience to help clients cultivate security, agency, and healthier relationships.How to Find HerInstagram: @therealdrnadineSupport the showFind more information and resources here: http://saradavison.com/Follow me on social media►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saradavisondivorcecoach/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaraDavisonDivorceCoachTwitter: https://twitter.com/SDDivorceCoachLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-davison-742b453/

In this mind-bending episode, Dr. Roger McFillin shares the therapy session that shattered his understanding of how healing actually works. Originally written on his substack he feels compelled to share the entire story (with his clients permission). What started as a routine Monday evening appointment with a client overwhelmed,  ready to give up and go on psychiatric drugs became the most extraordinary 90 minutes of his career. By the end, he witnessed something that defied all explanation—and then his car did something in the parking lot that made him question reality itself. A powerful lesson in the abilities we all possess but have forgotten. Visit Center for Integrated Behavioral HealthDr. Roger McFillin / Radically Genuine WebsiteYouTube @RadicallyGenuineDr. Roger McFillin (@DrMcFillin) / XSubstack | Radically Genuine | Dr. Roger McFillinInstagram @radicallygenuineContact Radically GenuineConscious Clinician CollectivePLEASE SUPPORT OUR PARTNERS15% Off Pure Spectrum CBD (Code: RadicallyGenuine)10% off Lovetuner click here

In this episode of Life After Diets, host Stefanie Michele explores the strange tension of being “full but not finished.”Many people know the feeling: the body signals fullness, yet something inside still wants more. What does that reveal about the way we relate to food, our emotions, and ourselves? Rather than reducing the issue to hunger and fullness cues alone, this conversation looks at the cultural “shoulds” that hover over eating, the rebellion that comes from restriction, and the nervous system's role in making food feel safe or unsafe. Stefanie unpacks why stopping at the first sign of fullness often backfires, and why the experience of eating can be as much about psychology and emotional regulation as it is about physiology. The episode also weaves in a listener story about body image distress in an unexpected setting, highlighting how struggles with food are rarely isolated—they echo into how we manage overwhelm, shame, and self-perception in everyday life. The episode asks bigger questions about what we're really hungry for, how permission changes the eating experience, and what it takes to feel truly satisfied—not just physically, but emotionally too. binge eating recovery, intuitive eating, somatic practices, body image healing, nervous system regulation, food freedom, eating disorder recovery, fullness vs satisfaction, self-trust with food, emotional eating, diet culture recovery, Life After Diets Connect with Stefanie: Website: www.iamstefaniemichele.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/iamstefaniemichele Substack: www.substack.com/@iamstefaniemichele Email: stefanie@iamstefaniemichele.com

Somatic Therapy, Nervous System Regulation, and Expanding Capacity for Rest: An Interview with Linda Thai Curt and Katie chat with Linda Thai, LMSW, ERYT-200 about practical, culturally aware somatic tools therapists can use, helping clients (and themselves) expand capacity for rest, and integrating bottom-up work ethically when working with trauma survivors and adult children of refugees and immigrants. Full show notes and transcripts available at mtsgpodcast.com. About Our Guest: Linda Thai, LMSW, ERYT-200 Linda Thai is a trauma therapist and educator specializing in brain- and body-based modalities for addressing complex developmental trauma. She teaches mindfulness, grief tending, and somatic practices with a special focus on adult children of refugees and immigrants. Linda has assisted Dr. Bessel van der Kolk in psychotherapy workshops on attachment trauma and offers trainings and courses worldwide. Key Takeaways for Therapists Gentle rocking and orienting to distance are accessible entry points for regulation. Track SUNs (Subjective Units of Nourishment) as well as distress in sessions. Somatic work expands capacity for rest, not just activation. Therapists must contextualize disembodiment within colonization, hustle culture, and systemic exploitation. Choose teachers and communities that match your style before committing to long trainings. Join the Modern Therapist Community Linktree: https://linktr.ee/therapyreimagined Creative Credits: Voice Over by DW McCann: DW McCann FacebookMusic by Crystal Grooms Mangano: groomsymusic.com

What if your body is a time machine for your emotions? Join us for a conversation with Cedric Bertelli of the Emotional Health Institute. We explore the powerful somatic M-RES methodology and the science of emotional processing.Key Insights

In this episode of the Optimal Body Podcast, Doctors of Physical Therapy Doc Jen and Dr Dom, welcome holistic therapist Megan, creator of the Love Alignment Method and author of Choose Yourself. Megan shares her journey from eating disorder recovery to specializing in attachment trauma and relationships. The discussion explores self-discovery, healing attachment wounds, exploring past relationships, and the importance of somatic therapy to heal traumatic pain. Megan offers practical tips for finding the right therapist, cultivating the mind-body connection, and embracing time alone to build self-worth. The episode provides empowering insights and tools for cultivating authentic relationships and prioritizing personal healing and growth.LMNT Electrolytes: Free Gift with Purchase!Stay hydrated and energized with LMNT electrolytes—sodium, potassium, and magnesium for brain and body. It's our favorite micro nutrition hack to get those essential minerals in! Get a free gift with every purchase and try new flavors! Get your Free Gift now!Free Week of the Jen Health Membership:Get a free week of Jen Health Membership! Access 12 plans crafted by Doc Jen, PT. We'll match you with the best plan for your goals. Check it out today and use code OPTIMAL for a discount on your first month!Megan's Resources:"Choose Yourself" by Megan ShererMegan's InstagramMegan's YoutubeMegan's WebsiteWe think you'll love:Free Week of Jen HealthJen's InstagramDom's InstagramYouTube ChannelWhat You Will Learn:02:00 Megan shares her journey from eating disorder recovery to attachment trauma, and why she wrote her book.04:26 Discussion on societal pressures, especially for women, to follow specific relationship timelines.07:00 Limitations of Traditional Talk...For full show notes and resources visit https://jen.health/podcast/425

In this episode of "The Free Lawyer," host Gary interviews Jennifer Kupferman, a former big law attorney turned psychotherapist specializing in lawyer well-being. They discuss common mental health challenges in the legal profession, such as anxiety, perfectionism, and chronic stress, and explore the stigma surrounding these issues. Jennifer explains her transition to therapy, the neuroscience behind anxiety, and introduces somatic therapy and EMDR as effective tools for lawyers. The conversation offers practical insights and encouragement for lawyers seeking support, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness, emotional regulation, and social connection.Jennifer Kupferman is a former Biglaw attorney, who's now a psychotherapist in private practice in New York City. She specializes in working with lawyers across a range of issues including anxiety, depression, work stress, and building self-confidence. She's also a regular contributor to the New York Law Journal on issues related to lawyer health and wellbeing, and a public speaker on these matters.Mental Health Challenges in Law (00:03:12)Isolation and Loneliness in Legal Profession (00:04:45) Why Work with Lawyers? (00:05:51) Thinking Like a Lawyer vs. Emotional Well-being (00:06:09) Stigma and Vulnerability in Law (00:07:29) Trends in Lawyer Mental Health (00:08:08) Generational Shifts in Work-Life Integration (00:08:54) Law Firm Resistance to Mental Health Initiatives (00:09:46) Neuroscience of Anxiety and Stress (00:10:49Why Anxiety Persists for High Achievers (00:13:12) Chronic Stress and the Nervous System (00:14:15) HBreaking the Stress-Zone Out Cycle (00:16:13) Therapeutic Approaches: Parts Work (00:17:05) IWhat is Somatic Therapy? (00:19:22)How Somatic Therapy Works (00:21:02) Evidence-Based Somatic Techniques (00:23:43)Introduction to EMDR Therapy (00:24:38) How EMDR Works in Practice (00:25:40) Addressing Skepticism about EMDR (00:27:53) Reframing Self-Criticism and Therapy Readiness (00:30:13) Signs It's Time to Seek Support (00:31:44) The Importance of Connection (00:32:46)Would you like to learn more about Breaking Free or order your copy? https://www.garymiles.net/break-free Would you like to schedule a complimentary discovery call? You can do so here: https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-call

This episode is brought to you by Timeline, Strong Coffee Company, Caldera Lab, and LMNT. What if the key to unlocking lasting health isn't in another supplement, diet, or biohack—but in your nervous system? In this powerful conversation, Dr. Christian Gonzalez, ND (naturopathic doctor and somatic healing expert) returns to Ever Forward Radio to break down the science and spirituality of nervous system regulation, trauma healing, and somatic practices. We explore how trauma shapes identity, why emotions get trapped in the body, and how reconnecting with your somatic experience can unlock healing from chronic illness, emotional blocks, and broken relationships. Whether you're struggling with stress, unresolved trauma, or simply want to deepen your connection with your body, this episode offers practical tools and profound insights to help you move ever forward with authenticity, love, and purpose. Follow Christian @doctor.gonzalez Follow Chase @chase_chewning ----- In this episode we discuss... 00:00 – Opening: Has trauma become a wellness trend? 03:13 – Defining trauma, PTSD, and identity 07:53 – Childhood development and the nervous system 11:23 – Why nervous system regulation is the root of health 14:30 – Therapy vs. somatic practice: going beyond the mind 20:02 – Safety as a state of being, not a place 23:59 – Settling, self-abandonment, and chronic disease 27:08 – Learning the body's language: interoception 33:34 – Building an authentic relationship with your body 37:40 – Practices to reconnect with the body (Yoga Nidra, awareness, sound) 46:41 – Where emotions live in the body (Chinese medicine & fascia) 55:05 – Infertility, womb healing, and somatic breakthroughs 57:07 – Fear of the work and trusting your body 01:00:06 – Responsibility for our experiences and relationships 01:02:52 – Integration, authenticity, and unconditional love 01:08:29 – Men, grief, and the heart-centered warrior 01:13:14 – Dr. G's somatic modality: fascia, breath, and sound 01:17:39 – Integration as the key to sustaining healing 01:21:56 – Living in purpose through body connection 01:24:48 – Protecting children's somatic awareness 01:29:28 – Parenting, accountability, and breaking generational cycles 01:31:40 – Final reflections and where to find Dr. G ----- Episode resources: FREE 3-day sample pack of MitoPure gummies at https://www.Timeline.com/everforwardsample 15% off Coffee Booster with code CHASE at https://www.StrongCoffeeCompany.com  20% off Hair Care System with code EVERFORWARD at https://www.CalderaLab.com  FREE variety sample pack of electrolytes at https://www.DrinkLMNT.com/everforward Watch and subscribe on YouTube Learn more about Dr. G Dr. G was first on Ever Forward Radio in episode 298 https://www.chasechewning.com/podcasts/episode/298 

What if your relationship with G-d wasn't just in your head and heart, but lived in your entire body?Shimona Tzukernik, a somatic therapist and Torah teacher, describes the bridge between intellectual faith and visceral spiritual experience. How can we transform the visceral resistance we feel towards certain mitzvos?How can we lean into the body's experience of a joyful, jewish life?Human & Holy is currently on a season break. Season Six airs on Sunday, September 7!* * * * * * *To inquire about sponsorship & advertising opportunities, please email us at info@humanandholy.comTo support our work, visit humanandholy.com/sponsor.Find us on Instagram @humanandholy & subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on all our upcoming conversations ✨Human & Holy podcast is available on all podcast streaming platforms. New episodes every Sunday & Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.* * * * * * *TIMESTAMPS0:00 - Visceral Experience of God0:36 - Meet Shimona Tzukernik 2:24 - Shimona's Pivot to Somatic Therapy5:38 - What is Somatic Therapy? Understanding Body-Stored Memories10:29 - Visceral Yiddishkeit: Feeling Judaism in Your Body19:21 - "Your Head is Heaven" - Integrating Mind & Body Faith23:27 - Hair Covering Example: Physical Mitzvah Resistance30:03 - Hiddur Mitzvah: Engaging All Five Senses34:34 - Mitzvahs vs. Metaverse: Staying Grounded in Physical Reality37:54 - The Magic of Jewish Living & Repetitive Spiritual Experiences45:29 - Fight or Flight: Watching Emotions Flow Through You48:58 - Dealing with Dissociation During Spiritual Moments50:44 - Kavanah & Presence: Being Fully There with Hashem53:54 - Integration & Synthesis of Body-Soul Connection54:42 - Final Thoughts

Ever wondered why changing your thoughts isn't enough to heal chronic pain? Somatic therapy might be the missing piece of your healing puzzle.We dive deep into the crucial distinction between top-down approaches (like CBT and traditional talk therapy) that focus on changing thoughts, and bottom-up approaches that work directly with body sensations and nervous system regulation. While cognitive work has value, when it comes to chronic pain, trauma, and nervous system dysregulation, you simply can't think your way out of what your body needs to process and release.The connection between trauma and chronic pain is profound - research shows even a single traumatic event more than doubles your risk of developing chronic symptoms later. Your body remembers what your mind might prefer to forget, which is why somatic approaches are so powerful for lasting healing.We break down the two essential elements of effective somatic work: exposure to difficult sensations and creating safety. Like our five-year-old daughter who gets angry at her stomach for making her cry, we all naturally resist unpleasant internal experiences. Learning to approach these sensations with curiosity while simultaneously building safety signals unique to your nervous system is the key to rewiring pain patterns.Whether you're new to somatic work or looking to deepen your practice, this episode provides practical guidance on finding the right balance between exposure and safety. We share personal examples, and concrete techniques to help you feel your way to healing. Don't miss the free embodiment practice for pain and symptoms in the episode description - it's your chance to experience this transformative approach firsthand.Subscribe to the MindBodyCouple podcast for more insights on unlearning chronic pain and reclaiming your health through the wisdom of your body.Embodiment Practice for Pain & Symptoms: https://youtu.be/HlcUQMa9A54Tanner Murtagh and Anne Hampson are therapists who treat neuroplastic pain and mind-body symptoms. They are also married! In his 20s, Tanner overcame chronic pain and a fibromyalgia diagnosis by learning his symptoms were occurring due to learned brain pathways and nervous system dysregulation. Post-healing, Tanner and Anne have dedicated their lives to developing effective treatment and education for neuroplastic pain and symptoms. Listen and learn how to assess your own chronic pain and symptoms, gain tools to retrain the brain and nervous system, and make gradual changes in your life and health! The Mind-Body Couple podcast is owned by Pain Psychotherapy Canada Inc. This podcast is produced by Alex Klassen, who is one of the wonderful therapists at our agency in Calgary, Alberta. https://www.painpsychotherapy.ca/ Tanner, Anne, and Alex also run the MBody Community, which is an in-depth online course that provides step-by-step guidance for assessing, treating, and resolving mind-body pain and symptoms. https://www.mbodycommunity.com Also check out Tanner's YouTube channel for more free education and practices: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Fl6WaFHnh4ponuexaMbFQ And follow us for daily education posts on Instagram: @painpsychotherapy Discl...

In this episode of Sex Talk Cafe, host Susan Taylor, MA, sits down with Charna Cassell, a trauma-trained somatic psychotherapist. Together, they delve into the intricacies of trauma, exploring both "big T" and "little t" traumas, and how these experiences manifest in our bodies and lives. Charna shares her unique approach to healing through somatic therapy, emphasizing the importance of embodiment and self-compassion. Tune in to discover how understanding trauma can lead to profound healing and transformation. Connect With Today's Guest Here: https://charnacassell.com/More From Your Host, Susan Morgan Taylor, MA Here:Website: The Pathway to Pleasure Collective https://www.PathwayToPleasure.comTHE PLEASURE KEYS IMMERSION EXPERIENCES: A 3 day game changing experience for committed couples who want to deepen connection and create mutual fulfillment in sex and intimacy for the long term. https://www.PleasureKeysRetreat.comENLIGHTENED INTIMACY PRIVATE COUPLES COACHING WITH SUSAN: A 100% customized solution for committed couples who want sex and intimacy to feel easy, fun, and mutually satisfying so that they can get back on the same page without frustration, obligation, resentment or fear.(even if your sex drives are totally mismatched or it's been awhile!) By application only. More details at https://www.EnlightenedIntimacy.comTHE CONNECTION CODE MASTERCLASS: Discover the 3 causes of mismatched libido ad the 5 Codes you must master to get back on the same page in sex and intimacy for the long term. Secure your FREE spot at the next class here: https://www.pathwaytopleasure.com/how-to-resolve-mismatched-libido-masterclass.htmlTHE PLEASURE KEYS EBOOK: Discover the 3 secrets to deepening connection, expanding orgasmic potential, and experiencing mutual intimate fulfillment. Grab your FREE copy at https://www.pleasurekeys.comConnect with Me on Social MediaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/susanmorgantaylor/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susantaylormaLinked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-morgan-taylor/Music CreditsMusic: "In the Back Room" and "Patched In" by Blue Dot SessionsFrom the Free Music Archive, CC BY-NC 4.0#TraumaHealing #SomaticTherapy #sextalkcafe #susanmorgantaylor #charnacassell

In this episode of the Gladden Longevity Podcast, Dr. Jeffrey Gladden and Dr. Aimie Apigian delve into the intricate relationship between trauma, healing, and the body's response to stress. They explore how trauma is imprinted in the nervous system and tissues, the importance of movement and agency in overcoming trauma, and the biological mechanisms that underpin these experiences. Through personal stories and scientific insights, they discuss the role of energy in healing, the impact of childhood experiences, and the potential for reframing traumatic events to regain control and foster resilience. This conversation offers valuable perspectives on navigating the complexities of trauma and the path to recovery.   For Audience ·       Use code 'Podcast10' to get 10% OFF on any of our supplements at https://gladdenlongevityshop.com/ !    Takeaways ·       Trauma is imprinted in the nervous system and tissues of the body. ·       Understanding one's own trauma can lead to healing and growth. ·       The biology of trauma involves energy conservation and stress responses. ·       Movement and agency are crucial in overcoming trauma. ·       Reframing traumatic experiences can help regain a sense of control. ·       The impact of childhood experiences shapes adult responses to stress. ·       Somatic experiences can help reprogram trauma responses. ·       Energy levels are linked to trauma responses and mental health. ·       The nervous system's state influences our ability to cope with stress. ·       Healing is possible through understanding and addressing trauma.   Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Trauma and Healing 04:14 The Journey into Foster Parenting 07:13 Understanding Trauma Through Personal Experience 10:08 The Biology of Trauma and Its Effects 12:54 Generational Trauma and Its Impact 15:47 Distinguishing Between Stress and Trauma Biology 18:46 The Autonomic Nervous System's Role in Trauma 21:40 Psychological Studies on Trauma Responses 23:20 Understanding Trauma Through Animal Studies 25:27 The Impact of Trauma on Neural Pathways 27:29 Reprogramming the Body's Response to Trauma 28:36 Muscle Memory and Trauma Responses 30:36 The Role of Movement in Healing 32:54 The Limitations of Talk Therapy 36:54 Reframing Trauma and Its Unbearable Nature 43:09 Reframing Trauma as Opportunity 44:56 The Purpose of Life and Authenticity 46:35 Agency and Movement in Healing 49:20 Neurodevelopment and Sense of Agency 52:25 Measuring Agency Through Movement 55:14 Energy as a Key to Overcoming Trauma   To learn more about Dr. Aimie: Email:  aimie_kris@hotmail.com Website: https://biologyoftrauma.com/   Reach out to us at:    Website: https://gladdenlongevity.com/     Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Gladdenlongevity/    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gladdenlongevity/?hl=en     LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gladdenlongevity    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5_q8nexY4K5ilgFnKm7naw

How do you make tough decisions? How do you make them without fear or lying? This episode shows you how unresolved emotions disrupt decision-making, relationships, and functioning in peak brain performance. You'll learn tips to rewire your nervous system for decision making, optimizing emotional intelligence, and regulating your body for high-level clarity, energy, and resilience. Discover biohacking techniques that use emotional release and somatic awareness to boost mitochondria, activate neuroplasticity, and achieve lasting personal transformation. Watch this episode on YouTube for the full video experience: https://www.youtube.com/@DaveAspreyBPR Host Dave Asprey talks with Joe Hudson, a world-renowned executive coach to unicorn founders and billion-dollar leaders. Joe works with a select group of top performers to unlock emotional clarity, leadership mastery, and deep personal change. His methods combine neuroscience, trauma healing, somatic therapy, and conscious coaching to help people perform at their highest level while becoming more authentic, fulfilled, and connected.You'll learn:• How emotional repression affects brain function, metabolism, and decision-making • Tools for nervous system regulation and emotional healing that drive high performance • Why most people fail without emotional intelligence and internal safety • How somatic awareness can optimize your energy, focus, and relationships • The science of fear, trauma release, and how to turn discomfort into growth • How to coach yourself out of stress, shame, and negative self-talk This is essential listening for anyone serious about emotional intelligence, high-performance coaching, biohacking, somatic healing, trauma work, executive leadership, nervous system regulation, brain optimization, functional medicine, and building unstoppable inner resilience. Dave Asprey is a four-time New York Times bestselling author, founder of Bulletproof Coffee, and the father of biohacking. With over 1,000 interviews and 1 million monthly listeners, The Human Upgrade is the top podcast for people who want to take control of their biology, extend their longevity, and optimize every system in the body and mind. Each episode features cutting-edge insights in health, performance, neuroscience, supplements, nutrition, hacking, emotional intelligence, and conscious living. Episodes are released every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday (audio-only) where Dave asks the questions no one else dares, and brings you real tools to become more resilient, aware, and high performing. Keywords: Joe Hudson, Dave Asprey, emotional intelligence, nervous system regulation, somatic therapy, trauma healing, executive coaching, biohacking emotions, brain optimization, emotional mastery, making tough decisions, fear or failure, leadership development, negative self talk, childhood trauma, personal transformation, smarter not harder, stress relief tools, leadership listening Thank you to our sponsors! Puori | Head to http://puori.com/dave for 20% off, including subscriptions. Quantum Upgrade | Go to https://quantumupgrade.io/Dave for a free trial. Active Skin Repair | Visit http://activeskinrepair.com/ to learn more and use code DAVE to get 20% off your order. Resources: • Sign up for a complimentary transformation guide from Joe: https://www.artofaccomplishment.com/ • Joe's Art of Accomplishment Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6MjoHFfLmNgo0Msais7IJ2 • Daily Insights on Twitter: https://tinyurl.com/4kazb783 • Dave Asprey's Website: https://daveasprey.com • Danger Coffee: https://dangercoffee.com/DAVE15 • Dave Asprey's BEYOND Conference: https://beyondconference.com • Dave Asprey's New Book – Heavily Meditated: https://daveasprey.com/heavily-meditated • Upgrade Collective: https://www.ourupgradecollective.com • Upgrade Labs: https://upgradelabs.com • 40 Years of Zen: https://40yearsofzen.com Timestamps: 0:00 — Introduction 2:42 — Why We Struggle with Fasting 6:28 — Identity and Control Patterns 11:56 — The Nervous System and Decision-Making 23:33 — Letting Go vs. Forcing Change 28:09 — Rebuilding Every Organ with Anti-Aging Work 33:51 — How to Actually Feel Emotions (Without Getting Stuck) 39:18 — Upgrading the Subconscious 45:02 — Final Thoughts and Takeaways See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Somatic Experiencing helps heal trauma and stress by addressing the body's responses and its nervous system. In this in-depth episode, somatic therapist Meggie Twible discusses this gentle and powerful method and how it can work with sexual trauma and also its effects in polycules. In this episode:Meggie Twible, somatic therapistHomecoming Therapies on InstagramTwible's online eventsSomatic Experiencing official websiteTRE–somatic methodThe Safe and Sound Audio ProtocolKaren Yates, somatic sex educatorSign up for our twice-monthly newsletter to get sex and relationship tips, and show announcements.Show your love for sex-positive podcasting: Leave a lil' tip!Check out our new line of tees and accessories! Be wild & sublime every day! Shipping discounts for orders over $50.Want more Wild & Sublime? Join The Afterglow for bonus content and Wild & Sublime goodies! They said what? Full episode transcripts are available on our websiteDo you feel stuck? Work with host Karen Yates in Zoom groups and one-on-one as she uses the energy of sound to reduce stress and help repattern behavior. Learn more about Biofield Tuning.Support the showFollow Wild & Sublime on Instagram and Facebook!

You know that ache in your back that never really goes away? Or the knot in your stomach that shows up every time life feels heavy? What if those weren't random annoyances—but notes from your body, asking you to slow down and listen? I sit down with Shazia—kinesiologist, somatic guide, and emotional release practitioner—who's spent years helping people understand the quiet ways their bodies try to protect and heal them. Think somatic therapy but even deeper. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – Your Body's First Whisper: The Self Healing Clues You're Missing02:27 – Stressed Out? How Somatic Therapy Finds the Real Source05:45 – When Symptoms Speak: The Hidden Stories in Your Healing Journey10:05 – Releasing What's Stuck: The Power of Somatic Therapy18:12 – Your First Step to Self Healing Without Overhauling Your Life   If you've ever felt “not yourself” but couldn't explain why, Shazia's wisdom will feel like a deep exhale you didn't know you needed. We take you deeper into your self healing journey.   From years of her own unexplained pain to guiding people back home to their bodies, she shares how one simple but radical act—listening—can shift you from disconnected and depleted to feeling safe, strong, and alive again. In this healing episode: Decode Your Body's Language: Finally understand what your symptoms have been trying to tell you. Free What's Been Stuck: Gentle ways to release old tension and emotions without reliving the pain. Find Your Ease: How to swap “fixing yourself” for feeling whole, just as you are. Sometimes the softest whispers carry the loudest truths. This is your sign to say, “I'm listening.”  

On Healing Trauma and Building Trust... In this episode of the Unboxable Podcast, we enjoy a heartfelt conversation with Nicole Healy. We discuss navigating personal challenges, offering empathetic support, and fostering deep connections while maintaining boundaries. Nicole shares her personal story of a husband's gambling addiction and her desperate and courageous steps to regain control over her life and family. We delve into the importance of somatic practices, recognising and addressing personal resistance, and fostering safety and honesty within relationships. There's an emphais on the power of small, courageous decisions in transforming your life and the lives of those you love. Highlights: 01:02 Deep Conversations and Open Hearts 01:54 Exploring Empathy and Sensitivity 02:30 Supporting Loved Ones in Addiction 03:26 The Power of Somatic Therapy 05:35 Overcoming Resistance in Healing 06:46 The Journey to Self-Healing 11:07 The Turning Point: Embracing Change 17:01 Courage and Willingness to Change 21:48 Understanding the Need to Control and Rescue 22:27 Adapting to New Ways of Being 23:30 The Power of Compassion and Boundaries 25:32 Honesty and Connection in Relationships 28:04 Embracing Imperfections and Authenticity 30:30 Redefining Strength and Vulnerability 36:12 Gratitude for Past Selves and Healing 37:33 Final Thoughts and Encouragement ABOUT NICOLE: I'm Nicole from Myndful Healing and I am a trauma informed holistic and somatic therapist using my lived experience to support people who have a loved one living with or in recovery from addiction. Find out more about Nicole's work and connect with her at: www.myndfulhealing.com

Ellen Slater is a human, writer, therapist, and teacher dedicated to building bridges between the head and heart, her roots have grown from and been shaped by the landscapes of St. Louis, New York, Chicago, Washington, and Wyoming. She's spent months in indigenous countries studying mindfulness. Through her lived experience and relentless passion, I have created a therapeutic model to awaken and integrate the head & heart.From meditation to research, relational connection to earth medicine, her work is an exercise in integration. The way she teaches is very experiential, weaving story telling with research, and bringing listeners into connection with community, earth, and their own heart.

Send us a textWhat happens when kink meets therapy? In this lively conversation, Dr Yulinda Renee Rahman, creator of Therapeutic BDSM™, explains how trauma can be healed when a kink professional, therapist, and client work together.In this episode:Therapist Dr. Yulinda Renee Rahman, creator of Therapeutic BDSM™ and founder of KPSAKink Professionals Standards Alliance (KPSA) Summit, October 25-26Books by Dr. Rahman on AmazonKaren Yates – sex educator and healerWild & SublimeWant more Wild & Sublime? Join The Afterglow for bonus content and Wild & Sublime goodies! Check out our new line of tees and accessories! Be wild & sublime every day! Shipping discounts for orders over $50.They said what? Full episode transcripts are available on our websiteDo you feel stuck? Work with host Karen Yates in Zoom groups and one-on-one as she uses the energy of sound to reduce stress and help repattern behavior. Learn more about Biofield Tuning.Show your love for sex-positive podcasting: Leave a lil' tip!Support the showFollow Wild & Sublime on Instagram and Facebook!

We often think of scars as just faded reminders of past injuries—something cosmetic, maybe annoying, but nothing more. But what if a scar, even one from years ago, is quietly interfering with your body's ability to heal? In this episode, Dr. Odell discusses a lesser-known concept from bioregulatory medicine: scar interference fields. These aren't just surface issues. They can create hidden disruptions in your nervous system, block energy flow, and lead to symptoms that seem totally unrelated to where the scar is. He'll also explain what interference fields are, how they work, and why they're often missed in conventional medicine. You'll hear how old surgical scars, c-section incisions, or even childhood injuries might be sending the wrong signals through your body—keeping it stuck in patterns of dysfunction. From therapies like neural injections and cold laser to castor oil packs, trauma release, and somatic work, we'll explore practical tools to reset these blocked circuits and help the body finally move forward. We also share real-life stories of people who found unexpected relief—physically and emotionally—once their scars were treated properly. If you've ever dealt with symptoms that don't add up or healing that seems stuck, this episode might just connect the dots.  

In this episode, we explore how your nervous system, subconscious, and body are constantly scanning for emotional safety—even when your logical mind doesn't quite know why something feels off. You'll learn why your body might respond to subtle relational red flags long before your brain catches on, especially when someone seems kind, generous, or emotionally available on the surface. These intuitive hits aren't irrational—they're rooted in lived experience, stored patterns, and how your brain and body protect you. We also look at how disconnection from your body often starts in childhood—when you had to override your instincts to survive or stay connected. As adults, this can make it harder to trust yourself, your gut, or your internal signals. But healing doesn't require perfection—it starts with quiet awareness, small check-ins, and beginning to believe your body again.   Three Takeaways: Sometimes what feels “off” isn't about logic—it's your body remembering what it learned before you could name it. The people who drain or confuse you the most often disregard your boundaries in subtle ways. Emotional safety is felt, not proven. You're allowed to trust what your body is telling you.   Your nervous system doesn't need evidence.  It needs you to listen.   Get your FREE Boundaries Ebook here! If you're ready to find your voice, set healthy boundaries, and create more fulfilling relationships, this guide is your roadmap!   Need more?  Check out the Masterclass on Reclaiming Your Voice:   https://www.findyourvoicecourse.com/beyond-words     Hey! My signature course is live!  I am so excited to also offer a free upgrade to the group coaching program.  Be sure to click here to check it out: https://findyourvoicecourse.com/   Need coaching? Sign up here for your Power Hour, where you and I can get you started on your confidence journey!  https://findyourvoicecourse.com/power-hour     Resources: Join the private Facebook group! It's a great group of people working on themselves…and supporting each other.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1212485642262143   Thank you for tuning in to this podcast. Please remember to leave a positive review on your podcast platform and let us know how this episode has been helpful. Also don't forget to subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play or Spotify so you don't miss a thing!        

I want to hear your thoughts about the show and this episode. Text us here...What does it take to break free from the roles we were forced into and start living as our truest selves?In this deeply moving and refreshingly honest conversation, I sit down with Inga Larson, therapist, somatic practitioner, and the creator of the Defying Gravity course. We unpack what it's really like to grow up with emotionally immature or personality-disordered parents… and how to heal from it.Inga shares her raw and relatable journey from feeling like a “blind gorilla” in her 20s (yes, you'll love that visual) to finding purpose and building a life rooted in confidence, compassion, and belonging. She opens up about homelessness, family trauma, and the decades-long path to integration through theater, massage therapy, and trauma-informed mental health work.You'll learn:What emotionally immature parenting looks like and how it impacts adult childrenWhy so many people feel disconnected from themselves—and how to start reconnectingThe surprising link between confidence and somatic healingHow “false belonging” keeps us small and what real belonging actually requiresTools for identifying and embracing disowned parts of ourselvesWhy grounding is the first (and often most powerful) step in the healing journeyThis conversation is a balm for anyone who has ever felt like they didn't belong, couldn't trust their instincts, or were stuck in old patterns that no longer serve them.Resources & Links: Connect with Inga and explore her work: https://www.ingalarson.com Join her Facebook group for adult children of emotionally immature parents Explore her DefThis is an invitation to join a supportive community of purpose-driven entrepreneurs who are creating an impact in the world.A mastermind is a community of peers who exchange ideas, provide support, and offer sound advice for running a successful business.Join the Confident YOU Mastermind now at https://goconfidentlyservices.myflodesk.com/confidentyoumastermindSupport the showOther helpful resources for you: For more about me and what I do, check out my website. Are you ready to get some help with:Podcast launch/re-launchPodcast growth, to increase your authority and position yourself as the thought leader you are. Or Leveraging your podcast to build your online biz and get more clientsSign up for a FREE 30 minute Confident Podcast Potential Discovery Call In this session I will: Identify the pain point that is holding you back. Suggest a next step strategy for solving the pain point.https://calendly.com/goconfidentlycoaching/30-minutes-free-coaching-sessioin Then we will talk about working together to accelerate the process. Do you want a podcast audit? Check out this link If you're looking for support to grow your business faster, be positioned as an authority in your industry, and impact the masses, schedule a call to explore if you'd be a good fit for one of my coaching programs. ...

This conversation is an invitation to reconnect with the parts of you that have long been silenced. To reconnect with the truth of who you are. And to feel what your body is really saying through symptoms and sensations. It also serves as a reminder that healing isn't about fixing — it's about coming home to yourself through the power of somatic healing, emotional awareness, and embodied safety.   In this transformative episode of HEAL with Kelly, I sit down with my dear friend, Dr. Christian Gonzalez — naturopathic doctor, host of Heal Thy Self, and founder of the Emotional Liberation Method — to explore the powerful connection between the body, trauma, and true healing. I've personally had the honor of working with Dr. G, and I can tell you — his work is nothing short of profound. His understanding of the body, trauma, and emotional expression has shifted the way I see healing, both in myself and in others.   From the brilliant role of fascia to the energy of repressed emotion, Dr. G offers a fresh lens on why we get sick — and what it actually takes to get well. Together, we dive into how childhood patterns shape adult identities, how the nervous system underpins nearly every chronic condition, and why voice and vibration — not just breath — may be the missing link in somatic healing.   We also touch on the emotional profiles often overlooked in cancer care, the unspoken shame many women carry, the truth about self-abandonment, and how co-regulation can become a portal to profound transformation.   Whether you're on a healing journey or simply seeking a deeper understanding of yourself, this conversation is a powerful reminder: What if your chronic symptoms weren't random — but messages from a body that's been trying to speak to you all along? LINKS Dr. Christian Gonzalez Website:https://drchristiangonzalez.com/ Dr. Christian Gonzalez on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/doctor.gonzalez/ SPONSORS THERASAGE: Go to https://www.therasage.com and use code KELLY to receive 25% off any Therasage product. HONEYLOVE: Go to https://www.honeylove.com/HEAL and use our exclusive link to get 20% OFF. Key Moments You'll Love:

Send us a textWhat exactly does a surrogate partner do? For our Healing from Sexual Trauma series, we're rebroadcasting a powerful 2022 episode where two professional surrogates talk about the intimate work of redressing trauma, dismantling unhealthy assumptions about sex, and helping clients move toward the relationships they want.In this episode:River Roaring - Surrogate partner, private coach & workshop facilitatorBrian Gibney - Surrogate partner and intimacy coach More resources:Embrace Surrogate Partner Therapy Resource Group Surrogate Partner CollectiveInternational Professional Surrogates AssociationWant more Wild & Sublime? Join The Afterglow for bonus content and Wild & Sublime goodies! Check out our new line of tees and accessories! Be wild & sublime every day! Shipping discounts for orders over $50.They said what? Full episode transcripts are available on our websiteShow your love for sex-positive podcasting: Leave a lil' tip!Support the showFollow Wild & Sublime on Instagram and Facebook!

CONTENT HEADS UP: Be enriched by a thoughtfully crafted conversation where sensitive topics related to trauma, torture, and self-loathing are gently woven into a narrative that is ultimately about love. There are no graphic descriptions of torture, just some causes and effects, but we nonetheless recommend that sensitive listeners prioritize their well-being and engage at their own discretion/pace. Also, for those intrigued by the idea of swimming with whales, a friendly reminder to follow safety guidelines and never venture alone into such deep waters.SYNOPSIS:Join us in this episode as we connect with Amber Gray, a masterful Human Rights Psychotherapist and Somatic and Dance/Movement Therapist with over 25 years of experience. Through her profound insights gained from working with survivors of trauma, particularly torture, war, and human rights abuses, Amber shares invaluable lessons and practices.Ali and Amber explore the profound lessons Amber has gleaned from her work with both whales and torture victims, professors and shamans, including the complexities of dissociation, what traditional trauma recovery misses, and the impactful ability to shift one's state of being.Amber's integrative approach, which merges refugee mental health and torture treatment with creative arts, mindfulness, and body-based therapies, offers a unique perspective on healing. The discussion also delves into the innovative Restorative Movement Psychotherapy, a resiliency-based framework co-created by Amber and her clients, designed specifically for trauma survivors in diverse cultural contexts.MORE ALI MEZEY:Website:  https://www.alimezey.comPersonal Geometry® and the Magic of Mat Work Course informationTransgenerational Healing FilmsMORE AMBER GRAY:Website: https://ambergray.comTo be with Amber and the whalesBIO: Amber is a Human Rights Psychotherapist and a Somatic and Dance/Movement Therapist who has worked with survivors of interpersonal, collective  and intergenerational trauma, particularly torture, war, and human rights abuses, for 25 years. Amber provides clinical and transformational training on her Right to Embody  trainings integrating refugee mental health and torture treatment with creative arts, mindfulness, and body-based therapies for programs serving survivors worldwide. She, with her clients, created a resiliency-based framework and clinical approach (Restorative Movement Psychotherapy) for somatic and movement  therapies with survivors of trauma in multi-cultural contexts, and they also co-created Polyvagal-informed Somatic  and Dance/Movement therapy,  based on 24 years immersion in Polyvagal Theory. The latter is the subject of her upcoming book, Roots, Rhythm and Reciprocity, to be published by Norton. She regularly facilitates WildZeNess Eco-somatic Body of Change retreats for survivors, and caregivers and practitioners, serving communities affected by injustice, oppression and trauma. RESOURCES:Gil episode: THE BODY AS A GIFT: A REVERENTIAL JOURNEY INTO THE HUMAN BODYCONTINUUM MOVEMENT: Founder, the brilliant Emilie Conrad, gives an introduction.ASHES AND SNOW VoDou: “ Vodou is both a religion and a way of being. It is a uniquely Haitian religion; an amalgam of the religions and  traditions originating in and on the Continent, that arrived to Haiti's shores with the ships carrying those enslaved and stolen from their land. To learn more read Mimerose Beaubrun's  book Nan DomiLES ARIAIFS - Internal Family SystemsBrilliant article by Jen Percy: “What People Misunderstand About Rape” Ed Tick: Warrior's Return: Restoring the Soul After WarThe Polyvagal Theory/Stephen Porgeshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec3AUMDjtKQhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWVgXQKrqQ4Body-Mind Centering/Bonnie Bainbridge CohenThe Blue Mind by Wallace J. NicholsVideo Talk by David Eagleman on the Live-wired Brain TO SEE AMAZING PHOTOS OF AMBER AND THE WHALES, GO TO www.thebrilliantbodypodcast.com…[From time to time, a word or phrase goes wonky. Please forgive my wandering wifi.]

In this episode, I pull back the curtain on what I actually do as a somatic practitioner. If you've ever wondered what happens inside a session — or why this work feels so different from traditional talk therapy — this one's for you.What we cover:What somatic therapy really is (and isn't)How it works with the body to create lasting changeWhy I chose this pathThe power of sensation, movement, and safety in healingSigns somatic therapy might be for you The biggest differences between somatic work and talk therapyWhat being in a session with me actually looks and feels likeYou'll never look at your body the same way again.This is the future. Learn about Body Language hereJoin Body Language here

In this episode of the Gladden Longevity Podcast, Dr. Jeffrey Gladden and burnout specialist Charlene Gisele explore the complexities of burnout, its causes, and the societal pressures that contribute to it. They discuss the importance of recognizing burnout as a serious condition, the impact it has on personal relationships and health, and the necessity of creating a supportive work environment. The conversation emphasizes the need for self-care, the role of mindset in recovery, and the significance of evaluating one's relationship with work. Ultimately, they highlight that burnout is not a permanent state and recovery is possible with the right approach.   For Audience ·       Use code 'Podcast10' to get 10% OFF on any of our supplements at https://gladdenlongevityshop.com/ !    Takeaways ·       Burnout is a sign of dedication, not weakness. ·       Many professionals mask their burnout by pushing harder. ·       Societal norms often equate busyness with success. ·       Burnout can lead to serious personal consequences, including divorce and health issues. ·       Finding safety and connection beyond work is crucial for recovery. ·       Financial security fears can exacerbate burnout. ·       Evaluating your relationship with work is essential for mental health. ·       A supportive work environment is key to preventing burnout. ·       The all-or-nothing mindset can lead to extreme decisions. ·       Recovery from burnout requires a focus on physiological and psychological health.   Chapters 00:00 Understanding Burnout: A Personal Journey 04:41 The Nature of Work Addiction 07:40 Societal Pressures and Definitions of Success 10:51 The Three D's: Divorce, Diagnosis, and Death 13:27 Finding Safety Beyond Financial Security 16:31 Evaluating Your Relationship with Work 19:41 The Dark Side of Burnout: Contemplating Existence 24:48 The All-or-Nothing Mindset 26:09 Finding Balance After Burnout 28:22 The Importance of Nuanced Thinking 29:40 Understanding Stress and Normalization 32:07 The Misconception of Lovability and Work 33:21 The Role of Love in Professional Relationships 36:03 Burnout: A Recoverable State 37:35 Intensive Care for Burnout Recovery 40:51 Somatic Therapy and Nervous System Reset   To learn more about Charlene: Email: coach@charlenegisele.com Website: http://www.charlenegisele.com Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/charlenegisele   Reach out to us at:    Website: https://gladdenlongevity.com/     Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Gladdenlongevity/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gladdenlongevity/?hl=en     LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gladdenlongevity    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5_q8nexY4K5ilgFnKm7naw 

Send us a textRemi Newman, editor of Hands On, a book collection of personal essays by sexuality workers, and Mehdi, a somatic sex and trauma therapist, talk with Karen about the complexities of sex work and the potential for deep healing through hands-on modalities.In this episode:Hands On: Stories of Sexuality Work, Intimacy and Healing  Remi Newman - editor, Hands On; surrogate partner; and sexuality educatorMehdi - somatic sex and trauma therapistKaren Yates - dual-certified somatic sex educator and sexological bodyworker, and energy workerShow your love for Wild & Sublime any time: Leave a tip! Help defray our production costs.See other trauma sessions from Wild & Sublime:Genital De-armoring with Rahi ChunMen, Trauma, and Sex with JoJo Bear Sexual Trauma, Somatic Healing The Afterglow, our Patreon membership group, brings you regular bonus content, early alerts, and goodies! Our newest $10/mo member benefit: 10% off all W&S merch! Be Wild & Sublime out in the world!  Check out our new tees and accessories for maximum visibility. Peep our Limited Collection and let your inner relationship anarchist run free… Prefer to read the convo? Full episode transcripts are available on our website.Support the showFollow Wild & Sublime on Instagram and Facebook!

Soul: Build a Gratitude Habit USE CODE CHRISYOGA 30 for 30 DAYS FREE FOR LISTENERSIn this episode, we discuss practical ways to integrate yoga and somatic practices into trauma-informed therapy sessions. Jaclyn shares her journey into yoga, how she incorporates it into her clinical work, and offers a grounding practice for listeners. We discuss topics such as keeping yoga trauma-informed, utilizing mindful movement, breathwork, and body awareness to support clients' healing, and provide practical tips for therapists looking to integrate these practices. We look at the importance of body-based therapies in achieving deep healing that talk therapy alone may not achieve. MEET Jaclyn SappahJaclyn Sappah, LCSW, C-IAYT, is a trauma therapist, certified yoga therapist, and founder of Wildflower Therapy Group—a North Carolina-based virtual group practice specializing in holistic trauma therapy for women and teen girls. Through a holistic, mind-body-spirit approach, Jaclyn helps clients release trauma, process stuck emotions, and regulate their nervous systems. Her work blends traditional psychotherapy with integrative healing practices, including EMDR, somatic therapy, yoga therapy, mindfulness, and Reiki energy work. Jaclyn believes true healing happens when we address not just the mind, but the body and spirit, too. She's passionate about helping women reconnect with themselves and create space for more peace, ease, and self-trust. She is licensed in North Carolina, New York, and California, and offers virtual therapy to clients in all three states.Find out more at Wildflower Therapy Group and connect with Jaclyn on InstagramFREE 5 Simple Strategies To Calm Your Mind In MinutesIncorporating yoga into clinical sessionsDefining and utilizing Somatic TherapyPractical somatic tools and techniquesMaking yoga fun and accessibleIntroducing movement practices in therapyRestorative practices and trauma-informed yogaOvercoming initial fears and starting smallGuided yoga practice for listenersConnect With Me Yoga Basics: The Therapist's Guide to Integrating Trauma-Informed Yoga into SessionsInstagram: @chris_mcdonald58Facebook: Yoga In The Therapy PodcastJoin the private Facebook Group: Bringing Yoga Into the Therapy RoomTikTok: @YogaChris58Rate, review, and subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, TuneIn,

Send us a textWhat if your anxiety, fatigue, or hormonal issues were your body's way of holding on to unprocessed trauma..In this powerful episode Functional Medicine Nurse and Transformational Health Coach Lisa Broberg shares how trauma lives in the body and how women can finally begin to healWe explore adrenal fatigue PCOS thyroid issues chronic stress burnout and how trauma often hides behind physical symptoms.Lisa explains how detoxing the body supporting the nervous system and reconnecting to joy are key to long-term healing.If you have ever felt off anxious or disconnected from your body this episode will help you understand why and what you can do to start feeling like yourself again. 

"Trauma isn't just a story—it's stored in your body. But so is the power to heal." ❤️‍

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3569: Marc Chernoff offers 11 thoughtful suggestions for spending money in ways that genuinely improve your life, from nurturing relationships and investing in your health to upgrading daily-use items and paying down debt. Rather than defaulting to saving or splurging, he encourages mindful spending that supports long-term well-being, purpose, and personal growth. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.marcandangel.com/2008/02/20/11-practical-ways-to-spend-your-money/ Quotes to ponder: "There may be no better way to spend your money than to use it to nurture and rekindle personal relationships with the most significant people in your life." "Your health is your life. Without it, all the success and affluence in the world is meaningless." "There is nothing wrong with splurging on a practical item that you actually use on a regular basis." Episode references: Somatic Therapy: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/somatic-therapy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices