You Make Sense

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Important Keywords:

Sympathetic Nervous System - The sympathetic nervous system is part of the autonomic nervous system responsible for mobilizing energy in response to perceived threats. By activating the HPA axis, cortisol and adrenaline levels are increased in the body, preparing our system to respond to danger and stress. Chronic activation of this system can lead to anxiety, burnout, and health issues.

Regulation - Regulation refers to the ability to maintain or return to a state of safety, presence, and connection within the nervous system. A regulated nervous system promotes calmness, focus, and the capacity to handle life's challenges effectively. Building regulation involves consistent neural exercises and creating disconfirming experiences that show your body it’s safe to come into a state of rest.

Trauma - Trauma is the overwhelm of activation (energy) experienced in our bodies, in the face of helplessness. If we do not have the conditions necessary for trauma to process through our bodies, it becomes stuck and stored, leaving lasting emotional, physical or psychological imprints. It disrupts the nervous system causing chronic dysregulation, disconnection and/or hypervigilance.

Protective Parts - Protective parts are internal mechanisms (or versions of ourselves) developed to shield us from pain or harm, often formed during childhood. These parts use behaviors like perfectionism, overachievement, or avoidance to keep us safe from perceived threats. While they are well-intentioned, they can also keep us stuck in unhelpful patterns until their needs are addressed.

Somatic Healing - Somatic healing focuses on addressing trauma and stress stored in the body, rather than just the mind. It involves practices that help release trapped activation/energy, regulate the nervous system and complete the incomplete response to trauma of the past, and reconnect with the physical self. Techniques like movement, touch, and breathwork are commonly used to support this healing process.

Body Image, Aging, and Self-Acceptance from a Somatic Lens

21 januari 2025 | 71 min

How often do we hear, “Just love your body,” only to feel more disconnected than ever? In this thoughtful episode of You Make Sense, Sarah tackles the complexities of body image, aging, appearance, and the journey to genuine self-acceptance. With her signature mix of science, storytelling, and somatic wisdom, she unpacks why conventional approaches to self-love often miss the mark—and what truly works.

Sarah shares relatable personal stories and actionable tools to help you heal your relationship with your body, process past trauma, and embrace your unique self. From reframing societal pressures to building a compassionate connection with your body, this episode offers practical steps for feeling more at home in your own skin.

Episode Highlights

00:00 Intro

02:45 Society’s Messaging About Body Image

11:15 Befriending Your Body

13:54 Why Do We Hide in Our Body?

19:57 Trauma & Changing Our Appearance

22:18 The Origin of Our Negative Orientation to Aging

26:18 Somatic Tools to Build Self-Love and Acceptance

31:09 Replace Coping Strategies with Regulating Resources

38:01 “Why Am I Suddenly Negatively Fixated on My Height?”

43:16 Somatically Healing Your Relationship with Your Body

51:56 Binge-Eating and Sugar

01:02:14 Weight Gain Can Be a Response to Trauma

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Want free trauma-informed tools? Download Sarah’s free workbook, “How to Gain Control Over How You Feel,” for actionable prompts and exercises to help you start feeling better on a daily basis.

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Important Keywords:

Somatic Healing - Somatic healing is an approach to healing that focuses on addressing the nervous system and stored trauma within the body. It uses practices like body awareness, movement, and nervous system regulation to support emotional and physical well-being.

Self-Compassion - Self-compassion involves treating oneself with kindness, understanding, and care, especially during difficult times. It replaces self-criticism with empathy, fostering emotional resilience and self-acceptance.

Dissociation - Dissociation is a coping mechanism where a person disconnects from their physical or emotional experiences, often in response to trauma or stress. It can manifest as a sense of detachment from reality, feeling "numb," or being "out of body."

Parts Work - Parts work is a therapeutic approach that identifies and works with different "parts" of the self, often associated with distinct emotions, behaviors, or events from childhood. It helps individuals address internal conflicts and foster self-integration.

Nervous System - The nervous system regulates bodily functions and responses to stress, consisting of the sympathetic (fight/flight) and parasympathetic (rest/digest) systems, comprised of our ventral vagal complex (rest and digest) and our dorsal vagal complex (shutdown/energy conservation). A well-regulated nervous system supports emotional balance, energy levels, and overall health.

How to Thrive in Your Relationships

14 januari 2025 | 55 min

Ever wonder why the relationships with the most potential sometimes feel the hardest? In this episode of You Make Sense, Sarah unpacks the ways in which romantic partnerships often trigger our deepest wounds—and how they can also become the most powerful spaces for healing. Sarah dives into the role our nervous system and parts play in unconsciously shaping the way we show up in love, and what we can do to begin building more safety, intimacy and trust in our partnerships. Backed by the latest neuroscience and trauma research, this episode will help you step toward deeper connection and transform your relationships. Episode Highlights 00:00 Intro 01:09 Why We Struggle in Our Relationships 05:59 How Do We Choose the People We Choose? 06:52 Ways Safe, Healthy Partnerships Support Us 12:32 The “Good” Doesn’t Always Feel Good At First 17:28 Parts Work and Leaning into Exposure 20:53 Understanding Resistance to Vulnerability 24:35 Tools to Step Toward Vulnerability & Intimacy 29:28 The Rupture and Repair Process 35:38 Navigating Different Perceptions in Relationships 48:10 Anxious Attachment and Avoidant Attachment Dynamic Navigating Your Nervous System is Now Enrolling: Ready for more tangible tools to heal at the nervous system level? My 6-week live course, Navigating Your Nervous System, is open for enrollment through January 17th. Click below to learn more. https://bit.ly/sp-nyns Connect with Sarah on: Website - https://www.sarahbaldwincoaching.com/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sarahbcoaching/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Sarahbaldwincoaching/ Submit a Question: https://sarahbaldwin1.typeform.com/podcast Important Keywords: Neuroception - Neuroception is the subconscious process through which our nervous system detects safety or danger in our environment. It operates automatically, scanning both internal and external cues to determine if a situation is safe, dangerous, or life-threatening, which deeply influences our emotional and relational responses. Autonomic Nervous System - The nervous system is our body’s command center, regulating everything from basic functions to complex emotional states. In relationships, its state determines how we perceive safety, connection, and danger, impacting our ability to connect. Vulnerability - Vulnerability is the act of allowing ourselves to be seen fully, including our fears, emotions, and imperfections. It is essential for building intimacy and trust, but it often feels risky because it exposes parts of us we’ve learned to protect. Attachment Styles - Attachment styles are relational patterns shaped often in early childhood that dictate how we connect with others. The common styles—secure, anxious, avoidant, or disorganized—impact our ability to feel safe, express needs, and navigate intimacy in adult relationships. Intimacy - Intimacy refers to deep emotional or physical closeness, where two people allow themselves to be fully seen and known. It goes beyond surface-level connection, requiring trust, presence, and a willingness to share vulnerable parts of ourselves. Rupture and Repair - Rupture and repair describe the natural process of disconnection and reconnection in relationships. While ruptures are moments of conflict or disconnection, repair involves addressing the issue, rebuilding trust, and deepening the relationship’s safety. Safety - Safety in relationships means feeling emotionally and physically secure with another person. It creates a foundation for vulnerability, intimacy, and trust, allowing individuals to show up fully without fear of judgment or harm. Healing - Healing is the process of addressing unresolved wounds and past traumas that influence our current behaviors and perceptions. In relationships, healing occurs when we create safe spaces to experience love, trust, and connection that our past may have lacked.

Leading in Business and in Life

7 januari 2025 | 45 min

This episode unpacks the vital connection between our nervous system and how we lead—in business, at home, and in life. Sarah dives into the science of regulation, exploring how dysregulated states like fight/flight, freeze, or shut down often drive our decisions, keeping us stuck in survival mode. These patterns, rooted in past experiences of stress or trauma, influence how we show up as leaders, parents, and creators.

With clear explanations and actionable tools, Sarah offers a roadmap for recognizing when we’re leading from dysregulation. She shares how to cultivate a regulated nervous system, unlocking creativity, connection, and clarity. Whether you're looking to grow a business, nurture your family, or simply lead yourself with more purpose, this episode offers the practical steps to create the life—and leadership—you desire.

Episode Highlights

00:00 Intro

00:26 Leading from a State of Regulation

01:20 Entrepreneurs Have Higher Stress Levels

04:28 The Most Important Thing Parents Should Focus on

06:43 Your Nervous System Affects Everyone Else

08:23 Leading from Sympathetic (fight/flight)

11:05 Leading from Regulation (safety)

13:36 Leading from Dorsal (shut down)

15:27 Leading from Freeze (tonic immobility)

17:42 Consistent Neural Exercises

20:41 How to Reshape Your Nervous System

23:02 The Key to Somatic Manifestation

26:57 Anchoring in Your Adult Self

32:30 Trust Your Own Pacing

38:19 Embodying Your Purpose

Take Sarah’s FREE Quiz:

Ready to learn more about your nervous system specific to you? Take Sarah’s free quiz, “What’s Keeping You Stuck?” for a personalized guide and powerful somatic tools to help you gain control over your experience.

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Important Keywords:

Nervous System Regulation - The practice of bringing your system into safety in presence, which supports effective leadership, whether in business, parenting, or personal growth. Being in regulation allows for more creativity, clarity, and connection while reducing the reactive tendencies of stress and overwhelm.
Ventral Vagal Complex - Your state of presence, safety, and connection where creativity, connection, and problem-solving thrive. It’s the optimal state for leadership and decision-making, allowing leaders to see possibilities and act with confidence.
Co-Regulation - The process of connecting with another person in safety where each person's nervous system positively influences the others’. In leadership and parenting, co-regulation can set the tone for calm and productivity, creating a ripple effect in teams or families.
Dysregulation - When your nervous system senses a threat (whether real or perceived), it sends you into dysregulation or active self-protection. Leading from this place can often result in stress, burnout, or stagnation.
Capacity Building - Capacity building involves gradually increasing our ability to handle new or challenging situations. It’s about expanding the nervous system's tolerance and adaptability through small, intentional experiences of growth.

4 Reasons Why New Year Resolutions Don’t Work

31 december 2024 | 70 min

In this special New Year’s episode, Sarah invites listeners to reimagine the way they approach goals and resolutions. Kicking off the five-part Somatic Starter Kit series, Sarah dives into four reasons why traditional New Year’s resolutions often fail and offers transformative science-backed tools to use instead. You’ll learn how unresolved past experiences and traumas can keep you stuck in cycles of unmet goals.

Listeners will learn the importance of taking tolerable steps, building nervous system regulation, and fostering safe connection to support personal growth. Sarah also shares actionable insights on cultivating self-compassion, replacing coping strategies with healthier habits, and understanding the deeper desires that drive us. The episode is both a manual for self-discovery and a compassionate reminder that you make sense, just as you are.

Episode Highlights

00:00 Intro

02:26 Reason 1: We Aren’t Addressing Our Nervous System

05:05 Do You Feel Like You’re Behind in Life?

07:03 Connecting to What You Truly Desire

09:41 Reason 2: Our Desires Often Have Flavorings of Past Danger

14:03 Reason 3: We Aren’t Addressing Our Parts

19:07 Reason 4: Lack of Support and Connection

24:19 Safe Support and Connection is Crucial

25:21 Take Tolerable Steps Towards Your Desires

30:17 Consistent Regulation of Your Nervous System

31:37 Work at the Rate of Your Most Apprehensive Part

37:39 Relation Between Money and the Nervous System

46:00 What is a Coping Strategy?

53:54 How Do You Know Your Life’s Purpose?

01:01:36 Trying Something New Can Feel Overwhelming

Join the Navigating Your Nervous System Waitlist:

Want access to limited-time pricing for Sarah’s upcoming 6-week course? Make sure to get on the waitlist for Navigating Your Nervous System by January 5th to take advantage of the 24-hour only $100 off bonus.

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Important Keywords:

Nervous System Regulation - This refers to practices that help balance the body's stress response, promoting a state of calm and safety. By regulating the nervous system, we can better handle challenges, make intentional choices, and build resilience in the face of discomfort or fear.
Coping Strategies - These are habits or behaviors developed to manage discomfort or stress, often unconsciously. While they can serve as short-term relief, understanding and replacing maladaptive strategies with healthier alternatives promotes long-term well-being.
Somatic Healing - Somatic healing focuses on reconnecting with the body to release tension and process trauma. This approach integrates physical sensations, emotions, and thoughts to foster self-awareness and recovery.
Parts Work - This therapeutic concept involves recognizing and addressing different "parts" or aspects of ourselves, often tied to past experiences or emotional wounds. By understanding and integrating these parts, we can move toward greater wholeness and self-compassion.
Safe Connection - Safe connection refers to relationships where we feel seen, valued, and accepted without judgment. These connections are essential for emotional and nervous system regulation, providing a foundation for personal growth.
Capacity Building - Capacity building involves gradually increasing our ability to handle new or challenging situations. It’s about expanding the nervous system's tolerance and adaptability through small, intentional experiences of growth.
Dysregulation - Dysregulation occurs when the nervous system is stuck in states of fight, flight, freeze, or shutdown. It manifests as heightened anxiety, emotional overwhelm, or disconnection and requires mindful practices to return to a balanced state.

When We Feel Like We're Going Backward in Our Healing

24 december 2024 | 52 min

This episode dives into the ups and downs of healing and why it can sometimes feel like you’re moving backward instead of forward. Sarah breaks down how coming back into our bodies is a marker of progress — but that it can also feel overwhelming at first. Experiencing grief, anger, or other deep emotions can all be signs of the work you’ve done.

With real-life examples and simple, science-backed advice, Sarah shares how to move beyond just “knowing” about your patterns and into healing in a way that actually creates change. You’ll learn how to regulate your nervous system, work with your younger parts, and create space for more connection and joy.

Episode Highlights

00:00 Intro

00:40 Why Healing Can Feel Like You’re Going Backward

05:34 Information Gathering is Not Enough

07:29 Why We Become Disembodied

11:03 Healing is the Hero’s Journey

15:31 Trauma & Energy Wells

21:33 What To Look For in a Therapist or Practitioner

31:20 Receiving & Working With Young Parts

38:00 Why Do We Experience Chronic Dysregulation?

42:56 Sarah’s Journey

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Important Keywords:

Nervous system - The nervous system is a self-protective system that determines your emotions, behaviors, and overall experience. It responds to safety, real threats, and perceived threats, influencing how you react and regulate in different situations.
Regulation - We can only experience regulation when our nervous system believes we are safe. Our primary state of regulation is our Ventral Vagal Complex, where we experience things like joy, connection, presence, groundedness, and feeling “here.”
Trauma - Trauma refers to overwhelming experiences that the body and mind were unable to process fully at the time they occurred. These unresolved energies get stuck and stored in the body, impacting mental and physical well-being until they are resolved.
Healing - Healing is the journey of addressing past wounds—both physical and emotional—to achieve greater freedom and alignment in life. It involves learning to regulate the nervous system, release stored trauma, and tending to younger parts of ourselves.
Dysregulation - Dysregulation occurs when the nervous system believes we are in danger, whether it is a real or perceived threat. Chronic dysregulation is often a result of unresolved trauma and can significantly impact daily functioning.
Internal Safety - Creating safety within our bodies and nervous system is the foundation of healing. This is what we are working toward when we take steps to regulate our nervous system.

Navigating Loneliness and Grief During the Holidays

17 december 2024 | 58 min

In this heartfelt episode of You Make Sense, Sarah explores the often-overlooked emotional complexities of the holiday season. While the holidays are often painted as a time of joy and togetherness, Sarah acknowledges the undercurrent of loneliness, grief, and stress that many experience. She unpacks how societal expectations and past experiences can amplify these emotions, offering relatable insights and actionable tools to help listeners navigate this season with more ease.

Sarah delves into the somatic roots of grief and loneliness, using Parts Work to differentiate between our adult self and younger parts. From tending to these younger parts to finding solace in music, nature, and intentional connection, this episode offers a blueprint for transforming holiday challenges into opportunities for healing and self-discovery.

Episode Highlights

00:00 Intro

02:09 Reasons the Holidays Can Be Challenging

06:58 Connecting to the Unmet Need

09:05 Why We Struggle to Process Grief

13:34 Step 1: Grief is Best Processed Through Connection

15:06 Step 2: What Parts of You Are Struggling?

15:45 Step 3: Focus on Nourishing Yourself

17:03 Step 4: Connection

19:42 Identify Which Part of You is Feeling Sad

30:46 How to Process Death and Loss

39:50 Coupling Dynamics & the Holidays

49:42 “Why Do I Drink More Around My Family?”

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Important Keywords:

Loneliness - Loneliness is the feeling of being disconnected or isolated from others, often heightened during the holidays when societal messages emphasize togetherness. Sarah highlights how loneliness can stem from unmet needs, relational trauma, or past experiences and encourages using somatic tools and Parts Work to address it.
Grief - Grief is the emotional response to loss, encompassing not only what happened but also what never was. Sarah explains how grief surfaces when we feel safe enough to process it and encourages gentle, titrated processing of these emotions to create space for healing and growth.
Connection - Connection is a fundamental human need that fosters a sense of belonging and emotional safety. Sarah emphasizes the importance of cultivating meaningful connections with others, nature, and ourselves, as these relationships are key to navigating emotional challenges.
Parts work - Parts work is a therapeutic approach that acknowledges and tends to different aspects of the self, particularly younger parts carrying past wounds. Sarah discusses how identifying and comforting these parts can bring clarity and healing during emotionally challenging times.
Regulation - Regulation is the process of bringing the nervous system into safety and balance, allowing us to respond to situations from a calm, grounded place. Sarah suggests somatic practices such as mindfulness, movement, and connection to achieve regulation and build emotional resilience.
Healing - Healing is the process of addressing past traumas, unmet needs, and emotional pain to create space for growth and well-being. Sarah frames healing as an ongoing journey of self-compassion, connection, and transformation, particularly relevant during challenging emotional periods.

Experiencing Healthy Love for the First Time

10 december 2024 | 72 min

Do you find romantic partnerships challenging, confusing, or overwhelming? Sarah is going to walk you through what is necessary to heal your attachment wounds and come toward more secure, healthy relationships. Although it might seem counterintuitive, the kind of connection we’re desiring often doesn’t “feel good” at first. In fact, our first experience of a secure attachment can range from being boring — to completely terrifying.

The good news is that this doesn’t necessarily mean the relationship is wrong for you! In this episode, you’ll learn the neuroscience behind why healthy love can initially feel overwhelming or unexciting. But the more that we step toward safe connection, the deeper and more intimate our relationships become, giving us a container where we can truly be seen, known, and chosen.

Episode Highlights

00:00 Intro

01:01 Earned Secure Attachment

06:12 The Good Doesn’t Feel Good at First

08:45 Why A Secure Attachment Can Feel Boring

10:08 Love from Choice vs Love from Survival

16:33 Why A Secure Attachment Can Feel Terrifying

24:00 Leaning into a Secure Attachment

29:40 “Why Do I Feel Like I’m Going Backwards?”

30:52 Building Capacity for Vulnerability and Exposure

35:06 The Beautiful Orphaned Parts of Us

39:43 How to Know if the Lack of Attraction is Normal

46:37 Regret Is an Opportunity for Self-Compassion & Learning

52:01 Perceived Threats in Relationships

01:06:01 Even with Loving Parents, Relationships Can Be Hard

Grab Sarah’s FREE Workbook:

Ready to gain control over your life? Click below to download Sarah’s free trauma-informed workbook. This in-depth guide will help you to harness the power of your nervous system and unlock your desires.

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Important Keywords:

Secure Attachment - A safe, stable way of attaching and relating to others in our relationships that forms in our early childhood from having caregivers who could consistently meet our needs for love, safety, attunement, and connection.
Earned Secure Attachment - A secure attachment that develops through intentional self-work and healing from past patterns. It reflects personal growth and the ability to attract healthier relationships by creating internal safety for yourself and your younger parts.
Neuroception - Your body's internal threat detector that is constantly assessing whether you’re in safety, danger, or life-threatening danger. It decides this by looking to a database of past information that holds all your lived experiences.
Parts Work - A therapeutic process that involves connecting with and healing younger parts of yourself that hold onto past wounds. It’s a core tool for building internal safety and reshaping how you show up in relationships.
Trauma Bond - A strong emotional connection formed through cycles of highs and lows in an unstable relationship. Often mistaken for love, trauma bonds are rooted in survival instincts and unresolved past pain.
Protective Parts - Younger parts that learned to keep you from past emotional harm by creating walls, avoidance, control, or sabotage. Even if the past is over, these well-intentioned parts can keep you from fully engaging in healthy relationships.
Capacity Building - The process of gradually expanding your emotional tolerance for safety, love, and connection. It involves learning to sit with discomfort as you adjust to the steady, healthy love you’ve always wanted.

Getting to Know Your Protector Parts: Perfectionist, Procrastinator & More

3 december 2024 | 56 min

This episode pulls back the curtain on how our “younger selves” often influence the way we show up in our adult lives. From the perfectionist to the procrastinator, these protective parts develop in response to early or past experiences of feeling unsafe or overwhelmed. If we have yet to come to the aid of these parts, they will continue to show up in an effort to keep our vulnerable parts safe, often keeping us stuck in cycles that no longer serve us.

Using science-backed concepts and practical tools, Sarah guides listeners on how to recognize and calm these parts so that our adult selves can take charge. By differentiating ourselves from these parts, unburdening these protectors, and coming to the aid of the vulnerable part they are protecting, it’s possible to start living in alignment with our highest self—and navigate the world with more freedom.

Episode Highlights

00:00 Intro

00:16 Are Your Young Parts Running the Show?

01:10 Understanding Somatic Parts Work

06:10 The Power of Internal Coregulation

07:43 What is a Protector Part?

09:08 The Doer Part

15:23 The Perfectionist Part

21:21 The Procastinator Part

28:18 Adult Life Can Be Overwhelming

30:18 Building Capacity to Be in Your Adult Self

32:24 Unburdening the Protector Parts

35:07 Supporting the Most Vulnerable Part

37:52 “How Do We Know How Many Parts There Are?”

44:36 Learning to Differentiate From Your Parts

51:29 Why Do We Experience Roadblocks?

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Submit a Question:

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Important Keywords:

Parts Work - A therapeutic approach that involves understanding and working with different “parts” of oneself, especially those that have been influenced by past experiences or trauma.
Most Vulnerable Parts - Younger versions of ourselves that fragment off when we experience trauma, harm, or overwhelm and essentially get “stuck” in that painful experience until we can come to their aid as our adult self.
Protector Parts - These are also younger versions of ourselves that develop as a way to keep the most vulnerable part safe, often through controlling behaviors, avoiding risks, or overachieving to make sure the vulnerable part never has to feel that pain again.
Internal Co-Regulation - A process of self-soothing, where the adult self learns to comfort and integrate these young parts, providing them with the care and safety they lacked in the past.
Neuroception - The brain’s subconscious detection of safety or threat, which shapes how we react to situations based on internal “safety” signals and past memories.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) - A therapeutic model often referenced in Parts Work, which sees the self as made up of multiple parts, each with its own role, memory, and emotional state.

Family Systems and the Roles We Play

26 november 2024 | 60 min

This episode uncovers the hidden roles we carry in relationships—roles that often date back to our earliest experiences and shape how we connect with others. From being the “caretaker” to the “perfectionist,” these familiar patterns tend to influence our choices and interactions long after childhood, even if that role no longer serves us.

With tools grounded in neuroscience and practical guidance, this conversation dives into what it takes to rewrite those outdated scripts. Listeners will learn simple steps to heal the past, break free from conditioned reactions, and start building relationships that align with who they truly are. It’s absolutely possible to embody a new role and make room for the connections that genuinely feel right.

Episode Highlights

00:00 Intro

00:33 Why Do We Play the Roles We Play?

02:19 Family Systems & the Origin of Our Roles

07:13 Secure Attachment & Healthy Family Plays

10:19 Many of Us Did Not Have a Healthy Family System

13:57 Choosing Partners & “Compatability”

17:21 Healing Allows us to Write a New Role

21:45 The Bumpy Road of Healing

27:59 “How Can You Get Comfortable in Receiving When You’re a Giver?”

39:06 Being of Service vs. Being of Sacrifice

46:44 Why We Disconnect from Our Emotions

54:16 “How Do You Forgive?”

Waitlist Bonus Coming in 2025:

Ready to start feeling better in the New Year? Navigating Your Nervous System is a 6-week, live course focused on the most important foundation of healing: nervous system regulation.

Join the NYNS waitlist by January 5th for limited-time reduced pricing!

Connect with Sarah on:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sarahbcoaching/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Sarahbaldwincoaching/

Submit a Question:

Important Keywords:

Nervous System - The nervous system is central to understanding our emotional and relational patterns. It holds the embodied experience of past memories and influences how we respond to others, shaping the roles we play in our lives.
Roles - The patterns we adopt in relationships, often influenced by early family dynamics. Common roles include caretaker, perfectionist, scapegoat, and the helpless one, which define how we interact with others. Changing these roles allows us to step out of limiting patterns and embrace more fulfilling connections.
Family System - The family system is the foundation of our relational blueprint. It establishes our initial roles and influences how we navigate social dynamics, often carrying over into adult relationships.
Attachment - Attachment refers to the emotional bonds formed with primary caregivers, impacting how we relate to others. Secure attachment fosters healthier relationships, while insecure attachment can lead to self-protective behaviors and dynamics. Healing attachment wounds enables us to build stable, supportive connections.
Healing - Healing is the process of releasing old roles and expanding the nervous system’s capacity for change. It involves recognizing and shedding survival patterns and replacing them with practices that honor our true selves. Healing is an empowering journey toward self-discovery and authentic relationships.
Patterns - Patterns are recurring behaviors that shape how we interact with others. These automatic responses often stem from unresolved past experiences and can hold us back. Using a somatic approach to transform these patterns is key to stepping into new roles and fostering growth.

How to Tangibly Step Toward Your Purpose

19 november 2024 | 49 min

Ever feel like stepping into a bigger life is tougher than it should be? In this episode, Sarah breaks down why we get stuck in old patterns and how our nervous system shapes the life we’re currently living. You’ll learn why even good changes—like deeper relationships or exciting career moves—can feel overwhelming or lead to self-sabotage.

Using science-backed concepts and tools, Sarah will teach you how to practically build your nervous system’s capacity to hold the life you’re really wanting. By taking small, tolerable steps and working at the rate of your most apprehensive part, it’s possible to work with your nervous system to move toward a life full of connection and joy.

Episode Highlights

00:00 Intro

00:32 Living the Bigger Life

06:19 The Process of Building Our Capacity

13:42 Our Purpose Often Leads to Our Healing

17:39 What Lights You Up?

19:36 How to Begin Working with Your Nervous System

23:38 We Must Embody Where We Are Going

28:05 One Tolerable Step at a Time

30:49 There’s Always Room to Expand and Grow

36:45 What to do When Good Opportunities Overwhelm Us

41:29 Tangible Steps Toward Being Seen

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Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sarahbcoaching/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Sarahbaldwincoaching/

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Important Keywords:

“Self-Sabotage” - This term can often feel shaming, but it is simply the nervous system’s way of protecting us from what it doesn’t yet know is safe by pushing away or leaving things we might actually deeply desire.
Building Capacity - The gradual process of training the nervous system to hold more of the “good” in life and tolerate changes or stressors without triggering overwhelm. This is done by gently stepping toward new, safe experiences of what was once dangerous or inhibited in the past (like: being seen, taking up space, making mistakes, etc.).
Nervous System Regulation - Techniques and strategies used to calm and stabilize the nervous system. Regulation helps move the body out of a fight/flight, freeze, or shut down responses and into a balanced state of presence and connection.
“The Invisible Wall” - A term coined by Sarah used to describe what it feels like when we try to step toward what we’re wanting but are met with resistance and dysregulation within our nervous system.
Parts Work - This approach seeks to integrate the fragmented younger parts of ourselves by coming to their aid and giving them love, safety, attunement, and connection. Under the umbrella of Parts Work, Internal Family Systems is the most well-known modality.
Tolerable Steps - Small, bite-sized actions taken to gradually introduce new experiences and reduce the nervous system's stress response. These steps are essential for building internal safety and making sustainable progress toward larger goals.

Parts Work: How Different Parts of Us Show Up in Our Lives

12 november 2024 | 71 min

Although we may look our numeric age on the outside, we actually have many different parts or versions of ourselves within us. Using somatic Parts Work, also known as IFS or inner child healing, Sarah is going to show you how these different parts can inhabit our experience to influence the way we show up in our daily lives.

When we come to the aid of these younger parts and give them the love, safety, attunement, and protection they didn’t receive in the past, it creates what Sarah calls internal co-regulation, so that we can begin spending more time moving through the world as our confident, capable adult self.

Episode Highlights

00:00 Intro

00:23 What is Parts Work?

04:37 Holistic Healing is Like a Web

09:35 Each Part Has a Different Autonomic Tone

16:17 Vulnerable Parts and Protective Parts

22:44 Real Life Examples of Parts Show Up in Our Lives

28:21 The Difference Between Young Parts and Adult Self

33:34 How Do We Bring Together Fragmented Parts?

37:20 All Parts of You Make Sense

39:49 Focus on the Loudest Part First

43:11 How to Deal with Multiple Parts Without Feeling Overwhelmed

49:41 Two Ways to Create Internal Safety

01:00:12 A Common Misconception About Real Love

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Important Keywords:

Parts Work - The therapeutic practice of differentiating from and coming to the aid of the younger parts of ourselves that fragment off of us and develop when we’ve experienced a trauma or overwhelm in the past. Under the umbrella of Parts Work, Internal Family Systems is the most well-known modality.
Younger Part - This is any part that is younger than what our current numeric age is now. It can be a vulnerable part or a protective part.
Most Vulnerable Part - This is a younger part that experienced a trauma or overwhelming event(s) where they were left helpless, unsupported and unsafe and remain stuck in the perpetual pain of that experience.
Protective Part - This is often a younger part of us that developed in order to protect the most vulnerable parts from that pain, and might look like being “the do-er,” perfectionism, procrastination, etc.
Nervous System Regulation - The process of managing the body's stress response and guiding your self-protective system to internal safety, which helps to resolve trauma, promote balance and wellbeing, and navigate life’s challenges with greater ease.
Regulating Resource: Tools or activities that discharge or get rid of activation in the body, helping to bring our system back into safety, rest, and regulation.
Trauma Resolution: The process of healing from past trauma by addressing and releasing trapped energy and incomplete physical responses from the body.
Embodiment: The practice of being fully present in and connected to your body and the sensations and feelings present within it, which is crucial for nervous system regulation and emotional healing.

Why We Choose the Partners We Choose

5 november 2024 | 42 min

Ever wonder why you keep choosing the same kind of partners? Sarah breaks it all down in this episode. She’s going to teach you how your nervous system is the one doing the matchmaking, drawing on your early childhood experiences to inform the way you show up in your adult relationships. Whether it’s romantic partnerships, friendships, or work dynamics, you’ll learn how to begin changing old patterns that no longer serve you.

Many of us choose our partners out of a need for survival rather than from a place of choice. Sarah will give you powerful somatic tools to begin creating a new internal baseline for what love is, so that you can transform your relationships and step toward the secure attachments you’re desiring.

Episode Highlights

00:00 Intro

00:17 Why We Choose the Partners that We Choose

03:30 Your Early Childhood Experiences Lay the Blueprint

07:30 The Threat Detector Picks Up On Subtle Cues

10:16 Love From Choice or Love From Survival?

14:39 Healthy Love Isn’t Infatuation

19:21 Creating an Internal Secure Attachment

21:25 Our Reactions Always Match Some Circumstance

27:29 Developing the Ability for Self-Regulation

31:43 We Can be a Combination of Different Attachment Styles

37:00 Building Connection When Feeling Isolated

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Ready to learn more about your nervous system specific to you? Take Sarah’s free quiz, “What’s Keeping You Stuck?”, for personalized tools to regulate your nervous system and step toward the life you’re desiring. Get started below.

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Important Keywords:

Autonomic Nervous System - The body’s internal network that controls responses to stimuli and regulates our experiences of safety, fear, and connection. In the context of relationships, it drives automatic reactions based on past experiences stored in our internal "database."
Neuroception - A subconscious process through which the nervous system detects safety or threats in our environment. It plays a key role in determining who we are drawn to in relationships, often based on past relational patterns.
Attachment - Refers to the emotional bond we form with others, shaped by early relationships, particularly with caregivers. Our attachment style influences how we relate to others.
Parts Work - A therapeutic process focused on identifying and healing the different "parts" of ourselves that were wounded in the past. It helps us reparent those parts and create internal safety, allowing us to make healthier relationship choices.
Internal Safety - The feeling of security and stability that comes from within, rather than from external validation or relationships. Cultivating internal safety helps reduce anxiety and allows for more balanced, healthy relationships.
Healing Work - The ongoing process of addressing past traumas and emotional wounds to create lasting change in our relational patterns and lives.
Relationship Patterns - Recurring behaviors and dynamics that emerge in our relationships, often based on unresolved past experiences. Recognizing and changing these patterns is key to fostering healthier connections.

Understanding Your Relationships: The Connection Between Attachment Theory & Polyvagal Theory

29 oktober 2024 | 68 min

Ready to take a deep dive into understanding your relationships? Sarah breaks down the connection between Polyvagal Theory and Attachment Theory, explaining how your autonomic nervous system shapes the way you show up in your romantic partnerships, friendships, family, job, finances, and more. Healing attachment wounds isn’t something you can simply “talk” your way into—it must be addressed somatically at the nervous system level.

Through relatable examples, you’ll learn about the different attachment styles—anxious, avoidant, and disorganized—and how each one is a brilliant, adaptive response to our early childhood experiences. Whether you're stuck in difficult patterns or seeking a deeper understanding of your relationships, this episode is packed with actionable tools to guide you toward an earned secure attachment and healthier, more meaningful connections.

Episode Highlights

00:00 Intro

00:15 The Connection Between Polyvagal Theory and Attachment Theory

03:53 The Origin of How We Relate to Others

09:44 Anxious Attachment Style

19:58 Avoidant Attachment Style

25:58 Disorganized Attachment Style

31:08 Secure Attachment Style

38:47 What Attachment Style Does the Flight Response Connect To?

44:19 How Do Somatic Practices Help in Healing Attachment Wounds?

49:03 Some Things Can Only Be Healed in a Relational Dynamic

56:04 Growing Up with Narcissistic Family Members

01:02:43 The Process of Healthy Aggression

Download Sarah’s FREE Workbook:

Looking for tools to help you start feeling better? Download Sarah’s free workbook, “How To Gain Control Over How You Feel,” to learn more about trauma’s role in keeping you stuck and how to begin healing at the nervous system level.

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Important Keywords:

Polyvagal Theory - A scientific theory coined by Stephen Porges that explains how the autonomic nervous system controls our reactions to stress and connection.
Attachment Theory - A psychological model that explains how early relationships with caregivers shape our ability to form healthy emotional bonds.
Nervous System Regulation - The process of calming or balancing the nervous system to achieve emotional and physical stability. This is crucial for managing stress and maintaining healthy relationships.
Anxious Attachment Style - An “insecure” or adaptive attachment style where we feel safer when others are close and less safe when we’re alone.
Avoidant Attachment Style - An “insecure” or adaptive attachment style where connection or closeness may feel overwhelming, even though a part of us deeply desires connection.
Disorganized Attachment Style - An “insecure” or adaptive attachment style where we may want people close, but when they are close, we will reflexively push them away and then desire closeness again.
Somatics - Therapeutic tools used to address emotional struggles and trauma by healing it in the body, aiming to restore balance to the nervous system.

How To Regulate Your Nervous System

22 oktober 2024 | 56 min

Ready to start feeling better every day? Sarah is going to teach you the practical steps to regulating your nervous system, so that you can gain control over your experience and navigate life with more ease. Whether you’re feeling anxious, stuck, or overwhelmed, this science-backed process can help you make real, lasting change and improve your health, relationships, and overall sense of wellbeing.

This is not just a “magic pill” that works for some people. Everything in this episode is backed by the latest neuroscience and trauma research; engaging in consistent neural exercises is the key to reshaping your nervous system and spending more of your time in regulation (where we experience much of the “good” in life).

Episode Highlights

00:00 Intro

01:01 The Benefits of Regulating Your Nervous System

04:35 You Can Reshape Your Nervous System

09:43 Regulating Resources Versus Coping Strategies

15:52 How to Create a Regulating Toolbox

19:23 Tool: Setting Reminders in Your Phone For Regulation

25:53 The Power of Befriending Your Nervous System

29:48 The Expand/Contract Process

32:28 How to Create Safe Connection

40:29 What are Energy Wells?

48:34 How Chronic Dysregulation Leads to Chronic Illness

Work With Sarah:

Want to go deeper into this work? Join a waitlist for one of Sarah’s programs to get limited-time reduced pricing and early access to enrollment. Click below to explore upcoming programs.

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Important Keywords:

Nervous System Regulation: The process of managing the body's stress response and guiding your self-protective system to experiencing and noticing safety in order to resolve trauma, promote balance and wellbeing, and help you navigate challenges with greater ease.
Coping Strategy: Temporary methods people use to cover up or numb underlying activation (dysregulation).
Regulating Resource: Tools or activities that actually discharge or get rid of activation in the body (rather than covering up), helping to bring our system back into safety, rest, and regulation.
Freeze: The blended state of tonic immobility, made up of equal parts mobilizing Sympathetic energy and immobilizing Dorsal energy, leading to feelings of being stuck or trapped.
Trauma Resolution: The process of healing from past trauma by addressing and releasing the stored emotional and incomplete physical responses from the body.
Embodiment: The practice of being fully present in and connected to your body and the sensations and feelings present within it, which is crucial for nervous system regulation and emotional healing.

Resolving Trauma to Step Into the Life Meant for You

15 oktober 2024 | 73 min

In this episode, Sarah explains how trauma is something we all experience to varying degrees and the impact it has on our lives. When we have yet to resolve past trauma, it actually gets stuck and stored in our bodies, meaning our system essentially thinks it is still happening or could happen again at any moment. For many of us, this unresolved trauma is what keeps us stuck in chronic dysregulation and unable to step toward the life we’re wanting.

Sarah is going to guide you through the latest neuroscience and trauma research in a way that’s easy to understand and applicable to our everyday lives. You’ll learn how we can teach our bodies to regulate again and gently begin releasing that stuck energy, so that you can heal in a way that lasts.

Episode Highlights

00:00 Intro

00:48 What Causes Trauma?

06:25 Unprocessed Trauma Gets Stuck and Stored

08:01 Overcoupling or Over-Association

09:28 Undercoupling or Disconnection

11:33 What You Need to Understand About Trauma

17:04 Not All Clinicians and Therapists are Trauma Trained

20:53 Trauma Isn’t the Only Reason for Chronic Dysregulation

22:23 How Do You Facilitate Regulation in Your Life?

26:51 The Pendulation Process

32:10 Healing My Own Trauma

35:24 The Titration Process

38:27 The Eye of the Needle Work

42:33 Trauma Work is Complex

45:06 Do You Have to Resolve All Trauma?

54:01 The Starting Off Point in Life Isn’t Equal

56:32 There’s No Blueprint for Parenting

01:03:37 Internal Co-Regulation

01:08:52 The Desires of Our Soul Are Meant for Us

Take Sarah’s Free Quiz:

Want to learn more about your nervous system specific to you? Take Sarah’s free quiz, “What’s Keeping You Stuck?” for a personalized guide with in-depth somatic tools to help you regulate your nervous system.

Click here to get started:

Connect with Sarah on:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sarahbcoaching/

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Important Keywords:

Trauma: Not about the event itself but how an experience overwhelms our system's capacity to process what’s happening.
Regulation: Our state of safety, presence, and connection.
Attunement: Connecting with someone on an autonomic level, not just through words, to provide empathetic support.
Pendulation: The process of moving between dysregulation and regulation, helping the body to naturally discharge traumatic energy.
Titration: Taking small amounts of activation (traumatic energy) and supporting it to leave the body without overwhelming the nervous system.
Discharging Activation: The process of letting the traumatic energy leave the body, often through physical movement, such as shaking.
Healing: Resolving trauma by re-teaching the nervous system to process and release stored energy, allowing the past to truly be in the past.

The Roadmap to Somatic Healing: Using Science to Heal in a Way That Works

8 oktober 2024 | 66 min

Did you know there is an order to which we heal? When we use the right tools, in the right order, our systems respond and it expedites our healing. Sarah will guide you through the somatic roadmap necessary to facilitate deep, lasting change, using somatic modalities that speak directly to your nervous system.

Discover how Polyvagal Theory, Attachment Theory, Parts Work, and more are all connected and play a crucial role in our healing. Whether you're just starting or well into your healing journey, this episode offers invaluable tools to help you cultivate the life you desire.

Episode Highlights

00:00 Intro

05:01 The Roadmap for Holistic Healing

06:04 Phase #1: Nervous System Regulation

09:47 Phase #2: Somatic Attachment Theory

11:28 Phase #3: Parts Work (IFS)

18:51 Phase #4: Using Your Truth to Set Boundaries

21:57 Phase #5: Thoughts from a Somatic Vantage Point

24:07 Phase #6: Purpose and Manifestation

30:19 Q&A with Rachel Andrews

33:08 What to Do if A Younger Parts Reject Our Support

42:19 Anger Is Not a Bad Emotion

44:23 How Does Secondary Trauma Happen?

57:01 How Can I Tell if Someone Wants to Be a Genuine Friend or Has Hidden Motives?

1:03:37 How Manifestation Really Happens

Join Expansion:

Feeling stuck or stagnant? Join Sarah inside Expansion for 3 days of live support and science-backed tools. You’ll learn how to harness the power of your nervous system to take tangible steps toward the life you're desiring.

The first call starts on October 14th. Replays available through November 7.

https://bit.ly/yms-sp-ee

Connect with Sarah on:

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Important Keywords:

Holistic Healing: A comprehensive approach to healing that addresses physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects to achieve overall well-being.
Somatic Healing Roadmap: The necessary approach that requires specific actions to be taken in a particular sequence for the best results in healing.
Nervous System Regulation: The process of calming and reshaping the nervous system to maintain a state of emotional and physical stability.
Trauma: Any overwhelming experience that exceeds an individual’s ability to cope and process what’s occurring, often resulting in long-term emotional and psychological effects.
Parts Work: A therapeutic approach that involves identifying and working with different aspects or "parts" of oneself, often representing different ages, experiences, or emotions.
Attachment: The way individuals connect and form relationships with others, which is influenced by early childhood experiences and affects how they relate to others throughout life.
Somatic Boundaries: Physical and energetic boundaries that protect one’s personal space, ensuring a sense of safety and autonomy in interactions with others.
Manifestation: The process of bringing one's desires or goals into reality by aligning thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, often requiring inner healing work.
Mirror Neurons: Specialized neurons that allow individuals to feel and experience what others are feeling, playing a key role in empathy and connection.
Polyvagal Theory: A theory that explains how the nervous system affects emotions, behavior, and social connections, emphasizing the role of the vagus nerve in regulating responses to stress and safety.

Understanding Why You’re Stuck: Using Polyvagal Theory to Unlock the Life You Desire

1 oktober 2024 | 73 min

In this episode, Sarah takes you through the different states in your Autonomic Nervous System, likening it to a special ops team constantly working to protect you. She explains how, through a process called neuroception, the system is constantly monitoring for internal and external threats. Sarah then delves into the three states of dysregulation—Sympathetic, Dorsal, and Freeze—and how each state has brilliantly adapted to protect you, as well as your primary state of regulation—Ventral—which is where we experience much of the “good” in life.

You’ll also go through practical steps to begin creating a “toolbox for regulation” and learn about the importance of consistently engaging in neural exercises, which is the key to rewiring the nervous system and improving your overall quality of life. Whether you're dealing with anxiety, depression, or everyday stress, this episode is filled with actionable tools to help you get into the driver’s seat of your experience and gain control over how you feel.

Episode Highlights

00:00 Intro

01:33 Neuroception - The Threat Detector

04:33 3 States of Dysregulation

11:46 Long-Term Dysregulation

13:21 Mirror Neurons - Nervous Systems Affect Each Other

15:58 #1: Sympathetic: Your Mobilized State of Fight/Flight

20:50 #2: Dorsal: Your Immobilized State of Shutdown

29:24 #3: Freeze: Your Blended State of Tonic Immobility

36:38 Ventral: Your Primary State of Regulation

40:51 Vagal Tone

46:35 The Connection Between Your Nervous System and Sleep

56:30 Your Pace is Exactly Right

01:04:10 Healing Shame

Free Workbook:
Want to learn more about your nervous system? Grab a FREE copy of Sarah’s trauma-informed workbook, “How to Gain Control Over How You Feel.”

This downloadable PDF will equip you with somatic tools to get into the driver’s seat of your experience so that you can step toward a life filled with more freedom and ease.

Click here to download your copy:
https://bit.ly/yms-sp-workbook

Connect with Sarah on:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sarahbcoaching/

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Submit a Question:

Important Keywords:

Autonomic Nervous System: The self-protective system within the body that is responsible for our thoughts, feelings, sensations, behaviors, and perception of self, others, and the world around us, as well as regulating involuntary functions, such as your heart rate and digestion, and playing a central role in how you react to stress or calm.
Neuroception: This is your threat detector, which looks out to the world (and within) to decide whether you are in safety, danger, or life-threatening danger. It does this by resourcing an internal database that holds all your past lived experiences.
Sympathetic Nervous System: This is your self-protective state of mobilization or fight/flight. This state is all about the “doing” and can be experienced as: anxiety, stress, worry, fear, terror, rage, agitation, frustration, or panic.
Dorsal Vagal Complex: This is your self-protective state of immobilization or shut down. This state is all about leaving our bodies and can be experienced as: depression, hopelessness, apathy, disinterest, disconnection, a general sense of “blah,” or dissociation.
Freeze: This is your self-protective blended state of tonic immobility, which is made up of equal parts Sympathetic and Dorsal. These equal and opposite forces come together to render us stuck and can be experienced as: feeling trapped, urgency met with the inability to take action, or a lot of energy in our bodies we can’t do anything about.
Ventral Vagal Complex: This is your primary state of regulation, which can be experienced as: connection, joy, ease, flow, relaxation, rest, or aliveness.

How Your Nervous System Creates Your Entire Experience

24 september 2024 | 69 min

In this first episode, Sarah dives deep into the foundation of all healing: nervous system regulation. She explains how your Autonomic Nervous System creates every sensation, feeling, and behavior you've ever experienced, from anxiety, worry, and depression to joy, presence, and flow, and how it influences your ability to connect with others and pursue your life’s purpose. By harnessing the power of your nervous system, you can begin to get unstuck and step toward your desires.

Sarah shares her own personal journey, having lived through chronic dysregulation and its associated struggles—panic attacks, depression, and even chronic illness. Through years of training and somatic healing work, she has not only transformed her life but also helped thousands do the same.

Episode Highlights

00:00 Intro

01:16 The Foundation of All Healing

05:06 The Nervous System

06:40 Dysregulation and Stuckness

09:53 The Limitations of Talk Therapy

13:59 The Vehicle of Your Life

17:50 Autonomic Nervous System

22:18 You Are Not Broken

23:21 Dysregulation

25:09 Reasons Why We Become Dysregulated

29:01 The Special Ops Team

33:24 How the Threat Detector Works

38:39 Befriending Your Nervous System

41:24 Similarities in Human Experiences

43:40 How to Deal with Your Emotions

46:58 The Language of the Autonomic Nervous System

53:32 Confusion

01:00:16 Attachment Theory and Relationships

Connect with Sarah on:

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