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Many of us learn to adjust how we show up so we can fit in or feel safe enough to get through the day. From a nervous system perspective, this kind of adaptation, often called masking, can be one of the ways the body looks after us in environments that do not yet feel safe. It can also carry a quiet cost when it happens outside of our awareness, over long stretches of time. In this episode of the Embodied Dialogues podcast, Jan Winhall is joined by Sean Inderbitzen to explore masking through a Felt Sense Polyvagal lens. Sean is an autistic psychotherapist whose work sits at the intersection of autism and the autonomic nervous system. Together they look at how masking can protect us and also cost us, and how awareness and choice shape the way it lives in the body. Through this lens, Jan and Sean widen the conversation about autism and masking beyond the language of disorder or fixed identity. They explore a nervous system view, where our patterns of suppression and openness sit along a continuum shaped by safety, temperament, and relationship. Sean speaks to how consciousness and choice sit at the heart of this, and how the pause, that place of dual awareness, opens room for authenticity. This dialogue speaks to both personal healing and professional practice. It looks at how relational safety and co-regulation create the conditions for less masking, so more of who we are can come forward over time. Topics covered: -How masking works in the nervous system, and why it can be both adaptive and costly -The difference that consciousness and choice make in how we mask -Suppression understood as a survival skill that can protect us as well as cost us -Understanding autism through the nervous system and temperament, beyond disorder or identity -The role of neuroception and safety in when we mask and when we can be open -Dual awareness and the pause as the space where authenticity becomes possible -How co-regulation and relational safety support unmasking over time -A Felt Sense Polyvagal approach to neurodivergence that is non-pathologizing and compassionate Who This Conversation Is For This episode is open to anyone curious about masking, authenticity, and the nervous system, as well as those supporting someone on that path. Songs Mentioned Such Great Heights: the original by Ben Gibbard (Postal Service), the Iron and Wine version, and the version by Jeremy Zucker. You may find this especially meaningful if you are: -Exploring your own experience of masking or neurodivergence -Autistic, or questioning, and interested in a nervous system perspective -Supporting a partner, family member, or client who masks -A therapist, coach, or educator seeking a nervous system-informed approach -Interested in deepening your understanding of the Felt Sense Polyvagal Model Learn more about Sean at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-seaninderbitzen/, or his book "Autism in Polyvagal Terms," Norton 2024 Join the next Embodied Dialogues live audience or learn more about Jan Winhall and Felt Sense Polyvagal Model at https://www.fspminstitute.com/.

Healing after betrayal is not a linear or purely cognitive process. From a nervous system perspective, experiences of betrayal can shift neuroception toward danger, increasing protective responses such as vigilance, mobilization, or shutdown. These are adaptive responses that reflect the body’s attempt to preserve safety in the face of relational rupture. In this episode of the Embodied Dialogues podcast, Jan Winhall is joined by Carrie Holladay to explore how betrayal trauma reshapes our capacity for safety, connection, and trust. Together, they offer a grounded and hopeful pathway forward for those navigating the aftermath of betrayal. Through a Felt Sense Polyvagal lens, this conversation moves into the lived experience of the body. Jan and Carrie explore why trust can feel inaccessible after betrayal and how healing begins with restoring a felt sense of safety, rather than through insight alone. This dialogue speaks to both personal healing and professional practice, highlighting how shifts toward ventral vagal regulation support the re-emergence of connection and trust over time. Topics covered: -How betrayal trauma impacts the nervous system and disrupts a felt sense of safety -Why healing involves experiencing safety in the body, not just understanding the story -The role of neuroception in shaping trust and protection -How protective responses such as shutdown, vigilance, or disconnection are adaptive -Ways to begin rebuilding trust through embodied awareness -How relational safety can be restored gradually, without urgency -The importance of co-regulation in supporting healing -A Felt Sense Polyvagal approach that is non-pathologizing and compassionate Who This Conversation Is For This episode is open to anyone interested in healing, as well as those supporting someone on a healing journey. You may find this especially meaningful if you are: -Navigating the effects of betrayal in your own life -Supporting a partner, family member, or loved one through relational trauma -A therapist, coach, or practitioner seeking a nervous system-informed approach -Interested in deepening your understanding of the Felt Sense Polyvagal Model Learn more about Carrie at: https://www.resilientlyrising.com/. Join the next Embodied Dialogues live audience or learn more about Jan Winhall and Felt Sense Polyvagal Model at https://www.fspminstitute.com/.

Dissociation is often misunderstood and heavily stigmatized. Yet from a nervous system perspective, it may be one of the most extraordinary ways the mind adapts to survive overwhelming experience. In this episode of Embodied Dialogues, Jan Winhall, creator of the Felt Sense Polyvagal Model, welcomes psychotherapist and author Sally Maslansky for a powerful conversation about Dissociative Identity Disorder (D.I.D., formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder), attachment trauma, and the possibility of healing. In her thirties, Sally was diagnosed with DID and began therapy with renowned psychiatrist Dan Siegel, whose work in attachment and interpersonal neurobiology helped shape her path toward integration and recovery. Today, Sally is a therapist herself and the author of A Brilliant Adaptation, sharing her remarkable journey from fragmentation to wholeness. Jan’s Felt Sense Polyvagal Model draws, in part, on Dan Siegel’s attachment research, making this conversation a unique opportunity to explore how attachment, nervous system regulation, and dissociation intersect in trauma and addiction healing. Together, Jan and Sally explore: Dissociation as an intelligent survival strategy The role of attachment in fragmentation and healing What recovery and integration can truly look like How therapists can better understand and support dissociative experiences Through lived experience and clinical insight, this dialogue offers a compassionate reframe of one of the most misunderstood trauma adaptations. Join us for a conversation about the mind’s brilliance, the power of the therapeutic relationship, and the possibility of coming back into connection with oneself. Learn more about Sally at sallymaslansky.com. Join the next Embodied Dialogues live podcast recording at www.fspminstitute.com!

Join host Jan Winhall with guest Mathilde (Mattie) Shisko, an acclaimed voice and performance coach whose work helps people access the voice as a powerful pathway to regulation, connection, and truth. Through the lens of Jan’s work with trauma, addiction, and nervous system healing, this episode explores how voice is not just something we use to communicate, but something we can rely on as a profound resource. In the Felt Sense Polyvagal Model, healing happens through embodied awareness, relational safety, and learning to listen inward. Voice becomes part of that listening. It can help us reconnect with ourselves, with others, and with the parts of us shaped by survival. Mattie brings a unique blend of artistry, science, mindfulness, and play to her work, supporting people to move beyond habitual patterns of silence, tension, or performance into vocal expression that is grounded, alive, and authentic. She has coached everyone from public speakers to everyday humans longing to feel more confident, connected, and at home in their own voice. In this episode, Jan and Mattie explore: The voice as a resource — what it means to truly listen with your voice and speak from a place of embodied truth. Stories of resilience and connection, including how voice becomes a resource when walking alongside a loved one whose life has been shaped by addiction. How nervous system awareness and vocal expression offer tools not just for public speaking, but for inner regulation, confidence, and reclaiming agency in life’s most challenging chapters. Practical reflections for therapists, coaches, and individuals on the healing journey Whether you are a clinician supporting others, someone curious about the physiology of voice, someone in recovery, or simply longing to heal your nervous system and reconnect with your authentic self, this conversation offers a powerful reminder: Your voice is not just something you produce. It is something you can return to. See you there for a conversation that will help you find, deepen, and amplify your voice in the world. ABOUT MATHILDE: Learn more at https://myvoicecoach.org/about

In this episode of the Embodied Dialogues podcast, Jan Winhall is joined by trauma therapist and author Dr. Frank Anderson for a rich conversation about healing in relationships. Together they explore how the Felt Sense Polyvagal Model (FSPM) and Frank’s emerging PATH model (Parts Approach to Trauma Healing) can help couples understand the deeper nervous system dynamics that shape conflict, connection, and repair. Through an experiential lens, Jan begins with a short embodiment practice inviting listeners to notice how safety, activation, and co-regulation show up in their own relationships. From there, the dialogue unfolds into a thoughtful exploration of how trauma, attachment wounds, and survival strategies play out between partners. Frank shares how his PATH model integrates parts work, neuroscience, and relational healing to help people reconnect with what he calls “calm power” - an inner space of wisdom, strength, and intuition that supports trauma recovery. Together, Jan and Frank discuss: -Why couples often get stuck in repeating nervous system patterns (such as one partner escalating while the other shuts down) -How therapists can help partners slow down and track their internal reactions, body sensations, and beliefs during conflict -The role of personal healing work in being able to hold the complexity of relationships -Why healing requires both internal repair and relational repair -The importance of safety and pacing, especially when working with betrayal or infidelity -How attraction can be rooted in shared wounds and the unconscious hope for healing Throughout the conversation, Jan and Frank emphasize that trauma symptoms are not pathologies to fix, but adaptive survival strategies shaped by the nervous system’s attempt to stay safe. With warmth, humor, and vulnerability, they also reflect on their own healing journeys and the importance of therapists doing their own embodied work. This episode offers powerful insights for therapists, coaches, and anyone interested in trauma-informed relationship healing, nervous system awareness, and somatic approaches to growth.

In this moving episode of Embodied Dialogues, Jan Winhall is joined by renowned trauma and addiction pioneer Tian Dayton for a deeply relational conversation on the embodied roots of addiction, attachment wounds, and healing through community. They speak about how relational trauma—whether from addiction, emotional neglect, or untreated complex PTSD—impacts the nervous system in similar ways. Together, they explore how early experiences are held in the nervous system, why addiction and trauma are deeply intertwined, and how recovery requires more than insight alone. They share their personal reflections from growing up in families impacted by addiction, how they healed, and how their stories created who they are today. They talk about healing practices from their books can help and Tian explains the power behind her group-based “floor checks” that invite people through movement, emotion, and connection. This episode is a rich exploration of co-regulation, limbic resonance, and the ways safe relationships and supportive communities become essential medicine for trauma recovery and resilience. A powerful thread throughout the episode is Tian’s personal experience as an adult child of an alcoholic father. She describes the “ghost-like” confusion and chaos of loving someone who was both charismatic and deeply lost in addiction, and how that relational trauma shaped her lifelong work. Her upcoming book "Growing Up with Addiction" is presented as both a professional offering and a deeply personal “song” she is bringing into the world. Together, they explore how early attachment wounds shape the nervous system, why recovery must include the body, and how group connection becomes a vital source of co-regulation and resilience. A rich dialogue on trauma, repair, and the deep human capacity to heal in relationship.

In this powerful episode of Embodied Dialogues, Jan Winhall sits down with clinical psychologist, applied neuroscientist, author, and creator of groundbreaking neuroplasticity-based healing practices, Dr. Kate Truitt. Focuing on healing trauma through brain science & embodied practice, together they explore the meeting place of trauma, the nervous system, the amygdala (“Amy”), and the deep human longing for connection. Dr. Truitt shares her personal story of surviving a devastating loss, tragic accident, living as a “shaky being” and how vulnerability, embodiment, and science intertwine in real healing. She introduces a research-supported micro-practice that helps rewire the brain toward resilience, safety, and self-compassion. Jan highlights the profound overlap with Eugene Gendlin’s Felt Sense work and polyvagal-informed somatic processing, showing just how deeply our bodies hold wise, adaptive intelligence. This episode includes: • How the amygdala learns survival patterns and how to teach it new ones • Why shame dissolves when we understand the nervous system and find curiosity • The neuroscience of resilience, empowerment, and belonging • A guided practice to build new neural pathways toward courage, joy, and safety • The role of micro-practices in trauma recovery, addiction healing, eating disorders, dissociation, and chronic stress • A gentle conversation about being human, messy, vulnerable... and still deeply capable of growth • How brain science and polyvagal-informed somatics beautifully support one another Whether you’re a therapist, coach, healer, or someone on your own recovery journey, this episode offers a unique blend of science, compassion, and embodied wisdom you won’t want to miss. Listen in to learn practical tools you can start using today - and to feel the co-regulating, heartfelt presence between two leaders in the field of trauma-informed healing.

Jeff Warren joins Jan Winhall for a candid conversation about meditation, trauma, and the wisdom of the body. Jeff shares how living with ADHD, bipolar disorder, and deep shame led him to seek support, and how working with Jan through focusing and felt sense practices helped him stabilize and heal. He explains how meditation builds concentration, clarity, and equanimity, while felt sensing allows a more direct relationship with the body and unresolved emotional material. They discuss the risks of spiritual bypassing, the importance of relational support in trauma healing, and how “fresh frozen” trauma can surface during mindfulness practices. Jan brings in polyvagal theory to reframe shame and shutdown as protective, adaptive responses rather than personal failures. Jeff also offers practical examples of regulating his nervous system in real time, especially in challenging parenting moments. The conversation highlights the value of compassion, curiosity, and embodied presence as foundations for lasting healing and genuine connection.