Episode 116: Nourish Your Nervous System — Trauma's Impact on the Brain and Nervous System

Lindsey Lockett discusses the importance of listening to your body and how to practice somatic listening. She explains that our disconnection from our bodies is often rooted in childhood experiences where our needs for emotional and physical nourishment were not met. She emphasizes that listening to our bodies involves using all eight senses, including interoception, which allows us to notice and feel what's happening inside our bodies. She guides viewers through a somatic listening practice, encouraging them to be present, explore sensations, and describe them using feeling and sensing words. By listening to our bodies, we can gain insight into what they need and take proper action to nourish ourselves. Links: ⁠Get ⁠⁠Nourish Your Nervous System⁠⁠ as an instant download + audiobook!⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Find my FREE offers here⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Find my LOW-COST offers here⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow me on Instagram

This episode is part 4 of the NOURISH YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM series. Lindsey Lockett discusses the impact of trauma on the brain and nervous system. She defines trauma as the energy of an event or long-term pattern that triggers a fight, flight, freeze, or fawn response and burdens the nervous system. Trauma can cause a person to become stuck in a loop of disconnection, unhealthy emotional expression, and physical dis-ease. Lindsey explains that trauma changes the structure and chemical activity of the brain, decreases the size and connectivity of certain regions, and enlarges the fear center (amygdala). She also explores the concept of complex PTSD and its symptoms, as well as the link between trauma and neurodivergence (ADD, ADHD, and the spectrum of autism). She provides strategies for healing brain inflammation, including nourishing foods, omega-3 fatty acids, gut health, nervous system regulation, and reducing what she calls "lifestyle inflammation." Links: Get ⁠⁠Nourish Your Nervous System⁠⁠ as an instant download + audiobook! ⁠⁠Find my FREE offers here ⁠⁠⁠⁠Find my LOW-COST offers here ⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow me on Instagram ACEs Test Complex PTSD by Pete Walker The Nemechek Protocol Nervous System Hygiene Course Nervous System CPR Toolkit

This episode is part 3 of the NOURISH YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM series. In this episode, Lindsey breaks down the autonomic nervous system as well as how to recognize signs of nervous system dysfunction and dysregulation. She shares her personal journey of dealing with chronic and mysterious symptoms and how she discovered the importance of the nervous system in physical, mental, and emotional health. Lindsey explains the different branches of the autonomic nervous system and their functions, as well as the impact of chronic nervous system dysregulation on various aspects of our well-being. She emphasizes the need to nourish and heal the nervous system through a holistic approach that includes physical, mental, ancestral, spiritual, emotional, and relational aspects. Links: Get ⁠Nourish Your Nervous System⁠ as an instant download + audiobook! ⁠Find my FREE offers here⁠ ⁠Find my LOW COST offers here⁠ ⁠Follow me on Instagram

This episode is part 2 of the NOURISH YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM series. Lindsey discusses the myth of the salvation fantasy — a fictitious hope where people believe that finding the right solution or practitioner or diet or protocol or ... will solve all their health and wellness issues. She refers to the various hamster wheels we metaphorically find ourselves on, chasing problems with salvation fantasies but not actually getting anywhere. She also shares her own experience of chasing symptoms and trying various treatments during her own "Hamster Wheel of Wellness" days. Lindsey emphasizes that there is no one-size-fits-all solution and that the obsession with finding "the right thing" can hinder personal responsibility and healing. She highlights the importance of nourishing the nervous system and listening to the body's signals, rather than relying on external sources for answers. Links: Get ⁠Nourish Your Nervous System⁠ as an instant download + audiobook! ⁠Find my FREE offers here⁠ ⁠Find my LOW COST offers here⁠ ⁠Follow me on Instagram

This episode is the first in a new series of 12 called NOURISH YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM. In part 1, I'm sharing the symbolism and synchronicities of the spider's web in my work. The spider's web beautifully illustrates how everything is connected — every thread is connected to every other thread in a web, just like in life. When we understand how everything is connected, we don't have to fragment ourselves into different parts and pieces. We can approach ourselves and our healing journeys as WHOLE people, not broken people trying to become whole. Links: Get Nourish Your Nervous System as an instant download + audiobook! Find my FREE offers here Find my LOW COST offers here Follow me on Instagram

In this conversation, Lindsey and Kat discuss the importance of nervous system work and the problematic trends they see in the social media world. They emphasize the need for discernment and intentionality when engaging with nervous system tools and programs. They share their own experiences with nervous system work and highlight the importance of honoring the body's wisdom and not rushing the healing process. They also discuss the unethical nature of pain point marketing and the need for connection and support in nervous system work. The conversation explores the trendy concept of functional freeze. They discuss the need for individuals to assess their own capacity and not compare themselves to others. They also highlight the significance of trust and deep understanding of one's own body and its responses. They caution against programs that promise quick fixes without considering the individual's unique needs and trauma history. They stress the importance of trauma-informed support and ethical space-holding and valuing people's nervous systems and sovereignty over marketing tactics. Links: Join Lindsey's FEEL WITHOUT FEAR Waitlist Join Kat's BUSINESS ALCHEMIST MENTORSHIP Program Check out Lindsey's Instagram post about "functional freeze" Subscribe to Lindsey's monthly email newsletter

In this episode, Lindsey interviews Kate Deering, a fitness and nutrition coach and author of the most revolutionary nutrition book: How To Heal Your Metabolism. They discuss the best way to support the nervous system through metabolic-friendly foods. Kate emphasizes the importance of self-love and increasing cellular metabolism through real food, rest, sleep, and the right type of exercise. They also discuss the pitfalls of restrictive diets and the hamster wheel of wellness. Kate explains the benefits and limitations of keto and low-carb diets, highlighting the importance of carbohydrates for a well-functioning metabolism and nervous system, especially in female bodies. They also touch on the confusion in the health and wellness world due to conflicting research. In this conversation, Lindsey discusses her struggles with weight gain, hormone changes, and confusion about what to eat. And, more than nourishing the metabolism and the nervous system through food, Lindsey and Kate share how various factors like stress, sleep, sunlight, and nutrient deficiencies can impact overall health. Links: How To Heal Your Metabolism by Kate Deering Follow Kate on Instagram Lindsey's new eBook/audiobook NOURISH YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM

In this episode, Lindsey and her daughter, Addie, have an intimate mother-daughter conversation. While at first listen, it may seem that the focus of this conversation is Addie's recent awareness about her disordered relationship with food, the heart of this issue is much deeper. Lindsey and Addie discuss how Lindsey's own dysregulation showed up at a time when she was trying to transition their family to a healthier way of eating. Her patterns of perfectionism, hypervigilance, and binary thinking tainted the message she was trying to teach her kids about food, and now, at 18 years old, Addie is experiencing those consequences in her own relationship with food. Lindsey explains how her dysregulated patterns and voice became her daughter's Inner Critic voice about food, health, and sugar, in particular. Addie shares about her rebellion with food, developing her first cavity, and her desire to listen to her body about what feels nourishing as she thought-stops her Inner Critic's messages of guilt about food and expresses feeling safe with her mom's support. More broadly, Lindsey shares with Addie about the collective disconnect between Millennials and their Boomer parents and how she desires to foster the intimacy, safety, and authenticity in her relationship with her children that she and many other Millennials do not have with their Boomer parents. Lindsey brings awareness to the "healing journeys" that Millennials are now going through. Links: Feel Without Fear - Lindsey's 4-month Group Program

In this conversation, Lindsey and Sarah Cook, a writer and trauma-informed mentor, discuss the transformative power of creativity, why it's so important to create simply for ourselves, apart from external validation or goals. Sarah also explores the cyclical nature of creativity, the need for periods of rest and dormancy, and the myth of writer's block. Childhood experiences impact our creativity and can hold potential for healing through imagination and intuition. This conversation explores devotion to creativity, the difference between creativity as a necessity for survival and creativity for pleasure, and the role of seasons in creative expression. Trauma a societal expectations can hinder our creativity, and it is necessary to reclaim and nurture our creative impulses in every season of the creative cycle. Sarah's trauma-informed approach to creative coaching recognizes and challenges clients' limiting beliefs, creates a safe space for exploration, and honors each clients individual creative process. Lindsey and Sarah also discuss intuition and imagination as powerful tools for reconnecting with your creativity, if you feel that your creativity is elusive. Links: ⁠Join the waitlist⁠ for Lindsey's signature group coaching program Feel Without Fear. Group opens for enrollment in February 2024. Interested in moving forward with your creative journey with an eye toward healing + resiliency and with the safe company of a trauma-informed guide? ⁠Schedule a free, one-hour consultation with Sarah here. ⁠ Learn more about ⁠Sarah's Creative Mentorship⁠.

In this episode, cult survivor Tara Oathout shares her experience growing up in the IBLP cult (think the Duggar Family/Quiverfull Movement) and the impact it had on her life. Tara and Lindsey open up about the effects of purity culture and the shame they felt around sex, despite growing up in 2 different cult environments. Tara and Lindsey also discuss other experiences with religion, including some of the aspects they miss. They explore the stages of anger and ambivalence towards religion, the complexities of faith deconstruction, the longing for corporate worship, and the personal growth and self-discovery that come when one bravely challenges indoctrination. Links: Join the FEEL WITHOUT FEAR Waitlist⁠: this is Lindsey's signature group coaching program for people with Complex PTSD. The group opens in February 2024! Shiny, Happy People documentary About Tara: Tara Oathout may not know the Duggars, but she was still asked to participate along side her husband, Floyd, in the Amazon Prime documentary Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets. The documentary does touch on the famous family of "19 Kids & Counting but primarily uses them as an introduction to the religious, cult-like organization called Institute in Basic Life Principles. The legalistic and toxic ideology put forth by IBLP is deeply imbeded in both Tara's upbringing. In an effort to underscore the harm this belief system is capable of, Tara, and her husband, along with many other survivors, share their stories. Tara is still in her deconstruction era and while she doesn't promise to have the answers, she is deeply motivated to share her journey in an effort to help others shed the shame of Christian fundamentalism. Giving up the "certainty" that a religious life offers is a hard addiction to beat and the journey can be incredibly isolating, but Tara's goal is to find peace, not in the answers, but in herself. She works daily to rebuild a relationship with herself through inner child work, somatic movement, healthy boundaries, therapy and more. The sacrifice for this cause has been monumental, but every time someone finds camaraderie or comfort in her story, Tara knows it was worth it.