In this episode of Bonded, Lizzie sits down with trauma therapist and author Dr. Vassilia Binensztok for a deeply compassionate conversation about why the holiday season can stir up so many emotional and relational challenges—and how you can genuinely support yourself through it.

Triggers around the holidays are incredibly common and often tied to old attachment patterns or childhood experiences, sometimes operating unconsciously. The first step toward healing is awareness: noticing the physical cues, emotional shifts, and reactive patterns that show up during this time of year. And because the holidays can pull on so many internal threads, boundaries—both internal and external—become essential tools for protecting your energy and staying grounded.

Whether it’s family conflict, old attachment wounds, grief, or the pressure to “feel festive,” this episode offers grounding, validating guidance for anyone who finds this season difficult.

• Nervous system signs that your body is preparing for stress—and how to recognize them early
• Practical strategies for building regulation and capacity during emotionally charged moments
• How mindfulness and self-compassion help interrupt shame and “should” thinking
• Creative ways to reclaim the holidays and make them your own—even if past memories are painful
• How to talk with partners and loved ones about boundaries, expectations, and emotional needs during this season

Dr. Vassilia Binensztok is a psychotherapist, trauma expert, writer, and founder of a group practice supporting clients across the lifespan. She specializes in complex trauma, relational wounds, anxiety, and somatic work—and brings a grounded, heartfelt approach to healing.

Private Practice: https://www.junocounseling.com/about-us/about-dr-binensztok

Surviving and Savoring Thanksgiving: https://citylifestyle.com/articles/surviving-and-savoring-thanksgiving

In this solo episode, Dr. Patty Shutt explores why the holidays—often portrayed as joyful and bright—can actually stir deep emotional triggers, especially for those with early attachment wounds or complex family dynamics. Drawing from her own reflections and clinical experience, Patty shares how mindfulness, self-compassion, and awareness of nervous system patterns can help us move through the season with more care and grounding.

Whether you find yourself over-giving, over-scheduling, or feeling anxious before family gatherings, this episode offers gentle tools to prepare, regulate, and find moments of genuine connection amid the chaos.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why the holidays can activate old family patterns and attachment wounds
• How the nervous system prepares for rejection, judgment, or disappointment
• Common survival responses (fight, flight, freeze, and fawn) that surface during family gatherings
• Mindfulness practices to notice triggers before they take over
• Self-compassion strategies for soothing and grounding when activated
• How to set boundaries, create new rituals, and give yourself permission to opt out when needed
• Ways to support others who might be struggling this season

Key Takeaway:

You don’t need to perform joy to belong. Slowing down, noticing what’s happening in your body, and meeting yourself with compassion can transform how you move through the holidays—and your relationships. #GiftofPresence

Connect with Us:

👉 Follow @SacredTreehouse on Instagram

👉 Learn more about upcoming mindfulness events at Sacred Treehouse

👉 Have a question or topic you’d like us to explore? Send us a message—we’d love to hear from you!

In this episode, Lizzie and Dr. Patty sit down with therapist and mindfulness teacher Michelle Becker to explore how self-compassion can transform relationships—both with ourselves and the ones we love. Michelle shares insights from her Mindful Self-Compassion and Compassion for Couples programs, offering practical tools to build emotional safety, foster intimacy, and meet our own needs.

Whether you’re single, in a relationship, or simply curious about self-compassion, this episode is packed with actionable guidance to cultivate kindness toward yourself and others, improve communication, and create healthier, more secure connections.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why self-compassion is essential for meeting your own emotional needs and choosing healthier relationships.
• How early attachment experiences influence our ability to give and receive compassion.
• Practical exercises for couples and individuals to foster connection, gratitude, and safety.
• How men and partners often engage with self-compassion differently—and why couples programs can be a gentle entry point.
• Communication tools to help partners listen deeply without trying to fix or solve.

“Even if your partner wants to, or your doctor wants to… they can’t always be there for you. But with self-compassion, you always have access.” – Michelle Becker

Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode:

• Michelle’s Book: Compassion for Couples: Building the Skills of Loving Connection
• Explore Michelle's Couples Program: https://wisecompassion.com/about/
• Mindful Self-Compassion Course with Patty: https://sacred-treehouse.mykajabi.com/msc

For couples interested in attending a couples retreat, please fill out our interest for to be notified when enrollment opens: https://forms.gle/cQxaz9HfurJjH4Zh9

In this episode of Bonded, Lizzie and Dr. Patty continue their exploration of where science meets soul — this time diving into the powerful, experiential practice of Family Constellation work.

Family Constellation invites us to see how our struggles may not start with us — they often belong to the wider family system. Through group representation, unseen loyalties, ruptures, and inherited generational patterns can surface and find resolution in ways that words alone could never reach.

Lizzie and Patty share personal stories and reflections from their own experiences in constellations — revealing how healing often unfolds quietly, gently, and beyond the intellect. They discuss how group work itself becomes a container for safety and transformation, offering deep shifts in connection, belonging, and flow.

This conversation also gives a glimpse into their upcoming In Tune with Life Retreat — a four-day immersive experience happening January 1–4, 2026 in Florida. The retreat weaves mindfulness, self-compassion, and family constellation work to help participants release old patterns, reconnect with life’s natural flow, and begin the new year grounded and renewed.

✨ Learn more about the In Tune with Life Retreat

→ https://sacred-treehouse.mykajabi.com/in-tune-with-life-retreat

Listen now to discover:

• How family constellation reveals generational patterns we carry
• Why group healing is such a powerful catalyst for transformation
• The connection between attachment theory, nervous system repair, and collective healing
• What it feels like to experience a constellation from the inside
• How retreat spaces recreate the conditions for safety, presence, and deep connection, essential ingredients for attachment trauma healing

In this episode of Bonded, Dr. Patty and Lizzie open up about their recent journey to Brazil for the Wild Women Amazon Reiki Retreat. They explore how safety, attachment, and trauma healing are supported not only through evidence-based psychology—but also through energy work, group connection, and nature-based experiences.

Using powerful metaphors from the natural world, Patty and Lizzie discuss how true growth and healing can only happen when we feel safe—when the “soil” of our inner world is rich enough to allow new branches of transformation to grow.

Conversation Highlights:

• The intersection of evidence-based therapy and energy healing
• Lessons and insights from their Amazon retreat experience
• How group work fosters safety and co-regulation
• The vital role of self-compassion and mindfulness in trauma healing
• Why integrating science and spirit offers deeper whole-healing

Upcoming Retreat:

If this episode resonated with you, we invite you to join us in 2026 for our In Tune with Life Retreat + Family Constellation — a transformational 4-day immersive experience blending mindfulness, systemic healing, yoga, and nourishing community at the beautiful ATHA Retreat House.

January 1–4, 2026 at ATHA Retreat House and Yoga Shala in Delray Beach, FL

Click to learn more + reserve your spot or visit our website www.SacredTreehouse.org

In this solo episode, Lizzie revisits the foundational lessons on attachment theory, reminding us how our earliest relationships shape the ways we connect, communicate, and care for ourselves today. Through compassionate reflection, she explores how understanding these patterns opens the door to real change — both within ourselves and in our relationships.

You’ll also hear about two transformative pathways we’ve explored this season:

✨Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) — as shared through Trish Magyari’s story of healing from chronic illness and trauma, and learning to turn toward the body with gentleness.

✨Mindful Communication (Nonviolent Communication) — through our conversation with Jen Brummer, uncovering how identifying our feelings and needs helps us move from conflict to connection.

If you’ve ever felt stuck in old patterns, disconnected from your body, or unsure how to express your needs, this episode offers hope, practical insight, and an invitation to begin again — with awareness, compassion, and curiosity.

Explore all upcoming classes and retreats at www.SacredTreehouse.org

Mindful Communication Class Info

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Class Info

New Year's Retreat - Delray Beach Florida

What if the struggles you face today aren’t just yours—but are part of an invisible thread woven through generations of your family story?

In this episode of Bonded, we welcome psychologist Maria do Carmo and her translator/daughter Maíra Irigaray to explore the profound practice of Family Constellation. Rooted in the teachings of Bert and Sophie Hellinger, this approach reveals the hidden dynamics, unresolved pain, and inherited patterns that influence our lives—often without us realizing it. We will be bringing Maria's work to the US, explore this link for upcoming retreats and experiences.

Through conversation and personal stories, we explore:

✨ What Family Constellation is and how it works

✨ How ancestral wounds can impact our relationships, career, and well-being

✨ Why group work creates such powerful healing—even for those simply participating as representatives

✨ The sacred balance of family hierarchy and why honoring it is key to healing

Explore the January 2026 offerings: HERE

Whether you’re new to constellation work or have experienced it before, this conversation opens the door to a deeper understanding of how love, pain, and healing flow through family systems—and how we can reconnect to that invisible field with compassion and awareness.

What if every conflict held the key to deeper connection? In this episode of Bonded, we sit down with Jen Brummer, trainer and coach in Nonviolent Communication (NVC), to explore how mindful communication can transform relationships, heal old wounds, and bring more clarity and compassion into everyday conversations.

Jen shares her personal journey with NVC—from people-pleasing and burnout to discovering the tools that helped her navigate grief, parenting, and partnership with more ease and authenticity. She also explains how feelings and needs are at the heart of every interaction, and why identifying them can shift us from blame and reactivity into understanding and choice.

Whether you struggle with unmet needs from childhood, find yourself caught in reactive patterns, or simply long for more harmony in your relationships, this episode will give you a glimpse into the practical and life-changing tools of NVC.

• How feelings point us toward unmet (or fulfilled) needs.
• Why identifying needs is key to healing relational and attachment wounds.
• How roleplay, playfulness, and creativity make NVC more accessible.
• The connection between NVC, inner child work, and self-compassion.
• Simple strategies to move from conflict to connection in daily life.

Join Jen for her Free Intro Class: Mindful Communication → HERE

Sign up for the 8-Week Mindful Communication Program → HERE

Book mentioned: Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall Rosenberg

Tools Jen loves: GROK the World

In this interview with Anni Johnston, we explore how somatic practices, from simple breathing techniques to dance therapy, can be powerful pathways to heal attachment wounds. Anni is a trauma and somatic therapist turned resilience mentor, we brought her on to discuss why healing doesn’t just happen in the mind—it requires getting into the body.

Anni shares approachable take-home tips and a guided practice in how reconnecting to our physical selves in the present moment can restore safety, trust, and build peace, a critical piece of healing early attachment ruptures.

🌳 Connect with Anni on Instagram @inner_mastery_mentoring https://www.annijohnston.com/

⭐ Leave a 5 Star Review to support the Podcast in reaching more listeners who need to hear “it’s never too late to heal.”

⭐ Connect with Patty and Lizzie on Instagram @sacredtreehouse or visit www.thebondedpodcast.com

Key Takeaways

• Somatic healing is essential for repairing attachment wounds because the body remembers what the mind didn't have the capacity to understand.
• Somatic practices create safety, regulation, and trust in the nervous system.
• Community healing is pivotal for resilience and transformation.
• Daily reflection and mindfulness practice, like Anni’s Building Resilience Journal, can strengthen inner resources so you can grow through what you go through.

Explore Anni's free and low-cost journals to support you in cultivating joy and inner strength in daily life, www.annijohnston.com/inner-mastery-resources/

🌳 SEO Keywords to Help The Bonded Podcast Grow

Somatic Healing, Dance Movement Therapy, Attachment Trauma, Insecure Attachment, Mind-Body Connection, Trauma Healing, Body-Based Therapy, Community Healing, Emotional Safety, Nervous System Regulation, Developing Resilience

Welcome Alina Frank—bestselling author, EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) master trainer, and co-director of the Science of Tapping film project. Alina has trained thousands of practitioners worldwide and is the author of How to Want Sex Again, as well as a contributor to the Clinical EFT Handbook. Whether you’re curious about energy psychology, trauma healing, or navigating love and relationships, this conversation offers both practical tools and inspiring wisdom.

Together we explore:

• How EFT Tapping tapping works on the body’s energy system to calm emotions, regulate the nervous system, and help release trauma.
• Matrix Reimprinting – a powerful practice for reconnecting with younger parts of ourselves to heal early trauma and strengthen attachment bonds.
• The importance of safety and trust in trauma healing work, and how to create the conditions for real transformation.
• Learning to Find Love – Alina’s program for helping people attract and sustain healthy relationships, with insights on dating, apps, and why the “right person” can actually support your healing journey.

• Listeners get an exclusive 20% off discount using this page https://www.learningtofindlove.com/specially-priced-course/
• Learn more about Alina Frank: https://www.tapyourpower.net
• Book: How to Want Sex Again
• EFT International Research: https://eftinternational.org/research/