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:

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.

Holly Lowery-Davis joins host Jan Winhall and the FSPM Institute on Embodied Dialogues for a grounded, practical conversation about building the sturdy foundation needed to heal trauma and attachment wounds. Deep, body-level healing begins with feeling safe enough to stay with our embodied experience - and that sense of felt safety is something we can actively learn to create.

Holly, a certified body-oriented coach, somatic practitioner, group facilitator, and mental-health educator, shares why a well-stocked resource kit matters and how to build one by meeting and matching your nervous system while tending to the different needs of your parts.

Learn immediately usable ideas to support every domain of experience: physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, energetic, and relational. Together Jan and Holly explore the power of deep felt sense work, rooted in Gene Gendlin's Focusing and Felt Sensing methodology. They discuss why healing attachment, addiction, and trauma isn’t something we think our way through; it’s something we restore in the body. For that to happen we must learn to intentionally and reliably resource ourselves to build the felt safety needed to do the deep work of healing.

Reach Holly at hollylowery.com or on insta: @hollylowerydavis. Get her free somatic toolkit at https://www.somacoachholly.com/feelings-toolkit.

Get free resources and learn more about the Felt Sense Polyvagal Model at https://www.FSPMinstitute.com

Research now shows seemingly unrelated factors like food, sensory input, digestive health, lack of exercise, and diminished parental availability can influence children’s brain development both in function AND form.

Katy Dickson, Author of "The Tree & Me, A Polyvagal Poem" (a finalist in the 2025 National Indie Excellence Awards, Children's inspirational/motivational) joins Jan Winhall on July 24, 2025 on the live, interactive Embodied Dialogues Podcast.

After a short grounding practice from Jan, Katy shares both professional and lived experience insights and reflections as an Occupational Therapist, deeply rooted embodied, trauma-informed practice.

Conversation flows into her personal healing journey and how it reconnected her with a long-held love of language, wordsmithery and poetry, which gave life to "The Tree and Me: A Polyvagal Poem".

Katy shares how that piece moved from a seed of an idea to publication, and the beautiful web of connection, support and synchronicity that followed. Katy gives a reading of the poem with one of the talented illustrators behind "The Tree & Me," Regan Desautels, and reflect on what’s next—dreams, hopes, and where this path may continue to lead.

Formerly the founder of Attune, her own private practice supporting nervous system regulation through embodied approaches, Katy currently works as Principal OT at a private interdisciplinary Pediatric company, Words First Ltd., which places therapists in schools across London and beyond. Part of this role is to lead on a trauma-informed strategy in educational settings.

Katy is also an Associate at Hemispheres, where she guides children and young people through Dr. Stephen Porges’ Safe & Sound Protocol.

Beyond her professional roles, Katy lives in South East London, is a mother, and someone who carries trauma in her own system.

Welcome to a 1-hour exclusive Embodied Dialogue in 2025 with Dr. Stephen Porges, the esteemed creator of the Polyvagal Theory.

One of the many qualities I admire about Dr. Porges is his unwavering commitment to accessibility. As I become busier with a public lifestyle, I find myself challenged by the desire to reach out and the need to contain. Steve’s ability to stay connected, respond to emails, listen deeply, and maintain a safe presence amidst his growing popularity is truly inspiring.

Steve starts with opening up about his personal musings on cats and the unique ways they co-regulate with humans, offering insights that might just change the way you view your feline friends. We dive deep into the profound concepts of safety in the body and the transformative nature of feeling truly secure.

Among many other things we touch upon the significance of feedback loops in therapy and life, and how interoception—the awareness of our bodily states—plays a crucial role in healing trauma and addiction. 

It's a dialogue brimming with warmth, insight, and a little humor, inviting you to pause, reflect, and embrace the wisdom shared. Through Steve’s stories and reflections, I hope your understanding of polyvagal theory and its practical applications expands.

Chapter Overview

03:30 Cat's Early Morning Routine

08:53 Understanding Embodiment Through Interoception

11:13 "Evaluating Reactions Mindfully"

13:32 Polyvagal Theory and Emotions

18:29 Reflecting on Bold Paradigm Shifts

23:22 "Balancing Accessibility and Self-Time"

26:47 Evolving Academic Models Post-Pandemic

29:14 Impact of ACEs on Individuals

31:28 "Integrating Neuroscience and Subconscious Therapy"

37:03 Academic Crisis: Research Structure Doomed

40:32 Innovative Music Experience for Neurodivergent

43:07 Developing Scalable Health Products

46:06 Trust and Motivation in Leadership

49:47 Neglected Behavioral Solutions in Autism

53:04 Critique of Autism Research Focus

56:13 Autism Diagnosis and Hope

This session is particularly special as we celebrate the release of three groundbreaking Polyvagal books this winter:

Nightmares are robustly linked with trauma and many other forms of psychological injury, including a 4x greater risk of suicide. Yet they are vastly under-treated — which is a shame because nightmare treatment is simple, effective and evidence based. Guest Dr. Leslie Ellis shares:

Dr. Ellis is a leading expert in the use of experiential and somatic approaches in psychotherapy, in particular for working with dreams, nightmares and the effects of trauma. She is the author of A Clinician’s Guide to Dream Therapy. As adjunct faculty at Adler University, she taught clinical skills and trauma treatment. She is a Certifying Coordinator and past president of The International Focusing Institute, and former vice president of the International Association for the Study of Dreams. Website: https://drleslieellis.com/

Jan Winhall with Patrick McA, Elizabeth Moitoza, Robert Ragucci, Ann Dowsett Johnston Join us in this special 2-hour edition of the Embodied Dialogue Series for an enlightening exploration of how Polyvagal Theory and Twelve-step Programs can intersect to enhance addiction treatment.

https://janwinhall.com

Polyvagal Theorist Dr. Stephen Porges joins Jan Winhall in February 2022 with a live audience to address questions about how the nervous system interprets safety and threat and how it's felt in the body.

Guest Julianne Del Cano Kennard and host Jan Winhall explore the spiritual alchemy of trauma, the process by which pain, when consciously met, becomes a catalyst for transformation. Julianne will share about her upcoming book and the Wholality® framework to explain how the patterns and blocks within our human experience are not problems to fix, but signals pointing toward what wants to be healed and harmonized.