What if the stories your body carries are the map back to belonging? In this conversation with Palestinian–American poet and clinical psychologist Hala Alyan, we explore how narrative, trauma, and the nervous system meet inside a living body. Hala shares how displacement shaped her love of books and oral histories, why writing still arrives as mystery, and how creative practice can offer coherence when life feels scattered.

We move beyond buzzwords to talk about embodiment as a political act—how storytelling becomes witness and resistance when institutions fail. Hala offers practical ways to return to your body: hand over heart, 4-7-8 breathing, hot baths without a phone, and the simple mantra “this is just what’s happening.” She also unpacks why perfectionism makes somatics feel inaccessible and how choosing to feel—even discomfort—builds resilience.

This episode is for anyone curious about creativity as healing, building distress tolerance, and holding grief and agency at the same time. Expect clear language, grounded tools, and gentle guidance for reconnecting to your body and your story.

In this episode:

• 0:00 – Welcome And Episode Setup
• 3:37 – Narrative As A Unifying Thread
• 9:53 – How Narrative Works In The Body
• 14:46 – Displacement, Reading, And Early Survival
• 20:47 – Creativity As Conduit And Mystery
• 30:17 – Safety, Downregulation, And Rewriting
• 36:52 – Storytelling As Survival And Alliance
• 42:12 – Memory, Erasure, And Resistance
• 49:07 – Embodiment As Political Practice

You can read the transcript here

Learn more about Ailey Jolie:

• Find: Website
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• Experience: Insight Timer
• Sign up: InBodyMethod
• Email: [email protected]

To follow along with the In This Body podcast:

• Follow: Instagram
• Find: Website
• Email: info@aileyjolie.com