In this episode, Sarah sits down with Asentriarc's own holistic practitioner Denys Gamotin — registered Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner, acupuncturist, and facilitator of the Gather breathwork and yoga classes — to explore what therapy alone can't always reach: the body.

Denys shares her personal journey of being gaslighted by Western medicine as a child, spending three months doing acupuncture in the Philippines, and why she believes healing isn't something a practitioner does to you — it's something they guide you back to within yourself.

In this episode:

-Why the nervous system needs more than talk therapy to fully heal

-What breathwork actually does to the vagus nerve (and the research behind it)

-Why restorative yoga and slow movement are harder than they look

-The difference between trauma-informed breathwork and the kind that can re-traumatize

-How Traditional Chinese Medicine sees the connection between organs and emotions

-What acupuncture can offer for PMDD, PCOS, and endometriosis when Western medicine falls short

-Meridian lines, qi, and why TCM and polyvagal theory aren't so different after all

Whether you're curious about acupuncture, skeptical of breathwork, or just wondering what to do with everything that comes up after a therapy session — this one will change how you think about healing.

Join Gather: Virtual breathwork & yoga classes with Denys — link in bio or at asentriarc.com

Free resource: Download the STEER Method guide here

GUEST BIO 

 Denys Gamotin R.TCMP, R.Ac is a registered Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner and acupuncturist, and Asentriarc's holistic practitioner. She leads the Gather breathwork and yoga classes — virtual, trauma-informed sessions designed to complement therapy and support nervous system regulation. Denys brings a trauma-informed, accessible approach to Eastern healing practices, with a deep belief that wellness is for everyone.

APPROXIMATE TIMESTAMPS

0:00:00 – Intro & welcome 

0:02:42 – Denys's background & journey into holistic healing

0:07:36 – Being gaslighted by Western medicine as a child

0:10:49 – Three months in the Philippines 

0:16:04 – Who holistic wellness is really for 

0:19:37 – The healer as guide 

0:21:59 – Misconceptions about breathwork, restorative yoga & slow medicine

0:26:43 – How the Gather breathwork & yoga classes work

0:30:47 – Meridian lines, qi & Traditional Chinese Medicine explained

0:34:30 – Parallels between TCM and polyvagal theory

0:37:23 – Research: breathwork, the vagus nerve & heart rate variability

0:40:36 – What Denys sees shift in sessions 

0:43:39 – Trauma-informed breathwork 

0:47:42 – Research: yoga for PTSD and depression

0:50:04 – Why slow movement reaches the body where therapy sometimes can't

0:53:38 – Women's health 

0:57:31 – How TCM sees emotions & organs 

1:01:14 – Seasonal organ associations 

1:02:56 – Closing reflections & how to join Gather classes

RESEARCH MENTIONED

Breathwork & the Vagus Nerve

Zaccaro et al. (2018). How breath-control can change your life: A systematic review on psycho-physiological correlates of slow breathing. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.  → https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12341363/

PMC / MDPI (2025). Breathwork for chronic stress and nervous system regulation. Journal of Breathing Research.  →  https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3271/13/3/127

Yoga for PTSD & Depression

Brinsley et al. (2024). Efficacy of yoga for post-traumatic stress disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Psychiatry Research.  →  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9741324/

van der Kolk et al. (2014). Yoga as an adjunctive treatment for PTSD. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.  → https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25004196/

In this episode, Sarah sits down with trauma therapist and LGBTQ+ specialist Michelle Crozier MSW, RSW for an honest, tender conversation about identity, healing, and what it actually feels like to stop performing and start living as yourself.

Michelle shares her personal journey of discovering her queerness in her mid-twenties, why identity healing happens in community (not just therapy), and how the nervous system's survival responses quietly keep us from ever making authentic choices.

In this episode:

•       Why 'coming home' is different from 'coming out'

•       The difference between queer-friendly and queer-affirming care

•       How survival states keep us from making authentic choices

•       Grief, loss, and reclamation as part of identity work

•       Shame vs. guilt — and why we confuse them

•       How to start trusting joy when safety has always felt conditional

•       What the STEER Method has to do with all of this

Whether you're actively exploring your identity, supporting someone who is, or just someone who's ever asked 'is this really me?' — this one is for you.

Free resource: Download the STEER Method guide at www.asentriarc.com

Next episode: Grief Is More Than Just Death 

GUEST BIO (SHORT)

Michelle Crozier MSW, RSW is a registered trauma therapist specializing in LGBTQ+ healing, identity-related trauma, and affirming care for individuals and couples. She also volunteers with the All Collective in Hamilton, Ontario, providing free programming for queer, trans, and non-binary youth and their families.

www.michellecroziercounselling.com

Timestamps:

0:00 – Intro & welcome

5:38 – Michelle's personal & professional journey

11:40 – Coming home relationally & shame memories

16:20 – Community work — All Collective Hamilton

21:46 – Queer healing vs. traditional trauma recovery; friendly vs. affirming care

27:48 – Sarah's coming home story at 19

32:28 – Survival states & authentic choice

40:03 – The STEER Method connection

44:08 – Grief, loss & reclamation

52:53 – Shame vs. guilt — what's the difference?

63:35 – Trusting joy: positive triggers & glimmers

71:33 – Advice for those still exploring / in-between

77:23 – What coming home feels like on a body & soul level

82:26 – Building authentic relationships & community

87:18 – Final words & outro

Runtime: 24 minutes 41 seconds

Welcome to Triggered but Thriving!
In this episode, trauma therapist and Asentriarc founder Sarah Ferland Doherty, MSW, RSW, introduces a powerful new framework to help you move through triggers with more awareness, clarity, and self-control.

After a change in this week’s guest plan, Sarah uses this episode to share something she’s been building behind the scenes: The STEER Method, a practical process for helping you regulate before you react.

If you’ve ever felt like your nervous system took over before you even understood what was happening, this episode is for you. Sarah walks you through how to pause, tune in, and gently guide yourself back into the driver’s seat when you’ve been activated.

This is not just about coping. It’s about learning how to understand your inner experience in real time so you can respond from your authentic self instead of your trigger.

In This Episode, We Cover

• Why triggers can hijack your nervous system before you’re even aware

• The difference between reacting and responding

• What the STEER Method is and how to use it in real life

• How to identify your emotional state, your trigger, and the deeper feeling underneath

• Why environment matters more than we realize when we’re dysregulated

• How to choose your next step with more intention and self-trust

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome Back & Episode Update
02:05 Introducing the STEER Method
04:10 Why STEER Matters: Regulate Before You React
06:15 S — State: What state am I in right now?
08:20 T — Trigger: What is my brain perceiving as a threat?
11:05 E — Emotion: What am I really feeling?
13:50 E — Environment: What is affecting me around me?
16:20 R — Regulation: What do I need right now?
18:45 The 5 Next-Step Choices After STEER
21:10 How to Practice STEER in Daily Life
23:00 Free STEER Downloadable & Next Episode Preview

Next Episode

Episode 7: Sexuality, Identity, and Coming Home to Yourself
Sarah is joined by trauma therapist Michelle Crozier, MSW, RSW for a meaningful conversation on sexuality, identity, and healing.

Runtime: 1 hour 24 minutes

Welcome back to Triggered but Thriving!
In this episode, trauma therapist and Asentriarc founder Sarah Ferland Doherty, RSW, breaks down what actually happens when we get triggered and why it can feel like our nervous system suddenly hijacks the steering wheel.

Triggers aren’t a sign that you’re failing or regressing. They’re your body’s protective system doing exactly what it learned to do. In this episode, Sarah explains the neuroscience behind triggers, why they can show up out of nowhere, and how trauma lives in the body long after the event has passed.

Most importantly, this episode offers a practical, compassionate toolbox to help you move through triggers without shame. You’ll learn how to regain choice, regulation, and self-trust when your system feels overwhelmed, reactive, or shut down.

This is about understanding your nervous system, not controlling it. Healing doesn’t mean never being triggered again. It means knowing what’s happening and trusting yourself to come back home.

The Four Regulation Pillars Covered

Behavioral strategies

• Stimulus reduction vs. avoidance

• Titrated exposure and nervous system reprocessing

• Opposite action and behavioral activation

Cognitive strategies

• Cognitive restructuring and belief reprogramming

• Signs of safety and neutral reinterpretation

• Adult-self grounding and meaning-making

Mindfulness strategies

• Present-moment anchoring

• Emotion labeling without judgment

• Breathwork for downregulation

Somatic strategies

• Grounding through sensation and pressure

• Shaking, tremoring, and movement

• Vagus nerve stimulation (ears, breath, cold)

• Butterfly tapping and bilateral stimulation

• Oral regulation, swallowing, and saliva activation

• Swaying, spinal release, humming, and sound

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction: When Triggers Take the Wheel
03:10 What Triggers Are (and What They Aren’t)
07:30 Trauma, the Nervous System, and the Amygdala
12:40 Why Triggers Feel So Immediate and Intense
17:50 Neutral Situations and Overactivation
22:30 Avoidance vs. Regulation
27:10 Behavioral Strategies for Triggers
36:00 Exposure, Opposite Action, and Awareness
44:30 Cognitive Strategies and Trauma Beliefs
55:00 Mindfulness and Present-Moment Anchoring
1:03:00 Somatic Tools for Regulation
1:17:30 Healing, Self-Trust, and Compassion
1:22:00 Closing Reflections and Next Episode Tease

Episode 6: Sexuality, Identity, and Coming Home to Yourself
A powerful conversation with trauma therapist Michelle Crozier RSW on sexuality, identity, and healing after trauma.

Runtime: 1 hour 18 minutes

Welcome back to Triggered but Thriving! In this episode, trauma therapist and Asentriarc founder Sarah Ferland Doherty, RSW, sits down with fellow therapist and best friend Rachel Oliver, RSW—founder of The Emotion Centre and known online as @modern.love.therapist—to talk all things relationships.

Together, they explore what it means to love and be loved from a regulated, secure place. From attachment wounds and nervous-system safety to conflict repair and self-trust, this episode dives deep into how relationships can become both our biggest triggers and our greatest teachers.

If you’ve ever wondered why dating feels so intense, why calm love can feel “boring,” or how to know when a connection is truly safe, this conversation is for you.

Rachel and Sarah unpack:

• Why love is often a “portal” to healing old wounds

• How attachment styles show up in adult relationships

• The difference between emotional and relational intelligence

• Sovereignty: learning to trust your own inner compass

• Nervous-system safety and co-regulation in healthy love

• Conflict repair and accountability

• The balance between healing alone vs. healing in relationship

• Spirituality, abundance mindset, and the energy of dating

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro & Welcome
02:15 Meet Rachel — Background & Why Couples Work
05:30 How Sarah & Rachel Met
10:10 Rachel’s Path to Relationship Work & Intuitive Practice
14:20 Sovereignty & Inner Guidance
19:00 Healing Through Love: The “Portal” Idea
24:45 When Triggers Open in Relationships
29:40 Attachment Wounds & Insecure Patterns
35:10 Couples Therapy 101: “The Relationship is the Client”
39:00 Identity-Based vs. Attachment-Based Triggers
45:10 Defining Healthy Love
50:30 Nervous-System Safety & Co-Regulation
55:10 Self-Abandonment in Relationships
59:30 Intuition vs. Triggers
1:03:00 Conflict, Communication & Accountability
1:08:00 Emotional vs. Relational Intelligence
1:11:30 Healing on Your Own vs. Healing in Relationship
1:14:00 Spirituality, Self-Love & Abundance in Dating
1:16:00 Final Reflections & Next Episode Tease

Rachel Oliver, RSW
Relationship & Couples Therapist
Founder of The Emotion Centre
Instagram: @modern.love.therapist

Up Next: When Triggers Take the Wheel
Learn how to recognize, name, and navigate your triggers, so you can stay grounded, connected, and thriving.

Welcome back, Thrivers. In this episode of Triggered but Thriving, trauma therapist and Asentriarc founder Sarah Ferland Doherty guides you through one of the most personal and misunderstood aspects of healing: self-esteem.

If you’ve ever struggled to feel “good enough,” had trouble accepting compliments, or felt like your confidence comes and goes with your environment, you’re not alone — and you're not broken. Sarah walks you through how your early attachments, survival strategies, and family dynamics shaped your sense of self, and how to gently start rewriting those narratives.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why self-esteem is a state, not a fixed trait

• How attachment wounds and trauma disrupt identity and confidence

• The difference between external validation and internal self-worth

• How to reframe survival strategies (like people-pleasing or dissociation) into signs of strength

• Why fear of being “cocky” might be blocking your growth

• Simple, compassionate ways to start building your authentic self-esteem — today

Sarah also shares personal stories about healing from body image trauma, relationship betrayal, and what it really means to move from anxious attachment into secure love.

By the end, you'll feel a little less alone, a lot more understood, and more equipped to recognize your own worth — even on the days your inner critic gets loud.

Timestamps:
00:00 Welcome to your self-esteem era
01:40 Why trauma disrupts self-esteem
04:15 Attachment theory basics
09:00 Anxious vs. avoidant development
14:30 How trauma blocks self-development
18:20 Projecting parents’ insecurities
22:15 Survival strategies as personality
28:30 Reframing people-pleasing and dissociation
34:05 Building trust in self and others
38:50 Sarah’s story: panic, triggers, and learning to trust again
44:20 Self-esteem is a state, not a trait
49:00 Thermometer check: confidence in real time
52:30 Compliments, energy, and letting it land
56:45 Internal vs. external sources of self-worth
59:20 Catching the inner critic
1:01:15 Final strategies to build authentic self-esteem
1:03:15 Wrap-up and preview of Episode 4

Next episode: Relationship 101 with guest Rachel Oliver RSW (@modernlovetherapist)
We’re diving into healing through relationships, attachment dynamics, and how to show up more securely in love.

Learn more or connect with Sarah at asentriarc.com
Follow along @asentriarc
Subscribe, share, and leave a review if this episode spoke to you.

Welcome back, Thriver gang. In this episode of Triggered but Thriving, trauma therapist and Asentriarc founder Sarah Ferland Doherty dives deep into the most essential tool for healing: boundaries.

Whether you're a people-pleaser, emotionally burnt out, or constantly second-guessing yourself, this one is for you. Sarah explores how boundaries aren’t just something you set, they’re something you embody. And they are your birthright.

Together, we unpack the three foundational types of boundaries:

• Physical boundaries (space, safety, and consent)
• Emotional boundaries (filters, force fields, and family triggers)
• Body-based boundaries (your nervous system’s energy limits)

You’ll learn why boundaries are not about controlling others but about honouring yourself. Sarah breaks down how to recognize your needs, set and hold boundaries even when it’s uncomfortable, and start building tolerance for the big emotions that often follow: guilt, grief, fear, and self-doubt.

This episode includes:

• Real-life boundary scripts you can use today

• A vulnerable story about Sarah’s own “too much” moment

• Insight on family dynamics, burnout, and people-pleasing

• A reminder that healing is messy, but you’re doing it

If you’ve ever wondered, “Why is setting boundaries so hard for me?”, you’re about to find out and feel a lot less alone.

Timestamps:00:00 Welcome back, Thrivers01:40 Why boundaries matter in healing04:15 Boundaries 101: What they really are09:30 Physical boundaries and trauma triggers17:18 Emotional boundaries as your inner filter24:45 The body's boundaries and burnout32:55 What boundaries are not: Misuse and control36:00 Flexible vs. rigid boundaries42:00 Emotional boundaries as self-protection49:15 Communicating boundaries with “I” statements54:10 Handling disrespect or boundary pushback58:05 How to discover your needs and tune in1:02:40 Sarah’s personal story on losing herself1:10:10 Guilt, grief, and why boundaries feel hard1:14:05 Scripts to start practicing boundaries1:16:25 Final words: You are already thriving, and next episode

Next up: Episode 3 — The Self-Compassion Era
Because healing without kindness just doesn’t work.

Connect with Sarah at www.asentriarc.com
Follow @asentriarcwellness
Subscribe, rate, and share if this resonated with you.

In this first episode, trauma therapist and Asentriarc founder Sarah Ferland Doherty dives into the heart of why this podcast exists, and why you are not broken.

If you've ever asked yourself “Why do I keep doing this?” or felt like your reactions don’t match your intentions, this episode will make you feel so seen.

Sarah shares the story behind launching Triggered but Thriving, the meaning of her rebranded practice Asentriarc, and how her role as a modern matriarch helps others navigate deep emotional pain, reconnect with their intuition, and build a life rooted in authentic self-leadership.

She breaks down how trauma shows up in the body, how survival patterns develop in childhood, and why healing isn’t about fixing yourself, it’s about reclaiming who you were always meant to be.

Expect laughter, honesty, and moments that feel like therapy for your nervous system.
This is the beginning of something big.

Join the Thriver Gang.
You’re already doing the work.
Let’s rise together.

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome & OMG it’s happening01:25 Why I started this podcast04:42 What is Asentriarc?06:50 Matriarch energy & holding space10:58 You're not broken, your brain adapted14:36 The roots of trauma & childhood patterns18:15 How coping becomes personality21:32 What triggers really mean24:25 What healing actually looks like27:45 Legacy, leadership & living your healing30:40 A look ahead: Boundaries are your birthright

Welcome to Triggered but Thriving!

In this trailer of Triggered but Thriving, trauma therapist and Asentriarc founder Sarah Ferland Doherty introduces a new space for high-functioning humans doing the deep work of healing.

If you’ve ever felt caught between who you want to be and what your nervous system keeps doing, you’re not alone, and you’re in the right place.

Sarah unpacks what sustainable healing actually looks like: not perfection, but presence. Not fixing yourself, but remembering who you are beneath the survival. She shares why this podcast exists and how it will support you in building self-trust, navigating triggers with clarity, and embracing the messy, miraculous process of healing.

Expect tools. Truth-telling. And a community that gets it.

Join the Thriver gang.
Heal at your own pace.
Rise into who you already are.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to Thriving

00:21 Meet Sarah Ferland Doherty

00:36 The Reality of Healing

00:48 Embracing Imperfection

01:23 Tools and Conversations for Healing

01:52 The Power of Community

02:20 The Journey of Healing

02:43 Join the Thriver Gang

03:04 Conclusion and Next Steps