Trauma Rewired

What if healing from trauma is not just a psychological process, but a fundamentally creative one?
In this episode, Jennifer Wallace and Elisabeth Kristof are joined by Laura Dawn, a psychedelic-informed author, researcher, and mentor who has spent more than two decades exploring how altered states can open creative pathways, support trauma recovery, and reconnect people with vision and possibility.
Laura opens by naming something most people carry but rarely say out loud: the moment someone told them they were not creative. Research by Brené Brown suggests that around 80% of people had an experience in childhood that planted a limiting belief about themselves—and for half of them, it was about creativity.
From there, the conversation expands into something much bigger: a reframing of creativity itself. Not as a talent or personality trait, but as a fundamental function of being human.
Drawing on her graduate research and the Five P's of creativity framework, Laura maps creativity onto the arc of healing. She shows how psychological flexibility—one of the strongest predictors of post-traumatic growth—is also directly linked to creative capacity. The connection between trauma, recovery, psychedelics, and creativity is not metaphorical. It is neurological.
Together, they explore how trauma narrows perception into rigid patterns, and how healing—through nervous system regulation, somatic work, and in some cases psychedelic-assisted therapy—reopens the mind to new ideas, new narratives, and new ways of being.
The conversation also challenges the culture of speed and optimization, reframing slow living as a deep psychological restructuring rather than an aesthetic. And it asks a larger question: what becomes possible, individually and collectively, when we begin to value creativity and beauty as much as we value productivity and output?
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Why creativity is not a personality trait but a fundamental dimension of what it means to be human

How the industrial education system planted limiting beliefs about creativity that still shape adults today

The five P's of creativity framework and how it maps onto psychedelic preparation and integration

Why psychological flexibility is a predictor of both post-traumatic growth and creative achievement

How the default mode network drives self-referential rumination in trauma and addiction, and how psychedelics disrupt that loop

Why nervous system preparation before a psychedelic journey changes what becomes possible in and after the experience

The surprising connection between compassion, forgiveness, and creative capacity

Why slow living is actually a profound re-patterning of how we relate to time, not a lifestyle trend

What creativity looks like as a mechanism for healing complex trauma, not just as an outcome of it

Chapters
0:00 - The Healing Journey as a Creative Act
01:32 - Welcome and Introducing Laura Dawn
03:07 - What Is Creativity? A Word Association Game and the Limiting Beliefs We Carry
07:59 - The Five P's of Creativity and How They Map Onto the Healing Arc
17:45 - What Would the World Look Like If Artists Believed in Themselves?
21:30 - Collective Creativity, North Stars, and What We Are Actually Building Toward
26:37 - Survival Culture, Speed, and Why Slow Living Is Harder Than It Looks
33:36 - Complex Trauma, Neurodivergence, and the Creative Gifts Within the Wound
38:55 - Psychological Flexibility: The Bridge Between Trauma, Psychedelics, and Creativity
43:08 - The Hamster Wheel, the Default Mode Network, and Psychedelics as Pattern Disruptors
50:36 - Preparation, Embodiment, and Why One Good Rep Has to Be Whole-System
51:36 - Compassion, Forgiveness, and Why That Is Where Creativity Actually Comes Online
Ways to Engage with Neurosomatics 
FREE 1 Year Supply of Vitamin D + 5 Travel Packs from Athletic Greens when you use my exclusive offer: https://www.drinkag1.com/rewired

Wayfinder Journal: Track nervous system patterns and support preparation and integration through Neurosomatic Intelligence.

Two week trail of BrainBased membership for neurosomatic practices and nervous system rehabilitation and health: rewiretrial.com 

Introduction to NSI for practitioners, coaches and therapists - The NSI foundations Bundle: https://neurosomaticintelligence.com/workshops/

Connect with Laura Dawn: livefreelaurad.com

Watch Trauma Rewired on YouTube - Subscribe here

Learn more about psychedelic neuroscience and neurosomatics on Sacred Synapse with Jennifer Wallace  

Capacity Gap: Free BrainBased workshop for entrepreneurs, leaders and high-performers: rewirecapacity.com

In this episode, Jennifer Wallace and Elisabeth Kristof are joined by Oren Shai, organizational psychologist, somatic executive coach, and NSI-certified practitioner, for a conversation about what happens when nervous system literacy meets the corporate world.
After years working inside large organizations, including LinkedIn, Oren kept seeing the same pattern: all the right strategies, all the right tactics, and none of the essential human work getting done.
What if the quality of your leadership isn't determined by your intelligence, experience, or decision-making frameworks—but by your nervous system's capacity to feel?
In this conversation, we explore how emotional repression, trauma patterns, and chronic stress shape leadership, team dynamics, and organizational culture—and why so many high performers are operating at a hidden cost to their health, relationships, and sense of self.
This episode is for leaders, entrepreneurs, practitioners, and anyone who has ever found themselves doing everything "right" professionally, while feeling depleted, disconnected, or like they're holding it all together behind the scenes.
Because leadership isn't just about what you do. It's about what your nervous system can hold.
 
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Why the quality of leadership is tied directly to nervous system capacity

Why high performers are often high performers because of trauma, not despite it

The difference between nervous system regulation as coping versus as a foundation for aligned action

Why leaders are emotionally contagious, and what that means for organizational health

What embodied leadership looks like, and why it changes everything for teams

Chapters 
0:00 - The Doorway Into the Real Conversation: Co-Founders and What Goes Unnamed
1:08 - Welcome: What Leadership Capacity Actually Requires
2:51 - Introducing Oren Shai: From the Tech World to Somatic Executive Coaching
7:10 - What Elisabeth Hears from Women Executives When No One Else Is Listening
11:43 - Organizations Have a Nervous System Too
13:31 - Leaders Are Emotionally Contagious: The Ripple Effect of Embodied Leadership
22:39 - How Oren Opens the Conversation with Leadership Teams
30:14 - Most Careers Are Fueled by Coffee and Trauma
37:25 - Why Individual Work Alone Cannot Create Organizational Change
43:45 - Slowing Down Enough to Remember What Aliveness Feels Like
51:35 - Moving From Nervous System Regulation as Coping to Capacity as a Daily Practice
57:50 - Closing Reflection: Start Close In
Ways to Engage with Neurosomatics 
 
Capacity Gap: Free BrainBased workshop for entrepreneurs, leaders and high-performers: rewirecapacity.com

Two week trail of BrainBased membership for neurosomatic practices and nervous system rehabilitation and health: rewiretrial.com 

Introduction to NSI for practitioners, coaches and therapists - The NSI foundations Bundle: https://neurosomaticintelligence.com/workshops/

Connect with Oren Shai: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oshai/

Watch Trauma Rewired on YouTube - Subscribe here

Learn more about psychedelic neuroscience and neurosomatics on Sacred Synapse with Jennifer Wallace  

Disclaimer:
Trauma Rewired podcast is intended to educate and inform but does not constitute medical, psychological or other professional advice or services. Always consult a qualified medical professional about your specific circumstances before making any decisions based on what you hear. We share our experiences, explore trauma, physical reactions, mental health and disease. If you become distressed by our content, please stop listening and seek professional support when needed. Do not continue to listen if the conversations are having a negative impact on your health and well-being. If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, or in mental health crisis and you are in the United States you can 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
If someone's life is in danger, immediately call 911.
We do our best to stay current in research, but older episodes are always available. We don't warrant or guarantee that this podcast contains complete, accurate or up-to-date information. It's very important to talk to a medical professional about your individual needs, as we aren't responsible for any actions you take based on the information you hear in this podcast.
We invite guests onto the podcast. Please note that we don't verify the accuracy of their statements. Our organization does not endorse third-party content and the views of our guests do not necessarily represent the views of our organization. We talk about general neuro-science and nervous system health, but you are unique. These are conversations for a wide audience. They are general recommendations and you are always advised to seek personal care for your unique outputs, trauma and needs.
We are not doctors or licensed medical professionals. We are certified neuro-somatic practitioners and nervous system health/embodiment coaches. We are not your doctor or medical professional and do not know you and your unique nervous system. This podcast is not a replacement for working with a professional. The BrainBased.com site and RewireTrial.com is a membership site for general nervous system health, somatic processing and stress processing. It is not a substitute for medical care or the appropriate solution for anyone in mental health crisis.
Any examples mentioned in this podcast are for illustration purposes only. If they are based on real events, names have been changed to protect the identities of those involved.
We've done our best to ensure our podcast respects the intellectual property rights of others, however if you have an issue with our content, please let us know by emailing us at [email protected].
All rights in our content are reserved.

This week on Trauma Rewired we step into a big and important conversation about how racism, historical trauma and systemic oppression impact nervous system health.
Racism is often framed as a social or ideological issue, but neuroscience tells us something deeper. Chronic exposure to discrimination functions as a persistent threat signal to the nervous system. Over time, that threat shapes stress hormones, inflammatory responses, emotional regulation and even pain perception. These are not abstract ideas. They are biological adaptations to sustained social stress.
In this episode we are joined by Lovey Bradley, a NeuroSomatic Intelligence certified practitioner, NSI community facilitator and co-facilitator of the NSI BIPOC Affinity Group. Together we explore how systemic forces shape physiology, how ancestral stress patterns can live in the body, and how chronic exposure to inequity affects both individual nervous systems and the collective nervous system of our culture.
This conversation is real and imperfect. It is one small part of a much larger dialogue. We share research, personal experience and reflections from our work in nervous system education spaces. Our intention is not to represent every perspective, but to open a thoughtful conversation about embodiment, representation, safety and the capacity to stay present with complexity.
From a neurosomatic lens, post-traumatic growth is not about bypassing trauma. It is about expanding nervous system capacity so we can remain embodied in difficult conversations, process rupture rather than avoiding it, and build the relational tolerance required for collective healing.
Topics Covered
How racism functions as a chronic threat signal that reshapes the nervous system, not just belief or behavior

What the HPA axis, cortisol, and progesterone have to do with racial stress and women's health outcomes

How suppressed expression contributes to physical disease in melanated bodies

What Resmaa Menakem's framework adds to neuro somatic approaches to racialized trauma

Why white supremacy culture traits like urgency and perfectionism map directly onto chronic stress behaviors

How the urgency to fix or regulate can itself become a form of bypassing in healing spaces

What post-traumatic growth looks like at a collective level, not just an individual one

Why witnessing state violence on social media is a genuine nervous system stressor, even for those not directly targeted

How Dr. Levy's community for melanated women came to life and what it is building toward

Chapter Markers
0:00 - Why This Conversation Had to Happen
01:57 - Welcome: Racial Trauma, the Nervous System, and Post-Traumatic Growth
07:25 - What Racial Stress Looks Like in the Body, for White and Melanated Bodies
10:44 - Post-Traumatic Growth at the Collective Level: What It Actually Requires
15:35 - The Danger of Regulating Out of Activation Before the Cycle Completes
18:09 - The Neuroscience: HPA Axis, Allostatic Load, and Chronic Racial Threat
24:27 - How Racial Stress Shows Up in Hormones, Cycles, and Women's Health
29:25 - Resmaa Menakem, White Supremacy Culture, and the Nervous System
38:42 - Dr. Levy's Community for Melanated Women and What It Is Building
41:35 - Witnessing Violence at Scale: What It Does to All Nervous Systems
49:11 - What This Work Has Made Possible: Dr. Levy on Choosing to Create a Different World
51:59 - Closing Reflection: What Post-Traumatic Growth Requires of Us Collectively
Ways to Engage with Neurosomatics:
Neurosomatic Intelligence is now enrolling : https://neurosomaticintelligence.com/nsi-certification

Join us for a two week trial of neurosomatic practices at rewiretrial.com

Free BrainBased neurosomatic workshop for entrepreneurs at rewirecapacity.com

Sacred Synapse: an educational YouTube channel founded by Jennifer Wallace that explores nervous system regulation, applied neuroscience, consciousness, and psychedelic preparation and integration through Neurosomatic Intelligence. 

Wayfinder Journal: Track nervous system patterns and support preparation and integration through Neurosomatic Intelligence.

Learn to work with Boundaries at the level of the body and nervous system at https://www.boundaryrewire.com

 
Resources:
Brave Heart, Maria Yellow Horse. "The Historical Trauma Response Among Natives and Its Relationship with Substance Abuse: A Lakota Illustration." Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, vol. 35, no. 1, 2003, pp. 7–13.
Brave Heart, Maria Yellow Horse, and Eduardo Duran. "Healing the Soul Wound: Counseling with American Indians and Other Native Peoples." Teachers College Press, 1995.
DeGruy, Joy. Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America's Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing. Joy DeGruy Publications Inc., 2005.
Hobson, J. M., M. D. Moody, R. E. Sorge, and B. R. Goodin. "The Neurobiology of Social Stress Resulting from Racism." Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, vol. 17, no. 2, 2022, pp. 181–191.
Hicken, Margaret T., et al. "Everyday Discrimination, Chronic Stress, and Cardiovascular Health." American Journal of Epidemiology, 2014.
Geronimus, Arline T. "Weathering and the Health of African-American Women." Ethnicity & Disease, 2006.
Menakem, Resmaa. My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies. Central Recovery Press, 2017.
Okun, Tema. "White Supremacy Culture." Dismantling Racism Works, originally published 1999, revised 2021.
Williams, Monnica T. "Racial Trauma: Theory, Research, and Healing." American Psychologist, vol. 74, no. 1, 2019, pp. 33–42.

The wound between women is not just interpersonal. It is neurobiological, historical, and deeply rooted in systems that were designed to divide us.
In this episode, Jennifer Wallace and Elisabeth Kristof are joined by Dr. Lovey Bradley, Msc.D., NSI certified practitioner, BrainBased facilitator, and facilitator of the NSI BIPOC Affinity Group, whose work sits at the intersection of female hormone health, nervous system regulation, and somatic approaches to trauma. Together, they go deep on one of the most underexplored dimensions of collective healing: the feminine wound, and specifically the racial fracture at its root.
Lovey shares her own experience of dissociation in a predominantly white healing space during her NCAI certification, and what that revealed about epigenetic nervous system patterns that have nothing to do with individual will and everything to do with what our bodies have inherited and learned to expect. Jennifer and Elisabeth reflect honestly on their own experiences, including what it takes for white bodied women to pause, stop fixing, and actually listen without collapsing into shame or urgency.
The conversation also traces the science behind why relational stress hits the female nervous system so hard, why oxytocin can amplify threat as much as it buffers it when relationships are unsafe, and how chronic cortisol dysregulation suppresses progesterone and drives the health outcomes so many women are navigating.
Topic Include:
Why the feminine wound cannot be fully healed without naming its racial roots

How the nervous system adapts to chronic relational threat in female coded spaces

What social baseline theory tells us about why disconnection between women is a physiological load, not just an emotional one

How early experiences of exclusion, relational aggression, and peer victimization become nervous system prediction patterns in adulthood

Why oxytocin amplifies relational stress when social environments are unsafe

How high cortisol suppresses progesterone and drives inflammation, infertility, and hormonal dysregulation

What it looks like for white bodied women to stay present without defaulting to shame, urgency, or over-repair

Why healing within cultures must precede healing across them

What a real path forward looks like, starting at the individual level

Chapters
0:00 - Why Racial Trauma Is the Root We Are Not Talking About
1:05 - Welcome: The Feminine Wound Through a Nervous System Lens
3:48 - Introducing Dr. Lovey Bradley and Why This Conversation Matters
7:00 - How the Sister Wound Shows Up in Friendships, Workplaces, and Healing Spaces
10:21 - Dr. Lovey's Personal Story: Dissociating in a Predominantly White Healing Space
17:11 - Social Baseline Theory and the Neurobiology of Relational Disconnection
24:54 - The Historical Root: White Women, Racial Hierarchy, and the Fractured Sisterhood
27:26 - What It Takes for White Bodied Women to Listen Without Collapsing
34:14 - Colorism, Division Within Cultures, and Where Trust Has to Begin
43:08 - Early Developmental Roots: How Relational Threat Shapes the Nervous System
46:52 - Oxytocin, Cortisol, Progesterone, and the Female Hormone Connection
49:56 - A Path Forward: Building Trust One Relationship at a Time
Ways to Engage with Neurosomatics:
Neurosomatic Intelligence is now enrolling : https://neurosomaticintelligence.com/nsi-certification

Join us for a two week trial of neurosomatic practices at rewiretrial.com

Free BrainBased neurosomatic workshop for entrepreneurs at rewirecapacity.com

Sacred Synapse: an educational YouTube channel founded by Jennifer Wallace that explores nervous system regulation, applied neuroscience, consciousness, and psychedelic preparation and integration through Neurosomatic Intelligence. 

Wayfinder Journal: Track nervous system patterns and support preparation and integration through Neurosomatic Intelligence.

Learn to work with Boundaries at the level of the body and nervous system at https://www.boundaryrewire.com

 
Resources that inform this episode:
Coan, James A., Hillary S. Schaefer, and Richard J. Davidson. "Lending a Hand: Social Regulation of the Neural Response to Threat." Psychological Science, vol. 17, no. 12, 2006, pp. 1032–1039.
Crick, Nicki R., and Jennifer K. Grotpeter. "Relational Aggression, Gender, and Social-Psychological Adjustment." Child Development, vol. 66, no. 3, 1995, pp. 710–722.
Holt-Lunstad, Julianne, Timothy B. Smith, and J. Bradley Layton. "Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-Analytic Review." PLOS Medicine, vol. 7, no. 7, 2010, e1000316.
Miller, Jean Baker. Toward a New Psychology of Women. Beacon Press, 1976. Wellesley Centers for Women ed., 2012.
Prinstein, Mitchell J., et al. "Peer Victimization, Friendship, and the Stress Response." Development and Psychopathology, vol. 17, no. 4, 2005, pp. 1017–1038.
Rimé, Bernard. "Emotion Elicits the Social Sharing of Emotion: Theory and Empirical Review." Emotion Review, vol. 1, no. 1, 2009, pp. 60–85.
Shamay-Tsoory, Simone G., and Ahmad Abu-Akel. "The Social Salience Hypothesis of Oxytocin." Biological Psychiatry, vol. 79, no. 3, 2016, pp. 194–202.
Taylor, Shelley E., et al. "Biobehavioral Responses to Stress in Females: Tend-and-Befriend, Not Fight-or-Flight." Psychological Review, vol. 107, no. 3, 2000, pp. 411–429.
Taylor, Shelley E. "Tend and Befriend: Biobehavioral Bases of Affiliation under Stress." Current Directions in Psychological Science, vol. 15, no. 6, 2006, pp. 273–277.
Tedeschi, Richard G., and Lawrence G. Calhoun. "Posttraumatic Growth: Conceptual Foundations and Empirical Evidence." Psychological Inquiry, vol. 15, no. 1, 2004, pp. 1–18.
Uchino, Bert N. "Social Support and Health: A Review of Physiological Processes Potentially Underlying Links to Disease Outcomes." Journal of Behavioral Medicine, vol. 29, no. 4, 2006, pp. 377–387.
Disclaimer:
Trauma Rewired podcast is intended to educate and inform but does not constitute medical, psychological or other professional advice or services. Always consult a qualified medical professional about your specific circumstances before making any decisions based on what you hear. We share our experiences, explore trauma, physical reactions, mental health and disease. If you become distressed by our content, please stop listening and seek professional support when needed. Do not continue to listen if the conversations are having a negative impact on your health and well-being. If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, or in mental health crisis and you are in the United States you can 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
If someone's life is in danger, immediately call 911.
We do our best to stay current in research, but older episodes are always available. We don't warrant or guarantee that this podcast contains complete, accurate or up-to-date information. It's very important to talk to a medical professional about your individual needs, as we aren't responsible for any actions you take based on the information you hear in this podcast.
We invite guests onto the podcast. Please note that we don't verify the accuracy of their statements. Our organization does not endorse third-party content and the views of our guests do not necessarily represent the views of our organization. We talk about general neuro-science and nervous system health, but you are unique. These are conversations for a wide audience. They are general recommendations and you are always advised to seek personal care for your unique outputs, trauma and needs.
We are not doctors or licensed medical professionals. We are certified neuro-somatic practitioners and nervous system health/embodiment coaches. We are not your doctor or medical professional and do not know you and your unique nervous system. This podcast is not a replacement for working with a professional. The BrainBased.com site and RewireTrial.com is a membership site for general nervous system health, somatic processing and stress processing. It is not a substitute for medical care or the appropriate solution for anyone in mental health crisis.
Any examples mentioned in this podcast are for illustration purposes only. If they are based on real events, names have been changed to protect the identities of those involved.
We've done our best to ensure our podcast respects the intellectual property rights of others, however if you have an issue with our content, please let us know by emailing us at [email protected].
All rights in our content are reserved.

What if authenticity isn't a personality trait — but a measurable marker of nervous system capacity?
In this episode of Trauma Rewired, we explore authenticity and forgiveness through the lens of post-traumatic growth. We unpack why telling the truth can feel physiologically threatening after trauma, how masking and performance develop as protective strategies, and why forgiveness is not a mindset shift — but a capacity that grows through regulation, integration, and self-attunement.
Authenticity is not about oversharing or abandoning discernment. It's the ability to feel the truth in your body and stay connected while expressing it. That requires nervous system flexibility — not willpower.
Topics Covered:
Why authenticity is a marker of nervous system capacity

How trauma wires masking, performance, and self-editing

Why telling the truth can feel physiologically threatening

Small lies as protective regulation strategies

Masking, perfectionism, and increased allostatic load

The difference between visibility and authentic expression

Why psychedelic honesty is a state shift, not a skill

Oversharing and vulnerability hangovers as capacity issues

Why forcing forgiveness reinforces threat patterns

Self-forgiveness as a neuroplastic learning process

Attunement, interoception, and emotional tolerance

Rupture and repair as mechanisms of growth

Forgiveness without bypassing accountability

Rumination, grievance, and sympathetic dominance

Why post-traumatic growth reflects the capacity to hold truth and connection at the same time

Chapters:
00:00 – Authenticity as Nervous System Capacity 04:30 – Why Truth Feels Like Threat 09:45 – Masking, Performance & Conditional Safety 17:10 – Psychedelics, Peak States & Integration 23:40 – Visibility vs Authentic Expression 29:50 – Self-Forgiveness & Capacity Building 36:15 – Attunement, Shame & Neuroplasticity 41:20 – Forgiving Others Without Bypassing 47:30 – Forgiveness, Faith & Staying Connected
 
Calls to Action:
Neurosomatic Intelligence is now enrolling : https://neurosomaticintelligence.com/nsi-certification

Sacred Synapse: an educational YouTube channel founded by Jennifer Wallace that explores nervous system regulation, applied neuroscience, consciousness, and psychedelic preparation and integration through Neurosomatic Intelligence. 

Wayfinder Journal: Track nervous system patterns and support preparation and integration through Neurosomatic Intelligence.

FREE 1 Year Supply of Vitamin D + 5 Travel Packs from Athletic Greens when you use my exclusive offer: https://www.drinkag1.com/rewired 

Learn to work with Boundaries at the level of the body and nervous system at https://www.boundaryrewire.com

Get a two-week free trial of neurosomatic training at https://rewiretrial.com