Hey Team!
This week I’m talking with Britt Piper, a somatic experiencing practitioner, trauma educator, and author of Body First Healing. Britt’s work focuses on understanding how trauma impacts the nervous system and brings both professional expertise and a deeply personal understanding of what it means to heal.
In our conversation, we start with Britt's story and then we dive into what somatic therapy actually looks like, how trauma can live in the body long after the mind “knows” we’re safe, and why the nervous system often gets stuck in survival mode. We also get into the science behind stress responses, intergenerational trauma, and practical ways to start listening to your body’s signals instead of fighting against them.
Also, just as a quick note before we get into it, today’s episode includes discussion of trauma, including mentions of sexual violence, substance abuse, and suicidal thoughts. If these topics are sensitive for you, please take care while listening - feel free to skip ahead or pause when needed.
Books
Body First Healing by Britt Piper
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
It Didn’t Start With You by Mark Wolynn
Therapy & Practitioner Resource
Somatic Experiencing International - https://traumahealing.org/
The Embody Lab - https://www.theembodylab.com/
Britt’s Body First Healing Program - https://www.bodyfirsthealing.com/
If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at https://HackingYourADHD.com/234
https://tinyurl.com/y835cnrk - YouTube
https://www.patreon.com/HackingYourADHD - Patreon
This Episode's Top Tips
1. Somatic practices are body-based approaches to healing that focus on how trauma and stress are held in the nervous system rather than just the mind. They employ gentle techniques, such as tracking body sensations, subtle movements, and breath, to help the body complete its stress response cycles.
2. SI-BAM is a tool from Somatic Experiencing that helps track your internal state when emotions feel vague or difficult to name. It stands for Sensation, Image, Behavior, Affect (emotion), and Meaning. It begins by noticing physical sensations (such as tightness, warmth, or buzzing), and then observing if any mental images arise. It is followed by observing your body’s behavior or impulses (fidgeting, leaning forward) and from there checking for any identifiable emotions, and noticing what meaning or story you attach to the experience.
3. If you feel stuck in the same emotional patterns and if stress, anxiety, or trauma seem to “live” in your body, showing up as chronic tension, pain, or fatigue, somatic therapy could be an option for you. Somatic work can give you tools to gently release that “stuck” survival energy and restore a sense of calm.
4. When dealing with trauma, you don’t have to go it alone, but it is also important to work with a practitioner who understands what they are doing. And understand that somatic therapy is just one of many options that you can use to help you get the help you need.