How to Feel Your Feelings with Simone Saunders
Summary
Forrest Hanson interviews trauma therapist Simone Saunders about her book, *Where Do You Feel That in Your Body?*, exploring why cognitive strategies often fail during emotional overwhelm. Saunders explains how bottom-up, somatic therapies help individuals reconnect with their nervous system to overcome intellectualization and functional freeze. The discussion covers identifying bodily signals, building safety, and using curiosity to navigate shame and regulate emotions effectively.
Topics discussed
Introduction and Simone's journey into nervous system work
The trap of intellectualizing emotions and bypassing the body
Understanding the window of tolerance and agency
Why bottom-up processing is vital for trauma recovery
Defining safety: Calm vs. Connected and cognitive vs. somatic safety
The phasic trauma treatment model and the challenge of slowing down
Forrest's personal story: Intellectualization and emotional shutdown
Sponsor break and the complexity of family and societal conditioning
Practical steps: Noticing sensations and the role of shame
Procedural learning and identifying motivations behind sensations
Meeting needs and avoiding the trap of collecting frameworks
Navigating urgency, resistance, and the roller coaster of trauma
Working with painful body histories and the importance of co-regulation
Recap: The three steps to feeling your feelings and final recommendations
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