In this powerful "best of" episode, Dr. Sharon Spano sits down with Maira Holzmann to explore the growing mental health crisis and innovative approaches to healing trauma through the body. Maira specializes in helping adults heal from childhood trauma using somatic therapy and co-regulating touch, offering insights into why traditional talk therapy alone often falls short in addressing deep-seated trauma patterns.
What You'll Learn in This Episode
- Why anxiety and depression are symptoms of deeper unprocessed trauma, not just mental health conditions
- How trauma lives in the nervous system and affects our physical health, including immune and digestive systems
- The difference between "big T" and "little t" trauma, and why emotional neglect is more common than we realize
- What co-regulating touch is and how this therapeutic modality can rewire patterns of disconnection
- The critical importance of attunement in childhood and how lack of it creates lifelong patterns
- How disembodiment and isolation are fueling the mental health crisis, especially among younger generations
- The difference between sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems (rev vs. restore)
- Why meaningful touch and connectedness are essential for nervous system regulation
- Practical self-regulation techniques you can use at home
- How to recognize emotional neglect and its long-term impacts on development
Transcript: Here
Additional Resources:
Website: https://somatictherapypartners.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maira-holzmann-2a2b4b1b6/
Links Mentioned:
Scattered Minds: https://www.amazon.com/Scattered-Origins-Healing-Attention-Disorder/dp/0676971458/
The Polyvagal Theory: https://www.amazon.com/Polyvagal-Theory-Neurophysiological- Communication-Self-regulation/dp/0393707008
Sharon Spano:
Website: sharonspano.com
Facebook: facebook.com/SharonSpanoPHD
Instagram: instagram.com/drsharonspano/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sharonspano/
Book: thetimemoneybook.com
Contact: sharon@sharonspano.com
Substack: substack.com/@drsharon
The Other Side of Potential Podcast: sharonspano.com/podcast/
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