Trauma Rewired

Everyone has a critical inner voice. But if you grew up in an environment shaped by chronic relational stress, that voice does not just comment. It runs. It loops. It drives your body into a stress state before you have even finished the thought.
In this episode, Jennifer Wallace and Elisabeth Kristof explore the inner critic as the next distinguishing characteristic of complex trauma in their ongoing CPT series. This is not a conversation about toxic positivity or affirmations. It is a precise, neuroscience-grounded look at why the inner critic develops, what it is actually doing in the brain and nervous system, and what it genuinely takes to loosen its grip over time.
The inner critic is a predictive safety mechanism. It developed to preempt rejection, suppress behaviors that previously led to punishment, and maintain attachment in environments where connection felt conditional. It is not your core self. It is a learned neural pattern rooted in threat detection and self-referential processing that, once formed, keeps running because it worked. Or at least, it worked enough.
Jennifer and Elisabeth trace how chronic relational stress reorganizes the default mode network around threat rather than flexible identity development, what the medial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex have to do with rumination and shame-based identity loops, and why children with developmental trauma learn to blame themselves for relational failures that were never their fault in the first place. They also go deep on the outward expression of the same pattern: the external critic, the person who micromanages, projects, and stays braced and guarded because the nervous system is still predicting the letdown.
Both hosts bring this into their own lived experience with real honesty. Elisabeth talks about the constant body-focused narrator that used to run during recording sessions. Jennifer shares what the inner critic sounds like when she is launching something new and putting her voice out into the world. Neither of them is pretending it is gone. They are showing what it looks like when it no longer runs the show.
The episode closes with practical, nervous system-grounded pathways for working with the inner critic, including why celebration and reward matter more than positive thinking, how oxytocin-mediated safety gradually quiets social threat monitoring, and why the most important move is not arguing with the voice but interrupting the loop at the body level first.
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Why the inner critic is a predictive nervous system adaptation, not a reflection of truth or identity

How chronic relational stress reorganizes the default mode network around threat and self-monitoring

What the medial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex have to do with rumination and the inner critic

Why children with developmental trauma internalize relational failures as personal flaws

How perfectionism, body criticism, and post-performance crashes are all outputs of the same underlying pattern

What the external critic is, why it always coexists with a loud inner critic, and how to recognize it in yourself

Why you cannot think your way out of the inner critic loop and what actually interrupts it

How the ventral striatum and reward signaling can be used to reinforce new behaviors and self-expression

Why oxytocin-mediated safety, through connection, touch, nature, and sensory pleasure, reduces the social threat driving the critic

What post-traumatic growth actually looks like in relation to the inner critic: not eliminating it, but expanding capacity beyond it

Chapter Markers
0:00 - The Inner Critic as a Distinguishing Characteristic of Complex Trauma
0:58 - Welcome: What the Inner Critic Actually Is
1:49 - Jennifer and Elisabeth Share Their Own Inner Critic Experiences
4:36 - Why This Matters: Recognizing Complex Trauma in the Patterns
5:33 - The Difference Between a Normal Inner Critic and a Trauma-Amplified One
7:11 - The Neuro Biology: How the Inner Critic Develops as a Protective Pattern
8:28 - How Authenticity Becomes a Threat Signal
10:38 - The Default Mode Network and Self-Referential Rumination
13:52 - What the Growth Edge Actually Feels Like in Practice
17:05 - The Brain Science: The Default Mode Network, Medial PFC, and Posterior Cingulate
19:22 - Why Developmental Trauma Teaches Children to Blame Themselves
21:10 - How to Interrupt the Loop: Sensory Anchoring, Movement, and Tools
23:18 - Working With State to Shift the Story
24:51 - Perfectionism as an Output of the Inner Critic
28:11 - Why We Stay Stuck in the Loop Even When We Know Better
29:12 - The Ventral Striatum, Reward Signaling, and Why Celebrating Small Wins Matters
35:57 - Oxytocin, Social Safety, and Softening the Hypervigilance
39:49 - The External Critic: When the Inner Voice Gets Projected Outward
43:03 - Post-Traumatic Growth and the Inner Critic: What Actually Changes
Ways to Engage with Neurosomatics 
 
Join us inside Rewire: This is where you actually experience the practices Jennifer and Elisabeth talk about on the podcast that brought us freedom, self-attunement, a new relationship with food and our body.  rewiretrial.com
 
Explore the neurosomatics of boundaries: boundaryrewire.com
 
Introduction to neurosomatics for practitioners, coaches and therapists - The NSI foundations Bundle: https://neurosomaticintelligence.com/workshops/
 
Wayfinder Journal: Track nervous system patterns and support preparation and integration through Neurosomatic Intelligence: https://stan.store/illuminated
 
Join Jennifer on Sacred Synapse to explore the intersection of neurosomatics and Psychedelic neuroscience: https://www.youtube.com/@sacredsynapse-23
 
Support the podcast by supporting our sponsors: 
FREE 1 Year Supply of Vitamin D + 5 Travel Packs from Athletic Greens when you use my exclusive offer: https://www.drinkag1.com/rewired
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 Rewiretrail.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

The deepest wound in complex trauma is not emotional intensity. It is the learned loss of connection to yourself.
In this episode, Jennifer Wallace and Elisabeth Kristof open the next chapter of the CPT series by starting where the roots go deepest: self-abandonment. This is the pattern they chose to name first—and intentionally so—because when the nervous system learns that staying connected to the self is unsafe, nearly every other complex trauma response grows from that adaptation.
Self-abandonment is not a personality flaw or a lack of self-awareness. It is a body-based survival strategy. From a neurosomatic perspective, it is a state-dependent loss of interoceptive access—a patterned inhibition of internal signals that the nervous system learned in order to stay attached, stay safe, and maintain stability in the relational environment. And like every other output explored in this series, it made complete sense at the time it formed.
The conversation moves through the neuroscience of dissociation and how it is inseparable from self-abandonment, the brain regions involved, and what their altered activity actually looks like in everyday life. It explores the fawn response—including its lesser-discussed dimension of sexual fawning—and the specific pathways through which emotional neglect and parentification set the stage for chronic self-erasure. Jennifer and Elisabeth also trace how masking—whether in the context of neurodivergence, complex trauma, or systemic oppression—is another expression of the same root pattern: authenticity does not feel safe, so the self gets hidden.
But this episode does not stop at the wound. Both hosts share what the growth edge of this pattern has actually looked like for them—what building interoceptive capacity from the ground up felt like in practice—and how self-attunement, the skill of staying present with internal experience without becoming overwhelmed by it, gradually became accessible rather than threatening.
This is not a quick-fix episode. It is an honest, grounded map of one of the most pervasive and least visible patterns in complex trauma—and a clear-eyed account of what actually changes it.
 
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Why self abandonment is a survival adaptation rooted in the nervous system, not a character flaw

How interoceptive access becomes inhibited under chronic relational threat, and what that feels like day to day

The neuroscience of dissociation: which brain regions are involved and how their altered activity drives functional disconnection

Why emotional neglect, even without overt harm, sets the stage for chronic self erasure

How parentification creates a nervous system template of self abandonment that persists long into adulthood

What fawn response is, how it operates neurologically, and why sexual fawning is a real and undernamed expression of it

How masking across contexts including neurodivergence, complex trauma, and racial and systemic oppression overlaps with and compounds self abandonment

What self attunement actually is as a nervous system skill and how it is different from insight or emotional processing alone

Why healing is capacity-based rather than cathartic, and what that means for pacing

How both hosts have rebuilt interoceptive access over time and what that process has opened up for them

Chapters
0:00 - The Deepest Wound in Complex Trauma Is Not Emotional Intensity
0:38 - Welcome: Who This Episode Is For
1:27 - Introducing the CPT Series and Why We Start With Self Abandonment
2:53 - Defining Self Abandonment as a Nervous System Output
4:21 - Pete Walker, Fawn Responses, and How the Child Learns to Attune Outward
4:47 - The Neuro Somatic View: Interoceptive Access Under Chronic Threat
6:08 - Embodiment as the Opposite of Self Abandonment
6:35 - Collective and Intergenerational Dimensions of Self Abandonment
7:55 - What Self Abandonment Looks Like in Real Life: A Case Study
9:21 - Dissociation: What It Actually Is and Why It Is Inseparable From Self Abandonment
10:42 - Brain Science: The Insula, Hippocampus, Amygdala, and Thalamus
14:35 - The Fawn Response and Sexual Fawning
18:17 - Self Attunement: The Opposite of Self Abandonment
21:06 - Rebuilding Interoception: Starting Small
27:19 - Emotional Neglect as the Root of Self Abandonment
29:13 - Parentification and the Template of Self Erasure
31:21 - Masking: Neurodivergence, Systemic Oppression, and Complex Trauma
36:19 - What Growth Has Actually Looked Like for Jennifer and Elisabeth
40:20 - Stress Bucket Dysmorphia and Learning Your Real Capacity
Resources and Links
NSI Foundations Bundle for coaches and practitioners: neurosomaticintelligence.com/foundations

Two week Rewire Trial of guided neuro somatic training: rewiretrial.com

Learn more about Jennifer's work at her YouTube channel: Sacred Synapse https://www.youtube.com/@sacredsynapse-23

 
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 Rewiretrail.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

You could not think your way out of the pattern. That is not a failure of insight. That is the nature of complex trauma.
In this episode, Jennifer Wallace and Elisabeth Kristof return to one of the most resonant threads in Trauma Rewired's history: complex post-traumatic stress. Several years ago they recorded a series on CPT that changed how thousands of listeners understood themselves. This is the revision. Not a replacement of what came before, but a deepening, one shaped by advances in trauma research, neuroscience, and by the hosts' own continued growth.
The reframe at the center of this episode is one that matters: complex trauma is not a disorder. It is not something wrong with you. It is a predictive nervous system pattern, an intelligent set of adaptations shaped by prolonged relational stress, often beginning in childhood, that made complete sense in the environment they were formed in. The question is not what is wrong with you. The question is what did your nervous system learn and how can it learn something new?
Elisabeth and Jennifer trace the history of CPT as a clinical concept, from Judith Hermann's early naming of what PTSD could not capture, through Pete Walker's lived experience framework, into the current neuroscience of predictive patterning, interoception, and the body as the site of both the wound and the healing. They explain why complex trauma has no single memory to point to, why it often lives in sensation and state rather than narrative, and why that means healing looks different here than it does for single-event trauma.
The episode also goes deep on something that does not get named enough in healing spaces: the trap of the healing vortex. The way that understanding complex trauma can become its own form of nervous system activation, another thing to fix, another layer to excavate, another reason the system cannot rest. Real growth, they argue, requires repetition and safety and time, but it also requires rest, play, and the gradual experience of being okay in the present moment without urgency.
This episode opens the new CPT series and previews what is coming: the inner critic, toxic shame, social anxiety, emotional flashbacks, and self-abandonment, each explored not as pathology but as nervous system strategies that once served a purpose and can now be worked with differently.
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Why complex trauma is better understood as a predictive nervous system pattern than a disorder

The difference between CPT and PTSD and why that distinction matters for healing

Why there is often no single memory in complex trauma, and why the experience lives in the body instead

How interoception becomes disrupted in the context of chronic relational stress

Why the nervous system seeks familiar environments, even harmful ones, and how that perpetuates the cycle

How systemic and cultural trauma shapes the nervous system in the same way interpersonal trauma does

What neuroplasticity actually requires: repetition, safety, and time, not insight alone

Why pushing too hard into somatic work can backfire, and what pacing actually looks like

How the healing vortex keeps people stuck and what stepping out of it makes possible

What observer capacity is, why it is one of the most important markers of growth, and how it develops

A preview of the five distinguishing characteristics of CPT that will be explored throughout the series

 
 
Chapter Markers
0:00 - CPT Shows Up Most Clearly in Relationships
1:13 - Welcome: Revisiting the Complex Trauma Series
2:04 - Why We Are Updating This Framework Now
4:25 - What Complex Trauma Is and Where the Term Came From
6:19 - Judith Hermann, Pete Walker, and Why This Language Matters
7:15 - Why We Use CPT Instead of CPTSD
8:07 - The Distinguishing Patterns: How Complex Trauma Shows Up
10:16 - DSM vs ICD-11: The Diagnosis Question
11:38 - CPT vs PTSD: Different Patterns, Different Healing
13:08 - When There Is No Memory: Implicit Patterning and the Developing Brain
15:20 - CPT as a Predictive Nervous System Pattern
17:09 - The Five Distinguishing Characteristics of CPT
18:07 - Trauma Lives in the Body, Not Just the Story
20:56 - Complex Trauma Is Fundamentally Relational
22:21 - Re-Patterning Secure Attachment Through Somatics
26:35 - Embodied Presence as the Foundation
29:55 - Systemic and Cultural Trauma: This Is Not Only Individual
34:24 - Pacing, Rest, and the Healing Vortex
37:24 - The Role of Play and Pleasure in Nervous System Re-Patterning
41:18 - Building Observer Capacity: The Shift From This Is Who I Am to This Is Happening in Me
43:22 - What Is Coming in the Rest of the CPT Series
 
Resources and Links
NSI Foundations Bundle for coaches and practitioners: neurosomaticintelligence.com/foundations

Two week Rewire Trial of guided neuro somatic training: rewiretrial.com

Learn more about Elisabeth's work at brainbased.com

Learn more about Jennifer's work at her YouTube channel: Sacred Synapse https://www.youtube.com/@sacredsynapse-23

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 Rewiretrail.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

You were not failing at your diet. Your nervous system was doing exactly what it learned to do to survive.
In this episode, Jennifer Wallace and Elisabeth Kristof go deep on one of the most personal and most pervasive patterns they have both lived through: the disordered relationship with food and the body. Building on their recent conversation with Luis Mojica, this is the episode where they go further, bringing the neuroscience, the lived experience, and the practical path forward into a single, honest conversation.
Both hosts have a long history with binge eating disorder. For decades, food was the primary regulation strategy, the way the nervous system found relief from stress it had no other tools to process, the way the body found pleasure when pleasure felt dangerous, and the way a dysregulated system managed to keep functioning. They are not talking about this from the outside. They are talking about it from the other side.
The conversation moves through several layers. First, why food behaviors are regulation strategies, not character flaws, and why disordered eating works, at least until it doesn't. Then into interoception, the brain's ability to sense internal body signals, and how disrupted interoceptive awareness drives everything from not knowing you're full to being unable to feel your own emotional states. They trace how visual processing deficits can distort body image and increase stress load, how the default mode network gets locked into self-referential rumination and body obsession, and how the salience network learns to flag the body itself as a threat.
Elisabeth breaks down what is actually happening neurologically when the obsessive loop runs, why insight alone does not stop it, and what actually interrupts it: sensory anchoring, movement, proprioceptive tools, and the slow building of emotional processing capacity over time. Jennifer brings it back to the body and the breath, to shame, to the secret eating and the shame spirals that followed, and to what it actually felt like to slowly, gradually come out of that.
The episode closes with one of the most important reframes in the whole conversation: healing your relationship with food and your body is not about getting the food right. It is a portal into self-attunement, emotional processing, and relational capacity that ripples into every area of life. It is post-traumatic growth.
 
 
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Why food behaviors are nervous system regulation strategies, not willpower failures

How the absence of early co-regulation leads to using food as a modulation tool

Why diets fail without somatic and nervous system support in place

How interoceptive deficits drive disordered eating, emotional disconnection, and body image distortion

How visual processing issues can compound stress load and body dysmorphia

What the default mode network and salience network have to do with food obsession and body rumination

Why psychedelics can soften rigid thought loops temporarily but cannot rewire them without nervous system preparation and integration

How to interrupt the rumination loop using sensory anchoring, orienting, movement, and proprioception

Why shame is harder to metabolize than any food behavior and how to begin working with it somatically

How uncoupling pleasure from shame is a critical and often overlooked part of healing the relationship with food and body

Why healing the food relationship is one of the deepest portals to relational health and post-traumatic growth

 
Chapter Markers
0:00 - Food as Energy, Rest, and the High Performer Trap
01:08 - Welcome: Moving From Control to Self-Attunement
03:20 - Six Years of Conversations About Food and How Far We Have Come
06:24 - Every Diet Failed. Here Is Why.
08:31 - Food Behaviors Are Regulation Strategies, Not Character Flaws
11:29 - Safety Has to Come Before Pattern Change
14:19 - Perfectionism, the Inner Critic, and Controlling Appearance as a Stress Response
15:43 - How Vision Training Changed Body Image
19:50 - Interoception: The Missing Piece in Food and Body Healing
23:56 - Physical Hunger vs Emotional Need: Learning to Tell the Difference
28:13 - Interrupting the Pattern in Real Time
30:28 - Building Emotional Processing as a Skill
36:56 - The Default Mode Network and Why the Obsessive Loop Runs
40:05 - The Salience Network: When Your Brain Learns Your Body Is a Threat
41:58 - How to Interrupt the Loop: Sensory Anchoring, Movement, and Proprioception
53:14 - Shame, Secret Eating, and How They Get Woven Together
56:12 - Uncoupling Pleasure From Shame: A Portal Back to the Body
1:01:32 - Food as One of the Deepest Portals to Post-Traumatic Growth
Ways to Engage with Neurosomatics 
Join us inside Rewire: This is where you actually experience the practices Jennifer and Elisabeth talk about on the podcast that brought us freedom, self-attunement, a new relationship with food and our body.  rewiretrial.com
 
Explore the neurosomatics of boundaries: boundaryrewire.com
 
Introduction to neurosomatics for practitioners, coaches and therapists - The NSI foundations Bundle: https://neurosomaticintelligence.com/workshops/
 
Wayfinder Journal: Track nervous system patterns and support preparation and integration through Neurosomatic Intelligence: https://stan.store/illuminated
 
Join Jennifer on Sacred Synapse to explore the intersection of neurosomatics and Psychedelic neuroscience: https://www.youtube.com/@sacredsynapse-23
 
Support the podcast by supporting our sponsors: 
FREE 1 Year Supply of Vitamin D + 5 Travel Packs from Athletic Greens when you use my exclusive offer: https://www.drinkag1.com/rewired
 
Resources and Research
 
Feusner, Jamie D., et al.
"Abnormalities of Object Visual Processing in Body Dysmorphic Disorder."
Psychological Medicine, vol. 41, no. 11, 2011, pp. 2385–2397.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21557897/
 
Feusner, Jamie D., et al.
"Abnormalities of Visual Processing and Frontostriatal Systems in Body Dysmorphic Disorder."
Archives of General Psychiatry, 2010.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2853756/
 
Madsen, Sarah K., et al.
"Visual Processing in Anorexia Nervosa and Body Dysmorphic Disorder: A Review."
Journal of Psychiatric Research, 2013.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3786585/
 
Dhir, S., et al.
"Parameters of Visual Processing Abnormalities in Adults with Body Dysmorphic Disorder."
PLOS ONE, 2018.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6261110/
 
​​Khalsa, Sahib S., et al.
"Interoceptive Awareness in Anorexia Nervosa: Disturbances in Body Awareness."
Biological Psychiatry, vol. 75, no. 4, 2014, pp. 275–281.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24090776/
 
Pollatos, Olga, et al.
"Reduced Perception of Bodily Signals in Anorexia Nervosa."
Eating Behaviors, vol. 9, no. 4, 2008, pp. 381–388.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18928907/
 
Jenkinson, Paul M., et al.
"Interoceptive Sensitivity and Eating Disorder Psychopathology: A Meta-Analysis."
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, vol. 92, 2018, pp. 387–397.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29935263/
 
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 Rewiretrail.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

Food is not just fuel.
It is one of the most powerful ways your nervous system regulates stress, emotion, and survival.
In this episode of Trauma Rewired, Jennifer Wallace and Elisabeth Kristof are joined by somatic practitioner and author Luis Mojica to explore the hidden relationship between trauma, cravings, and the nervous system.
Together, they unpack why food can become a coping strategy for unprocessed emotion, how certain foods can increase or decrease your stress response, and why cravings are not a lack of discipline—but a signal from the body.
This conversation breaks down how stimulants like sugar and caffeine can drive anxiety through adrenaline and blood sugar spikes, while heavier, processed foods can temporarily numb overwhelming emotional states—creating a cycle of activation and shutdown that many people mistake for "addiction."
You'll learn how food impacts your nervous system 24/7—often more than any therapy session—and why true healing is not about restriction, but about understanding what your body is trying to regulate.
This episode also introduces a new way of relating to food through a nervous system lens—moving beyond "healthy vs. unhealthy" into understanding foods as stimulants, depressants, or balancers that shape your emotional and physiological state.
If you've ever felt stuck, ashamed, or confused in your relationship with food, this episode will help you see your patterns through a completely new lens—one rooted in compassion, biology, and nervous system awareness.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
 
What You'll Learn:
• Why cravings are signals for unmet emotional, relational, or physical needs
• How food can activate or calm your stress response
• The connection between trauma, emotional repression, and eating patterns
• Why willpower fails and nervous system support works
• How to begin shifting your relationship with food without restriction                                                                                                                                                                     This is not about fixing your relationship with food.
It's about understanding the nervous system underneath it.                                                                                                                                                                            #traumarewired #nervoussystem #emotionaleating #traumahealing #mentalhealth
 
Chapter Markers
00:00 - Food Is Not About Eating Less. It Is About Eating Differently.
00:43 - Welcome: Food as a Portal Into the Nervous System
01:56 - Introducing Luis Mojica and the Chocolate at 4 p.m. Story
04:36 - Why Food Belongs in the Trauma Conversation
06:46 - Cravings as a Compass: The Three Unmet Needs Behind Every Food Behavior
08:07 - Why Diets Fail Without Somatics
09:21 - What Happens When You Understand What Your Cravings Actually Mean
14:33 - Food Induced Stress: How What You Eat Can Keep You in Fight or Flight
16:28 - Stimulants, Depressants, and Balancers: The Three Categories
21:55 - Seesaw Regulation: How the Body Unconsciously Alchemizes With Food
28:35 - It Is a Loop. It Was Always a Loop.
32:00 - Food Sobriety and Why Balancers Make You Feel More, Not Less
37:26 - How to Weave Balancers In Without Taking Anything Away
43:18 - The Quiet Diet: Creating Space to Actually Feel
 
Connect with Luis:
Get Luis Mojica's new book Food Therapy: A powerful deep dive into how food, trauma, and the nervous system are all connected—and how to work with your body instead of against it. https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/the-book
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holistic.life.navigation/
Ways to Engage with Neurosomatics: 
Join us inside Rewire: This is where you actually experience the practices Jennifer and Elisabeth talk about on the podcast that brought us freedom, self-attunement, a new relationship with food and our body.  rewiretrial.com
Introduction to neurosomatics for practitioners, coaches and therapists - The NSI foundations Bundle: https://neurosomaticintelligence.com/workshops/
Wayfinder Journal: Track nervous system patterns and support preparation and integration through Neurosomatic Intelligence: https://stan.store/illuminated
Join Jennifer on Sacred Synapse to explore the intersection of neurosomatics and Psychedelic neuroscience: https://www.youtube.com/@sacredsynapse-23
Support the podcast by supporting our sponsors: 
FREE 1 Year Supply of Vitamin D + 5 Travel Packs from Athletic Greens when you use my exclusive offer: https://www.drinkag1.com/rewired
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].
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