In this episode of NeuroAlchemy, Dr. Sarah Young sits down with Ela Szilvassy for a grounded and compassionate conversation about safety, embodiment, emotional healing, and reconnecting with the body after trauma, disconnection, or chronic self-abandonment.

Together, Sarah and Ela explore how many people learn to stay small, overgive, or constantly “read the room” in order to feel safe — and how those patterns often begin as intelligent survival responses rather than personal failures.

Ela shares her own healing journey and explains how creating safety within the nervous system allows the body to reconnect with authenticity, emotional honesty, self-worth, and deeper self-awareness.

This conversation also introduces Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) and explores why healing is not about forcing change, but about creating enough safety for transformation to naturally emerge.

Topics explored include:

• safety as the foundation of healing • embodiment and reconnecting with the body • emotional suppression and codependency • “reading the room” as a survival strategy • EFT and emotional regulation • nervous system safety and trauma healing • reconnecting with authenticity and self-worth • the difference between insight and embodiment

At the heart of this conversation is a reminder:

Healing is not about becoming someone different. It is about creating enough safety to reconnect with who you already are.

🌿 Micro Practice Invitation: Learning Your Body’s Yes and No Ela shares a simple but powerful practice for reconnecting with your body’s signals and inner knowing.

Think of something that feels deeply supportive or exciting to you, like resting on a beach in Greece for two weeks. Pause and notice what happens in your body.

Do you feel: • warmth • expansion • ease • openness

Then think of something that feels clearly wrong, draining, or misaligned for you. Notice how your body responds differently.

You can practice this gently throughout the day with simple questions:

• Would I like to go for a walk? • Would I enjoy an apple right now? • Does this choice feel aligned for me?

Over time, this practice helps strengthen self-awareness, embodiment, and trust in your internal signals.

🧠 Connect with Ela Szilvassy Website: https://ellaszilvassy.com

Instagram: @withinwithela https://www.instagram.com/withinwithela

Free Telegram Community for Women Entrepreneurs: https://ela-szilvassy.mykajabi.com/pl/2148689319

🌿 Connect with Dr. Sarah Young https://home.neurosynergyhealth.com/home-6935 https://youtube.com/@neurosynergyhealth

If this episode resonated with you, please consider liking, sharing, and subscribing. That’s how these conversations travel and reach the people who need them most.

You are not broken. You are becoming.

In this episode of NeuroAlchemy, Dr. Sarah Young sits down with licensed psychotherapist Beatriz Martinez-Peñalver for a hopeful and empowering conversation about neuroplasticity, emotional resilience, and the idea that we actively participate in shaping our future wiring.

After more than three decades working in community mental health, Beatriz began asking an important question:

What if emotional resilience could be taught before people reached a breaking point?

That question became the foundation of her work in prevention-based mental health and the Triumph Steps framework, which focuses on emotional regulation, identity reconstruction, and the brain’s ability to adapt and change over time.

Together, Sarah and Beatriz explore how repeated thoughts shape the nervous system, why emotional regulation is a trainable skill, and how small daily practices can begin rewiring identity, behavior, and emotional patterns.

Topics explored include:

• neuroplasticity in everyday life • emotional regulation as a learned skill • prevention-based mental health • fear, stress, and nervous system responses • identity reconstruction after adversity • visualization and future self wiring • repeated thoughts and neural pathways • cultivating internal peace and resilience

At the heart of this conversation is a reminder:

Your brain is not fixed. Your patterns are not permanent. And healing begins when we recognize that we are active participants in who we are becoming.

🌿 Micro Practice Invitation: The GLAD Practice For the next seven nights, spend a few minutes reflecting on four simple prompts:

G — Granted What is something you usually take for granted that you can appreciate today?

L — Learned What did you learn today, even in a small way?

A — Achieved What did you accomplish today?

D — Delighted What brought you even a brief moment of delight?

This simple practice helps rewire the brain toward resilience, gratitude, and awareness of resources rather than fear and threat.

🧠 Connect with Beatriz Martinez-Peñalver https://www.triumphsteps.com https://www.healthyconnectionscmhc.org

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beatrizmartinez-penalver

Instagram: @TriumphSteps_coaching

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/triumphstepsUS/

YouTube: @triumphsteps

🌿 Connect with Dr. Sarah Young https://home.neurosynergyhealth.com/home-6935 https://youtube.com/@neurosynergyhealth

If this episode resonated with you, please consider liking, sharing, and subscribing. That’s how these conversations travel and reach the people who need them most.

You are not broken. You are becoming.

In this episode of NeuroAlchemy, Dr. Sarah Young sits down with psychologist Dr. Gloria K. Vanderhorst for a thoughtful conversation exploring emotional healing, Internal Family Systems, Emotion Focused Therapy, and the lifelong process of reconnecting with parts of ourselves that may have been suppressed or disconnected over time.

Drawing from nearly five decades of clinical experience working with children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families, Dr. Vanderhorst shares insights into emotional development, childhood conditioning, emotional intelligence, and the ways early experiences shape identity, relationships, and emotional regulation later in life.

Together, Sarah and Gloria explore what happens when people lose access to important feeling states, why emotional awareness matters, and how reflection, compassion, and curiosity can help people reconnect with themselves in healthier and more authentic ways.

Topics explored include:

• Emotion Focused Therapy in everyday language • Internal Family Systems and “parts” work • emotional suppression and disconnection • childhood experiences and adult relationships • raising emotionally intelligent boys • reclaiming lost feeling states • self-reflection as a catalyst for healing • emotional awareness and personal growth

At the heart of this conversation is a reminder:

Emotional awareness is not weakness. It is part of being fully human. And healing often begins by reconnecting with the parts of ourselves we learned to silence.

🌿 Micro Practice Invitation Spend 10 to 15 minutes each day sharing experiences, observations, or thoughts with someone you trust.

Talk about: • something you noticed today • an experience you had • a thought you are still processing

Small moments of emotional connection help strengthen awareness, communication, and relational safety over time.

🧠 Connect with Dr. Gloria Vanderhorst Website: https://www.drvanderhorst.com Email: gkvanderhorst@gmail.com

Facebook: gloria.vanderhorst.7 Instagram: @gkvanderhorst YouTube: @gloriakvanderhorst LinkedIn: gloria-vanderhorst-ph-d-730826b/

🌿 Connect with Dr. Sarah Young https://home.neurosynergyhealth.com/home-6935 https://youtube.com/@neurosynergyhealth

If this episode resonated with you, please consider liking, sharing, and subscribing. That’s how these conversations travel and reach the people who need them most.

You are not broken. You are becoming.