This is a simplified version of the conversation we had last week about how it's common for trauma survivors to feel anxious or scared when they finally experience moments of calm or regulation. This episode explores why this paradoxical response happens and offers gentle ways to help your nervous system learn that regulation doesn't have to mean danger. We dive into the "safety-danger equation" and how to build your capacity for feeling safe, one small moment at a time.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why your nervous system might interpret safety as a threat after trauma.
• How past experiences can make you feel like you've "lost your ability to protect yourself" when you relax.
• Practical strategies to start feeling safer with regulation, even when it’s uncomfortable.

3 Takeaways:

1. Feeling anxious when calm isn't a sign you're broken; it's a learned protective response from past trauma.
2. Your nervous system is always balancing "cues of safety" against "cues of danger"—trauma can make safety feel unfamiliar and thus threatening.
3. You can teach your nervous system that safety is okay by starting with small, anchored moments of regulation and validating your protective instincts.

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Looking for more personalized support?

• Book a FREE discovery call for RESTORE, our 1:1 anxiety & depression coaching program (HSA/FSA eligible & includes comprehensive bloodwork)
• Join me inside Regulated Living, a mental health membership and nervous system healing space (sliding scale pricing available)
• Order my book, Healing Through the Vagus Nerve today!

*Want me to talk about something specific on the podcast? Let me know HERE.

Website: https://www.riseaswe.com/podcast

Email: amanda@riseaswe.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandaontherise/

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Have you ever felt anxious about not feeling so anxious? Or had a moment of regulation trigger anxiety? In this follow-up we explore a counterintuitive but common phenomenon in trauma recovery: when finding safety and regulation actually triggers fear and anxiety. Drawing from research by Bessel van der Kolk, Stephen Porges, and Deb Dana, we examine why the regulated "green zone" can feel threatening to trauma survivors.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

→ Why trauma survivors often feel most vulnerable when regulated

→ How to identify what specific cues of safety and danger influence your nervous system

→ Techniques for building regulation capacity without triggering protective responses

→ The importance of "both/and" thinking: maintaining protection while exploring regulation

Three Takeaways:

1. Regulation happens when cues of safety outweigh cues of danger—but trauma rewires this equation, making the nervous system hypersensitive to potential threats and misinterpreting safety cues.
2. The fear of regulation isn't a failure or resistance—it's an intelligent adaptation that protected you in the past and deserves respect even as you work to expand your capacity.
3. Recovery isn't about eliminating protective responses but gradually creating reliable "islands of safety" that demonstrate regulation is survivable and eventually beneficial.

—

Looking for more personalized support?

• Book a FREE discovery call for RESTORE, our 1:1 anxiety & depression coaching program (HSA/FSA eligible & includes comprehensive bloodwork)
• Join me inside Regulated Living, a mental health membership and nervous system healing space (sliding scale pricing available)
• Order my book, Healing Through the Vagus Nerve today!

*Want me to talk about something specific on the podcast? Let me know HERE.

Website: https://www.riseaswe.com/podcast

Email: amanda@riseaswe.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandaontherise/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amandaontherise

In this episode, we tackle the challenging but vital question: How can we support nervous system regulation when someone isn't in a safe environment? Drawing from Deb Dana's Polyvagal Theory expertise and current research, we explore practical strategies for both practitioners and individuals navigating unsafe circumstances.

In this episode you'll learn:

• How to identify small touch points that can activate brief ventral vagal states
• Specific techniques practitioners & individuals can use to support clients/themselves in unsafe environments
• Micro-practices for self-regulation during ongoing stress or threat

Three Takeaways:

1. Even in unsafe environments, small "safety or regulating anchors" (objects, memories, connections) can provide crucial moments of regulation. The goal isn't permanent regulation in unsafe circumstances, but creating brief reminders that another state exists.
2. Oftentimes the first step in healing is acknowledging the reality of one's situation, not minimizing or denying it. Whether you’re a practitioner or the individual going through it, remember that your struggle makes sense, your survival responses make sense.
3. Recognizing and savoring these micro-moments of "safe enough" builds neural pathways that support resilience over time.

Resources/Citations:

• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
• "Polyvagal Exercises for Safety and Connection" by Deb Dana
• "Anchored: How to Befriend Your Nervous System Using Polyvagal Theory" by Deb Dana
• Levine, P. A. (1997). Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma. North Atlantic Books.
• Van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Viking.
• Kearney, D. J., McDermott, K., Malte, C., Martinez, M., & Simpson, T. L. (2012). Association of participation in a mindfulness program with measures of PTSD, depression and quality of life in a veteran sample. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 68(1), 101-116.
• Price, M., Spinazzola, J., Musicaro, R., Turner, J., Suvak, M., Emerson, D., & van der Kolk, B. (2017). Effectiveness of an 8-week yoga program for women with chronic PTSD. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 30(2), 173-180.
• West, J., Liang, B., & Spinazzola, J. (2017). Trauma sensitive yoga as a complementary treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder: A qualitative descriptive analysis. International Journal of Stress Management, 24(2), 173–195.
• Brom, D., Stokar, Y., Lawi, C., Nuriel-Porat, V., Ziv, Y., Lerner, K., & Ross, G. (2017). Somatic Experiencing for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Outcome Study. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 30(3), 304-312.
• Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218–226.
• Perry, B. D. (2006). The Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics: Applying principles of neuroscience to clinical work with traumatized and maltreated children. In N. B. Webb (Ed.), Working with traumatized youth in child welfare (pp. 27–52). The Guilford Press.

Website: https://www.riseaswe.com/podcast

Email: amanda@riseaswe.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandaontherise/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amandaontherise