What does a neuroscientist who treats trauma have in common with a 20th century Russian acting teacher? More than you would think.

In this episode, Brian Zane sits down with Jenna Pacelli - licensed therapist, molecular neuroscientist, and founder of The Holistic Neuroscientist - for a wide-ranging conversation about presence, the nervous system, trauma, creativity, and what it actually means to be in your body.

Jenna shares her journey from wilderness therapy with at-risk youth to somatic experiencing and nervous system regulation. She talks about why talk therapy alone was not enough, what dissociation actually looks like in the body, and how presence is not just a feeling but a trainable skill.

The conversation touches on sense memory vs. the subconscious approach in acting, the "1% less bad" technique for staying present in intense emotional states, and a surprising overlap between the Demidov technique and the foundations of somatic experiencing.

Featured guest: Jenna Pacelli - The Holistic Neuroscientist
Instagram: @theholisticneuroscientist
Website: https://www.jennapacelli.com/

The Actor's Nervous System explores the intersection of acting, embodiment, psychology, neuroscience, and the creative process.
Follow along on Instagram and Substack: @theactorsnervoussystem
Email us at: theactorsnervoussystempodcast@gmail.com
Music by Penguinmusic and QuietPhase from Pixabay.
Podcast created, hosted, and edited by Brian Zane.
Learn more: https://brianzane.com

How do you learn lines? Most actors have been taught to memorize as quickly as possible, get the words into their heads, and move on to the "real" work of acting. But what if the way we learn our lines is actually shaping the way we perform them?

In this episode of The Actor's Nervous System, I explore the relationship between memorization, anxiety, embodiment, and creative freedom through my own experience playing Arthur Birling in An Inspector Calls during my first year of graduate school.

I share how I discovered that I hadn't just learned the lines — I had assigned the anxiety right along with them. Using the Demidov acting technique and the practice of "assigning" text, we explore:

• Why learning lines is more than storing words in your memory

• How the nervous system state you bring to rehearsal can follow you onto the stage

• The difference between assigning text and performing text

• Why calm, curiosity, and patience create more freedom for the actor

• Practical approaches for working with difficult lines and building a deeper relationship with text

The question isn't only: "How do I memorize my lines?" The deeper question is: What am I building into myself while I learn them?

The Actor's Nervous System explores the intersection of acting, embodiment, psychology, neuroscience, and the creative process.

Follow along on Instagram and Substack: @theactorsnervoussystem

Email us at: the actorsnervoussystempodcast@gmail.com

Music by Penguinmusic and QuietPhase from Pixabay.

Podcast created, hosted, and edited by Brian Zane.

Learn more:https://brianzane.com

In episode 4 of The Actor's Nervous System, Brian Zane explores the relationship between emotional courage, physical tension, and the nervous system through a personal story of chronic pain during actor training.

What happens when the body braces against feeling? How can actors learn to release rather than force? Drawing from the Demidov technique, somatic tracking, and neuroplastic pain research, this episode eplores the connection between embodiment, creativity, and presence.

Follow along on Instagram and Substack: @theactorsnervoussystem

Email us at: the actorsnervoussystempodcast@gmail.com

Music by Penguinmusic and QuietPhase from Pixabay.Podcast created, hosted, and edited by Brian Zane.

Learn more:

https://brianzane.com