Healing Trauma and Addiction: Insights from Jan Winhall

The nervous system just goes to the place, it shifts states. And so what how the way that we work with relapse is we work with harnessing the wisdom of the nervous system and so being able to say okay so you came in you you you know you're here today and you're really freaking out because you had two sips of wine. And then there's this whole thing about the 12 steps where you have to start again at day one. I do not agree with that. I think it's very damaging, actually, because it's not the way bodies work. You don't lose everything. And some people are, some people are. But you know, we know that you don't lose all you've gained. You don't. And sometimes you can find what it is and sometimes you can't. But we know, too, that when clients can can when people can get back on track because they're not shaming themselves and they're not having to start all over again they recognize oh my body went there because it wasn't didn't feel okay um those pathways of the of the ventral vagus are established and they can regain quite quickly often not always always, not always. If they have enough of a number of days, like they haven't had enough of a lived experience, I know what it feels like to let it go. And I know I felt safe there. That can feel safe too. Yes, and also just neurophysiologically, your body has that pathway in there. It hasn't lost it. When people understand that, it's very hopeful.