Healing from the Inside Out: Somatic Psychotherapy & Emotional Regulation with Debi Fries.

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“We don’t just store trauma in our minds—we store it in our bodies. Healing starts when we bring awareness to those patterns.” – Debi Fries

Have you ever felt emotions stuck in your body but struggled to articulate them? Do certain patterns in your relationships or reactions seem to play out like a broken record? In this episode, we dive into the connection between mind and body—how our nervous system, breath, and self-awareness shape our emotional responses and resilience.

Joining me is Debi Fries, a somatic psychotherapist with over 20 years of experience in Integrative Body Psychotherapy (IBP). Debi specializes in helping individuals process trauma, navigate relationship challenges, and break free from outdated emotional patterns. Through her work, she bridges cognitive, emotional, somatic, and even spiritual aspects of healing.

Together, we unpack how breathwork, self-awareness, and nervous system regulation can help us shift from reactivity to resilience. Debi also shares powerful techniques for recognizing triggers, improving self-talk, and fostering emotional balance in relationships and everyday life.

Key Topics Covered:

How Trauma is Stored in the Body – Understanding how past experiences shape present-day reactions
Breathwork for Nervous System Regulation – Practical techniques like Tactical Breathing (16-Second Breath)and the 4-7-8 Breath
Breaking Free from Old Patterns – Why we repeat emotional cycles and how to update our responses with new information
The Power of Self-Talk – How internal dialogue shapes our behavior and relationships
CHCCC Method for Emotional Regulation – Crisis, Humor, Courage, Compassion, and Curiosity as a framework for self-awareness
Mindfulness & Active Rest – How everyday activities like sketching, listening to music, or watching fish can regulate the nervous system
Healing Through Relationships – Why conflict can strengthen relationships 

Bio

Debi Fries, MFT is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Los Angeles, CA. She is an Integrative Body Psychotherapy (IBP) practitioner and has taught IBP in the United States and Europe since 2006. 

As a Somatic Psychotherapist, Debi believes that our bodies hold tremendous wisdom and information and are also a repository for all that has happened to us. Her strategies enable access to this wisdom while allowing for new neural pathways to take hold.

In addition to being a therapist, Debi considers herself a guide, healer, alchemist and archeologist, unearthing and transforming patterns that no longer serve us. Utilizing the breath and the body, Debi helps provide a template for how to face the intolerable, the difficult, and the unavoidable, as well as how to live from an expansive, abundant, and joyful place.

Contact

Website:  http://www.elementalfamily.com/

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