You Don't Need to Be Calm to Be Healing (and Other Nervous System Truths)

The Complex Trauma Podcast

What if your anxiety, shutdown, or overwhelm aren’t signs of failure—but signs your body is finally healing?

In this episode of Reclaim You, Sarah breaks down one of the most misunderstood ideas in trauma recovery: that nervous system regulation = being calm. (Spoiler: it doesn’t.)

You’ll learn:

• Why calm isn’t always regulation—and why stillness can be a shutdown in disguise
• What dysregulation actually means in a trauma-informed framework
• How real healing builds nervous system flexibility, not perfection
• The truth about survival states, and how your body completes what it never got to finish

If you’ve been doing the work and still feel overwhelmed, this conversation will reframe how you see your nervous system—and help you stop judging what’s actually progress.

🔗 Free downloads:

[Regulation Isn’t the Goal Worksheet] https://www.subscribepage.com/nervous-system-regulation

[Window of Tolerance Worksheet]
https://www.subscribepage.com/windowoftolerance

Thanks for listening to The Complex Trauma Podcast!

Be sure to follow, share and give us a review on your favorite podcast platform.

Follow on Instagram: @sarahherstichlcsw

Learn more about EMDR & trauma therapy in Pennsylvania with Reclaim Therapy

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or nutritional advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Remember, I'm a therapist, but I'm not your therapist. Nothing in this podcast is meant to replace actual therapy or treatment. If you're in crisis or things feel really unsafe right now, please reach out to someone. You can call 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, text them, or head to your nearest ER.

The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organizations or institutions. Reliance on any information provided by this podcast is solely at your own risk.