You can't think your way out of a feeling your body is holding.

In this episode, Tina sits down with Chelsea Horton, board-certified dance and movement therapist, somatic practitioner, and founder of Healing Embodied, to explore why traditional talk therapy often falls short, how the body holds our unprocessed emotions, and what actually works when you're stuck in anxiety, shame, or burnout.

Chelsea shares her own journey from growing up with religious trauma and shame to discovering dance therapy, and how that led her to build a business that prioritizes her nervous system over hustle culture. She breaks down the science of why your rational brain goes offline when you're triggered, what "emotional constipation" really means, and how even the most disconnected person can begin to build a relationship with their body.

If you've ever felt like you're "too much in your head," this conversation will change how you think about healing.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

🧠 The Hand Model of the Brain – Why your rational brain goes offline when you're triggered (and why you can't logic your way out of anxiety)

💩 What "Emotional Constipation" Actually Means – How we block emotions from moving through us—and how to unblock them

🩰 Why Dance Therapy Works – The difference between functional movement and expressive movement (and why both matter)

🔥 How Chelsea Burned Out in Community Mental Health – And how she built a business rooted in humanity over hustle

🛡️ Why Some Somatic Practices Feel Scary – And how to start with neutral sensation if going inward feels unsafe

🎭 The Connection Between Shame, Religious Trauma, and the Body – And how to begin releasing what was never yours to carry

🌿 Simple Somatic Practices You Can Do Today – Even if you've never felt safe in your body

Key Takeaways

🔹 Your rational brain and your emotional body speak different languages. Talk therapy speaks to your prefrontal cortex. But when you're triggered, that part of your brain goes offline. To reach the emotional center, you have to speak through the nervous system, using sensation, movement, and breath.

🔹 Most of us are emotionally constipated. We feel an emotion, then our minds get in the way, analyzing, judging, shaming, avoiding. Our bodies are wired to process emotional energy naturally, just like they digest food. But our thinking gets in the way.

🔹 You don't have to be a dancer to benefit from dance therapy. It's not about looking pretty or having technique. It's about letting your body move the way it wants to move, channeling grief, anger, or fear into authentic expression.

🔹 Somatic work isn't one-size-fits-all. For someone who's highly dissociated, jumping straight into deep body awareness can feel terrifying. Start with neutral sensation, the weight of a water glass, the sound of your hands rubbing together, and build capacity from there.

🔹 Healing changes your brain. Chelsea's brain literally operated differently after two years of applying somatic work to herself. Less shame, less overthinking, less black-and-white thinking. The brain is plastic. It can rewire.

🔹 You can't pour from an empty cup, especially as a healer. Chelsea set her business up around her actual nervous system capacity. She works fewer hours, charges what feels good, and structures her day around seasons and energy. That's not selfish. That's sustainable.

Connect with Chelsea Horton

🌐 Website: www.healingembodied.com/connect
📸 Instagram: @healing.embodied
📘 Facebook: @chelseajoyhorton
🔗 LinkedIn: Chelsea Horton

🎁 Free Resource: Visit www.healingembodied.com/connect for a free resource library full of somatic healing tools, session demos, and trainings.

Connect with Tina:

🙏 Thank you for tuning in to the Soul Aligned Self Care Podcast!

✨ If you loved this episode, please:

Subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode
Share it with a friend who needs this message
If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts, leave a quick review to help this show reach more amazing women like you 💜

🔗 Connect with me here:
🌐 Website: https://www.tinastinson.com
📌 Patreon (support the podcast & receive exclusive practices + monthly resets): https://www.patreon.com/tinastinson
🎁 Freebie: The Self Healing Toolkit - stop burnout, stress, and overwhelm in their tracks & start to regulate your nervous system: https://www.tinastinson.com/signup