Trauma Rewired

Episode: The Neurosomatics Of Habit Change

Hosts: Jennifer Wallace & Elisabeth Kristof
Date: January 6, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the science and lived experience of habit change from a neurosomatic perspective—a union of neurology, somatics, and emotional processing. With the new year bringing pressure for transformation, Elisabeth and Jennifer explore why behavior change is so challenging, how the brain’s prediction system influences habits, the importance of minimum effective dosing, and specific tools for making sustainable, nervous-system-honoring change. They emphasize bringing curiosity, compassion, and replenishment to the process, breaking down both the biological and emotional nuances behind why we do what we do.

Key Topics and Insights

1. The Brain's Prediction Machine and Energy Conservation

[03:14]

• The brain isn’t just reactive, it’s always predicting using past experiences to make us efficient and keep us safe.
• "It's not just reacting to what we're experiencing in that moment, but it's predicting and it's using past experience to form our expectations about what's happening around us..." — Elizabeth Kristof
• Habits are energy-saving “shortcuts” embedded for our survival. Changing them costs the brain a lot of energy and increases stress, often activating protective responses.

2. Minimum Effective Dose & Starting Small

[05:34][11:40][31:58]

• After the holidays, most people have a depleted capacity. Jumping into radical change usually backfires.
• Small, manageable steps are key—minimum effective dose, even “doing nothing” some days, is often the best approach.
• "What is the very smallest thing I could do today? And some days that's going to be nothing." — Jennifer Wallace
• Consistency is built over time, not through 100% perfection.

3. The Physiology of Habit Change

[08:35][14:41]

• Change requires physical resources: sleep, glucose, oxygen. Stress and fatigue hinder neuroplastic change.
• “Willpower is not accessible… if you are living in a state of depletion and survival.” — Jennifer Wallace
• Regulation practices include proper breathing mechanics, metabolic health, and integrating periods of rest and stillness for adaptation.

4. Rest and Integration

[14:41][16:13][44:02]

• Rest can mean sleep, art, gardening, or simply being still. Intentional downtime allows the nervous system to process change, integrate new patterns, and avoid overwhelm.
• “We need rest to integrate the change that we're making, the beliefs, all of the neurotag that we are working with.” — Jennifer Wallace
• Minimum dose applies to rest too: “maybe it's just going outside for a minute or two and just sitting there in the sunshine...” — Elizabeth Kristof

5. Daily Practice, Recommitment, and Celebration

[20:57][31:15]

• Regular recommitment to your vision—no matter how small the action—is essential for lasting change.
• “That recommitment and then the daily practice, this is like so important because every time we're making these little changes we're going to get that dopamine hit...” — Jennifer Wallace
• Celebrating even tiny wins is vital to reinforce new patterns and motivate continued change.

Dopamine and Reward

[23:14][28:52]

• Dopamine motivates and rewards us for actions. Even small moments of celebration create dopamine spikes, supporting habit change.
• “When we celebrate our wins, we get a little hit of dopamine. So that is a great way to get that motivation...” — Elizabeth Kristof
• Chronic stress, overstimulation, or lack of celebration can drive the “dopamine pit,” decreasing motivation and joy.

6. Beliefs, Neurotags, and Emotional Processing

[10:34][32:39][36:31]

• Habits are rooted in beliefs and neurotags—complex networks blending thought, emotion, and physical sensation.
• Old beliefs (“I can’t do this,” “I’m a failure”) often block change and are reinforced by repeated protective patterns.
• Emotional processing is necessary to move through the discomfort that comes with change—sometimes involving movement, expression, and somatic practices.

7. Addressing Self-Sabotage and Avoidance

[38:29][41:19]

• Self-sabotage isn’t a lack of willpower—it’s a protective nervous system strategy against perceived threats, unfamiliarity, or overwhelm.
• “Self-sabotage is a protective avoidance behavior. When something is too stressful... the stress load is too big for our nervous system.” — Elizabeth Kristof
• Awareness and regulation tools (e.g., breathing, movement, body scanning) are more effective than fighting these patterns with “grit.”

8. Real-Life Application: Food, Cannabis, and Financial Patterns

[41:19][44:39]

• Jennifer shares personal stories (ongoing work with food and cannabis habits) highlighting the need for increased regulation and rest during intense periods of growth or integration.
• These somatic and behavioral patterns show up across all areas: finances, relationships, time management.
• “How you show up anywhere is how you show up everywhere...” — Jennifer Wallace

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On gentle habit change:
  "We really want to go at this with like a very minimum effective dose. What is the very smallest thing that I could do today? And some days that's going to be nothing." — Jennifer Wallace [05:35]

• On willpower:
  "Willpower takes energy and it takes a well functioning nervous system and brain that's able to communicate... There's a whole neural component to willpower that's beyond just cognitively deciding that I'm going to be able to do something." — Elizabeth Kristof [12:18]

• On resting as resourcing:
  “Rest to me looks like many different things... It's about like how do I spend my time without a distraction... It's like, how do I slow down and make it safe for myself to be in quieter spaces so that I'm contemplating in my body the change that's happening.” — Jennifer Wallace [14:41]

• On celebration and rewiring dopamine:
  “It is actually creating dopamine. It's helping to rehabilitate that pathway. And it becomes a more embodied experience over time...” — Elizabeth Kristof [28:52]

• On pattern recognition:
  "How you show up anywhere is how you show up everywhere. So if you're finding a pattern in your food, you're probably going to find it in your finances." — Jennifer Wallace [46:48]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:14] – The brain as a prediction and energy-saving machine; why change is hard.
• [05:34] – The need for minimum effective dose; why less is often more at the start.
• [10:34] – The role of beliefs, neurotags, and emotional re-patterning.
• [14:41] – The multifaceted necessity of rest and regeneration.
• [16:13] – Realistic ways to integrate rest and gradual change.
• [20:57] – Daily recommitment and why celebration matters.
• [23:14] – How dopamine drives behavior and how to celebrate wins.
• [28:52] – Rewiring celebration and rehabilitating the dopamine pathway.
• [32:39] – Processing emotions and neurotags through somatic practices.
• [36:31] – How deeply held beliefs and trauma can block positive change.
• [38:29] – The protective function of self-sabotage and avoidance.
• [41:19] – Applying tools and pattern recognition to food and substance habits.
• [44:39] – Financial habits and the "everywhere" aspect of nervous system patterns.
• [46:48] – How working on one pattern facilitates global change and empowerment.
• [49:10] – Closing encouragement: slow the pace, process emotions, make change one moment at a time.

Takeaways & Tools

• Honor your nervous system’s limits by focusing on minimum effective dose.
• Celebrate every win, no matter how small, to reinforce new, adaptive patterns.
• Rest and slow integration are not just allowed but essential.
• Notice emotional and bodily cues—work with, not against, your nervous system.
• Generalize your insights—patterns in one domain appear across life.
• Daily recommitment counts: Change is exponential, not instantaneous.

Trauma Rewired makes a strong case for a science-backed, gentle, compassionate approach to habit change—one that honors both the nervous system and the complexities of trauma and belief. The conversation combines research, lived experience, and practical tools, making this episode a timely guide for anyone wishing for real, sustainable transformation.