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From Cliffhanger to Calm: The Neuroscience of Survival Mode
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In this raw, deeply educational episode of Survival Mode Disrupted, Leticia sits down with somatic psychotherapist Suzy Butts to unpack the neuroscience of trauma, how stress gets stored in the body, and why so many of us are unknowingly living high up on a “stress cliff” that we think is normal
Suzy breaks down:
- How trauma has shaped human behavior for thousands of years
- Why we learned not to rock the boat, speak up, or express emotions
- How epigenetics passes trauma down 8 generations
- Why most adults don’t know what safety even feels like
- Why your nervous system pushes you into fight, flight, freeze or fawn before you can think
She shares her personal survival mode story — childhood emotional neglect, marrying an abusive partner, a life-changing car crash, high-achieving numbness, obesity tied to trauma, and how 9/11 cracked her emotional armor and pushed her into the world of psychotherapy.
This episode is a masterclass in understanding survival mode from a somatic and scientific perspective, offering real compassion and practical insight into how we get stuck… and how we get free.
🎙️ What We Talk About
- The “stress cliff” model — and how it explains overwhelm, burnout, shutdown, and poor coping habits
- Why humans have been conditioned for survival, not thriving
- How trauma lives in the body long after the mind forgets
- Emotional unavailability in parents & its generational impact
- Why your nervous system mistakes chaos for comfort
- Freeze mode vs laziness — the truth behind shutdown
- How trauma influences weight gain, overeating & self-neglect
- The danger of normalizing “I’m fine”
- Why healing must include body-based processes
- Post-traumatic growth, and why you can’t go back — only forward
🔑 Key Takeaways
“You’re not broken. You’re overwhelmed.”
“Trauma doesn’t start with you, but healing can.”
“You can’t change what you can’t see — awareness is your lighthouse.”
“Safety feels boring when chaos raised you.”
🙌 Why This Episode Matters
Too many women think they’re failing when they’re actually in survival mode.
They think they’re lazy when they’re actually numb.
They think they’re dramatic when they’re actually overwhelmed.
This episode dismantles shame and replaces it with understanding — helping listeners recognize what their nervous system is trying to tell them and how they can gently start moving back toward safety, presence, and ease.
This is trauma education in its most accessible, compassionate form — and it’s a lifeline for anyone stuck on that cliff.
💬 Connect with Suzy
Website: fromsurvivingtothriving2.com.au
Program: From Stress to Bliss (10-module somatic trauma program + weekly group)
🔗 Resources & Links:
- 💣 Download the Survival Mode Exit Blueprint
- 👉🏾 Join the Survival Mode Exodus Membership
- 🎧 Subscribe to Survival Mode Disrupted: The Podcast on YouTube
- ✍🏾 Subscribe to Survival Mode Disrupted: The Newsletter on LinkedIn
- 💬 Book a 1:1 Session with Leticia
- 📖 Order Survival Mode Exit Plan Book
- 😉 Join the free FB Group Disrupting Survival Mode
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