You can watch the full gathering with Jan below, including her guided grounding practice and reflections on the family nervous system.Some of us grew up learning when to stay quiet, when to keep the peace, or when to take care of someone else's feelings. We may not have understood these responses at the time. They were simply part of how we learned to live in our families.
In our conversation with Jan Winhall, we explored the family nervous system and how patterns of stress, safety, and connection can pass from one generation to the next.
How did the people around us respond to anger, fear, or uncertainty? Who helped us feel safe? And what did we learn to do when that safety wasn't available?
Jan invites us to consider how some of these early patterns may still be present in our relationships, our responses to stress, and even our experiences with addiction and recovery.
What stands out in her approach is the importance of going gently. Understanding our history doesn't mean revisiting everything at once. Sometimes it begins with noticing what happens inside us, finding a little grounding, and allowing ourselves to become curious.
Perhaps the question isn't only what happened in our families, but what we learned to carry from those experiences, and what might be possible now.
A Few Questions to Reflect On
During the gathering, Jan invited us to sit with questions like these:
What role did you take on in your family?
What survival strategies were passed down in your family?
Which of these patterns show up in your relationships today?
There is no need to answer everything at once. These are simply questions we can return to, with curiosity and at our own pace.
About Jan Winhall
Jan Winhall, MSW, PIFOT, is a psychotherapist, author, and educator with over four decades of experience in trauma and addiction.
She developed the Felt Sense Polyvagal Model™, bringing together Eugene Gendlin's Focusing and Stephen Porges' Polyvagal Theory. She is the author of Treating Trauma and Addiction with the Felt Sense Polyvagal Model and 20 Embodied Practices for Healing Trauma and Addiction.
Join us
You're welcome to join us for one of our upcoming gatherings or workshops.