Healing isn’t just about understanding your story. It’s about how your body holds it.

In this episode of The Moon Collective Sanctuary Podcast, host Dr. Lydia Luna, Ph.D., is joined by Briana Damavandi, LCSW, for a conversation about trauma, holistic healing, and why talk therapy alone isn’t always enough for lasting change.

Together, they:

• Explore how trauma lives in the nervous system
• Examine why intellectual insight doesn’t automatically lead to healing
• Discuss how somatic and body-based approaches help bridge the gap between knowing and feeling better.

Briana shares her journey into holistic mental health, including her work with EMDR, trauma-informed yoga, and nervous system regulation, and how her own experiences shaped the way she practices as a therapist.

They also explore what it means to be a therapist doing deeply relational work, including how clinicians regulate their own nervous systems, navigate emotional attunement, and create boundaries that support sustainable, ethical care.

The conversation expands into the growing influence of AI, social media, life coaches, and quick-fix healing culture, offering a grounded perspective on why discernment, training, and human connection matter more than ever in mental health spaces.

This episode is an open and honest reflection on modern therapy, the healing industry, and the importance of slowing down, listening to the body, and choosing support that honors the full human experience.

To Watch the Show click HERE

Visit mooncollectivesanctuary.com to explore our upcoming gatherings and private healing offerings.

Connect with Briana

Website: www.theholisticemdrtherapist.com

Instagram: @the.holistic.emdr.therapist

Chapter Markers

01:10 Briana’s path into holistic trauma work

03:30 What holistic healing really means

05:55 Why trauma lives in the body

08:40 When talk therapy isn’t enough

11:50 Nervous system regulation and healing

14:30 Community, connection, and post-pandemic shifts

17:10 AI, therapy, and ethical concerns

21:30 The therapist’s nervous system and self-regulation

25:40 Burnout, boundaries, and sustainability

29:20 Discernment in the healing industry

Support the show

Connect with Dr. Lydia Luna, PhD:

Website: www.mooncollectivesanctuary.com

Youtube: www.youtube.com/@mooncollectivesanctuary

IG: @lydialunaphd & @mooncollectivesanctuary

Facebook: www.facebook.com/mooncollectivesanctuary