As a nurse practitioner, I’ve seen so many patients who did everything right on paper—clean diets, high-quality supplements, proper testing, even mold remediation. But despite all that effort, some of them still weren’t getting better.
That’s when I knew we had to start looking somewhere else. Somewhere deeper.
This week on Medical Disruptors, I had the incredible privilege of speaking with Dr. Danica Harris—a psychologist turned somatic coach who specializes in helping people reconnect to their bodies through nervous system regulation. And I have to tell you: this conversation cracked something wide open for me.
If you’ve ever wondered why healing stalls despite your best efforts… or if you’ve felt like your body is working against you… I want you to watch this podcast, or at the very LEAST read this blog. Because this episode could change the entire way you think about recovery.
When “Doing Everything Right” Isn’t Enough
One of the most frustrating things, both as a nurse practitioner and as a patient, is when the labs look good but the symptoms persist. The fatigue, the inflammation, the brain fog, the gut issues—they don’t budge. And too often, patients are told it’s “just stress” or “all in their head.”
But as Dr. Danica explains, it’s not just stress. It’s survival mode. It’s a body stuck in fight-or-flight—and that’s where nervous system regulation comes in.
When the nervous system gets stuck in a chronic stress response, everything else in the body takes a backseat. Digestion, hormone production, immune response, even basic cellular repair—they all slow down. The body’s only goal is survival.
And you can’t heal when your biology thinks you’re still in danger.
What Is Somatic Healing?
Somatic healing is a bottom-up approach to trauma recovery that works directly with the body—not just the mind. Unlike traditional talk therapy, which focuses on cognition and narrative, somatic work helps patients process and release the physiological imprints of trauma.
Dr. Danica described how trauma responses—like anger, numbness, or shutdown—are often the result of stored survival energy that never got discharged. These are not “bad behaviors” or personality flaws. They’re deeply wired responses that developed in childhood and were never resolved.
And here’s the kicker: most people don’t even realize their bodies are operating from that place.
The Fight-or-Flight Trap
We talked about how common it is for people to live in a constant state of activation. They’re not just busy—they’re hypervigilant. Their hearts race when the phone rings. They lash out at their partners over small things. They forget why they walked into a room. These aren’t quirks—they’re symptoms of dysregulation.
Nervous system regulation isn’t about deep breathing your way to calm. It’s about slowly rewiring the body to feel safe again—because for many, safety feels foreign.
And this is where somatic healing becomes transformative.
Dr. Danica shared how she helps clients identify and track their physiological cues—tight chests, clenched jaws, racing hearts—and gently guide them through those sensations instead of suppressing or ignoring them. The goal isn’t to eliminate discomfort, but to increase awareness and capacity so the body can complete the cycle and return to balance.
That’s nervous system regulation in action.
Trauma Isn’t Just a Mental Story
One of the most powerful moments in our conversation came when Dr. Danica described a client who wanted to scream and flip a desk during a conflict at work—but couldn’t in real life. So in session, they mimicked the act together, allowing her to release that stored energy in a safe, contained space.
It wasn’t about rehashing the trauma. It was about completing a response that had been trapped in her body for years.
As a nurse practitioner, this blew my mind. I’ve spent so much time treating the physical manifestations of trauma—gut dysfunction, autoimmunity, hormone imbalance—but I hadn’t seen a process so direct and embodied. It made me realize how many patients we’re missing by focusing only on what’s above the neck.
Nervous system regulation is the foundation, not the afterthought.
Chronic Illness and a Stuck System
We also explored why some patients with chronic illness never truly recover—no matter how comprehensive their care plan is. According to Dr. Danica, many of them are living in what she calls a “global high-intensity state.” Their sympathetic nervous systems are constantly firing, leaving them depleted and unable to access the parasympathetic functions needed for healing.
Think about that for a second. If someone has been in survival mode since childhood—never feeling safe, never fully resting—then their baseline is dysregulation. They may not even know what calm feels like.
So even when you introduce the right labs, the right foods, the right detox—nothing takes root. Because the body is too busy surviving.
This is why nervous system regulation must be part of every long-term recovery strategy.
The Role of Validation and Gentleness
Another powerful part of our conversation centered on self-compassion. Dr. Danica emphasized that healing isn’t about bulldozing through your emotions—it’s about validating them.
So many of us learned to “push through.” We minimize our needs, compare our pain to others’, and internalize shame for not “bouncing back.”
But real nervous system regulation asks us to slow down, to notice, and to respond with kindness. That shift—from pushing to softening—isn’t weakness. It’s strength.
As a nurse practitioner, I see how hard it is for patients to let go of the productivity trap. But healing asks for stillness. It asks for presence. And most importantly, it asks for safety.
Why This Matters for Providers
Whether you’re a nurse practitioner, therapist, or functional medicine provider, this conversation matters. If you’re not assessing nervous system regulation in your intake, you’re missing the root of what’s keeping your patients sick.
And if you’re a patient reading this—especially one who’s tried everything—this may be the shift you’ve been searching for.
Not another supplement.
Not another protocol.
A complete recalibration of how your body responds to the world.
The Takeaway
Your body isn’t broken.
It’s responding exactly how it was taught to survive.
But survival isn’t the end goal—regulation is.
This episode with Dr. Danica Harris reminded me that nervous system regulation isn’t a side note in healing—it’s the main event. If you’re chronically ill, emotionally exhausted, or stuck in patterns that no longer serve you, this is where you begin.
Come back to your body.
Come back to safety.
Come home to yourself.