Dive Deeper into Body-First Healing Program FAQs

Dive Deeper into Body-First Healing Program FAQs

Are you ready to heal your nervous system and get unstuck from the pain of the past? Today we're excited to share with you some frequently asked questions and provide a deeper insight into the Body-First Healing Program, a trauma recovery roadmap to somatically heal your nervous system, get unstuck, and build resilience—without rehashing the past or settling for surface level fixes. 

This program, developed over the last 17 years by Britt Piper’s own healing journey and training as a trauma & somatic practitioner, is designed to help individuals break free from the grips of survival mode and embark on a transformative healing journey. Below you'll find answers to common questions and gain a better understanding of how our program can support you on your path to healing, as it has for the hundreds of clients who’ve gone from surviving to thriving!

Plus, scroll to the end to read a real client impact story!

Questions answered in this blog:

1. Is this a live program?
2. Can I work with you 1 on 1?
3. How long is the program?

4. I’m not good at online courses, do you offer a live course?

5. I’m stuck in a state of fight/flight/freeze. Will this help?

6. What if you don’t have trauma, but are struggling in life?

7. How do I join?

8. I’ve been in talk therapy for a long time but feel like something’s missing - is it the body healing?

9. Does this program help with chronic illness? I have fibromyalgia and CFS.

10. Will I be healed?

11. Mom here, I have a hard time staying regulated for my kids. Will this help?

If you have any of these questions, read on to learn more!

Is this a live program?

Yes and no! The Body-First Healing Program is a 6-month online course with live weekly calls. It's a hybrid, self-paced program featuring 25 hours of online modules taught by Britt. Additionally, there are two weekly live calls: one covering attachments and inner child topics, and the other delving into somatics and the nervous system. We're thrilled to introduce somatic healing sessions with one client every other week. Finally, there's a monthly welcome call for newcomers to the program to help you get oriented and meet others on this healing journey.

Can I work with you 1 on 1?

It is a live group-format course, but you can work with me 1-1 by applying for our biweekly somatic practice workshop!

How long is the program?

When you pay monthly, you'll have access to the program for 6 months; if you pay in full, it's extended to 7 months. The program content, however, is spread out over 4 months. We provide a recommended schedule to guide you through the program at a manageable pace, with buffer time for holidays or vacations, etc.

I’m not good at online courses, do you offer a live course?

We understand! That's why we've created a suggested program schedule to provide gentle accountability, structure, and guidance for navigating the course content in a way that's comfortable for your nervous system. We also highly recommend attending the live calls weekly to deepen your understanding, gain clarity, and receive support from our exceptional practitioners.

I’m stuck in a state of fight/flight/freeze. Will this help?

Absolutely! Many join this program for precisely that reason – being trapped in chronic survival states. This program helps you understand the root cause of your stuck state. Trauma is often defined as an event too overwhelming for the nervous system to cope with. It can result from your upbringing, chronic childhood situations, or a single significant event. We assist you in identifying the source of this stuck state and guide you in somatically processing it within the nervous system. We call this "completing the incomplete experiences" based on the somatic healing framework in our program, which includes nervous system mapping with the polyvagal theory. This empowers you to understand your unique nervous system and equips you with tools to navigate and overcome these states in the future.

What if you don’t have trauma, but are struggling in life?

This is a common misconception, and a key topic in the trauma basics section of our program! Many believe that they must remember their trauma to recover from it. However, trauma isn't stored in explicit memory (the kind you can recall and explain). It resides in implicit memory centers, such as sensory, emotional, autonomic nervous system, or procedural memory. These memories manifest in your body, and this is how we can access and work with trauma. 

Clients often come to us saying, "I have trauma symptoms, but I'm not sure what it is." Trauma isn't solely a catastrophic event; it often presents as chronic trauma, lacking a clear beginning, middle, or end. It can be emotional neglect, an unsafe childhood environment, insecure attachments, inability to express emotions, growing up in a family with mental illness, or constant upheaval. Trauma doesn’t have to be a massive event; especially during developmental years, chronic experiences can disrupt the nervous system. Our core wounds process helps you understand the experiences contributing to nervous system dysregulation. Many clients initially identifying acute trauma find that chronic situations were the true source of their dysregulation. In the program, we guide you in identifying, processing, and releasing pent-up survival energy, while providing tools to better manage future experiences.

How do I join?

This program is open for enrollment at any time. We understand what a big commitment and investment this is and we get that this is a big step. If you’re accepted, you will receive a program overview training video where Britt talks about what to expect from the program, the modalities we use, and how this curriculum can support you.

You’ll also receive our welcome workbook, giving you more insight on what to expect in the program to better support you in this decision. We want it to feel in perfect alignment for you and where you’re at in your journey! Once you decide to enroll in the program, we have two options for payment: you can pay monthly or pay in full and get an extra month in the program!

Click here to apply or enroll.

I’ve been in talk therapy for a long time but feel like something’s missing - is it the body healing?

Yes, trauma is a complex and deeply rooted experience that resides within the nervous system rather than being confined to the specific event itself. As Peter Levine, the founder of Somatic Experiencing®, aptly describes it, trauma can be likened to an internal straightjacket, where a profoundly distressing moment becomes frozen in time. Following trauma, the nervous system often becomes ensnared in chronic states of survival mode. This can leave us seemingly trapped in the past, even though we are living in the present.

Healing from trauma primarily involves addressing the nervous system, and the means by which we guide the nervous system to a state of recovery is through the body. The nervous system functions through various components, including the emotional brain and limbic system, which manifest emotions. Conventional talk therapy predominantly targets the top part of the brain, the conscious mind. However, during traumatic experiences, our survival instincts take precedence, causing the cognitive part of the brain to shut down. Effective healing involves working with the subconscious part of the brain, which is where trauma resides.

Verbal communication is just one facet of the healing process. To fully recover and reintegrate the cognitive functions of the brain, we must demonstrate to our nervous system that it is safe. This is achieved by reconnecting with a sense of safety through somatic healing, where "soma" signifies the body. By engaging in somatic practices, we embark on a journey to reestablish a state of safety within ourselves, gradually allowing our neo-frontal cortex to come back online and resume its role in our overall well-being.

Does this program help with chronic illness? I have fibromyalgia and CFS.

Absolutely, our program is effective in addressing chronic illness and fibromyalgia, and we have witnessed numerous clients benefit from it. We have dedicated an entire program section to addressing chronic illness, including a comprehensive hour and 15-minute recording in the Somatic Hacks section. This recording guides you through 17 different somatic exercises specifically designed to alleviate chronic illness symptoms.

Chronic illness often arises from nervous system dysregulation, which manifests in various ways, impacting the musculoskeletal system and overall well-being. When stuck in chronic states of fight-or-flight or shut-down, the body tends to tense up as it prepares for potential threats. This tension and bracing, even if not related to an immediate threat, can lead to a state of "dis-ease" where the body is not in a posture of ease. Over time, this tension can result in inflammation and chronic pain points throughout the body. Common issues include fibromyalgia, TMJ, chronic migraines, and specific pain points, along with chronic digestive problems like IBS.

Many of our clients come to us with these symptoms, all stemming from nervous system dysregulation. Our program helps individuals return to a state of regulation and ease, leading to a significant reduction in these symptoms. Additionally, we often encounter clients with chronic fatigue syndrome, which is linked to hormonal imbalances. Prolonged periods of being stuck in a fight-or-flight state lead to elevated levels of adrenaline and cortisol, the mobilizing hormones responsible for stress. While your body is designed to handle short bursts of cortisol, chronic activation can deplete and overwhelm the nervous system, ultimately leading to a shutdown, known as the "dorsal" state. This state resembles hibernation and conservation.

Understanding these patterns and their impact on your well-being is crucial, and our program is here to guide you through addressing and resolving these issues. We want to validate your experiences and assure you that you are not alone in facing these challenges. Many clients have found significant relief and healing through our program, and we are here to support you on your journey to wellness.

Will I be healed?

We believe that healing is a lifelong journey, not a single destination. The reason for this belief is that in our concept of "healed," we often envision a state where we are never triggered again. We think we'll get past whatever we went through, move on, and that it won't bother us anymore. Unfortunately, this isn't how the nervous system or implicit memory functions. Your nervous system continually stores memories of past experiences that were too traumatic for it to handle. Its ongoing job is to detect potential threats in the world and protect you from them. As a result, you will always experience activation and triggers within the nervous system. 

The goal isn't to make these triggers disappear entirely; instead, it's to equip you with the tools and capacity within your nervous system to work through these moments and not become overwhelmed by them. This is what we aim to help you achieve: discovering the innate tools already built within your body and nervous system that you can utilize and refine over time, especially during stressful moments. The remarkable aspect is that these tools can serve you throughout your lifetime. We often say that we assist you in becoming the greatest self-healer within your own life, and this is the invaluable benefit of our program. It's a one-time investment that provides you with the tools, awareness, context, processing techniques, and somatic healing methods that you can carry with you for life.

Mom here, I have a hard time staying regulated for my kids. Will this help?

Absolutely. Many parents, both mothers and fathers, are in our program. The somatic healing exercises that we incorporate into your nervous system map will certainly help you work through some of this activation that you experience. It’s going to assist you in staying regulated so that you can provide coregulatory support for your children as their nervous systems develop. Attachment work is a significant focus, as well as inner-child work and parts work. These aspects will help you process and understand triggers that may arise from your own childhood and your own parenting styles. 

Lastly, we've had various individuals, including entire generations of families, go through our program. They have chosen this path because they've witnessed how much it has benefited their family members, and they aim to break generational patterns within their family. As you heal, your children will also heal, which is a remarkable aspect of this process. While we can certainly pass down trauma, we also recognize the potential to pass on healing. This has a positive impact not only on you but also on everyone around you. Many mothers share their experiences of using these exercises with their children, which is something we greatly appreciate witnessing.

Still not sure? Read how the Body-First Healing Program curriculum helped Jess.

"I was in a relationship for 25 years that was marred by a significant amount of infidelity, including the birth of someone else’s child. I struggled but stayed in the marriage for years to prioritize what I believed to be the best path for my two children. Yet over time, I found myself completely lost in the turmoil. I now know that at the root of this “stuckness” was a years-long functional freeze that left me vulnerable to his emotional and eventually physical abuse.

I remember the turning point. I had been out with a girlfriend one night at a concert and had lost my phone. When I got home my husband was outside pacing like a tiger. He banged on the car as I pulled into the garage. Terrified, I hesitantly got out of the car. What would follow would be the worst physical experience I’d ever had. The next morning, I was bruised and sore, yet the first thought running through my head was, Well, I deserved that. The words froze me in my tracks. It was such a startling thought and one that I recognized was wrong. Of course I didn’t deserve that.

Although it took another full year to completely disengage, that was the start of the separation from my husband. But life wasn’t done testing me. Soon after the split, I was diagnosed with cancer. I once again felt stuck and unable to move forward. It was without a doubt the hardest season of my life. On top of that, any text, phone call, or communication from my husband would set me even further back. I spent months and months in that hopeless state.

I found Brittany when I needed her the most. I’d been listening to a dating podcast with some friends as a fun distraction, and they had Brittany Piper on as a guest speaker. While I found her story incredibly moving, what resonated with me wasn’t the moment of impact in relation to her traumas, but the devastating aftermath. There was something in her experience that was ringing true for me—that trauma wasn’t just about a specific life experience but the ongoing repercussions and survival responses that we don’t even recognize are there.

I started following Brittany on Instagram, consuming her relatable and educational content on trauma. She was sharing information about somatic healing, the nervous system and it’s connection to trauma—all of which was new to me. When she mentioned her Body-First Healing Program, I looked it up and started to fill out the application, but ultimately chickened-out. Looking back now, I can recognize again the ways in which my functional freeze ruled over my life. The “I have to do this! Oh wait, I can’t” feeling was too much to override.

So I continued to follow Brittany on social media and decided to coach myself instead. Since my career is in learning and development, whereby I provide coaching in my day job, I figured I could try my techniques on myself. It didn’t take long to realize it doesn’t work the same way. The truth was, I was not in a better place at all. In fact, I was still really stuck. That’s when I decided to see if maybe Brittany could help.

In my first session with Brittany, she asked me what I hoped to achieve in the program and in our work together. I told her I wanted the anxious butterflies in my stomach to go away, and that I felt stuck in every aspect of my life.

“Well,” she told me, “I can’t promise you these feelings or triggers will ever completely go away, but what we can do is work on finding more capacity to experience them and even possibly move through them.” And that’s exactly what happened. Although I didn’t yet understand how Somatic Experiencing works, Brittany gave me tools and approaches to learn how my unique nervous system was informing my everyday reactions, behaviors, emotions and thoughts.

At the time I had been such a believer that I could think my way through any situation, be logical and rational–the typical assumption that the body itself isn’t rational or isn’t the site of knowing. I had to start small within my own somatic healing journey, trying different grounding techniques for Resourcing for instance, until I eventually found one or two that worked best. When I focused on my body, I was able to support myself through challenges and discomfort with the tools Brittany gave me.

I also learned that somatic healing is a process; there are inevitable highs and lows that you go through in life, and you can get stuck again. This happened a few months ago when something didn’t happen the way I’d hoped and it triggered me back into a functional freeze. When this happens, I can offer myself a lot more grace and understanding. Additionally, I can go right back to my set of tools to process it head on so I can move back into healthy functioning much quicker. I can also use the same tools with my kids. They were teens when my husband and I separated and they struggled too with trying to figure out what had happened to our family. Although we didn’t know we had these built-in tools back then, I can use somatic techniques with my kids who are more like young adults now, to help them work through their challenges.

Most of all along this journey, I’ve had to learn to love “her,” (myself) again. For so long I had put such a premium on my brain while completely disregarding my body, a body that had been hurt terribly in so many ways, not just physically but emotionally. I started loving her, truly caring for my body and not seeing it as my enemy or something to tame or control. I grew up as a serious athlete and had been a distance runner in college. I had spent many years of my life controlling and monitoring everything I ate and how I worked out. On the one hand I had a body that enabled me to run as fast as I could, but it was also a body I abandoned when I was constantly restricting calories and abusing alcohol to just disappear into my freeze.

Through working with Brittany, I came to see that there is no separate mind or body. By starting small and really learning to love her, and by understanding that being allowed to feel isn’t a battle or a fight, my life has become so much better. I realized I was not broken and didn’t need to be fixed. Even more, when I care for her, she does really great things."

Ready to heal?

Thank you for taking the time to read through this post. If you want to dive deeper into what you can expect, make sure to check out our FREE 2-Day Mini Course: The Somatic Trauma Recovery Roadmap.

If you feel like this program is the missing piece to helping you break free from protective patterns and are ready to get started, we can’t wait to welcome you into the Body-First Healing Program.

Sending love and light your way!