Ep. 8 - Healing Trauma Through the Body: Dr. Priti Kothari & Sara Baena on Psychoanalysis, Yoga & Self-Healing

On this episode of Untangled, host Dr. Priti Kothari is joined by psychologist and yoga instructor Sara Baena for a conversation on trauma, the unconscious mind, and the mind-body connection.Sara shares her background in psychoanalysis, drawing on Freud and Jung, and how she came to write her book, Your Healing Is Your Success. She and Dr. Kothari explore how trauma gets stored not just in the unconscious mind but in the physical body, and how practices like yoga, breathwork, and meditation can help release it.The conversation covers:How unresolved trauma from childhood shows up in the body and nervous systemThe four trauma responses — fight, flight, freeze, and fawn — and how they relate to the sympathetic nervous systemSpecific yoga poses, including backbends, tree pose, and butterfly pose, and what each can help releaseThe role of Ujjayi breath and conscious breathing in shifting the body into a parasympathetic, calming stateUsing color and visualization, including chakra colors, as a tool for healingWhy reaching out for help is a sign of strength, not weaknessHow the education system often overlooks emotional regulation and self-love, and what that means for children growing up todayDr. Kothari and Sara close with a candid discussion on the growing loneliness epidemic, the importance of community and human connection, and why self-healing work is becoming essential for the world moving forward.Whether you're curious about the psychology of trauma, looking for practical tools to calm your nervous system, or interested in how yoga and mental health intersect, this episode offers real, actionable insight.Learn more about Sara Baena's book, Your Healing Is Your Success, available on Amazon.