How Early Childhood & Birth Trauma Shape Addiction, Anxiety, and Behavior with Dr. Annie Brook

In this episode of The Hanley Effect, Dr. John Dyben and Dr. Rachel Docekal sit down with psychologist, educator, and author Dr. Annie Brook, Ph.D, LPC, MSME (ISMETA), to explore a groundbreaking perspective on trauma, addiction, and mental health.What if the patterns you struggle with today, anxiety, reactivity, disconnection, or even addiction, didn’t start in childhood as you remember it, but before you could think, speak, or form memories at all?Dr. Brook specializes in somatic and developmental trauma, helping people uncover how early experiences, including birth and infancy, are encoded in the nervous system and continue to shape behavior, relationships, and emotional regulation throughout life.Together, they unpack:How pre-verbal and birth experiences influence the brain and bodyWhy many patterns are not cognitive and can’t be “talked away”The role of the nervous system, brainstem, and survival responses (fight, flight, freeze)How early disruptions, like lack of touch, feeding struggles, or medical interventions, can show up decades laterWhy traditional approaches sometimes fall short and what it takes to truly healDr. Brook shares her own journey of healing after trauma and explains how somatic practices, movement, and awareness can help “update” old survival patterns through neuroplasticity and relational repair.This episode offers a deeply compassionate reframe:You are not broken.Your patterns are adaptations.And with the right tools, they can change.Whether you're in recovery, a clinician, a parent, or someone seeking deeper self-understanding, this conversation will expand how you think about healing.Key Topics & TakeawaysSomatic therapy and the body’s role in trauma healingBirth trauma and early attachmentPre-verbal memory and the brainstemAddiction as an adaptation, not a failureNervous system regulation and emotional resilienceHow early unmet needs shape adult behaviorsWhy awareness + sensation = lasting changeAbout Our Guest Dr. Annie Brook, Ph.D., LPC, MSME (ISMETA), is a psychologist, educator, and author specializing in somatic and developmental trauma. As the founder of The Brook Institute and former director of the somatic psychology master’s program at Naropa University, Dr. Brook has spent decades helping individuals and clinicians understand how early experiences—including birth and infancy—shape the nervous system and influence behavior throughout life. Her work integrates neuroscience, movement, attachment science, and applied neuroplasticity to help people move from overwhelm and reactivity toward regulation, resilience, and connection. She is the author of Birth’s Hidden Legacy and is passionate about empowering others with practical tools to heal deeply rooted patterns and rediscover a sense of safety and well-being. Learn more at: https://www.anniebrook.com/Learn more about Hanley Foundation at hanleyfoundation.org or call 844-502-4673.