Grounded in 10

Welcome to a new chapter of Grounded in 10.In this re-introduction episode, Sarah Benitez-Zandi, licensed clinical social worker, trauma therapist, EMDR and ART-trained clinician, somatic therapy practitioner, and owner of Trauma Wise Healing, shares the deeper thread connecting her work: supporting cycle breakers.This episode explores what it means to stop repeating what hurt you, notice inherited patterns, and begin choosing something different in your body, relationships, parenting, boundaries, and sense of self.Sarah reflects on the evolution of Grounded in 10 from a space for short nervous system resets into a podcast for trauma recovery, nervous system healing, relational repair, family-of-origin work, and embodied change.Whether you are a parent, partner, adult child, trauma survivor, therapist, or someone who is beginning to recognize the patterns you no longer want to carry forward, this episode is an invitation to pause, notice, and begin again.Because cycle breaking is not about perfection.It starts with awareness.And noticing the cycle is where change begins.In this episode, we explore:What it means to be a cycle breakerHow trauma patterns can show up in parenting, relationships, and the bodyWhy insight alone is not always enough for changeThe role of nervous system healing and somatic practiceThe next chapter of Grounded in 10 and Trauma Wise HealingWhy small, intentional pauses can become powerful moments of changeGrounded in 10 is for cycle breakers who are ready to stop surviving their past and start building something different -- one breath, one pause, and one embodied choice at a time.

Have you ever understood exactly where a pattern comes from and still found yourself repeating it?In this episode of Grounded in 10, Sarah Benitez-Zandi, LCSW, trauma therapist, EMDR and ART-trained clinician, somatic therapy practitioner, and owner of Trauma Wise Healing, explores why insight alone is not always enough to break old cycles.For many cycle breakers, the frustration is not a lack of awareness. You may know why you people-please, shut down, over-explain, snap, avoid conflict, chase reassurance, or feel guilty setting boundaries. But when your central nervous system detects threat, your body can react before your rational brain has time to catch up.This episode offers a trauma-informed explanation of how survival responses live in the nervous system, why old protective patterns can show up in parenting, relationships, conflict, and boundaries, and why healing has to include the body, not just the mind.Because cycle breaking is not about perfection.It is about noticing the old pattern, understanding what your nervous system is trying to protect, and slowly practicing something different.In this episode, we explore:Why knowing better does not always mean feeling able to do betterHow the nervous system can hijack the rational brainWhy trauma patterns are stored in the body, not just the mindHow people-pleasing, shutdown, anger, avoidance, and overfunctioning can begin as protectionWhy cycle breaking requires nervous system healing, somatic awareness, and practiceHow small pauses create more choice in real-life momentsGrounded in 10 is for cycle breakers who are ready to stop repeating what hurt them and start building something different, one pause, one breath, and one embodied choice at a time.

When anxiety or OCD take hold, it’s easy to feel trapped in repetitive thought patterns that feed tension and fear. This Grounded in 10 practice, Breaking the Loop, combines bilateral tapping with mindful breathwork to create space between you and your thoughts.Together, we’ll explore how to:Interrupt looping or intrusive thoughts through sensory groundingPair physical rhythm with gentle cognitive reframingCultivate a felt sense of safety and choice in the bodyThis short practice offers a reset — a way to shift from mental overdrive into embodied calm. Awareness itself becomes the break in the loop.

🌍 October 10 – Global Connection, Local Breath | World Mental Health DayIn this special Grounded in 10 episode, Sarah guides you through a grounding practice in honor of World Mental Health Day — a reminder that mental health is a shared human concern across cultures and communities.Through breathwork and visualization, you’ll:Settle into presence with gentle chest-and-belly awarenessUse box breathing to create steady calmVisualize your breath as waves connecting you to people across the globeAnchor into the affirmation: “I am part of a larger whole. I belong here.”This 11-minute practice is an invitation to pause, breathe, and feel the support of being part of something greater — both locally and globally.✨ Want more? Patreon members will find extended practices this week, exploring deeper grounding tools for connection, identity, and belonging.🎧 Take 10 minutes today to join the global rhythm of breath and connection.

This premium session focuses on re-awakening the body’s natural energy flow—perfect for moments when depression, fatigue, or disconnection make it hard to feel present. Using rhythmic movement, breath, and gentle vibration, this practice helps you re-engage your body’s circuit and spark momentum from the inside out.💫 What to Expect:A brief settling phase to meet your body where it is—no pressure, no forcingA three-movement grounding circuit (arm sweeps, calf raises, and seated twists) that reconnects mind and body through steady repetitionGentle tapping and soft humming to stimulate vagal tone and reawaken felt alivenessA closing affirmation—“Motion invites emotion”—paired with energizing sighs to invite warmth, clarity, and calm back into the system🌿 Why It Matters:When depression or emotional numbness take hold, our energy often collapses inward. This simple sequence restores flow without overwhelm, reminding your nervous system that safety and vitality can coexist. Small movement—done mindfully—can re-ignite presence and hope.🎧 Listen when:You feel heavy, disconnected from your body, or need a gentle push to get unstuck.🕯️ Takeaway:Every breath and movement is a signal: I’m still here. Reconnection doesn’t require intensity—just rhythm, curiosity, and kindness toward your body’s pace.✨ Explore more somatic grounding and regulation tools each week at Patreon.com/Groundedin10 — exclusive for Grounded Support+ members.

This week’s premium episode is a somatic boundary practice designed to help you feel seen, safe, and in control of your personal space—both physically and emotionally. You’ll rehearse calm, embodied ways to communicate limits while staying rooted in kindness and self-respect.💫 What to Expect:A gentle activation point inviting you to recall a mild moment of feeling unseen or unsafe—just enough to practice new regulation skills around itRooting techniques that use physical pressure and release to ground the body and signal safetyA somatic boundary sweep, tracing the invisible “bubble” of your personal space while reclaiming the right to decide what comes closerA voice and breath sequence pairing clear boundary phrases—like “I’m not available for that today”—with extended exhales for calm authorityAn optional physical anchor (thumb to index finger) to use in real life when your boundaries are tested🌿 Why It Matters:When you’ve experienced times of being dismissed, overlooked, or unsafe, your body often learns to collapse or freeze instead of standing firm. This practice re-teaches your nervous system what safe firmness feels like—strength without tension, clarity without conflict.🎧 Listen when:You feel overextended, overlooked, or uneasy after saying “yes” when you meant “no.”🕯️ Takeaway:Boundaries are not walls—they’re clarity. Each time you ground your feet, trace your space, and voice a limit with kindness, you remind your body that safety begins with self-respect.✨ Continue your practice with more Grounded Support+ sessions at Patreon.com/Groundedin10, where you’ll find additional guided tools for nervous system safety and self-trust.

This week’s premium episode invites you to gently shift from internalized stigma toward self-compassion using an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) defusion technique.Through slow, mindful breathing and language-based grounding, you’ll learn to separate yourself from painful or judgmental thoughts—especially those connected to mental health or self-worth—and reconnect with your values in real time.💭 What to Expect:A calming breath sequence to settle your body and mindA guided defusion practice to reframe thoughts like “I’m broken” into “I’m having the thought that I’m broken,” creating distance and reliefA compassionate hand-to-heart exercise for self-soothing and shared humanityA values-based micro-action to bring calm into everyday life🌿 Why It Matters:Stigma—whether external or internal—keeps us fused to shame. Defusion loosens that grip. By pairing it with embodied compassion, this practice teaches your nervous system that calm and self-acceptance can coexist, even alongside difficult thoughts.🎧 Listen when:You’re feeling weighed down by self-criticism, comparing yourself to others, or noticing shame about needing help.🕯️ Takeaway:You are not your thoughts. You are the observer, the steady one beneath them. Each time you meet a hard thought with compassion, you build the muscle of safety and self-trust.✨ Explore more grounding and compassion practices at Patreon.com/Groundedin10 — exclusive for Grounded Support+ members.

Releasing Shame, Inviting Safety — A Somatic Practice for Mental Illness Awareness WeekTheme: Grounded Support+ | Releasing Shame, Inviting SafetyShame can live quietly in the body — in the way our shoulders round forward, the breath catches, or the chest tightens when we talk about mental health. It tells us to hide, to stay small, to blend in. But beneath that guarding is something simpler and truer: a nervous system asking for safety.This premium practice, Releasing Shame, Inviting Safety, was created for Mental Illness Awareness Week — a time to bring compassion and education to conversations about mental health while giving our bodies the same understanding we offer our minds.In about twelve minutes, Sarah guides you through a somatic reset that helps your body release layers of tension and reclaim gentleness toward yourself.What to Expect1️⃣ Arrival (0:00–1:30)You’ll start with slow, steady breathing — inhaling for four, exhaling for six — a rhythm proven to activate the parasympathetic nervous system. This begins the process of settling the body before deeper work.2️⃣ Micro-Uncurl (1:30–4:30)Small movements matter. You’ll be invited to soften by just one percent: a jaw that releases one click, shoulders that drop one notch, a belly that loosens by a breath. This practice of “micro-uncurling” helps the body unlearn rigidity in safe, manageable doses.3️⃣ Pendulation (4:30–8:00)Through gentle attention, you’ll move between a mildly tense area and a neutral or pleasant one — perhaps between your jaw and your feet, or your chest and your hands. This “pendulation” rhythm teaches the body that it can notice discomfort and return to calm without getting stuck there.4️⃣ Releasing Stigma (8:00–11:00)You’ll pair each exhale with an affirmation:“It’s safe to be here.”“I am more than a label.”“My story deserves care.”By saying these words while the body is relaxed, you link the cognitive belief with a felt sense of safety — transforming abstract reassurance into embodied truth.5️⃣ Closing (11:00–12:30)With one hand on your heart and one on your belly, you’ll end the session with a slow, full exhale — integrating the practice and returning to your day a little softer, a little steadier, and a little freer.Why It MattersDuring Mental Illness Awareness Week, conversations about stigma often stay intellectual — focused on education, diagnosis, and advocacy. But stigma doesn’t just live in language; it lives in the body.When we hold shame about our experiences, the nervous system constricts. This practice creates space for release — gently reminding the body that it’s safe to soften, safe to be seen, and safe to belong to ourselves again.By pairing mindful breathwork with compassion-based affirmations, this episode helps regulate the vagus nerve, improve emotional safety, and restore trust in your own cues of calm.Listen When You Need To:After a therapy session or medical appointmentWhen you feel judged or misunderstood about your mental healthAs part of a nightly or weekly grounding ritual“It’s safe to be here. I am more than a label. My story deserves care.”Let this be your reminder that healing isn’t about perfection — it’s about permission.You can find this premium practice on Patreon, along with other bonus sessions designed to help you reconnect with steadiness and safety from the inside out.Until next time, may you feel steady, safe, and grounded in 10.

This week on Grounded in 10, Sarah takes a conversational break from guided practice to answer your top grounding questions. With warmth and humor, she explains how grounding works as an “emergency brake” for the nervous system, how to find techniques that fit your body, and what to do when nothing seems to help.You’ll learn:The difference between grounding and mindfulnessHow to use grounding in moments of panic or overstimulationWhy daily micro-practices build long-term resilienceHow Sarah personally uses grounding in her own life — including her favorite unexpected method: weight liftingThis episode is part education, part encouragement, and part honest conversation about what it means to stay regulated in a chaotic world.Listen when: you need a reset, a reminder that you’re not alone, or a down-to-earth conversation about what real nervous system care looks like.

In this week’s Grounded in 10 practice, we explore Waking Up the Body — a simple, restorative routine designed to help you reconnect with physical sensation and inner vitality. Depression and fatigue often disconnect us from our body’s natural rhythms, leaving us feeling detached or unmotivated. This guided session uses gentle movement, tactile stimulation, and intentional breath to re-ignite your energy from the inside out.You’ll learn how to:Reconnect with your body through mindful awarenessUse simple physical activation to shift emotional energyPair breath and movement to restore regulation and clarityTake ten minutes to come home to yourself — one breath, one movement at a time.

Releasing Stigma, Finding Safety | Mental Illness Awareness WeekIn this week’s practice on Grounded in 10, Sarah guides you through a grounding meditation to release stigma and connect with safety.Through breath, body awareness, and visualization, you’ll:Notice where your body holds tension or self-protectionSoften those areas with gentle breath and awarenessEnvision a light of acceptance that expands with each inhale and exhaleAnchor into the affirmation: “I am safe to be seen. I can let go of hiding.”This episode honors Mental Illness Awareness Week, a time to reduce stigma and recognize that mental health is part of the human experience.✨ Want to go deeper? Premium practices on Patreon this week expand on these themes with additional grounding tools for social anxiety, performance nerves, and everyday overwhelm.🎧 Give yourself 10 minutes to claim space for your whole self and return to safety.

October Themes Episode | Grounded in 10This month on Grounded in 10, we’re stepping into a new rhythm shaped by national mental health awareness movements. In this special conversational episode, Sarah introduces the October series, exploring the history and meaning behind each week’s theme.Together, we’ll honor:Mental Illness Awareness Week — reducing stigma and claiming safety.World Mental Health Day (Oct 10) — building global connection and care.OCD Awareness Week — clarifying OCD vs. OCPD, breaking stereotypes, and honoring lived experiences.ADHD Awareness Month — highlighting neurodiversity, strengths, and grounding attention.Each awareness event has its own story, but together they remind us of one truth: mental health deserves space, dignity, and care.✨ This month you can expect:Four free weekly practices tied to awareness themesA World Mental Health Day bonus episode on October 10Premium Patreon practices at every tier for everyday triggers, high-stakes stressors, and deeper identity-based anxieties🎧 Whether you’re here for a quick reset or to dive into the full October library, there’s space for you.

Week 4 – Body Scan to Ease Tension | Serene September SeriesIn this episode of Grounded in 10, Sarah guides you through a gentle body scan designed to help you release tension and reset your nervous system from head to toe.Through mindful attention and breath, you’ll:Soften the forehead, jaw, and shoulders to ease built-up stressBring awareness down the body, inviting calm into each muscle groupEnd with a full-body sense of grounding and reliefThis short reset is perfect for moments when stress feels stored in your body and you need a few minutes of release.✨ Want more support? Patreon members will find extended body scan variations this week, including practices for easing public speaking nerves, workload stress, and relationship anxiety.🎧 Take 10 minutes to unwind and reconnect with your body’s calm.

Week 3 – Safe Place Visualization | Serene September SeriesIn this episode of Grounded in 10, Sarah guides you through a Safe Place Visualization — a gentle practice designed to help you create an inner sanctuary of calm that you can return to whenever life feels overwhelming.Through breath, imagery, and sensory awareness, you’ll:Build a personal “safe place” in your mind’s eyeDeepen your sense of safety by engaging all five sensesAnchor calm in your body with affirmations you can revisit anytimeThis short practice can be especially helpful for moments of stress, worry, or when you need to pause and re-center.✨ Want to go deeper? On Patreon this week, premium practices expand on visualization with tools for easing OCD loops, quieting everyday worry, and softening into sleep.🎧 Give yourself 10 minutes to feel steady, safe, and grounded.

Butterfly Hug for CalmWhen anxiety takes hold, your body often feels restless and unsteady. The Butterfly Hug is a simple tapping technique that helps restore balance by engaging both sides of the brain and calming the nervous system.In this episode of Grounded in 10, Sarah guides you step by step through the Butterfly Hug — a gentle, somatic practice you can use anytime you need to feel centered and safe.✨ In this 10-minute episode, you’ll learn how to:Practice bilateral tapping for calm and groundingPair rhythm and breath to steady anxietyUse affirmations to anchor safety in your bodyThis practice is especially useful before stressful situations, or anytime you need to settle racing thoughts and reconnect with your body.⚠️ Important Note: Grounded in 10 is not therapy and not a substitute for professional mental health care. Please don’t listen while driving or operating machinery. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 in the U.S. or reach local emergency services.🌟 Want More Support?Each week, you’ll find a free practice here on the podcast. If you’d like to go deeper:Tier 1: Get one extra episode weekly (e.g., steadying before performances)Tier 2: Unlock two extras weekly (e.g., calming test anxiety, releasing rumination)Tier 3: Access three extras weekly (e.g., grounding imposter syndrome, easing workplace stress, quieting sleep anxiety)👉 Join the Patreon community here: Grounded in 10 | Patreon🔗 Connect with MeWebsite: traumawisehealing.comPatreon: Grounded in 10 | PatreonInstagram: Notes From The Therapy RoomContact: traumawisehealing.com✨ Take 10 minutes now to tap into calm.

Grounding Breath ResetAnxiety can make your breath feel shallow and your body tense — but just a few minutes of intentional breathing can bring you back to calm.In this episode of Grounded in 10, Sarah guides you through a Grounding Breath Reset: a short practice designed to regulate your nervous system, quiet racing thoughts, and restore balance.✨ In this 10-minute episode, you’ll learn how to:Use a simple 4–4–6 breathing pattern to calm anxietyPair your breath with visualization to release tensionAnchor affirmations that remind your body it’s safeThis practice is perfect for starting or ending your day, or anytime you need a quick reset.⚠️ Important Note: Grounded in 10 is not therapy and not a substitute for professional mental health care. Please don’t listen while driving or operating machinery. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 in the U.S. or reach local emergency services.🌟 Want More Support?Each week, you’ll find a free practice here on the podcast. If you’d like to go deeper:Tier 1: Get one extra episode each week (e.g., calming social anxiety before an event)Tier 2: Unlock two extras weekly (e.g., easing rumination, steadying before exams)Tier 3: Access three extras weekly (e.g., grounding for work anxiety, imposter syndrome, sleep struggles)👉 Join the Patreon community here: Grounded in 10 | Patreon🔗 Connect with MeWebsite: traumawisehealing.comPatreon: Grounded in 10 | PatreonInstagram: Notes From The Therapy RoomContact: [email protected]✨ Take just 10 minutes now to breathe, reset, and return to calm.

Welcome to Grounded in 10 — a podcast where each episode guides you through a short, powerful grounding practice designed to help you reset, regulate, and return to calm in just 10 minutes.I’m Sarah, a licensed therapist specializing in somatic and trauma-informed care. Over the years, I’ve seen how anxiety and stress don’t just live in the mind — they live in the body. That’s why Grounded in 10 focuses on somatic practices like breathwork, visualization, and bilateral stimulation to help regulate your nervous system and restore a sense of safety.✨ In this introduction episode, you’ll learn:What Grounded in 10 is and how it worksWhy grounding practices calm anxiety and stressHow somatic therapy and bilateral stimulation regulate the central nervous systemWhat you can expect from free weekly practicesHow Patreon tiers expand into specialty practices like social anxiety, test anxiety, imposter syndrome, sleep struggles, and moreMy vision for how this podcast can create ripple effects of calm in families, workplaces, and communities⚠️ Disclaimer: Grounded in 10 is not therapy, and it is not intended as a substitute for professional mental health care or for crisis situations. If you are ever in crisis, please call or text 988 in the United States, or reach out to local emergency services. Please do not listen to these practices while driving, operating heavy machinery, or doing anything that requires your full attention.🌟 Support the Podcast & Go DeeperEach week, you’ll find a free grounding practice here on the podcast. If you’d like to dive deeper:Tier 1: One extra practice each week for common challenges like social jitters or preparing for a presentation.Tier 2: Two extra practices each week for higher-stakes moments like test anxiety, workload stress, or intrusive thoughts.Tier 3: Three extras each week addressing deeper struggles like imposter syndrome, sleep anxiety, and relationship tension.👉 Join the Patreon community here: [insert link]🔗 Stay ConnectedWebsite: traumawisehealing.comPatreon: Grounded in 10 | PatreonInstagram: Notes From the Therapy RoomContact: [email protected]✨ Thank you for being here. I can’t wait for you to experience what even 10 minutes of grounding can do.