PODCAST · health
Stuck Not Broken
by Justin Sunseri
Stuck Not Broken is the first podcast built on clearly teaching the Polyvagal Theory and applying it to your trauma recovery process. Justin Sunseri is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist that makes the science of connection easily understood and accessible to anyone. He created the Polyvagal Trauma Relief System and is the author of Trauma & The Polyvagal Paradigm.(Justin Sunseri, LMFT99147)
Episodes
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Stuck Not Broken: What It Means & Why it's Good to be Stuck
Stuck and broken are two very different problems, and which one you believe you are changes everything about what comes next. This is the title chapter. You’ll hear why every one of us is running on the same biological hardware no matter how different our lives look, what it means to call your...
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Why You Stay Stuck in Trauma, Part 2: Cognitive Adaptations
You already know what Bill does. This episode is about what's underneath it: the stories he tells himself, the things he keeps quiet, and the beliefs he never chose. You'll learn what a cognitive adaptation is, how the same mental habit sounds completely different depending on the state you're…
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Why You Stay Stuck in Trauma, Part 1: Behavioral Adaptations
Wild animals live with danger every day and don't get traumatized. So why do you stay stuck? In this episode, you'll meet Bill, a father, husband, and business owner who can't see what's driving him. You'll also learn the two ways we keep ourselves stuck without noticing: we ignore the body's...
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Co-Regulation, Explained: Polyvagal Theory
Your nervous system doesn't just calm down on its own — more often than you realize, it borrows the calm from somebody else. This episode covers co-regulation: the specific cues your body sends and reads without you ever thinking about it, eye contact, tone of voice, the tilt of a head, what it...
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Self-Regulation, Explained: Polyvagal Theory
Sometimes the most useful information in the therapy room isn't in what someone says; it's in their hands. This episode breaks down self-regulation on a nervous system level: the two main ways we do it, top-down (thoughts) and bottom-up (body), why top-down tricks work in the moment but don't…
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The Vagal Brake, Explained: Polyvagal Theory
You can't just decide to calm down, but you can strengthen the thing that makes calming down possible. The vagal brake isn't a body part, it's the influence of your safety state on your heart, and it's what lets you move between mobility and stillness without dropping into full defense. Here's…
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What is Trauma? The Two Paths: Polyvagal Theory
Trauma isn't the event. It's what happens afterward, when your nervous system gets stuck defending against something that's already over. This episode breaks down the two distinct paths that lead there: one from a single overwhelming moment, the other from years of disrupted connection, and what...
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Why Being "Too Nice" Can Be a Survival Strategy
Not every survival strategy looks like fighting back or running away. Sometimes it looks like befriending the person who's hurting you. This episode covers the last two mixed states: appease (safety plus flight/fight plus shutdown — all three primary states at once) and fawn (flight/fight plus...
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Why Can't You Just Sit Still and Relax?
Sitting still should be the easiest thing in the world, right? But for a lot of people, it's maybe the hardest. This episode moves into the third mixed state: stillness and intimacy — safety plus shutdown, immobility without fear. What actually makes it safe to sit still, use the restroom, or…
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The Play State: Polyvagal Theory
Wrestling with your kids. Trash-talking during a pickup game. Screaming through a game of tag. On paper, those look like danger cues, so why do they feel so good? Play is what happens when your safety state and your fight-or-flight mobility switch on at the same time. Here's what's actually...
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The Freeze Response, Explained: Polyvagal Theory
Freeze is not the same as shutdown, even though people use the words like they mean the same thing. Shutdown is a limp collapse. Freeze is tense: all the energy to run or fight, with a body that can't move. It's the gas and the brake at the same time, and it's underneath panic, phobias, and that...
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The Shutdown State: Dorsal Vagal Collapse
Sometimes the body's answer to too much isn't panic, it's the opposite: going quiet, going numb, wanting to disappear. That's shutdown, the bottom of the Polyvagal ladder, and it's where a lot of what gets called depression actually lives. Here's what it feels like from the inside, why your body...
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The Fight or Flight State: Polyvagal Theory
Anxiety and anger can feel like opposites, but they are two sides of the same state. Fight or flight is your sympathetic nervous system mobilizing to protect you: flight shows up as anxiety and worry, fight as anger and irritability. This one is about what that state feels like, what it looks…
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The Safety State: The Top of the Polyvagal Ladder
Safety is the state where life feels workable. Not perfect, just manageable. It's the top of the ladder and the place we're all reaching for, so this episode is about what it actually feels like in your body, what it looks like on someone's face and in their voice, and what it really takes to get...
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Functional Freeze: Why You're On Edge but Also Distant
You're getting things done. Answering texts, making dinner, showing up. But underneath it you feel wired and flat at the same time, like you're watching your own life through a foot of glass. That's functional freeze: your gas and your brake pressed at once, and "functional" just means you're…
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Story Follows State: Why Your Thoughts Aren't Random
Ever notice your thoughts get meaner when you feel bad, and softer when you feel good? That's not a coincidence, and it's not a flaw in you. "Story follows state" means the story in your head comes out of the state your body is in, not the other way around. Once you catch it happening in real…
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Neuroception for Beginners: Polyvagal Theory
Ever notice your thoughts get meaner when you feel bad, and softer when you feel good? That's not a coincidence, and it's not a flaw in you. "Story follows state" means the story in your head comes out of the state your body is in, not the other way around. 👉 New here? Find your stuck state, and...
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Deb Dana's Polyvagal Ladder
You can't just decide to calm down, sorry to say. The Polyvagal Ladder is a simple metaphor for how your nervous system moves: safety at the top, fight-or-flight in the middle, shutdown at the bottom, one rung at a time. Once you can see which rung you're on, a lot of the reactions you've beaten...
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The Autonomic Nervous System, and the Polyvagal Theory (Explained Simply)
You don't decide to beat your heart, take your next breath, or digest your lunch. Something else runs all of that, every second, without checking in with you. That's your autonomic nervous system. This episode breaks down what Polyvagal Theory is in plain language and how it questions the old...
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Challenging Your Paradigm: The Shift in Thinking Before the Science
"That's bulls***." That was my honest first reaction, back in 2018, to the work I now build my entire career around. In this episode of the Stuck Not Broken audiobook, I invite you to challenge your paradigm: How I came to Polyvagal Theory, and nearly dismissed it What a paradigm is, and why you...
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What's My Story? Where Your Unstucking Begins
What if the stories you tell yourself about your worth, your past, and how you got here aren't the whole truth, and you're still the one holding the pen? This is Episode 1 of the Stuck Not Broken audiobook: Book 1 - Trauma & the Polyvagal Paradigm. We start by questioning the stories you have…
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Season 2: Full Audiobook - Trauma & the Polyvagal Paradigm
After seven years and nearly 300 episodes, I'm trying something I don't think anyone else is doing: giving you all of my Polyvagal Theory knowledge, directly. And free. Season 2 of the Stuck Not Broken podcast is different from the regular show. It's the full audiobook of my first book, Stuck Not...
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What Is a "Gentle Rebel"? A Conversation on Creativity and Sensitivity with Andy Mort
What does it mean to be a "gentle rebel" — and how does creativity fit in? In this episode, I talk with Andy Mort of The Haven community about rebellion as openness rather than aggression, why highly sensitive people often need space and safety to access their creative voice, and how creativity…
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You're Meditating Wrong (Here's How)
If you've ever sat down to meditate and felt like you were failing at it, this episode is for you. In this special episode, I read a section from my new book, Stuck Not Broken Book Three, on why most people are meditating wrong — and what to do instead. We'll get into: What meditation actually is...
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Stoicism & Your Nervous System: How to Practice Amor Fati (Loving Your Fate) with Erick Cloward
In this episode, Justin Sunseri sits down with Erick Cloward, host of the Stoic Coffee Break podcast, for a deep dive into the Stoic practice of Amor Fati, or "loving your fate." Learn how to connect ancient Stoic wisdom with modern nervous system science. Erick and Justin discuss how to use...
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The Polyvagal Bandwagon Is Dying (And I Love It)
The Polyvagal Theory has transformed how we understand the nervous system—but somewhere along the way, it became a wellness industry bandwagon. In this episode, I'm breaking down how a legitimate scientific framework got diluted into oversimplified soundbites, and why that matters for your actual...
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You Can't Love Someone Out of Shutdown: the Partner's Guide to Love & Self-Regulation
When your partner is in shutdown, you're not just watching it happen—you're in it too. This episode is for the partners who feel like they're losing their person, who don't understand what's happening, and who wonder if they're making it worse. In this episode, I break down: What shutdown…
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Does EMDR Actually Work? (What the Research Says)
EMDR is everywhere — but do you know what's actually helpful? Or if it is at all? EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) has become one of the most talked-about trauma treatments around. But most people — and, honestly, many therapists — reduce it to one image: a finger waving in...
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No, the Polyvagal Theory is NOT Dead: Here's What Critics (and Influencers) Aren't Understanding.
A paper co-authored by 39 scientists called the Polyvagal Theory "untenable" — and now psychology influencers are announcing the Theory is "dead." But is it? I'm Justin Sunseri, therapist and member of the Polyvagal Institute's Editorial Board. That means I review work for Polyvagal Theory...
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Five Common Self-Help Habits That Accidentally Keep Your Nervous System Sensitized and Stuck
Is your self-help routine actually making things worse? The self-help industry has one answer for everything: do more. More habits, more discipline, more effort. But for a nervous system that's already overwhelmed — stuck in sympathetic flight/fight, freeze overdrive, or dorsal shutdown — more...
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Building Emotional Capacity Before Processing Past Traumas
Stop forcing yourself to relive the most painful moments of your life before your body is ready to handle them. Traditional therapy often skips the most critical step — building the physiological capacity to actually process what comes up. Justin Sunseri breaks down why flooding your system with...
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Why Meditation May Not Work Well for People in Freeze
Justin Sunseri dives deep into the paradox of meditation and anxiety. If you've ever felt that meditation or breathing exercises make you more anxious, you're not alone—and you're definitely not broken. Justin explains how your nervous system might be signaling for a different approach…
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Is Your Diagnosis Part of the Problem? Healing the Nervous System vs. Managing a Disorder
Does a mental health diagnosis explain why you are suffering, or does it just give your suffering a name? In this episode, I challenge the traditional way we look at mental health labels. While a diagnosis (like depression, anxiety, or ADHD) can be a helpful shorthand for professionals, it often...
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Steadying the Waters: How Your Nervous System Affects Your Stoic Practice
What if I told you that your ability to practice Stoicism isn't just about willpower or mindset—but about the actual physiological state of your nervous system? In this episode, I dive deep into a profound quote from Epictetus that perfectly illustrates how our autonomic nervous system affects…
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Sockless Mindfulness: A Parenting Lesson from My 10-Year-Old
There's more to me than Polyvagal Theory—I'm also a dad. And sometimes the best lessons come from the most unexpected places... like watching my son walk barefoot in sandals through a cold, rainy parking lot. In this reflective episode, I share a simple family moment that reminded me: mindfulness...
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"I Don't Think About It Anymore" — Why That Doesn't Mean You're Over It
"That was a long time ago. I don't think it affects me anymore." Have you ever said this about something from your past? In this deeply personal episode, Justin shares his own recent experience of discovering how past trauma still lives in the body—even when we're not thinking about it. After a...
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Hit It Back: A Lesson in Playfulness & Seizing the Moment
A balloon floated down from the hotel ceiling. My son said, "Hit it back." I was sitting on a bench, quietly processing—reflecting on a loud, joyful Italian family reunion the night before, thinking about my upbringing, the conversations with my brothers, how my wife and I are raising our own…
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What to do When Your Partner Cycles Between Shutdown and Fight
When your spouse is dysregulated, shut down, or lashing out in anger—what's really happening? And more importantly, what can YOU do about it? In this episode, I break down: ✓ The biological difference between being technically safe and *feeling* safe ✓ Why your partner may not identify you as a...
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AI Therapists Are Coming in 2026 And I'm Not Sure That's Good
Two years ago, I said AI couldn't replace therapists. I was wrong—about the technology, anyway. In late 2025, AI can now see you, hear your voice, and remember everything you say. But just because it can doesn't mean it should. In this episode, I'm exploring what's actually possible, who AI might...
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Announcing the Self-Regulation Coach AI App
Have you ever wished for a daily guide on your nervous system regulation journey? One that offers structure without being overwhelming, and personalized support without the need for intensive coaching? In this special announcement episode, Justin introduces a project he's been working on for...
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Pendulation: Why Some Regulate Naturally & Some Don't
Is nervous system regulation a natural skill or a conscious effort? In this episode, we delve into the skill of pendulation—the mindful shift between safety and defense—and explore why it appears effortless for some but feels impossible for others. Discover the "carnival game" analogy for...
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Why You Feel Drained After Therapy (and How to Fix it)
Have you ever left a therapy session feeling completely wiped out, as if you've run a marathon you didn't train for? It's a common experience, but it isn't the goal of effective therapy. That feeling of depletion is a critical signal from your body that you've been pushed beyond your nervous...
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The Way You Understand & Manage Emotions is WRONG (Here's What To Do Instead)
Justin Sunseri challenges the widely accepted (and often ineffective) ways we understand and manage our emotions. He makes a bold claim: the common wisdom you've been taught about your feelings is likely wrong. Drawing from client conversations and his expertise as a therapist and coach, Justin...
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Polyvagal Approach to Shame and Anger & How to Not Use Pendulation
Unlock a deeper understanding of shame, anger, and the polyvagal theory in this episode! Justin Sunseri answers a listener’s question about navigating difficult emotions, pendulation, and the importance of safety in healing. Whether you’re a therapist, student, or someone seeking personal growth,...
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Safety First: Why Prescribed "Trauma Exercises" Can Backfire
A viewer asked about TRE exercises that seemed to help with anxiety but left them feeling numb and disconnected. In this episode, I break down what might have gone wrong and why I take a fundamentally different approach to nervous system healing. 🔑 Key Topics Covered: • Why prescribed movement...
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Self-Regulation & Mindful Breathing: What if it Was Easier?
Feeling overwhelmed by complex breathing techniques and counting methods? In this episode, I share why your body already knows how to breathe—and why trusting that natural process might be more effective than any prescribed breathing "hack." 🎯 What You'll Learn: • Why I don't recommend counting...
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3 Strategies to Reduce Overhwhelm and Get Stuff Done
Feeling overwhelmed by your to-do list? I share three practical strategies to reduce overwhelm and finally get things done. Learn how to find safety, soften your defensive state, and take small, almost effortless steps forward. This episode is a replay of a free webinar from the Unstucking…
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the Polyvagal Guide to Boundaries: Why You Need Both Safety AND Fight Activation
Learn how the Polyvagal Theory helps explain healthy boundaries through a combination of safety and sympathetic activation. Episode Introduction and Context — 0:00 Understanding Ventral Vagal Safety State — 0:34 Balancing Safety and Sympathetic Activation — 1:16 Proactive Practice for Boundary...
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What Everyone Gets Wrong About Fawn vs Appease (even the Polyvagal Theory)
What’s the real difference between “fawn” and “appease”? Therapist Justice Sunseri breaks down these trauma responses, how they relate to Polyvagal Theory, and what it means for recovery. Download the free Polyvagal One Pagers in the description for more resources! 00:00 – Episode intro 00:51 –...
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Stop Trying to Change Your Polyvagal State. Do This Instead for True Self Regulation...
Discover why trying to force a change in your polyvagal state might be holding you back from true self-regulation. In this episode, therapist and coach Justin Sunseri challenges the common advice around prescriptive breathing techniques and invites you to connect with your body’s natural rhythms...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Stuck Not Broken is the first podcast built on clearly teaching the Polyvagal Theory and applying it to your trauma recovery process. Justin Sunseri is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist that makes the science of connection easily understood and accessible to anyone. He created the Polyvagal Trauma Relief System and is the author of Trauma & The Polyvagal Paradigm.(Justin Sunseri, LMFT99147)
HOSTED BY
Justin Sunseri
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Stuck Not Broken have?
Stuck Not Broken currently has 367 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Stuck Not Broken about?
Stuck Not Broken is the first podcast built on clearly teaching the Polyvagal Theory and applying it to your trauma recovery process. Justin Sunseri is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist that makes the science of connection easily understood and accessible to anyone. He created the Polyvagal...
How often does Stuck Not Broken release new episodes?
Stuck Not Broken publishes regularly with 367 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Stuck Not Broken?
You can listen to Stuck Not Broken on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Stuck Not Broken?
Stuck Not Broken is created and hosted by Justin Sunseri.
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