Somatic Exercise For Trauma: Healing Through the Wisdom of Your Body with Chen Lizra
By Darla LeDoux, Founder of Sourced™ and Author of the books Shift The Field and Retreat and Grow Rich

Are you caught in a cycle of trauma, feeling disconnected from your body, and unsure how to break free? In a world that glorifies productivity over healing, many of us have learned to numb our emotions and ignore our body’s wisdom.

Chen Lizra knows this struggle first hand. Through somatic intelligence, she turned deep childhood trauma into a powerful path to healing. In this powerful conversation, she shares how embracing your body’s signals, reclaiming your divine feminine, and understanding generational trauma can unlock profound healing.

If you’re a high-achiever feeling blocked, someone navigating deep-seated wounds, or simply yearning to reconnect with your true self, this episode offers a compassionate, empowering roadmap to transformation.

• Understand that numbness is a protective mechanism for trauma survivors.
• How to reconnect with your body’s wisdom through somatic practices.
• Why forcing progress only deepens wounds.
• Learn to own your unique voice without conforming to societal expectations.
• How to diffuse conflict in relationships.
• How to tap into the power of feminine softness and compassionate presence.
• Ways to use plant medicine and shamanic practices for deep emotional transformation.
• Why understanding trauma is not enough for true healing.

01:00 Overcoming Generational Trauma Through Personal Healing

07:06 Understanding Somatic Intelligence and Body Wisdom

13:46 Balancing Masculine and Feminine Energy in Relationships

20:31 Numbness is a Felt Experience

25:57 Ayahuasca Ceremonies and Healing Profound Trauma

32:11 The Influence of Environment on Personal Embodiment

44:04 Finding Courage to Speak Your Authentic Truth

Healing Is Never Linear—And That’s Okay

Healing isn’t a straight road. It’s messy, unpredictable, and sometimes downright frustrating. One day, you feel empowered and free. The next, you’re tangled in old wounds, wondering if you’ve made any progress at all. And that’s normal.

As Chen explains, the worst thing about trauma is that it doesn’t always come in dramatic waves. Sometimes, it’s the subtle things—being dismissed, feeling unseen, learning to shrink yourself to fit into spaces that were never meant for you. These experiences shape how we move through the world. But the good news? They don’t have to define us. The first step to true transformation is acknowledging what’s been weighing you down and giving yourself permission to release it.

Your Body Knows the Way

Somatic intelligence is about tuning in—really listening—to the signals your body is sending. Those knots in your stomach? The tightness in your chest? The urge to withdraw? Your body holds the wisdom your mind can’t always process. And when you learn to listen—to truly feel—you unlock a whole new level of healing.

This isn’t about analyzing your pain or “figuring it out.” It’s about experiencing it fully and letting your body guide the way. Movement, breathwork, touch—these aren’t just self-care practices. They’re invitations to reconnect with the parts of yourself that have been waiting to be seen.

Finding Flow in a Hustle-Obsessed World

We live in a culture that glorifies pushing, striving, and doing more. Productivity is king and slowing down is often seen as a weakness. But according to Chen, there is so much power in softening, in surrender, in choosing presence over performance.

Embracing your feminine energy isn’t about sitting back and waiting for life to happen. It’s about finding balance—honoring both your drive and your intuition. It’s knowing when to push forward and when to lean back. It’s trusting that rest is not laziness, that slowing down doesn’t mean falling behind. Your body has a rhythm. When you honor it, everything changes.

You’re the Cycle-Breaker

If you’re the first in your family to do this work, know that it’s not just for you. Healing is rarely an individual act. When you choose to break patterns—of silence, of self-sacrifice, of fear—you’re doing work that ripples through generations.

It’s not always easy. There may be moments when you feel alone, when the people around you don’t understand the path you’re on. But keep going. You’re not just rewriting your own story—you’re changing the narrative for those who came before you and those who will come after.

Practical Steps to Reconnect with Yourself

So, where do you start? Chen believes healing doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Begin with small, intentional steps:

• Create space to feel—through movement, breathwork, journaling, or stillness.
• Work with a somatic practitioner or explore body-based therapies.
• Practice mindfulness, not just in meditation, but in everyday moments.
• Let yourself be seen—whether that’s in a trusted relationship or by simply showing up as your full self.

Remember, be gentle with yourself. Healing isn’t about fixing what’s “broken.” It’s about going back to who you were before the world told you who to be.

Own Your Magic

Your depth, your sensitivity, your ability to feel—it’s not a burden. It’s your power. The world doesn’t need more people numbing themselves to fit in. It needs people who are willing to be real, to stand in their truth, to trust the wisdom of their own hearts.

So trust yourself. Trust your journey. Even if it looks different from the people around you, even if you don’t have all the answers yet. You are exactly where you need to be.

Prioritizing Rest and Nervous System Care

Rest is not a nice-to-have: it’s essential. Taking care of yourself creates the foundation for sustainable success. Whether it’s scheduling quiet moments, connecting with supportive people, or building rituals that bring calm, these practices help you recharge and stay connected to your inner self. Remember, rest isn’t something you have to earn; it’s part of living well. So, always make time for rest. 

Using Visioning as a Tool for Growth

Visioning goes beyond goal-setting. It’s a way to tap into what really matters to you on a deeper level. Whether it’s through journaling, creating a vision board, or another creative process, this practice can be a source of clarity and hope—especially during challenging seasons. By envisioning what you want, you give yourself direction and momentum.

Honoring Your Unique Creative Flow

There’s no single “right” way to approach creativity or productivity. Some people thrive by diving deep into immersive work, while others shine through steady, daily practices. The key is finding what works best for you, rather than forcing yourself to fit into someone else’s mold. When you honor your natural rhythm, creativity flows more freely.

Closing Thoughts

Stepping away from hustle culture is about embracing your authentic self. It’s about living intentionally, trusting your intuition, and creating work that feels meaningful to you. Your worth isn’t tied to how much you produce or earn—it’s reflected in the joy, passion, and authenticity you bring to your life and work.

Chen Lizra is the founder of the Power of Somatic Intelligence and the Divine Connection, which she started as a quest to find her true self. As a result of a decade of struggling with suicidal thoughts, overcoming a childhood trauma resulting from her mom’s mental illness, she set out on a journey to find the solution to healing trauma somatically. She developed a one-of-a-kind somatic method with over 25 years of experience with ground-breaking results that are literally transforming her clients’ lives every day. Her relentless spirit and determination to offer natural healing to every client she works with, and drawing on her own recovery from deep trauma, have made her a sought-after somatic coach. Chen also has a unique specialty in embodied femininity and a massively popular TED talk, boasting 12 million views, about seduction. Her deep level of compassion and understanding of what it means to struggle with mental health has promoted a heightened sense of empathy in her which she uses to intuitively feel into a client’s ancestral line and their somatic imprint, showing them how to release the blocks. Chen helps high achievers globally heal their nervous system and restore it back to its natural state, by focusing on embodiment, somatics, and experiencing, combined with the ancient shamanic wisdom of Mother Ayahuasca. Chen was featured in  the New York Times, UK’s Cosmopolitan, Lewis Howes’ School of Greatness, Women of Impact, and Oprah Daily, CEO Today, Business Insider, to name a few.

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>>Take one of Chen’s Somatic Masterclasses. Access here https://www.powerofsomaticintelligence.com/masterclasses