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E 197: Nervous System Healing for ACOAs: Breath, Aromatherapy, and Inner Safety; Guest: Wendy Johnston
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What happens to a child’s nervous system when they grow up in a household filled with chaos, addiction, and emotional unpredictability? For Wendy Johnston, the answer was anxiety, hypervigilance, and a deep disconnection from her own body.
In this episode, I’m joined by Wendy Johnston—certified NLP Practitioner, Life Coach, aromatherapist, yoga and meditation teacher, sound bath facilitator, and founder of BREATHE + CALM in Nashville. Wendy is also an Adult Child of an Alcoholic (ACOA) and the firstborn of four children raised in a home where both parents battled addiction. Her early life was shaped by survival mode… but her healing has become her mission.
Together, we explore how growing up in a dysfunctional family affects the nervous system, particularly through the lens of interoception—the body’s ability to sense its internal state—and how adult children of alcoholics can begin to retrain their bodies to feel safe, soothed, and grounded.
Wendy shares:
💡 What interoception is and how it’s disrupted in ACOAs
🌱 Small, daily actions that build a felt sense of safety
💬 How recognizing ACOA traits like hypervigilance, shame, and self-doubt can be the first step toward self-compassion
🌿 How aromatherapy, breathwork, and sound healing became her path to peace
🧘🏽♀️ Practical tools and rituals for managing symptoms and creating nervous system regulation
This episode is not just informative—it’s a breath of fresh air for anyone feeling stuck in the patterns of their past. Wendy’s gentle, grounded energy reminds us that healing is not only possible—it’s available in the moment-to-moment choices we make to come back to ourselves.
If you’ve ever felt like your nervous system is stuck on “high alert,” or like relaxation is something you have to earn—this conversation is for you.
🔗 Learn More About Wendy Johnston
🌐 Website: www.breatheandcalm.com
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wendyljohnstonston
👥 Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/scienceofcalm
📸 Instagram: @wendy_l_johnston
📅 Book a Coaching Call: https://calendly.com/wendyljohnston/zoom
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