Healing Trauma Safely with Pendulation, Resourcing, and Titration
Episode 87: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube
View transcript on Buzzsprout
Ever left a session more overwhelmed than grounded? You’re not alone—and you’re not broken. In this episode, Amanda introduces three essential techniques from somatic experiencing: resourcing, titration, and pendulation. These aren’t just jargon—they’re trauma-informed tools that can help you heal without retraumatizing your system. Whether you’re navigating trauma with a practitioner or on your own, this framework can help you move forward gently and strategically.
What We Cover in This Episode
- What resourcing, titration, and pendulation really mean (in plain language)
- How each tool supports safe trauma healing and nervous system regulation
- Why more emotion isn’t always more healing
- How to reflect on your current care and advocate for what you need
Somatic Healing Techniques: Explained Simply
Resourcing: Your Anchor in the Storm
Resourcing is about accessing what helps you feel safe, stable, and grounded—before diving into any emotional processing. Think warm tea, your dog, a favorite memory, your breath. Amanda explains how identifying these “anchors” ahead of time gives you a lifeline when distress hits. This is foundational for trauma work. No storm sailing without an anchor.
Titration: Small Sips, Not a Firehose
Healing doesn’t have to mean rehashing everything at once. Titration means breaking down overwhelming experiences into small, manageable pieces. Amanda explains how this helps prevent shutdown, builds resilience, and makes healing actually stick. It’s not slower—it’s safer.
Pendulation: Moving Between Activation and Calm
Pendulation is the dance between titration and resourcing. By intentionally moving between discomfort and safety, your system learns that it can feel big feelings and return to calm. Amanda shares how this process helps release stored trauma without retraumatizing, and why it’s core to our coaching approach.
Safety Isn’t Optional—It’s Strategy, It’s Essential
If you’ve ever left a healing session feeling worse, it might be a lack of pendulation or titration—not a sign you’re doing something wrong. Amanda invites you to reflect: is your current care walking you through these techniques? If not, it might be time to speak up or seek out a different kind of support.
Before we shift to the takeaways, remember: this isn’t about perfect healing or never feeling discomfort. It’s about building the capacity to move through hard things without drowning in them—and that’s something you can learn.
Three Tangible Takeaways
- Titration prevents retraumatization. You don’t have to revisit everything at once. Healing in small doses creates lasting change without overwhelm.
- You already have resources. Identify what makes you feel calm and safe. This makes it easier to access them when it matters most.
- Pendulation teaches your system flexibility. Learning to oscillate between stress and regulation helps release trauma and build resilience.
Looking for more personalized support?
- Book a FREE discovery call for RESTORE, our 1:1 anxiety & depression coaching program (HSA/FSA eligible & includes comprehensive bloodwork)
- Join me inside the Regulated Living Membership, a mental health membership and nervous system healing space (sliding scale pricing available)
- Join my Release Class – Monthly guided nervous system regulation class
- Order my book, Healing Through the Vagus Nerve today!
- Download free resources here
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or qualified mental health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
