The Nourished Nervous System

People Pleasing, Trauma Bonds & Elegant Boundaries: A Somatic Conversation with Dr. Nima Rahmany

Kristen Timchak/Dr. Nima Rahmnay Episode 132

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In this episode of The Nourished Nervous System, I’m joined by Dr. Nima Rahmany, chiropractor, educator, and creator of the Becoming Trigger-Proof methodology, for a deep and illuminating conversation about people pleasing, trauma responses, attachment patterns, and how nervous system healing transforms our relationships — with others and with ourselves.

Dr. Nima shares his personal journey from chiropractic care into somatic psychology and attachment work, shaped by his own experiences with ruptured relationships, trauma bonding, and nervous system dysregulation. 

Together, we explore how stress, chronic illness, burnout, and relational conflict often stem from self-abandonment learned early in life — and how healing begins by turning inward.

This conversation weaves somatic awareness, polyvagal theory, shadow work, and attachment theory into a compassionate framework for understanding why so many of us struggle with boundaries, resentment, and emotional exhaustion.

In this episode, we explore:

  • The fawn response and how people pleasing develops as a survival strategy
  • Why self-abandonment often leads to burnout, autoimmunity, and chronic stress
  • How childhood attachment wounds show up in adult relationships and parenting
  • The difference between being boundaryless, walled-off, and elegantly boundaried
  • Why resentment builds when we ignore our body’s “no”
  • How shadow work helps us reclaim disowned parts of ourselves
  • A somatic approach to working with triggers in real time
  • What it actually means to be “regulated” — and why regulation doesn’t mean being calm all the time
  • How to build resilience by increasing your capacity to feel, rather than suppress, emotion

Dr. Nima also walks us through a powerful, embodied example of how triggers with our children or partners can become doorways to healing unmet needs within ourselves — offering a practical, compassionate roadmap for rupture and repair.

This episode is especially supportive if you:

  • Identify as a people pleaser or “the strong one”
  • Struggle with guilt around saying no
  • Feel chronically depleted despite doing “all the right things”
  • Are navigating parenting, partnership, or work stress
  • Sense that your nervous system is asking for a different way of relating

Resources mentioned:



Resources:

Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide

Abhyanga Self Massage Guide

Weekend Nervous System Reset

Nourished For Resilience Workbook


Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram