Mind the Body Podcast

Yvette Vuaran
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  • Mental Health

Mind the Body is a podcast about the space between how we think, feel, and live in our bodies — and how trauma, culture, and relationships shape the way we experience the world. Hosted by psychodynamic psychotherapist and EMDR therapist Yvette Vuaran, the show unpacks how the body remembers, how the mind protects, and how understanding that connection can change the way we live and love.

  1. 1d ago

    Invited In - AI, Attachment, and Emotional Truth : Episode 17

    🎧 Episode 17: Invited In - AI, Attachment, and Emotional Truth What happens when we begin turning to AI for emotional reassurance, certainty, and answers that once belonged to human relationships? In this episode of Mind the Body, I explore AI through the lens of attachment and psychoanalytic thinking. As more people use AI to process conflict, loneliness, self-doubt, and relational pain, I examine what may be lost when emotional complexity is replaced with immediate interpretation and certainty. I explore how AI can soothe discomfort while also bypassing the vulnerability, ambiguity, and mutuality required for genuine healing. In This Episode: AI through the lens of attachment and psychoanalytic thoughtWhy our capacity to stay with uncertainty matters for emotional growthHow AI is designed to reduce ambiguity and provide reassuranceThe difference between validation and emotional truthHow AI may reinforce emotional avoidance and relational self-protectionWhy healing still depends on embodied human connectionA Question to Sit With: What emotional uncertainty am I trying to escape when I seek immediate answers or reassurance from AI? References: Hendrix, H. (2020). Getting the Love You Want: A Guide for Couples (Revised Edition). Simon & Schuster UK. Levy, A. (2026). The New Other: Alien Intelligence and the Innovation Drive. Karnac. Levy, A. & Orbach, S. (2026). Amy Levy and Susie Orbach Discuss AI in Psychoanalysis [YouTube interview].  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6KygDzwzrJ8&pp=0gcJCU8Co7VqN5tD&ra=m Lemma, A. (2026). Psychotechnical Becomings: Psychoanalysis, Identity, Desire, and Mourning in the Age of AI and Digital Mediation. Routledge. Project Hail Mary (2026 film). Vuaran, Y. (2025). The Future of Therapy: Human Connection in the Age of AI. [Blog post] https://www.yvettevuaran.com/blog/the-future-of-therapy-human-connection-in-the-age-of-ai Take a breath, stay curious, and explore what it truly means to Mind The Body. Join the Community Subscribe or follow the show so you never miss an episode.Share this episode with a friend who’s exploring body image healing, the mind–body connection, emotional healing, and the patterns that shape how we see ourselves.Connect or learn more: www.yvettevuaran.com Sign up for my Mind The Body NewsletterFollow @mindthebodypodcast @yvettevuaran

    27 min

  2. May 22

    Body Image in Survival Mode - The Impact of Insecure Attachment on How You See Your Body : Episode 16

    🎧 Episode 16: Body Image in Survival Mode - The Impact of Insecure Attachment on How You See Your Body Why can a difficult moment in a relationship suddenly leave you feeling intensely critical of your body? In this episode of Mind the Body, I explore how insecure attachment can place body image into survival mode. When relationships feel uncertain through withdrawal, criticism, distance, or emotional disconnection, the nervous system can respond as though connection itself is under threat. For some, that distress gets expressed through the body: self-criticism intensifies, the urge to control appearance grows, or the desire to disappear takes over. I explore how these protective patterns develop, why the body often becomes the place where relational anxiety is carried, and what healing looks like through building inner safety and safe connection. In This Episode: How insecure attachment impacts body imageThe six survival patterns that can shape body image distressWhy the body carries relational memoryHow perfectionism, control, and withdrawal function as protectionThe 3-R healing framework: Recognise, Reflect, RewireWhy healing happens through building safety in relationshipA Question to Sit With: What relational fear might be underneath your body image distress? References: Fonagy, P. & Target, M. (2002). Early intervention and the development of self-regulation. Psychoanalytic Inquiry, 22(3), 307-335. Marriott, S. & Kelley, T. (2024). Secure Relating: Holding Your Own in an Insecure World. Harper Collins Publishers. Parnell, L. (2013). Attachment-Focused EMDR: Healing Relational Trauma. W.W. Norton & Company. Schnackenberg, N. (2020). Body image issues 1/5: Early attachment. PESI UK. Retrieved from https://www.pesi.co.uk/blogs/body-image-issues-1-5-early-attachment/ Siegel, D. (2015). The Developing Mind: How Relationships and the Brain Interact to Shape Who We Are (2nd ed.). Guilford Press. Take a breath, stay curious, and explore what it truly means to Mind The Body. Join the Community Subscribe or follow the show so you never miss an episode.Share this episode with a friend who’s exploring body image healing, the mind–body connection, emotional healing, and the patterns that shape how we see ourselves.Connect or learn more: www.yvettevuaran.com Sign up for my Mind The Body NewsletterFollow @mindthebodypodcast @yvettevuaran

    24 min

  3. May 15

    The Body at the Edge of Love - Body Image Disturbance in the Space Between Us : Episode 15

    🎧 Episode 15: The Body at the Edge of Love – Body Image Disturbance in the Space Between Us Why does body image disturbance often get louder just as closeness becomes possible? In this episode of Mind the Body, I explore the relationship between body image disturbance, attachment, shame, and emotional intimacy. When someone begins to matter to us - whether in romance, friendship, or vulnerability - the body can suddenly feel more exposed. Self-criticism may intensify, old insecurities can reappear, and the urge to hide can become surprisingly strong. Drawing on attachment theory, psychoanalytic thinking, and contemporary work on shame, I explore why these experiences can emerge so powerfully in moments of closeness. We look at how early relational experiences shape the way we experience being seen, why the body often becomes the place where relational fears are expressed, and how body image disturbance may function as a protective response at the edge of connection. In This Episode Why body image disturbance often intensifies in moments of closenessHow attachment patterns shape our experience of being seenWhy the body carries relational memoryThe connection between shame, vulnerability, and body image disturbanceHow self-criticism can function as protectionWhy healing often happens through safe relationshipsA Question to Sit With: What might your body be trying to protect you from when closeness begins to feel possible? References: Bowlby, J. (1989). The Making and Breaking of Affectional Bonds. Routledge. Brown, B. (2013). Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead. Penguin. DeYoung, P. (2015). Understanding and Treating Chronic Shame: A Relational/Neurobiological Approach. Routledge. Granieri, A., & Schimmenti, A. (2014). Mind–body splitting and eating disorders: A psychoanalytic perspective. Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, 28(1), 52–70. Lemma, A. (2009). Being seen or being watched? A psychoanalytic perspective on body dysmorphia. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 90(4), 753–771. Orbach, S. (2009). Bodies. Profile Books. Steele, M., Steele, H., & Beebe, B. (2017). Applying an attachment and microanalytic lens to “embodied mentalization”: Commentary on “Mentalizing homeostasis: The social origins of interoceptive inference” by Fotopoulou and Tsakiris. Neuropsychoanalysis, 19(1), 59–66. Winnicott, D. W. (1971). Playing and Reality. Routledge. Take a breath, stay curious, and explore what it truly means to Mind The Body. Join the Community Subscribe or follow the show so you never miss an episode.Share this episode with a friend who’s exploring body image healing, the mind–body connection, emotional healing, and the patterns that shape how we see ourselves.Connect or learn more: www.yvettevuaran.com Sign up for my Mind The Body NewsletterFollow @mindthebodypodcast @yvettevuaran

    22 min

  4. May 8

    Coming Home to Your Body - Healing After Complex Trauma : Episode 14

    🎧 Episode 14: Coming Home to Your Body – Healing After Complex Trauma What happens when the body no longer feels like home? In this episode of Mind The Body, I explore how complex trauma shapes the nervous system, disconnects us from the body, and affects the way we experience ourselves, relationships, and the world around us. Drawing on the work of Judith Herman, Caroline Garland, Ruth Lanius and colleagues, and Gabor Maté, I discuss why disconnection from the body develops as a survival response, how trauma is stored in the body, and why healing needs to happen at the sensory and nervous system level. In This Episode How complex trauma affects the body and nervous systemWhy disconnection from the body develops as a survival responseThe relationship between trauma, body image, and relationshipsHow EMDR and somatic approaches support healingA Question to Sit With Where in your life might your body be trying to come home? References: Herman, J. (1992). Trauma and Recovery. Basic Books.Garland, C. (Ed.). (2002). Understanding Trauma: A Psychoanalytic Approach. Karnac Books.Lanius, R. A., Harricharan, S., Kearney, B. E., & Pandev-Girard, B. (2025). Sensory Pathways to Healing from Trauma: Harnessing the Brain’s Capacity for Change. The Guilford PressHaverly, C., & Young, E. (2026). Trauma-Informed Bodywork. North Atlantic BooksContent Note This episode discusses complex trauma and childhood relational trauma. Please listen with care. Take a breath, stay curious, and explore what it truly means to Mind The Body. Join the Community Subscribe or follow the show so you never miss an episode.Share this episode with a friend who’s exploring body image healing, the mind–body connection, emotional healing, and the patterns that shape how we see ourselves.Connect or learn more: www.yvettevuaran.com Sign up for my Mind The Body NewsletterFollow @mindthebodypodcast @yvettevuaran

    25 min

  5. May 1

    The Constructed Self, The Disconnected Self - On feeling lost, hidden, and finding your way back : Episode 13

    🎧 Episode 13: The Constructed Self, The Disconnected Self - On feeling lost, hidden, and finding your way back Something feels off, but it’s hard to name. In this episode of Mind the Body, I explore two experiences I hear often: “I don’t know who I am anymore” and “I just feel lost.” While they sound similar, they speak to different kinds of disconnection - one psychological, one deeply embodied. Here, I look at how the self we present to the world can slowly take over, until it’s the only place we know how to live from. Drawing on psychoanalytic thinking, clinical experience, and the impact of social media, I explore how the gap between who we are and who we show can quietly widen over time. We also move into what happens when parts of the self go into hiding, how early relationships and shame shape what feels safe to express, and how the body holds what cannot be spoken. And finally, what it means to find your way back, through real connection. In This Episode: The difference between feeling lost and losing contact with who you are, and how these experiences take shape over timeHow the “constructed self” develops, and why it can begin to replace something more realWhat happens when parts of the self go into hiding, and how that disconnection is felt in the bodyWhy being seen is not the same as being known, and what actually allows the self to returnA Question to Sit With: What moments in your life make you feel out of touch with who you are? Take a breath, stay curious, and explore what it truly means to Mind The Body. Join the Community Subscribe or follow the show so you never miss an episode.Share this episode with a friend who’s exploring body image healing, the mind–body connection, emotional healing, and the patterns that shape how we see ourselves.Connect or learn more: www.yvettevuaran.com Sign up for my Mind The Body NewsletterFollow @mindthebodypodcast @yvettevuaran

    24 min

  6. Apr 24

    The Changing Body - Perimenopause, Identity and What We're Really Carrying : Episode 12

    🎧 Episode 12: The Changing Body - Perimenopause, Identity and What We're Really Carrying Something is happening that remains largely unspoken, yet deeply felt. In this episode of Mind The Body, I explore the psychological and relational experience of perimenopause - a biological transition that also reshapes identity, visibility, and self-perception. This conversation moves beyond symptoms to examine what it means to inhabit a changing body in a culture that equates a woman’s worth with youth. Drawing on clinical experience, psychoanalytic thinking, and research on body image, I look at how this transition can surface long-held questions about worth, desirability, and belonging, and why, for some women, it can feel less like a passage and more like a quiet unravelling. We also explore the emotional context behind the rising use of GLP-1 medications in midlife women, asking what might sit beneath the desire to change the body at this particular moment in time. In This Episode: How perimenopause reshapes a woman’s relationship to her body and sense of selfWhy this transition can activate deeper questions of worth, identity, and attachmentThe difference between true acceptance and a quiet withdrawal from the bodyWhat may sit beneath the urge to “fix” the body, and why it often isn’t about the body at allThe emotional and cultural context behind increasing GLP-1 use in midlifeA Question to Sit With: What is this moment in your body bringing up for you? References: Szymona-Pałkowska, K., Adamczuk, J., Sapalska, M., Gorbaniuk, O., Robak, J. M., & Kraczkowski, J. J. (2019). Body image in perimenopausal women. Menopause Review, 18(4), 210–216. Murphy, M. B., Lane, A., Cuskelly, G., & Heavey, P. M. (2025). Experiences of weight and body shape changes during perimenopause. Women & Health, 65(10), 861–870. Kolod, S. (2022). I’m not myself today: Dialogues with Philip Bromberg. Contemporary Psychoanalysis, 58(2–3), 321–334. eMarketer (2025). Twice as many US consumers now using GLP-1s. Retrieved from https://www.emarketer.com/content/twice-many-us-consumers-now-using-glp-1s Take a breath, stay curious, and explore what it truly means to Mind The Body. Join the Community Subscribe or follow the show so you never miss an episode.Share this episode with a friend who’s exploring body image healing, the mind–body connection, emotional healing, and the patterns that shape how we see ourselves.Connect or learn more: www.yvettevuaran.com Sign up for my Mind The Body NewsletterFollow @mindthebodypodcast @yvettevuaran

    20 min

  7. Apr 17

    The Hunger That Isn't Just Hunger - On “Skinny Jabs” and What Goes Quiet Within : Episode 11

    🎧 Episode 11: The Hunger That Isn't Just Hunger - On “Skinny Jabs” and What Goes Quiet Within What happens when hunger disappears, and what else might go quiet alongside it? In this episode of Mind The Body, I explore the psychological and relational meaning of hunger in the context of GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro. While these drugs are often discussed in terms of weight loss and appetite suppression, this conversation looks at what hunger represents beyond biology. I build on psychoanalytic thinking, including the work of Susie Orbach, alongside attachment theory and my clinical work, to explore how hunger is one of our earliest forms of communication - shaped by our relationships, our histories, and our sense of whether it is safe to need. I also explore what happens when the body changes faster than the psyche can follow, and whether the silencing of hunger can, for some, echo earlier experiences of having to suppress need in order to feel acceptable or safe. In This Episode: Why hunger has never been just about food, but about need, longing, and early attachmentHow GLP-1 medications may interrupt a deeper psychological conversation with the bodyWhat happens when physical transformation outpaces psychological integrationWhy rapid body change can surface anxiety, grief, or a loss of identityThe difference between symptom relief and deeper psychological healingA Question to Sit With: What would it mean to listen to your hunger, rather than silence it? Invitation: If you’d like to go deeper, you can join the Mind the Body newsletter here. Take a breath, stay curious, and explore what it truly means to Mind The Body. Join the Community Subscribe or follow the show so you never miss an episode.Share this episode with a friend who’s exploring body image healing, the mind–body connection, emotional healing, and the patterns that shape how we see ourselves.Connect or learn more: www.yvettevuaran.com Sign up for my Mind The Body NewsletterFollow @mindthebodypodcast @yvettevuaran

    21 min

  8. Apr 10

    Pretty Hurts - What Cosmetic Surgery Tells Us About Childhood Trauma : Episode 10

    🎧 Episode 10: Pretty Hurts – What Cosmetic Surgery Tells Us About Childhood Trauma What drives the desire to change the body, and why can it feel so urgent? In this episode of Mind The Body, I explore the link between cosmetic surgery, childhood trauma, and body image. While cultural pressures like beauty standards and social media are real, research suggests something deeper may also be at work. A 2024 study found that women seeking cosmetic procedures reported significantly higher levels of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), including abuse and neglect, and higher rates of anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem than matched controls. Drawing on the work of psychoanalyst Alessandra Lemma, I explore how the body can become a way of communicating experiences that were never put into words, and why altering the body may not resolve what sits beneath it. In This Episode: What research shows about the link between cosmetic surgery and childhood trauma (ACEs)Why the desire to change the body may be carrying experiences that don’t yet have languageHow early relationships shape body image, self-worth, and the sense of being “enough”Why changing the body doesn’t necessarily change how you feel internally or in relationshipsA Question to Sit With: When the urge to change the body feels urgent, it may be carrying something deeper, something that hasn’t yet been put into words. Mentioned in This Episode: Lemma, A. (2010). Under the skin: A psychoanalytic study of body modification. Routledge.Faezi, F., & Amiri, S. (2024). Adverse childhood experiences and mental health issues in patients seeking cosmetic surgery: A case-control study. JPRAS Open.  Content Note This episode discusses childhood trauma and adverse experiences. Please listen with care. Take a breath, stay curious, and explore what it truly means to Mind The Body. Join the Community Subscribe or follow the show so you never miss an episode.Share this episode with a friend who’s exploring body image healing, the mind–body connection, emotional healing, and the patterns that shape how we see ourselves.Connect or learn more: www.yvettevuaran.com Sign up for my Mind The Body NewsletterFollow @mindthebodypodcast @yvettevuaran

    18 min
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About

Mind the Body is a podcast about the space between how we think, feel, and live in our bodies — and how trauma, culture, and relationships shape the way we experience the world. Hosted by psychodynamic psychotherapist and EMDR therapist Yvette Vuaran, the show unpacks how the body remembers, how the mind protects, and how understanding that connection can change the way we live and love.

Information

  • Creator
    Yvette Vuaran
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    18
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Mind the Body Podcast
  • Show Website
    Mind the Body Podcast