Moving What Words Can’t Reach
A Conversation with Jessica Westover
Episode Summary
In this conversation, Patti sits with therapist Jessica Westover to explore the ways grief and trauma are carried not only emotionally, but physically.
Jessica shares insights from both her professional work and her own lived experience, offering language for what it can feel like when grief lives in the body. Together, they talk about the ways unresolved emotions can surface as tension, exhaustion, or a sense of feeling stuck, even when we understand what we’ve been through.
This episode moves beyond the idea that healing happens only through talking. Patti and Jessica explore how movement, mindfulness, and body-based practices can help process emotions that feel difficult to reach through words alone.
Rather than offering a single path forward, this conversation invites a more holistic understanding of grief, one that honors both the emotional and physical experience of loss.
In This Episode
Topics discussed include:
• how grief and trauma are experienced in the body
• the connection between emotional pain and physical symptoms
• why talk therapy is not always enough on its own
• the role of the nervous system in grief and healing
• movement and mindfulness as tools for processing emotion
• feeling stuck and not knowing why
• alternative approaches to healing trauma
• learning to listen to the body with compassion
About Our Guest
Jessica Westover is a therapist who specializes in helping individuals navigate grief, trauma, and emotional healing. Drawing from both her clinical training and personal experience, she offers a thoughtful and compassionate approach to understanding how the body and mind work together in the healing process. Her work emphasizes awareness, curiosity, and creating space for experiences that are often difficult to name.
Listen to the Episode
Listen on your preferred platform.
• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• Amazon Music/Audible
• iHeart Radio
If You Relate to This Episode
Grief and trauma can sometimes feel difficult to access through words alone. You may notice it showing up in your body, in restlessness, fatigue, tension, or a sense of disconnection.
There is no single way to process these experiences. For some, movement, mindfulness, or body-based practices can offer a different kind of access to what is being held.
You may find the following resources helpful:
Understanding the Body and Trauma
The Body Keeps the Score explores how trauma is stored in the body and offers insight into approaches to healing that go beyond traditional talk therapy.
Learn More from Jessica
We’ve included more information about Jessica and her work on our website, along with ways to explore additional resources she offers.
You can find that here
Need Support?
If this conversation brings up emotions or you find yourself needing support, you are not alone. Patti offers one-on-one conversations for those navigating grief, trauma, and life changes that feel difficult to process.
You’re welcome to reach out through The Waiting Place to connect and schedule a time to talk.
Reflection
Some experiences live beyond language. They may not be easy to explain, but they are still real.
As you reflect on this conversation, you might consider what your body has been holding, and what it might look like to approach it with curiosity rather than urgency.
Share This Episode
“Some parts of grief don’t live in words. They live in the body.”
If something in this conversation resonated with you, you may want to share it with someone who is navigating trauma, feeling stuck, or searching for a different way to understand their experience.
Sharing can be a quiet way of helping someone feel less alone.
