Episode 32: Emotional Regulation and the Brain
Have you ever had one of those moments where a single comment, text, or tone of voice sends you spiraling — before you even realize what happened?
In this episode of Breaking Free from Within, Prairie Francia dives into the neuroscience of emotional regulation, exploring how the amygdala and prefrontal cortex shape our reactions, and how we can retrain the brain to respond instead of react.
Prairie begins with a relatable client story about how emotional hijacking can lead to reactive behaviors — whether snapping, shutting down, or reaching for old coping mechanisms — and how building awareness and regulation creates freedom. Drawing on research from Science, Frontiers in Psychology, and Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, Prairie explains how repeated emotional self-regulation strengthens the prefrontal cortex, reduces amygdala overactivation, and builds resilience over time.
Listeners will learn practical tools to pause before reacting, label emotions to calm the brain, and reframe emotional waves as opportunities for growth rather than danger.
Prairie also integrates Motivational Interviewing prompts to help listeners reflect on their emotional triggers:
“Think of a recent emotional reaction — what were you really feeling, and what aligned response could you choose next time?”
Throughout the episode, Prairie shares success stories from her coaching and treatment work, including one client who said her values-based recovery lesson gave him more insight than 20 years in AA. Read More…
To continue this work:
Start with the 21-Day Breaking Free Challenge ($27/year) to build small emotional wins.
Reset your body’s chemistry in the 28-Day Clean Body Reboot for better physiological balance.
Deepen your transformation through the Empowered Recovery Course.
Practitioners can bring these tools to their clients with the Empowered Recovery Curriculum.
Key takeaway: Every pause, every breath, and every mindful choice is an act of brain training — strengthening your capacity for calm, clarity, and compassion.
📚 REFERENCES
Arnsten, A. F. T. (2009). Stress signalling pathways that impair prefrontal cortex structure and function. Science, 324(5931), 1313–1316. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1171736
Gross, J. J. (2015). Emotion regulation: Current status and future prospects. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 425. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00425
Hölzel, B. K., et al. (2011). Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 191(1), 36–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pscychresns.2010.08.006
LeDoux, J. E. (2000). Emotion circuits in the brain. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 23(1), 155–184. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.neuro.23.1.155
Lieberman, M. D., et al. (2007). Putting feelings into words: Affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity in response to affective stimuli. Psychological Science, 18(5), 421–428.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01916.x