Recovery isn’t a formula — it’s a framework. In this article, Prairie Francia explores the neuroscience behind personalized healing, why no two brains recover the same way, and how to map your unique pathway through values, motivation, and intentional change.

When emotions take over, the brain’s alarm system—the amygdala—hijacks control, leaving the logical prefrontal cortex offline. The result? Reactivity.

Learn how mindfulness, reflection, and identity-based regulation strengthen emotional balance and create lasting recovery through neuroplasticity…

Why do habits feel so hard to break? And more importantly — how can they be rewired to support recovery?

In this episode of Breaking Free from Within, host Prairie Francia explores the neuroscience of habits and how they shape our recovery journey. Drawing on research from Charles Duhigg (The Power of Habit), Ann Graybiel (Nature Reviews Neuroscience), and real-world client success stories, Prairie explains how habits are formed through the loop of cue → routine → reward and how new pathways can be built through habit substitution…

What happens when you stop saying, “I’m trying to quit” and start saying, “I’m the kind of person who…”?

In this episode of Breaking Free from Within, host Prairie Francia explores the power of identity shift in recovery. Instead of focusing only on what you’re resisting, identity-based recovery asks you to step into who you want to become…

What do you truly stand for? In this episode of Breaking Free from Within, host Prairie Francia explores how values-based recovery helps individuals and treatment providers anchor decisions in what matters most.

Values are the compass that guide our lives — qualities like honesty, family, freedom, or health. According to Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory (1977), values are shaped early through modeling and parental influence. But in the chaos of addiction, people-pleasing, or survival mode, values often get buried…

In this episode of Breaking Free from Within, host Prairie Francia dives into the fascinating science of cravings and why they extend far beyond food or substance use. Drawing from neuroscience, addiction studies, and recovery coaching, Prairie explores how the brain interprets cravings as signals—often pointing to unmet needs, emotional avoidance, or disrupted balance in the body…

Today we’re talking about why it’s so important to allow the person struggling with addiction—what we call the “identified patient”—to experience the full repercussions of their actions.

And why stepping in to shield them—even when it’s done with love—can unintentionally block their growth and prolong the cycle of addiction.

Whether you’re overcoming substance use, emotional eating, or codependent patterns, these thoughts often sound like “Just this once won’t hurt” or “I deserve it,” but they create dangerous openings for relapse. Prairie shares real-life examples, offers a simple 3-step tool to work with these thoughts, and closes with reflective journal prompts and a powerful mindset shift.

In this episode, Prairie Francia explores the reasons we engage in numbing behaviors—like emotional eating, social media scrolling, or staying “busy” to avoid our emotions. She explains how numbing is a learned survival strategy and shares practical steps to break the cycle. Listeners will learn how to shift from avoidance to self-awareness and adopt nurturing behaviors that support true healing.

Keynotes:

• What numbing behaviors are and why we use them.

• The emotional and psychological roots of numbing.

• How to identify triggers and pause before reacting.

• Steps to replace numbing behaviors with nurturing habits.

• Encouragement to embrace discomfort as part of healing.

• Invitation to join the Self-Paced Recovery Course at alignmentwithprairieyana.com