In this episode, we explore the permission pause, a simple twenty minute delay that interrupts the automatic yes many people with CPTSD learned for safety. Gregory guides a body scan from feet to chest that helps the nervous system settle so your reply comes from choice rather than reflex. Drawing on Pete Walker and Bessel van der Kolk, the episode shows how the fawn response lives in physical tension and how a short wait plus a quick note afterward builds new habits of self awareness and regulation. Listeners receive a practical tool they can try today with any small request.What You'll Learn:• Interrupt automatic agreement with a short built in delay• Use body awareness to notice hidden urges to please• Give your nervous system time to settle before deciding• Track physical shifts to strengthen new response patterns• Build choice and reduce reflex compliance over timeKey Insights• The fawn response fires through body tension before thought• Twenty minutes lets the system discharge sympathetic activation• Writing sensations after the pause creates lasting evidence of change• Waiting weakens old survival circuits and strengthens safety signals• Regulation happens naturally once the rush to answer is postponedRecommended Resources:• Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker• The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk• Somatic Experiencing resources at traumahealing.orgComing Up NextLearn how to follow the permission pause with a quick after check that locks in new patterns of calm choice.📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at [email protected].💛 Join Our Supporters Club ($3 a month) 💛 Help keep these vital conversations alive—Click Here: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/c-ptsd-let-s-make-sense-of-this-sh-t--6331440/supportIf you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line). In an emergency, call 911. This podcast is not a substitute for professional care.

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