Healing isn’t just about understanding your story. It’s about how your body holds it.

In this episode of The Moon Collective Sanctuary Podcast, host Dr. Lydia Luna, Ph.D., is joined by Briana Damavandi, LCSW, for a conversation about trauma, holistic healing, and why talk therapy alone isn’t always enough for lasting change.

Together, they:

• Explore how trauma lives in the nervous system
• Examine why intellectual insight doesn’t automatically lead to healing
• Discuss how somatic and body-based approaches help bridge the gap between knowing and feeling better.

Briana shares her journey into holistic mental health, including her work with EMDR, trauma-informed yoga, and nervous system regulation, and how her own experiences shaped the way she practices as a therapist.

They also explore what it means to be a therapist doing deeply relational work, including how clinicians regulate their own nervous systems, navigate emotional attunement, and create boundaries that support sustainable, ethical care.

The conversation expands into the growing influence of AI, social media, life coaches, and quick-fix healing culture, offering a grounded perspective on why discernment, training, and human connection matter more than ever in mental health spaces.

This episode is an open and honest reflection on modern therapy, the healing industry, and the importance of slowing down, listening to the body, and choosing support that honors the full human experience.

To Watch the Show click HERE

Visit mooncollectivesanctuary.com to explore our upcoming gatherings and private healing offerings.

Connect with Briana

Website: www.theholisticemdrtherapist.com

Instagram: @the.holistic.emdr.therapist

Chapter Markers

01:10 Briana’s path into holistic trauma work

03:30 What holistic healing really means

05:55 Why trauma lives in the body

08:40 When talk therapy isn’t enough

11:50 Nervous system regulation and healing

14:30 Community, connection, and post-pandemic shifts

17:10 AI, therapy, and ethical concerns

21:30 The therapist’s nervous system and self-regulation

25:40 Burnout, boundaries, and sustainability

29:20 Discernment in the healing industry

Support the show

Connect with Dr. Lydia Luna, PhD:

Website: www.mooncollectivesanctuary.com

Youtube: www.youtube.com/@mooncollectivesanctuary

IG: @lydialunaphd & @mooncollectivesanctuary

Facebook: www.facebook.com/mooncollectivesanctuary

Intimacy doesn’t disappear overnight, it erodes quietly through unspoken resentment, emotional overload, and forgotten play.

In this episode of The Moon Collective Sanctuary Podcast, host Dr. Lydia Luna, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist and founder of The Moon Collective Sanctuary, welcomes Dr. Elenor Daneshvar back to the podcast for a deep, honest conversation about the hidden keys of intimacy, play, partnership, and pleasure.

Together, they explore why intimacy is rarely about what happens in the bedroom and far more about what happens throughout the day. From emotional repair after rupture to the invisible labor many women carry, this conversation sheds light on why desire often fades and how it can be restored.

Elenor and Lydia break down how resentment, emotional disconnection, and rigid routines quietly extinguish intimacy, and why curiosity, novelty, and shared joy are essential for deepening long-term connection. The conversation also examines the role of partnership, “we” language, and emotional investment as foundations for pleasure.

The episode also reframes foreplay as an all-day experience shaped by emotional safety, presence, and energetic connection, rather than something confined to the bedroom.

This episode is an invitation to rethink intimacy as a sacred, living energy that thrives on repair, presence, and intentional connection, not performance or pressure.

To Watch the Show click HERE

Visit mooncollectivesanctuary.com to explore our upcoming gatherings and private healing offerings.

Connect with Elenor

Website: https://oneneuro.com/elenorbdaneshvar/

Instagram: @womens_mental_health

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenor-daneshvar-psy-d-330ba414/

Chapter Markers

01:10 What intimacy really means (beyond sex)

03:10 Why intimacy fades over time
06:35 Resentment, rupture, and unspoken disconnection
08:05 Repair as the key to deeper connection

10:20 “I see you”: validation and emotional repair
12:15 When repair strengthens vs. weakens relationships
14:55 When to work through rupture vs. when to leave

18:55 Why play and novelty are essential for intimacy
22:45 Shared experiences and creating freshness together

26:40 Partnership, “we” language, and alignment
28:40 Invisible emotional labor and why women feel depleted
31:05 Emotional investment as a foundation for desire

33:15 Flirting as a daily practice
35:30 Energy, safety, and the sacral connection
38:10 Foreplay as an all-day experience
40:15 Creating intimacy through presence, not pressure

Support the show

Connect with Dr. Lydia Luna, PhD:

Website: www.mooncollectivesanctuary.com

Youtube: www.youtube.com/@mooncollectivesanctuary

IG: @lydialunaphd & @mooncollectivesanctuary

Facebook: www.facebook.com/mooncollectivesanctuary

This episode is an invitation to slow down, soften, and meet Lydia through the moments that shaped her.

In this special “Get to Know Lydia” episode of The Moon Collective Sanctuary Podcast, the roles are reversed as host Lydia Luna, Ph.D. is interviewed by her nephew and podcast producer, Milo Solis, Jr. Together, they explore the moments, questions, and turning points that shaped Lydia’s path, both personally and professionally.

Lydia reflects on her early experiences of emotional uncertainty, loss, and instability, and how music, curiosity, and inner listening became quiet lifelines during difficult seasons. She shares openly about the times when life felt overwhelming, when meaning felt distant, and how choosing curiosity, rather than fear, became a way forward.

The conversation also touches on spiritual inquiry, embodiment, creativity, and the importance of honoring natural rhythms, including intuition and cyclical energy. Lydia speaks to the power of slowing down, listening to your body, and allowing life to unfold without forcing answers. She also shares about a profound spiritual healing experience that helped her reframe grief, purpose, and her understanding of life itself.

This episode is not about having it all figured out. It’s about staying open. It’s about allowing curiosity to guide you when certainty isn’t available and trusting that even in the unknown, something meaningful can emerge.

To Watch the Show click HERE

Visit mooncollectivesanctuary.com to explore our upcoming gatherings and private healing offerings.

Important Note:

This episode includes a personal discussion of plant medicine and ayahuasca shared from lived experience. This conversation is not intended as medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, nor is it an endorsement or recommendation of ayahuasca or any psychedelic substances. Ayahuasca is illegal in many jurisdictions and may pose serious physical and psychological risks, particularly for individuals with certain medical or mental health conditions. Listeners are encouraged to consult qualified medical and mental health professionals and to consider legal, medical, and personal factors before engaging in any such experiences.

Chapter Markers

• 01:00 Introducing Milo & flipping the interview
• 02:05 The message Lydia needed at age 12
• 04:05 When life stopped feeling stable
• 07:00 The breaking point and starting over
• 09:45 Choosing curiosity over despair
• 11:15 Creating purpose after loss
• 12:40 Spiritual awakening, grief, and Ayahuasca
• 19:30 Music, vibration, and healing
• 22:10 Moon cycles, intuition, and self-trust
• 28:00 What Lydia hopes listeners feel after this episode
• 30:55 Final reflections and closing

Support the show

Connect with Dr. Lydia Luna, PhD:

Website: www.mooncollectivesanctuary.com

Youtube: www.youtube.com/@mooncollectivesanctuary

IG: @lydialunaphd & @mooncollectivesanctuary

Facebook: www.facebook.com/mooncollectivesanctuary