The other day, I walked into a meeting with a pit in my stomach the size of a grapefruit. I hadn’t even sat down yet, and there was already a tight pressure building in my chest, like my body was trying to send a message in Morse code. Now, in the past, I would’ve ignored it—slapped a smile on, powered through, and left wondering why I felt drained, dizzy, or like I needed to cry and reorganize the pantry at midnight.

But not anymore.

These days, I know how the nervous system works. I can recognize the early signs of dysregulation and actually do something about them. So instead of pretending I was fine, I took a breath, grounded my feet, and gave myself a silent nod like, “We got this.” (Okay, I did over-validate someone’s comment just to ease the tension—old habits die hard.)

And while I don’t always get it perfect—yes, even after more than two decades of working with humans ages 3 to 103—I’ve learned that staying present gives me the best chance to respond instead of react.

And that, my friends, changes everything.

Before Words, There’s a Knowing

Science backs what our bodies already whisper: your nervous system is your first language.

Long before you form a thought or speak a word, your body has already scanned the room, sized up the emotional landscape, and delivered a verdict—safe, unsafe, thrilling, awkward, or “brace yourself.”

This process is called neuroception, a term coined by Dr. Stephen Porges. It’s your body’s built-in surveillance system that reads cues from the environment and people around you—without your conscious awareness. It’s not anxiety. It’s biology. It’s survival intelligence.

That sudden chest pressure? The subtle jaw clench? The way your breath goes shallow for no obvious reason?

That’s your body translating the vibe into physical language.

And most of us—my past self included—were trained to ignore it. To “be nice,” “push through,” “stop overthinking,” or my personal favorite, “just breathe.” (Which is ironically good advice—but only when you’re not ignoring everything else your body is screaming.)

The Work I Do (and Why It’s Not About Just Talking It Out)

Over the past 20+ years, I’ve worked in school districts, mental health settings, and corporate rooms. I’ve coached CEOs, kindergartners, teens in crisis, and seniors navigating memory care.

And no matter the setting, the pattern is the same: when people learn to recognize and work with their nervous system—not against it—they begin to experience real change.

That’s why I’ve built my approach around tools that meet people where they are—body first:

• HeartMath® coherence techniques to regulate the heart-brain connection
• Applied improvisation to build trust, adaptability, and real-time responsiveness
• Psychodrama to safely rewire internal stories through action
• Breathwork and yoga to shift nervous system states and increase emotional literacy
• And a healthy dose of humor and humanity (because healing doesn’t have to be stiff)

The Language of Frequency: It’s Not Woo, It’s Waveforms

Let’s take a quick quantum leap (don’t worry—you won’t need a lab coat, just a curious brain and maybe a well-hydrated nervous system).

At the most foundational level, you are energy.
Everything you think, feel, and say is vibrating.
Your body is a biofield of electric signals.
Your cells are listening.
And so is everyone around you.

Bruce Lipton’s work in The Biology of Belief shows us that our genes don’t control our destiny—our environment and perceptions do. Meaning: the energy and emotions we embody can literally influence gene expression.

Gregg Braden builds on this in The Science of Resilience, showing how heart-centered emotions like compassion, gratitude, and courage create measurable shifts in the body’s electromagnetic field. That field? It doesn’t end at your skin. It reaches outward, impacting the emotional tone of the people (and even the room) around you.

This is not abstract.
It’s quantum physics.

You are a walking radio tower—and the signal you broadcast matters.

How This Translates to Real Life (With Real Humor)

So no, you’re not “just tired.”
You’re possibly entraining to someone else’s dysregulation.
You’re not “too sensitive.”
You’re a highly tuned receiver.

And you’re definitely not “crazy” for noticing that your chest tightens around certain people, your gut flips in certain meetings, or your breath shortens every time a particular text pops up.

That’s your nervous system saying, “Something here needs attention.”
It’s also saying, “Hey, we’ve got tools for this now.”

What Happens When We Listen

When we learn to tune in—really listen—we:

✔️ Respond with choice instead of react out of fear
✔️ Set boundaries with love and clarity
✔️ Co-regulate with others instead of absorb their chaos
✔️ Speak from grounded presence instead of spiraled emotion
✔️ Build resilience that isn’t just mental—it’s cellular

And yes, I still make mistakes. Sometimes I say yes when my chest says no. Sometimes I stay too long in a conversation that’s draining. But now? I notice faster. I pause. I breathe. I repair. I reroute.

That’s not failure—that’s growth.
That’s resilience in motion.
That’s decades of science meeting real human life.

Let’s Wrap This Up Like a Regulated Nervous System

If you’re reading this and thinking, “Okay, my body’s been talking this whole time, and I’ve been ghosting it,”—good news: it’s never too late to start listening.

And if you already are listening and want to learn how to bring this work into your school, workplace, therapy practice, or community—that’s exactly what I do.

This is how we build healthy classrooms.
This is how we create compassionate leadership.
This is how we heal intergenerational trauma without burning out in the process.

This is what I live for.

🌐 Visit www.christianafrank.com to explore training, coaching, and consulting opportunities.
🎭 From psychodrama to quantum frequency—we speak nervous system fluently.
🌀 And remember: before your brain says “I’ve got this,” your body is already whispering, “I know this.”

Listen to that whisper. It’s your genius.