Anxiety and depression are often talked about as problems of the mind—but for many people, they are lived first in the body.
The tight chest that never fully relaxes.
The constant edge of alertness.
The heaviness that makes even simple tasks feel impossible.
In this video conversation, we explore anxiety and depression not as diagnoses to fix, but as nervous system states shaped by lived experience. Through an honest, grounded dialogue, we reflect on how trauma, early relationships, and chronic stress affect the body—and why healing often requires more than insight alone.
This post offers an overview of the conversation, along with key takeaways you can integrate right away. Whether or not you watch the full video, my hope is that you feel a little more understood—and a little less alone.
About the Video: Exploring Anxiety, Depression, and Somatic Healing
This video features a reflective, heart-centered conversation between myself, Wen Chang-Lit—music therapist, licensed creative arts therapist, and trauma therapist—and a fellow practitioner and parent.
Together, we explore:
- how anxiety and depression show up in the nervous system
- why early relational experiences matter so much
- how creativity and the body play a central role in healing
- and what it means to slow down and listen rather than push through
I also share parts of my own story—growing up in Taiwan within a high-pressure performance culture, finding refuge in music, and later recognizing how perfectionism and overachieving were survival strategies shaped by trauma. These experiences continue to inform how I work today: gently, relationally, and at the pace of the nervous system.
5 Key Takeaways: A Somatic Approach to Anxiety and Depression
1. Anxiety and depression are nervous system responses, not personal flaws
A central theme of this conversation is reframing anxiety and depression as biological responses to stress and overwhelm, rather than signs that something is wrong with you.
Anxiety is often associated with hyperarousal—racing thoughts, muscle tension, shallow breathing, and a constant sense of urgency. Depression tends to reflect hypoarousal—fatigue, numbness, withdrawal, and collapse.
When we understand these states through the nervous system, shame loosens its grip. The body isn’t failing—it’s protecting.
2. Early experiences shape how we regulate emotion
We talk about how developmental and relational trauma influence the brain and nervous system over time. When emotional needs aren’t consistently met early on, the nervous system can remain stuck in survival patterns.
Because regulation is first learned through co-regulation, many adults struggle not because they lack skills, but because they lacked support.
The hopeful truth is that the nervous system remains changeable. With safety, attunement, and repetition, new patterns can emerge.
3. The body holds emotions long after the mind understands them
Insight alone is often not enough to create change. Anxiety and depression live in sensations—in the gut, the chest, the throat, the muscles.
In the video, we explore the importance of noticing where emotions show up physically and approaching them with curiosity rather than avoidance.
Healing begins when we ask:
What is my body trying to communicate right now?
4. Music and creative expression help the nervous system complete what was interrupted
Creative and somatic therapies—such as music therapy—offer ways to work directly with the nervous system.
Whether through rhythm, sound, movement, or imagery, creative expression allows emotions to move through the body instead of staying stuck. This is especially helpful for people who feel disconnected from words or overwhelmed by talking.
Creativity becomes a language the nervous system understands.
5. Healing happens slowly, relationally, and with compassion
A recurring message in this conversation is that healing is not about pushing harder or going faster. In fact, too much intensity can reinforce survival responses.
Instead, healing happens through small, consistent moments of safety, supported by relationship, curiosity, and kindness toward the self.
Repair—after misattunement, conflict, or rupture—is just as important as regulation itself.
Why Somatic and Creative Arts Therapy Matter Today
Rates of anxiety and depression continue to rise, fueled by chronic stress, disconnection, unresolved trauma, and unrealistic expectations of productivity.
Somatic and creative therapies offer a different path—one that honors the body’s wisdom and recognizes that healing doesn’t come from fixing ourselves, but from learning to listen.
This conversation is an invitation into that listening.
Watch the Video: A Conversation on Anxiety, Depression, and Healing Through the Body
If any of these themes resonate with you—whether personally, professionally, or as a parent—I invite you to watch the full video.
You’ll hear reflections on:
- nervous system regulation
- trauma and early attachment
- creative and music-based healing
- parenting with emotional attunement
- learning to trust the body’s signals
You don’t need to watch all at once. Even a few minutes may offer something meaningful.
Healing Through the Body: A Closing Reflection
Healing anxiety and depression doesn’t start with changing who you are.
It starts with understanding how your body learned to survive.
Through music, movement, creativity, and safe connection, it is possible to feel more grounded, more present, and more at home in yourself.
And you don’t have to do it alone.
