Story Time: Surgery, Fear of Death, and a Dysregulated Nervous System

From the Heart with Rachel Brathen · May 22, 2026 · 1h

If you are a mother, you probably know the feeling of fear well. In today’s episode, Rachel talks about the biggest trauma her nervous system is still experiencing today - the fear of something happening to her children.

Lea had surgery this week which was a huge experience for their entire family. Rachel shares the entire story from start to finish, and beautifully puts the terror moms can feel into words. It’s a vulnerable episode about the root cause of our fears, a mother’s never-ending love, and how to regulate your nervous system when the ground beneath you feels shaky.