Healing - But Still Stuck?

10 Daily Practices to Break Free From Old Patterns

By: Kristin Francis | Complex PTSD Warrior

📚Summary

You’re doing everything ‘right’ — therapy, breathwork, journaling — and yet still feel stuck in old patterns. Despite all your hard work, you might find yourself still searching for a breakthrough. In today’s post, I’m going to explore the missing piece that so many overlook in their healing journey: integration.

We’ll talk about what integration really means, why awareness alone isn’t enough, and how to gently help your body absorb what your mind already knows.

✨ 10 easy daily integration practices & reflection prompts at the end. ✨

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🧠 What Integration Actually Means

Integration is what turns something you understand into something you can actually feel and live.

It’s not just about insight — it’s about how your body responds differently.

From a neuroscience lens, integration happens when your thinking brain (prefrontal cortex) and your survival brain (amygdala) begin forming new, shared pathways. This means your nervous system starts responding with more regulation — not just reacting from old trauma — because it’s experienced real-time evidence of safety.

It’s what helps you stay grounded when a mistake happens… what lets you breathe when someone’s upset with you… and what softens your body when kindness is offered.

It’s the shift from knowing you’re not to blame...to actually feeling less tension in your chest when something goes wrong.

It’s when a friend says, “You didn’t do anything wrong,” and instead of replaying every detail, you pause — and let yourself believe it. Even if just for a moment.

That pause?

That’s integration.

It’s not just emotional.

It’s neurological.

And it’s a huge step forward.

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❌ Why Learning Alone Isn’t Enough

So many of us are brilliant at doing the work. We show up. We practice. We reflect. We try.

But if your body hasn’t had the chance to feel what you’re learning, your nervous system won’t absorb it — it will protect you from it.

That’s not failure. That’s protection.

This is why healing might feel like it isn’t “sticking.” Because your system hasn’t had enough time, space, or repetition to integrate what it’s learning.

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🔄 What Integration Looks Like (In Real Life)

It’s not dramatic. It’s small and slow — and sometimes invisible.

Here’s what it might look like for you: