How Petra Brunnbauer is Redefining Healing Through The Jōrni®
For decades, Petra Brunnbauer navigated the challenges of mental health struggles and chronic stress, searching for deeper healing beyond traditional approaches. In 2018, after experiencing profound personal loss, she felt a deep calling to create something meaningful—a space where people could explore holistic healing and reconnect with themselves. That vision became The Jōrni, a platform dedicated to supporting mental, emotional, and physical well-being through integrative holistic healing practices. Through years of personal experience, research, and a deep understanding of the mind-body connection, Petra developed The Functional Freeze Formula™, a groundbreaking framework for understanding and managing Functional Freeze. In this exclusive interview, Petra shares her inspiring story, the philosophy behind The Jōrni, and how we can all find a path to true healing.
Can you share a bit about your journey and what led you to create The Jōrni?
Mental health challenges had been part of my life for a long time, and over the years, anxiety and chronic stress became something I struggled with as well. But 2018 was a life-changing year for me. I lost several family members and my best friend all in one year, and it left me questioning everything. Is this all there is to life? We struggle, we suffer, and then we die?
Those questions stayed with me, overshadowing my life as I tried to make sense of my losses and move forward. In 2020, I had an accident that led to a diagnosis of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. Doctors told me there was no cure and I would have to adjust to living with chronic pain. That moment forced me to completely rethink my approach to life, health, healing, and how we navigate challenges that feel impossible to overcome.
Through my search for answers, I explored holistic healing, nervous system regulation, and the mind-body connection in ways I never had before. I began to see how different healing approaches could complement each other in powerful ways. The idea of creating a “happy place” where people could come to heal and reconnect with themselves stayed with me. I wanted to build something that could offer the kind of support I had been searching for myself. What started as a simple idea soon grew into something much bigger, evolving into what is now The Jōrni.
The Jōrni offers holistic healing programs—can you give us an overview of what these programs entail and how they help individuals regain balance?
The Jōrni’s programs are designed to support nervous system regulation and long-term healing using The Functional Freeze Formula, a framework I developed to help people move beyond chronic stress. It brings together a wide range of holistic techniques to help individuals take the first steps on their healing journey in a way that feels manageable and supportive.
Alongside our programs, we offer a virtual community space where people can connect, share experiences, and find encouragement. Whether through individual guidance, group settings, or community support, The Jōrni helps people shift out of survival mode and start feeling more present, energized, and connected in their lives again.
Your book The Functional Freeze Formula presents a unique approach to managing chronic stress. Can you explain what Functional Freeze is and how it affects people?
Functional Freeze is a mixed nervous system response to chronic stress where a person appears functional on the outside but feels overwhelmed, numb, anxious, or disconnected on the inside. It’s a survival state where the nervous system is caught between activation and shutdown, making it difficult to live life enjoyably.
People in Functional Freeze often go through the motions of daily life—working, socializing, and taking care of responsibilities—yet internally, they feel detached, exhausted, or emotionally stuck. They may struggle with decision-making, experience brain fog, or feel like they’re constantly “pushing through” without really feeling present.
My book, The Functional Freeze Formula, breaks down this survival response and provides a holistic approach to moving beyond it. It introduces six flows designed to help regulate the nervous system, release stored stress, and restore a sense of balance and connection. These flows incorporate body-based movements, breathwork, energy practices, mindfulness techniques, and mindset work, all grounded in research on nervous system regulation and stress recovery.
Understanding Functional Freeze is the first step to breaking free from it. Once people recognize the signs in themselves, they can begin using tools that support nervous system regulation, helping them shift out of survival mode and into a life where they feel more present, energized, and connected.
The Jōrni Podcast is globally ranked—what inspired you to start it, and what impact has it had on your audience?
I launched The Jōrni Podcast in 2022 as an extension of The Jōrni, to bring more awareness to the many paths to healing. I envisioned it as a place to share personal stories of survival and resilience while introducing listeners to a wide range of holistic healing techniques and modalities. Too often, people feel like they’re out of options simply because they don’t know what’s available to them. I hoped to create a platform where they could discover new possibilities and feel empowered to advocate for their health.
The podcast has featured a diverse range of guests, from doctors, researchers, and psychologists to holistic practitioners and individuals sharing their lived experiences. By blending expert insights with personal stories, it provides both scientific perspectives and real-world applications of different healing approaches.
Since launching, the podcast has grown into a globally ranked show, reaching listeners around the world who are seeking support and alternative healing approaches. Many have shared how they’ve discovered new modalities they had never heard of before or felt validated in their own experiences after hearing others share similar struggles. The most meaningful impact has been creating a space where people feel seen, heard, and encouraged on their healing journey.
What are some of the biggest misconceptions people have about holistic healing?
One of the biggest misconceptions about holistic healing is that it is not evidence-based or that it exists outside of science. In reality, many holistic approaches—like breathwork, meditation, somatic practices, and even energy-based techniques—are supported by growing research in neuroscience, immunology, psychology, epigenetics, and medicine. Studies continue to show how these methods impact nervous system regulation, stress reduction, and overall well-being. While some holistic modalities are still being researched, dismissing them outright ignores the scientific progress being made in understanding mind-body healing.
Another common misconception is that holistic healing is only about relaxation and simply helps people feel calmer in the moment. What many don’t realize is that relaxation itself is a form of nervous system regulation. It’s how the body restores balance between activation and shutdown. These practices go beyond just creating a sense of calm and actively help regulate and rewire the nervous system, process stored stress, and restore emotional and physical balance. Many people turn to these methods after exhausting conventional options, only to discover that they can lead to profound shifts in mental, emotional, and physical health.
More doctors, researchers, and health professionals are beginning to explore these approaches and integrate them into patient care. As science continues to evolve, so does our understanding of the many ways healing can take place.
If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self at the start of your wellbeing journey, what would it be?
I would tell myself to trust my own body and intuition, even when no one else seems to have the answers. I spent so much time searching for solutions in all the places we were taught to look. I tried traditional medicine and conventional treatments, but nothing truly addressed what I was going through. It wasn’t until I started exploring beyond those systems and listening to what my body needed that I found real healing.
At the time, it felt like I was completely alone in figuring things out. Looking back, I can see that the journey taught me something invaluable. The body holds more wisdom than we have been led to believe. Suppressing symptoms is often the easiest approach, but true healing comes from understanding what the body is trying to communicate and working with it instead of against it. Even when the answers are not obvious, they are there, and you already can find them.
