Why Connection Is the Medicine We've Been Missing | Julie HollandWhy Connection Is the Medicine We've Been Missing | Julie Holland
The One You Feed
Eric Zimmer and psychiatrist Julie Holland talk about why genuine human connection is crucial for calming the nervous system, easing trauma and supporting recovery. They also discuss phones, social media, and the cautious use of psychedelics in treating PTSD and addiction.
1:01:17•26 Jun 2026
Connection: The Medicine We’ve Been Missing with Julie Holland
Episode Overview
- Human beings are biologically wired for social connection, and disconnection can keep the nervous system stuck in fight-or-flight.
- Phones and social media offer a synthetic form of connection that rarely satisfies, much like “something that almost works.”
- Simple embodied contact—eye contact, touch, hugs and shared presence—supports oxytocin release and helps the body shift into rest, digest and repair.
- For many people, addiction grows out of trauma, chronic stress and a lack of meaning, rather than being just about the substance itself.
- Psychedelics may help some people process trauma and addiction in supported settings, but carry serious risks, especially outside medical supervision.
“You can never get enough of something that almost works.”
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This conversation between host Eric Zimmer and psychiatrist Julie Holland zeroes in on one simple truth: connection really is medicine. Julie, author of *Good Chemistry*, explains how humans are “obligatorily gregarious” – biologically wired to need each other. She links chronic stress, trauma and addiction to disconnection, staying stuck in fight-or-flight, and the way our phones act like a fake fix.
As she puts it, “You can never get enough of something that almost works,” describing social media and texting as a kind of synthetic connection that keeps you scrolling but never really satisfied. You’ll hear her break down the nervous system in down-to-earth terms: cortisol and adrenaline keep you revved up, while oxytocin and parasympathetic “rest, digest, repair” states help your body and relationships heal.
Simple things like eye contact, hugs, spooning, and even a good laugh with a friend can nudge you back towards calm. A text, she jokes, is like a vitamin; a face-to-face conversation is the actual meal. For anyone in recovery, Julie’s view on addiction will feel familiar: people use substances, phones or food to soothe an underlying loneliness, fear, or lack of meaning.
She talks about psychedelics such as MDMA, mushrooms and ibogaine as tools that may, in carefully supported settings, help people face trauma and rethink their relationship with drugs. At the same time, she’s very clear about risks, counterfeit drugs, bad actors, and why ketamine in particular can be a dangerous path for those with addictive tendencies. This episode speaks to anyone who’s ever tried to fill a hole with alcohol, scrolling or substances and found it still empty.
It gently asks: what if the missing piece is actually human connection, right where you are?
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