E495 Trauma Expert Tim Fletcher

In What Happened to You?, Oprah Winfrey and renowned psychiatrist Bruce D. Perry discuss how childhood trauma can have a severe and lasting impact on the brain—and thus our worldview, health, and behavior—sometimes without us even realizing it. They discuss why the developing brain is so susceptible to trauma, why trauma survivors often experience flashbacks, and why it’s so important to address your trauma to live a healthy and happy life. They also describe how to begin the healing process with compassion for yourself and others.

Throughout our guide, we’ll connect Perry and Winfrey’s ideas to those in other popular books on trauma, such as Bessel van der Kolk’s The Body Keeps the Score. We’ll also elaborate on the authors’ main themes, such as trauma’s impact and the healing process. Finally, we’ll provide information and resources to help those struggling with trauma find high-quality care.

In The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog, child psychiatrist Bruce Perry describes a series of child abuse and neglect cases to illustrate how trauma impacts the developing brain and explain how he and his colleagues established a more effective therapy model for traumatized children.

In our guide, we’ll explain the psychiatric principles that Perry discovered during his years of working with traumatized children, including the stress response, the effects of trauma in infancy versus trauma at a later age, dissociation in response to trauma, and the role that relationships play in the treatment of traumatized children. We’ll also look at specific case studies that contributed to Perry’s Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics. Our commentary explores research supporting and expanding on Perry’s ideas, as well as scientific and social context on how trauma can manifest and the nuances of treatment.

Complex PTSD is a guide to recognizing Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and beginning to recover from it. Pete Walker—a psychotherapist with decades of experience, and a childhood trauma survivor—provides detailed explanations of the disorder’s causes and symptoms, as well as numerous tips and tools to help people recover from their past traumas.

Our guide will begin by explaining what Complex PTSD is—why and how it happens, as well as some of the most common symptoms. Next, we’ll go into detail about the various aspects of recovering from complex PTSD: physical, psychological, emotional, and social healing. Finally, we’ll discuss one crucial tip that Walker gives to help people on their recovery journey.

Our commentary will provide additional information about psychology and trauma, as well as actionable advice for people who want to start their recovery journey or help a loved one with theirs. We’ll also compare and contrast Walker’s ideas with those from other psychology self-help books such as Why Does He Do That?.

In Trauma Stewardship, Laura van Dernoot Lipsky writes that we can better care for others who have gone through trauma by learning to care for ourselves—a practice she calls trauma stewardship. Trauma, loss, and suffering are everyday realities, damaging not only to those who suffer from these challenges directly, but also to the caregivers who witness and tend to others’ trauma. Lipsky argues that to be fully present and emotionally available to others, we must address the impact of secondary trauma (the harm we experience when exposed to others’ trauma). Lipsky's trauma stewardship framework addresses how to manage secondary trauma, create a better work-life balance, and practice mindful self-care so you can support others to your fullest capacity.

In this guide, we’ll explain Lipsky’s concept of trauma stewardship, discuss the warning signs of secondary trauma, and provide ways you can replenish your energy for healthy caregiving. Along the way, we’ll provide additional psychological insights about trauma exposure and other experts’ advice on self-care and compassion.

Trauma can stem from abuse to a severe car accident to wartime combat—and cause a lifetime of flashbacks, nightmares, isolation, insomnia, hypervigilance, and rage. In The Body Keeps the Score, the author explores how diagnosing and treating trauma has evolved as new technologies, research, and fields of science emerged.

Trauma’s impact is not only mental, emotional, and neurological, but also physiological: Trauma rewires the brain to put people in a constant state of stress or numbness, leading to a host of physical problems.

In this summary, you’ll learn:

• Why trauma survivors feel like their trauma is never-ending
• How flashbacks make parts of the brain shut down and others to go into overdrive
• Why some trauma survivors can’t recognize themselves in the mirror
• How activities like choral singing, yoga, and theater can be therapeutic

In What Happened to You?, Oprah Winfrey and renowned psychiatrist Bruce D. Perry discuss how childhood trauma can have a severe and lasting impact on the brain—and thus our worldview, health, and behavior—sometimes without us even realizing it. They discuss why the developing brain is so susceptible to trauma, why trauma survivors often experience flashbacks, and why it’s so important to address your trauma to live a healthy and happy life. They also describe how to begin the healing process with compassion for yourself and others.

Throughout our guide, we’ll connect Perry and Winfrey’s ideas to those in other popular books on trauma, such as Bessel van der Kolk’s The Body Keeps the Score. We’ll also elaborate on the authors’ main themes, such as trauma’s impact and the healing process. Finally, we’ll provide information and resources to help those struggling with trauma find high-quality care.

If you suffer from persistent anxiety, depression, or illness, you might be playing out trauma from your family’s past. In this case, the question to ask is not “What’s wrong with me?” but “Where did this come from?”

In It Didn’t Start With You, Mark Wolynn says the source of your suffering may lie hidden in your unconscious, where traumas from your past—and your family’s past—are stopping you from being truly happy and free. Wolynn shares the latest research to reveal how traumas get passed biologically from one generation to the next. He also describes how you can uncover and resolve deeply-rooted trauma by applying his unique therapeutic approach. By doing so, he says, you can reprogram your body, stop suffering, and start living a life you love.

In this guide, we’ll examine research that expands upon Wolynn’s claims. We’ll also consider viewpoints that challenge some of his arguments, such as the importance of reconciling with our parents and the limited effectiveness of talk therapy in treating trauma.

Dive deep into the subconscious with Mel Robbins as she welcomes Dr. Paul Conti on The Mel Robbins Podcast. Known for his expertise in psychiatric care and applauded by the likes of Lady Gaga, Dr. Conti brings his knowledge on the subconscious mind to light, discussing its compelling influence over our everyday lives. Together, they explore how our inner narrative not only shapes our emotions and behaviors but also can be the key to unlocking greater happiness and potential.

In a discussion that ranges from unveiling the origins of self-perception to strategies for fostering a healthier mind, Mel and Dr. Conti touch on fascinating topics such as Cotard's syndrome and the lasting impact of childhood trauma. They provide listeners with actionable advice on confronting internal critics and reshaping negative self-talk. This episode is a must for anyone looking to understand the powerful subconscious forces at play in their lives and seeking meaningful ways to initiate positive change. Join the conversation and see how introspection and a shift in inner dialogue can lead to profound personal growth and mental wellness.