The Healing Trauma Podcast

You cannot to heal from Trauma until you gently learn to become friends with your nervous system. May survivors have adapted to trauma by shutting down or disconnecting from their feelings and sensations.This makes sense when you live in a dangerous and threatening environment. However the patterns of disconnection remain long after the trauma is over.

Welcome to a brand new season of The Healing Trauma Podcast. In this first healing trauma conversation, host Monique Koven and Trauma expert Deb Dana discuss the Polyvagal theory and trauma healing. They emphasize the importance of understanding the nervous system and how it shapes our experiences. They highlight the need to start making the nervous system a friend, rather than trying to solve problems without considering its role. They discuss the concept of glimmers, which are small moments of safety and regulation that can reshape the nervous system. Glimmers are seen as a way to build capacity for processing trauma and unresolved experiences..

The polyvagal theory is a foundational concept in understanding trauma and the nervous system.It is important to recognize and appreciate the wisdom of the nervous system and its survival responses. Befriending the nervous system and working with it can lead to a sense of safety and regulation. Glimmers, small moments of safety and regulation, can reshape the nervous system and build capacity for processing trauma.

In this conversation, Monique interviews Heather Stringer, a licensed therapist, about her work with trauma and rituals. Heather shares her experience of using rituals as a form of processing trauma and making it known and significant. She describes a ritual she created for a woman who was reclaiming her femininity and how it helped her embody a new story. Heather emphasizes the importance of involving the body in the healing process and the power of community in supporting and witnessing the ritual. She also discusses the possibility of conducting rituals online and the significance of incorporating simple rituals into daily life.Keywordstrauma, rituals, processing, significance, embodiment, community, healing, online, daily lifeTakeaways

• Rituals can be a powerful tool for processing trauma and making it known and significant.
• Involving the body in the healing process is essential, as trauma is a full-body experience.
• Community support and witnessing are crucial in the ritual process.
• Rituals can be conducted online, allowing for participation from different locations.
• Simple rituals can be incorporated into daily life to bring meaning and intentionality.

• Conducting Rituals Online
• The Power of Embodiment in Healing

This healing conversation delves into the author's book, 'It Wasn't Roaring, It Was Weeping,' and explores themes of family, trauma and transformation. Lisa Jo shares her emotional response to the book and engages in a deep discussion about her personal journey and the impact of generational trauma. The conversation offers insights into the complexity of parent-child relationships, and the potential for healing and transformation.

Takeaways

• The power of forgiveness and its impact on personal healing and transformation
• The complexity of parent-child relationships and the potential for repair and growth
• The impact of generational trauma and the importance of self-reflection and change
• The emotional response to the author's book and the deep connection it fosters with readersThe power of forgiveness and its impact on personal healing and transformation

With Mother's Day approaching I'm re-releasing a special episode with psychologist and trauma expert Dr. Arielle Schwartz. In this episode, Monique Koven and Dr. Arielle Schwartz discuss the complexities of Mother's Day and the impact it can have on individuals with trauma. They explore the range of emotions that can arise, including happiness, sadness, guilt, and shame. They emphasize the importance of self-compassion and attending to the sacred wounds of the past. They also discuss the role of attachment and how our experiences with our mothers shape our sense of self. The conversation highlights the healing potential of acknowledging and validating our feelings and offering love and compassion to ourselves.

Keywords

Mother's Day, trauma, emotions, self-compassion, attachment Mother's Day can bring up a range of complex emotions for individuals with trauma, including happiness, sadness, guilt, and shame. It is important to practice self-compassion and attend to the sacred wounds of the past. Our experiences with our mothers shape our sense of self and can lead to feelings of responsibility and confusion. Acknowledging and validating our feelings is essential for healing and creating space for self-love and compassion. Attachment plays a significant role in our relationship with our mothers and our ability to offer love and compassion to ourselves. The Range of Emotions on Mother's Day Practicing Self-Compassion and Healing Sacred Wounds "Mother's Day is approaching, we start to feel this almost as countdown of a complexity of feelings."

"We learn to push down our authentic feelings because somebody else gave us this message that they couldn't handle our feelings."

"What is true for you is welcome here now." Grateful for Dr. Arielle Schwartz enormous contribution to the work of Trauma Recovery and Healing.

This episode is a recent recording from psychologist Dr. Alison Cook's podcast "The Best Of You' where I was a guest. Taken from her podcast description

'Today’s episode is just so special and so deeply personal. If you’ve experienced trauma, please listen. If you love someone, please listen. Trauma touches so many lives, and it’s so often misunderstood. In today’s episode, Monique Koven, host of The Healing Trauma podcast, shares her powerful story of healing from trauma. There is absolute gold in this episode for everyone."

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Subscriber Bonus Ep: Title: Managing The Past In The Present

In this trauma healing conversation, I am joined with Tricia Lott Williford & Jana Richardson, MA, LPC, authors of the book, You Are Safe Now: A Survivor's Guide to Listening to Your Gut, Healing from Abuse, and Living in Freedom. This conversation is so unique as you will hear from both sides of the Trauma healing journey. Tricia shares from her perspective of feeling stuck in overwhelm & PTSD, and how she was able to slowly move through with the gentle support and guidance of her skilled therapist. Jana shares what it was like working with Tricia and what really helped and supported her through. They talk about the process of untangling the trauma and coming to the understanding of grooming, manipulation and sexual and spiritual abuse by a person of trust.

On Today's healing conversation you are going to get compassionate validation as well as some understanding around the impact of childhood trauma on the body and the brain. I am joined once again with my friend, Dr. Mark McNear. Mark is a survivor and a therapist that shares openly about the healing journey. I loved our conversation and think you will too. Mark shares his personal journey to help others in theirs in his book, Finding My Words, A Ruthless Commitment To Healing Gently After Trauma.

Welcome to the very first episode of the new season of The Healing Trauma Podcast - Faith Edition I am delighted and so very grateful to be able to share this conversation with therapist, podcast host, author and psychiatrist Dr. Curt Thompson. We talked about healing, safety and connection and the formation of embodied hope. And so much more. I absolutely loved it! This is a video episode. https://youtu.be/CHmkWbitCsE?si=GxaCJ8UO2GmxlUSN Hope you find it helpful 🕊️

BUY ME A COFFEE

On today's episode I am joined with Michelle Mays. Michelle Mays is a Licensed Professional Counselor and expert in treating sexual betrayal and trauma. She's also the author of the book The Betrayal Bind: How to Heal When the Person You Love the Most Has Hurt You the Worst.  She reveals the depth of the devastating dilemma that betrayed partners face when their significant other is unsafe to connect with, yet connection is the key to healing. Michelle looks at betrayal through the lens of attachment, as our attachment system is the very thing that connects us with anyone in our lives, and how betrayal causes a break in the attachment bond to the person we are closest with, shattering trust, and leaving a betrayed partner feeling unsafe and violated.

This was a very informative and rich conversation.

I am still in vacation mode and have taken a little break from recording and sharing, however I was inspired to record a short video after I shared a post over on IG which says "Feeling Safe is Essential To Healing." I realized a little video may be helpful to elaborate just a tiny bit. Should be back to recording sometime in August.