Body, Mind, Spirit & Trauma. Ann Todhunter Brode

For over 40 years Ann Brode has focused on the relationship of body, mind, and spirit as it shapes the physical experience.

Receiving her BA in 1968, Ann spent 7 years as a motor-perceptual therapist working with young children. In this early work, she discovered that every person learns differently and everybody can change and find better balance, grace, and comfort. Seeking to help all people access their full potential for responsive awareness, Ann began extensive training with Movement Therapy and Bodywork pioneer Judith Aston.

Ann was the founder and director of the Healing Center Foundation, a nonprofit supporting integrative health and practitioners in Santa Barbara, and creator of the website, sbHealthSource.org.

For the past ten years, she has written on health and body related topics for Health Source Magazine, Santa Barbara Independent, Huffington Post and Somatic Psychotherapy Today Journal. She has also recorded and produced an acclaimed CD entitled Body Breath: Three Guided Meditations.

The Quote

We are more space than matter.
Ann Todhunter Brode

What Led to the Specialization of Trauma?

Ann talks about how from a very early age she knew and felt that she was very comfortable in her body, and how a lot of the people around her, weren’t.

A Crucial Early Mistake

In the beginning, I thought I could heal pretty much anyone. But it didn’t take long for me to realize this wasn’t true. Ann shares the experience of working with a young woman and deciding herself what would be right for this client. The client, however, had a very different idea.

Ann’s Why

My why is that this is my life’s work. I have a skill set to do it well, and I realized early on that this was my way to make a difference.

Ann’s Advice

• Take care of yourself. Make sure that you have the oxygen, first!
• Ask for help when you need it.
• Find someone that you admire in your community, and ask them to mentor you.

Ann’s Go-To Books

• Coming to Our Senses: Healing Ourselves and the World Through Mindfulness, Morris Berman Ph.D.

Episode Links

• Ann’s website
• Ann’s blog