Podcasts

William Pullen is a psychotherapist registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and is the author of Running with Mindfulness: Dynamic Running Therapy (DRT) to Improve Low-mood, Anxiety, Stress, and Depression. William offers short and long-term psychotherapy to adults and young people on an individual basis and works with people suffering from difficulties including depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, negative childhood experiences, and has a special interest in depression, internet addiction, and “Boarding School Syndrome”. William explains, The decision to seek therapy is often not a simple one but once taken it marks a commitment to care for yourself that may then be fostered in our work together until you are able to meet your dilemmas or troubles with more understanding, gentleness, and a greater ease. My experience includes positions at a neighborhood “drop-in” center in Hackney, a central London university, and the Munro Centre at Guy’s Hospital. Throughout this period I have also had a private practice. I have a special interest in depression, internet addiction, and “Boarding School Syndrome. William gained an MA from a post-graduate program in Counselling and Psychotherapy at The School of Psychotherapy and Counselling Psychology at Regent’s College, including training in psychodynamics, humanistic and existential psychotherapy.

Guy Macpherson, PhD, is a husband, a father of two, and holds a doctorate in clinical psychology. He has spent the last several years studying the impact and treatment of trauma, and early psychosis. In 2014, Guy founded The Trauma Therapist Project with the goals of raising the awareness of trauma and creating an educational and supportive community for new trauma workers. The Trauma Therapist Project has now grown to include The Trauma Therapist | Podcast, now being listened to in more than 160 countries around the world, as well as Trauma Therapist | 2.0, an online membership community specifically dedicated to educating and inspiring trauma workers just starting out on their trauma-informed journey. Guy’s focus currently is on creating a vibrant, global community to support, educate and inspire new trauma workers, as well as to upend the present way that trauma is taught at the graduate level.

Several weeks ago I received an email from Anne Lauren. In her message she thanked me for the work I was doing to help individuals who’ve been impacted by trauma, and she also explained that she’d been so inspired by the #metoo movement that she wanted to share her story, as well. Anne is a word weaver, a woman warrior, and a wisdom wayfinder. She authors the blog, Blue&Lavender, in which speaks of her experience recovering from sexual abuse and seeks to educate and inspire others to do the same.

First Lady Tonette Walker was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She spent more than 20 years employed in the insurance industry before working for the American Diabetes Association. Currently, the First Lady works in the development department for the American Lung Association in Wisconsin. As First Lady, Mrs. Walker most enjoys using her role to help improve the lives of the people of Wisconsin. She is currently working in partnership with various foundations and nonprofit organizations to better recognize, understand, and address the effects of trauma on the lives of children and families in Wisconsin through her Fostering Futures Initiative. Through this partnership, she hopes to establish the state of Wisconsin as a national leader in the Trauma-Informed Care movement. Mrs. Walker also works regularly with Teen Challenge of Wisconsin, a faith-based organization dedicated to the healing and rehabilitation of those with substance abuse addictions. The First Lady works to raise awareness for the group throughout the state and also assists Teen Challenge in their fundraising and expansion efforts. In an effort to promote health and fitness and to showcase some of the beautiful but lesser-known sites across the state, Mrs. Walker invites the people of Wisconsin to "Walk with Walker." At each walk, the First Lady is joined by local residents, visitors, and friends and family to walk a short trail and explore Wisconsin's most picturesque scenery. Additionally, Mrs. Walker hosts women from all over the state for an annual Wellness Weekend to promote healthy lifestyles. Wisconsin is home to some of the friendliest and most giving people in the nation. To recognize the generosity of many Wisconsin residents, the First Lady presents a Wisconsin Heroes Award. The award goes out quarterly to a resident who voluntarily devotes his or her time and energy to a nonprofit organization or cause. The First Lady understands the value of this devoted volunteerism and honors these "heroes" who ultimately make Wisconsin a better place. The First Lady and Governor live full time in Madison at the Wisconsin Executive Residence. Oldest son Matt graduated from Marquette University and is currently working for Associated Bank in Milwaukee. Younger son Alex graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is working in politics.

Julia Rose is an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at the University of the West, and is Founder and President of Trauma Camp, a professional development and consultation company that trains educators about trauma-informed and relationship-based approaches in the classroom. For over a decade, Julia Rose has been studying specifically the impacts of early childhood trauma on adult mental health and behavior, some of this research culminating into her master’s thesis entitled: The Effects of Spanking On Mental Health, and Why Clinicians Need to Know (2016). In her work with clients over the years, she has consistently found that at the root of depression, anxiety, addiction, compulsion, and a range of other mental health issues is a childhood which involved one or more traumatic incidents that have yet to be acknowledged, expressed or resolved. Tremendous shifts occur when this is done, as it allows these wounds to begin to heal. She is also certified by the International Association of Trauma Professionals as a Youth Trauma Treatment Professional, and has begun training from the ChildTrauma Academy’s Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics. Importantly, Julia Rose has also spent half her life addressing, treating, reducing and resolving the impact of her own early childhood trauma--experience which serves as her foundational knowledge on this topic.

Suzanne Scurlock-Durana is the author of Reclaiming Your Body and Full Body Presence. She is one of the world’s leading authorities on conscious awareness and its transformational impact on the healing process. Her Healing from the Core curriculum combined with CranioSacral therapy and other bodywork modalities creates a complete, body-centered guide to awareness, healing, and joy. Tara Brach, author of Radical Acceptance and True Refuge, has this to say about Suzanne’s book: “A master teacher and healer, Suzanne Scurlock-Durana draws on her decades of work facilitating profound transformation in people suffering from a range of physical and emotional dis-ease. The result is a brilliant and compelling guide to the deepest freedom — living from awake, vibrant, loving presence.” Reclaiming Your Body empowers readers to reconnect with their body’s inherent guidance system. The book explains how unresolved trauma becomes lodged in our bodies, blocking the ability of its communication system to share its wisdom and strategies. This can cause us to flounder when making decisions, remain in less-than-ideal or unsafe situations, and/or end up living a life that truly isn’t ours — while the whole time our body is madly signaling us with the answers and solutions we seek. Suzanne, who has spent thirty years studying the gifts of the body and teaching thousands how to reclaim them, sets the stage for experiencing full body presence by offering ways to experience direct sensation, since developing this skill is necessary to be able to hear the body’s messages.

Laurie Kahn MA, LCPC, MFA is a pioneer in the field of trauma treatment. For more than thirty years, she has specialized in the treatment of survivors of childhood abuse. In 1980, she founded Womencare Counseling and Training Center. Since then, her ideas and expertise have served people who have experienced childhood abuse, as well as hundreds of clinicians who have graduated from her Trauma Consultation Training Program. Psych Central, reviewing her recent book Baffled by Love: Stories of the Lasting Impact of Childhood Trauma by Loved Ones, says it is "filled with touching stories, poignant moments, and brilliant therapeutic insights; Baffled by Love should be required reading for any clinician – new or seasoned." Bessel van der Kolk called her book, “A sensitive and wise book. Baffeled by love is about the healing power of sharing, exploring and finding words for oneself… a deeply comforting book.”

Mica is a clinical psychologist specializing in early childhood in the San Francisco Bay Area. His work involves helping young children and their families recover from trauma and loss primarily through the medium of the child-parent relationship. Mica received his doctoral degree from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology and trained in a variety of settings, including a middle school, an adult day treatment facility, and a home-visiting early intervention program. Mica is trained in Child-Parent Psychotherapy, a trauma-informed approach to early intervention, and has an endorsement as an Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist from the California Center for Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health. He has also presented on temperament, assessment, and social-emotional development in the early years as well provided consultation to trainees learning to work with young children. Currently, Mica is dedicated to three endeavors: working with young children and latino immigrant families at the Early Childhood Mental Health Program; seeing children, teens, adults, and couples in his private practice in Oakland, California, and providing online early parenting education through his blog and website, The Good Enough Parents.

Chris Molaro reached out to me about two months ago. He talked about some of his experiences (see below), the work he’s doing now and what inspired him to do this work. As I was listening to him share his story, I knew pretty much immediately that I wanted to have him on the podcast, and do what I could to support his work. So, we met for breakfast, talked some, and here we are. Chris is an accomplished military veteran, Army Officer and Bronze Star recipient – serving five years as a Field Artillery Army Officer – a serial entrepreneur and speaker. He channeled his passion for service and energy into founding NeuroFlow - a mental health software platform leveraging objective data to track, assess and engage patients throughout the mental health therapy process. Chris received his MBA at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and his BS in Engineering Management from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife Erica.

Stephanie Covington Armstrong is the author of, Not All Black Girls Know How to Eat, her memoir in which she vividly describes her struggle as a black woman with bulimia. Not All Black Girls Know How to Eat, is the first book by and about black women and eating disorders, and in it, Stephanie answers many questions about why black women often do not seek traditional therapy for emotional problems. Stephanie is a playwright and screenwriter living in Los Angeles. Her commentary on black women and eating disorders, "Digesting the Truth," was featured on NPR (click HERE for the full commentary), and she has written for Essence, Sassy, Mademoiselle, and Venice magazines, among other publications. She authored the plays “Three Stories Down,” “The Outside Sisters,” and “The Long Journey Home” which all have been performed in theaters in Los Angeles and New York. Moving coast to coast, she tried to escape her self-hatred and obsession by never slowing down, thus being unaware that she was caught in downward spiral emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Her essay on bulimia, "Fear and Loathing," is included in the forthcoming anthology The Black Body by Meri Danquah. In her memoir, “Not All Black Girls Know How to Eat,” (August, 2009, Independent Publishers Group) author Stephanie Covington-Armstrong vividly describes her struggle as a black woman with bulimia. Her battle with an eating disorder takes a unique perspective as this disease is consistently portrayed as a white woman's problem. This insightful and moving narrative traces the background and factors that contributed to Stephanie’s eating disorder. Moving coast to coast, she tried to escape her self-hatred and obsession by never slowing down, thus being unaware that she was caught in downward spiral emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

This week I’m so excited to have back on the podcast, Trauma Therapist | 2.0 member, Jessica Culp. Jessica first joined me on episode 237. I thought it would be a great idea to invite her back to talk about her experiences as a student, a young therapist, and as a member of Trauma Therapist | 2.0, progressing along her trauma-informed journey. Jessica is a graduate student at Lincoln Christian University in Lincoln, Illinois. As part of the University’s Seminary program, she hopes to achieve her Masters in Arts Counseling Degree in 2018. This will be Jessica’s second career, after receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Communications in 2003 and working in the marketing and resource development field for three local nonprofit organizations that included a foodbank, a children’s home and a crisis nursery. Jessica has been listening to the Trauma Therapist Podcast since she began her studies in counseling in September of 2015, and joined Trauma Therapist 2.0 in December 2016.

Bessel A. van der Kolk M.D. is a clinician, researcher and teacher in the area of posttraumatic stress. His work integrates developmental, neurobiological, psychodynamic and interpersonal aspects of the impact of trauma and its treatment. Dr. van der Kolk and his various collaborators have published extensively on the impact of trauma on development, such as dissociative problems, borderline personality and self-mutilation, cognitive development, memory, and the psychobiology of trauma. He has published over 150 peer reviewed scientific articles on such diverse topics as neuroimaging, self-injury, memory, neurofeedback, Developmental Trauma, yoga, theater and EMDR. He is founder and Medical Director of the Trauma Center; past President of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, and Professor of Psychiatry at Boston University Medical School. He regularly teaches at universities and hospitals around the world. His most recent 2014 New York Times Science best seller, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Treatment of Trauma transforms our understanding of traumatic stress, revealing how it literally rearranges the brain’s wiring—specifically areas dedicated to pleasure, engagement, control, and trust. He shows how these areas can be reactivated through innovative treatments including neurofeedback, mindfulness techniques, play, yoga, and other therapies.

Today I had the unique privilege of speaking with David Carr. David has written an expose titled, We Can Overcome: An American Trauma This is riveting, and at times hard to read, and yet also inspiring and empowering. (And I’m not getting paid to say that.) As a boy, David heard the stories of what his father endured as a boy: Fists appearing like unexpected rain, kicks in the side, and nails in his skin. But Carr’s father never set a hand on him. The cycle of abuse, however, was not broken: David suffered mental and physical abuse from the people that were supposed to protect him. As an adult, he realizes that his continuing mental anguish was self-inflicted. In challenging himself to see his life in a new way, David realized that the story of his childhood trauma did not consist of what happened to him, but rather way he responded to what happened. This realization set the stage for him to embark on a transformative journey—one that began as a terrified child—but has since included him as a mixed martial artist, the vice chairman of The Joyful Child Foundation, as an advocate for children’s rights nationwide, and he David has built two successful international companies. He lives on a Southern California ranch style home with his wife of twenty years and three children. I loved speaking with David. His strength and courage is pretty palpable, and so too is his recognition and acceptance of his vulnerability.

For over a decade, Julia Rose has been studying specifically the impacts of early childhood trauma on adult mental health and behavior, some of this research culminating into her master’s thesis entitled: The Effects of Spanking On Mental Health, and Why Clinicians Need to Know (2016). In her work with clients over the years, she has consistently found that at the root of depression, anxiety, addiction, compulsion, and a range of other mental health issues is a childhood which involved one or more traumatic incidents that have yet to be acknowledged, expressed or resolved. Tremendous shifts occur when this is done, as it allows these wounds to begin to heal. Julia Rose is an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at the University of the West, and is Founder and President of Trauma Camp, a professional development and consultation company that trains educators about trauma-informed and relationship-based approaches in the classroom. She is also certified by the International Association of Trauma Professionals as a Youth Trauma Treatment Professional, and has begun training from the ChildTrauma Academy’s Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics. Importantly, Julia Rose has also spent half her life addressing, treating, reducing and resolving the impact of her own early childhood trauma--experience which serves as her foundational knowledge on this topic.

A few months ago I received an email from one of my podcast listeners. The writer of this email (and my guest today), James Winnike, said that they liked the podcast, however felt it was excluding a perspective and lens which needed to be addressed, and that it could, in fact, do better. James is a trans, anti-racist therapist and mental wellness coach, with a specialty in working with Deaf and Hard of Hearing families and adults. Through a framework of intersectionality, they have dedicated their life to understanding the ways that systems of oppression interact with mental well-being and trauma. They strive to meet clients where they are through utilizing expressive arts, body work, mindfulness, and storytelling in the therapeutic process.

Dave Talamo, MFT is the founder of Wilderness Reflections, an organization which leads individuals into the outdoors for healing and sanctuary. Dave has over 35 years of experience guiding wilderness trips, works as a therapist with youth and adults, and is a certified Wilderness First Responder. A Certified Hakomi Therapist and advanced-level student of Somatic Experiencing, Dave is a pioneer in the field of ecotherapy and was one of the first wilderness quest guides to develop a somatic approach to wilderness questing. He is committed to the expression of joy and authenticity through the body and to helping others experience their own embodied selves in an intimate, ecstatic relationship with Nature. Currently, he spends most of his field time apprenticing new guides and training therapists in bringing Nature into the therapy process. Dave finds that the natural rhythms, beauty and spaciousness of wild Nature are an ideal setting for trauma resolution work.

Peter M. Bernstein is back. Peter was first on the podcast in episode 91 and if you’ve listened to that interview then you know how much compassion and authenticity exudes from this individual. I have to say that Peter’s interview truly epitomized what I’m trying to do, and stand for here at The Trauma Therapist Project: Authenticity, integrity, and compassion in the pursuit of helping those who’ve been impacted by trauma.

The individuals in my membership community, Trauma Therapist | 2.0, represent trauma workers of a variety of disciplines, and who are from all over the globe. Today, I’m talking with one of them, Allan Katz. Allan is a licensed professional counselor and a certified sex addiction therapist. Allan currently works in an alcohol and drug residential treatment center where he sees clients and facilitates the trauma group program for men, using experiential methods as well as teaching Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills. Allan also treats clients and couples in his private practice where he deals with the trauma of infidelity, sex and love addiction and other relational traumas.   Allan is the author of Addictive Entrepreneurship which deals with the addictive nature of workaholism vs. the need for drive, ambition and hard work to succeed.     In this interview, Allan shares a bit about what drew him into the field, and specifically how he became drawn to studying trauma.

Amy Oestreicher is a PTSD peer-to-peer specialist, artist, author, writer for The Huffington Post, speaker for TEDx and RAINN, health advocate, award-winning actress, and playwright. As a survivor and “thriver” of multiple traumas, Amy eagerly shares the gifts of life’s “beautiful detours” her educational programming, writing, mixed media art, performance and inspirational speaking. Amy has headlined international conferences on leadership, entrepreneurship, women’s rights, mental health, disability, creativity, and domestic violence prevention. She is a SheSource Expert, a “Top Mental Health” writer for Medium, and a regular lifestyle, wellness, and arts contributor for over 70 notable online and print publications, and and her story has appeared on NBC’s TODAY, CBS, Cosmopolitan, Seventeen Magazine, Washington Post, Good Housekeeping, MSNBC, among others.

A large part of my focus with the The Trauma Therapist | Podcast has been supporting those therapists and the filmmakers who work with and/or help to heal military veterans. There have been a number of filmmakers and I take it as one of my goals to do what I can to support their work. Today I have as my guest Stephanie Seldin Howard, the Director and Producer of The Weight of Honor, a documentary about families caring for their catastrophically wounded loved ones returning from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Stephanie believes empathy is the driving force behind storytelling, something she attributes to her 25-year career as a broadcast news producer. The Omaha, Nebraska native is the recipient of a Los Angeles Emmy Award coupled with two additional Los Angeles Emmy nominations. Stephanie has produced specials and documentaries for CNN, Fox News Channel, and Reuters as well as local coverage for KNBC-TV and KTTV-TV in Los Angeles. In 2014 she was awarded the Roy W. Dean Grant awarded by From the Heart Productions, making her documentary The Weight of Honor possible. This is a pretty incredible documentary and the inside story about how the film was made is no less inspiring.