In this episode, we'll look at the sometimes surprising associations the brain make between trauma in the past and experiences we are having in the present.  In this case, we'll explore two musical experiences I had that brought up emotional memory (as opposed to memories of events) - one was "safe" for me to process and the other started leading me down a dark path.   We'll examine the power of grounding, discuss the importance of allowing ourselves to process while giving ourselves permission to put boundaries on our brain.  Finally, we discuss the importance of community in the healing process.  Due to the content - discussing some of my own trauma history - please take care of yourself while you listen and give yourself permission to hit pause if necessary.  

In this episode, I discuss what led to the podcast disappearing for more than a year, how I've come to the place of making this fourth episode, and what you can expect moving forward.  If you've ever experienced feeling overwhelmed and shutting down long after the direct experience of a trauma, you'll probably be able to relate to this episode - it's all about how the shut down can be so easily triggered and (while it took a long time) what helped me find my way back to putting myself out there.

This episode explores the "information hurdle" that many survivors trip over again and again due to not ever having been taught how our brains deal with threat and trauma.  We get into the pitfalls of only ever having learned about "fight or flight," and dive into what's really going on: habitual and survival reflexive reactions aimed at keeping us alive.

We also discuss how to move ourselves from a path of shame to a path of acceptance and compassion by embracing the science.

Books that folks are encouraged to read for further exploration:
The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog by Bruce Perry
The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel van der Kolk
The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory by Stephen Porges