Podcast Summary
Exploring Healing Modalities for Complex Trauma: Through various therapies, meditation practices, self-love, and the support of therapists like Dr. Jacob Hom, resilience and healing from complex trauma are possible.
Resilience and healing from complex trauma can be achieved through various therapies, meditation practices, and self-love, as shared by Stephanie Fu, a successful journalist who battled daily panic attacks and complex PTSD. Her exploration of different healing modalities and her work with therapist Dr. Jacob Hom provide valuable insights for both trauma survivors and those seeking personal growth. Additionally, the importance of self-care, including practices like counting colors and gratitude, was emphasized. During the upcoming episode, listeners will hear directly from Dr. Hom. Meanwhile, for those planning Easter brunch, Whole Foods Market offers high-quality, ethically sourced ingredients and convenient catering options to make the occasion special without the added stress.
Technology making lives convenient: Groceries with DoorDash and Audio Entertainment with Audible: Technology enhances our daily lives through services like DoorDash for grocery delivery and Audible for immersive audio entertainment. Stephanie Fu's story underscores the importance of seeking help for complex PTSD and taking time to heal.
Technology is making our lives more convenient in various ways, whether it's ordering groceries through DoorDash or enjoying audio entertainment on Audible. DoorDash offers the convenience of having groceries delivered right to your door, with a vast selection of local and national stores to choose from. Audible, on the other hand, is the destination for thrilling audio entertainment, with a vast selection of audiobooks across every genre. For those dealing with complex PTSD, as Stephanie Fu shared in her experience, learning to understand and heal from it can be a challenging journey. Her story highlights the importance of seeking help and taking the time to focus on healing. In both cases, technology is playing a role in making our lives easier and more enjoyable, whether it's through convenient grocery delivery or immersive audio entertainment.
Childhood trauma shapes thoughts, emotions, and behaviors: Childhood trauma can lead to a lifetime of fear, rage, and unhealthy relationships. Healing involves empathy, forgiveness, and a diagnosis that validates the survivor's experiences.
Childhood trauma can significantly impact an individual's life, shaping their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in profound ways. The speaker, a survivor of childhood abuse, discussed how their experiences influenced their passions, fears, and even physical symptoms. They described feeling reduced to a list of symptoms and the shame that came with it. The source of their trauma was childhood abuse from both parents, who abandoned them during their teenage years. The speaker's mind was in a constant state of fear and rage. Despite achieving success in journalism, their relationships were not healthy, and their career became a crutch to silence their inner demons. The speaker tried various therapies and treatments to cope with their trauma but found relief only after receiving a diagnosis of Complex PTSD at age 30. The journey towards healing was long and challenging, but the speaker expressed empathy and forgiveness for their younger self, who had survived against all odds.
Healing from Complex PTSD through 're-parenting': Effective therapy for complex PTSD focuses on close listening, attunement, and repairing relationship ruptures, aiming to teach individuals how to love, be loved, and trust through addressing childhood trauma and minor misattunements.
Effective therapy for complex PTSD, as exemplified by Dr. Jacob Hom's approach, involves close listening, attunement, and repairing relationship ruptures. This approach, which can be thought of as "re-parenting," aims to teach individuals how to love and be loved, as well as how to trust others, by addressing the relational violence and impaired relationships often stemming from childhood trauma. This process includes recognizing and repairing even minor misattunements in conversations, which can lead to deeper understanding and stronger connections. Through this intensive and personalized therapeutic journey, individuals can learn to listen better, attune to others, and become more vulnerable, ultimately fostering healthier relationships.
Effective Communication and Self-Care for Healthy Relationships: Active listening and emotional vulnerability are crucial for healthy relationships, but not everyone learns these skills naturally. Childhood trauma can hinder communication skills, and self-care is essential to improve them. Discovering new tools like Quince and GEDIFY can enhance our daily lives and relationships.
Effective communication skills, such as active listening and emotional vulnerability, are essential for healthy relationships and are not naturally taught to everyone. Childhood trauma is widespread, and even those with good upbringings may lack these fundamental life skills. The ability to listen actively and express emotions honestly can lead to fewer conflicts and better understanding between people. The speaker also shared her excitement about discovering new products like Quince's affordable yet high-quality clothing and GEDIFY shoes, which offer pain relief and improved posture. Overall, the conversation emphasized the importance of self-care, effective communication, and the pursuit of tools that can enhance our daily lives.
Focusing on self-punishment and negativity doesn't help relationships: Practicing self-love and compassion leads to effective communication and stronger relationships
Focusing on self-punishment and wallowing in negative thoughts about oneself doesn't lead to growth or better relationships. Instead, practicing self-love and compassion for oneself allows for more effective communication and repair in relationships. Self-punishment can lead to a downward spiral of negativity towards oneself and others, while self-love and compassion create an upward spiral of growth and connection. By focusing on repair rather than the rupture, and expressing feelings to others, one can create a constant back and forth of giving and receiving, ultimately leading to stronger relationships.
Healing is a spiral of improvement: Accept mistakes as part of healing, feel all emotions, and build healthy relationships to improve inner weather and overall well-being
Healing is not a linear process, but rather a spiral of improvement where we make mistakes, learn from them, and build self-confidence and self-love. Dr. Hamm taught the importance of feeling all emotions, not just the "happy" ones, and that mental health is about experiencing the full spectrum of human emotions in balance. Shame can be a major obstacle to healing, making it difficult to distinguish between normal emotions and symptoms of complex PTSD. The key is to have your own back, accept that mistakes are part of the healing process, and focus on building healthy relationships with others. By embracing the ups and downs of the healing spiral, we can improve our inner weather and ultimately, our overall well-being.
Exploring various healing practices: Meditation, mindfulness, IFS, EMDR, restorative yoga, mindful eating, counting colors, acupuncture, and sound vibration are essential practices for ongoing healing. Meditation and mindfulness serve as a foundation, while IFS fosters self-compassion and healing.
The practices mentioned in the discussion, including meditation, mindfulness, IFS (Internal Family Systems), EMDR, restorative yoga, mindful eating, counting colors, acupuncture, and sound vibration, have been essential in the ongoing healing process of the speaker. Among these, meditation and mindfulness serve as the foundation, helping the speaker regain clarity and focus when triggered. IFS, which was initially dismissed in the speaker's book, has become increasingly important, particularly in communicating with and soothing the inner child. Counting colors, a simple form of mindfulness, acts as an emergency stop button when the speaker is overwhelmed. These practices help calm the default mode network, which is responsible for worrying about the past and future, allowing the speaker to focus on the present and shut off the overactive default mode network. IFS, a form of psychotherapy, helps the speaker communicate with different parts of their inner world, fostering self-compassion and healing.
Understanding the Inner Family of Coping Mechanisms: Recognizing and engaging with inner personas through conversation or visualization can lead to greater self-awareness and compassion, deepening connections and a more complete understanding in conversations.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a way of recognizing and understanding the various coping mechanisms or "inner dramatic personas" in our brains that help us function as human beings. These personas can be seen as a "family" within us, each with distinct roles and functions. While some may find the idea of engaging with these personas through conversation or visualization challenging, the practice can lead to greater self-awareness and compassion. For instance, acknowledging the past help these personas have provided and expressing gratitude for their service can pave the way for trying new approaches. Additionally, effective listening is a crucial skill in truly understanding others and requires attuning to subtle cues beyond just questions and answers. This attunement can lead to deeper connections and a more complete understanding of the full truth in conversations.
Childhood traumas impact social connections and require skills for growth: Recognize the impact of past traumas, learn essential skills for self-attunement and communication, prioritize self-care, and seek community support for personal growth.
Our past experiences, including childhood traumas, can significantly impact our ability to connect with others and navigate social situations. These experiences often lead us to put up defensive mechanisms, such as people pleasing or avoiding deep communication. The skills learned through therapy, like learning to attune to oneself and others, are essential for all of us to build stronger relationships and effectively communicate. Community is another crucial aspect of personal growth, providing support and understanding that can help us overcome challenges and heal from past traumas. By recognizing the importance of these skills and prioritizing self-care, we can lead more fulfilling and connected lives. Additionally, resources like Indeed and BetterHelp can help us navigate various aspects of life, including hiring and mental health, making it easier to focus on what truly matters.
Investing in relationships and communities for personal growth and healing: Building connections with friends, chosen families, and extended families can provide validation, understanding, and a sense of belonging. Addressing communal trauma can help break cycles of unaddressed issues.
Building and nurturing relationships and communities is essential for personal growth and healing, especially when growing up without a traditional family. This can include friends, chosen families, and even extended families. By investing in others and allowing them to invest in us, we can feel less alone, validated, and understood. Furthermore, recognizing and addressing communal trauma can provide valuable insight and help break the cycle of unaddressed issues. Keeping a gratitude journal is a simple yet effective practice to regularly acknowledge and appreciate the support and kindness we receive from our communities.
Practicing gratitude for acts of kindness and generosity: Practicing gratitude for both good things others do and our own acts of kindness can help individuals with Complex PTSD focus on positivity and overcome self-loathing and fear of abandonment.
Practicing gratitude for both the good things others have done for us and for our own acts of generosity can help individuals with Complex PTSD focus on the positive and overcome self-loathing and fear of abandonment. The speaker shares how keeping track of her own acts of kindness and expressing gratitude has been helpful in her personal growth journey. In Buddhism, this practice is known as ethical conduct or Cela, Cela, and is encouraged as a way to reflect on the universal capacity for generosity. The speaker also emphasizes that it's okay to do good things to feel good about oneself, as long as it benefits humanity. Despite the challenges of living with Complex PTSD, the speaker feels hopeful and has gained agency through various practices and tools, allowing her to have more control over her perception of the world and her interactions with others.
Healing from Complex Trauma through Storytelling: Despite adversity, it's possible to heal from complex trauma and make a positive impact through storytelling. Stephanie Wittels Wachs' memoir, 'What My Bones Know', offers an alternative narrative beyond symptoms and serves as a reminder of resilience and self-care.
Despite facing adversity and challenging circumstances, it's possible to heal from complex trauma and make a positive impact on others through storytelling. Stephanie Wittels Wachs, author of "What My Bones Know," shares her journey of healing and offers an alternative narrative to those diagnosed with complex trauma beyond a list of symptoms. Wachs' memoir, which features real tape from her sessions with her therapist, Dr. Hom, is available everywhere. Wachs' resilience and determination to help others is commendable, and her words serve as a reminder that there's always another narrative to be told. Additionally, during the podcast episode, Misha Brown, the host of Wondery's podcast, The Big Flop, discussed the failed reality TV show, The Swan. The Swan, which involved isolating women for weeks, berating them, and then making them compete in a beauty pageant, was a viewing nightmare and a clear pop culture fail. Overall, the conversation highlights the importance of resilience, storytelling, and self-care in the face of adversity. It also serves as a reminder that not all reality TV shows are worth the hype.
