A Trauma Survivor Thriver's Podcast

When experiencing trauma, that energy and those feelings live well beyond the actual event in the nervous system. When similar feelings are triggered, it’s the body that remembers. In my earliest days of treatment, somatic experiencing therapy was the first modality that really began my healing. On my podcast, I’ve interviewed Dale DeNunzio, my SE practitioner in Episode 3 . And I spoke with Eduar...

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. According to a German study, about 80% of women diagnosed with early-stage disease had symptoms of PTSD between the time they were diagnosed and the start of treatment. My guest today is Rosie Mankes, a life coach and author of Find Your Joy and Run With It, a heartwarming memoir about overcoming her ** second** battle with cancer. ***This episode is spons...

Psychedelics have been a big part of my healing. I am a huge advocate for it as a means of personal growth. As a teen I also used psychedelics recreationally and looking back, it really opened my mind to things and ideas I should have explored more, which is why when I found out about its healing properties for self-reflection, I knew this is what I needed to heal my own trauma. I don’t encourage...

As a parent, I am aware of the pressure of what it takes to be a mom. The pressure we put on ourselves and for many the pressure we assume others are putting on us. It is a constant job and a thankless one. For stay-at-home moms, a lot of us begin to assume this as our identity. For some special needs moms, it can be like living in constant survival mode. My guest is Leanna Taylor, a special needs...

We know trauma and genetics contribute to mental health issues. However, we don’t discuss how environmental toxins can also be to blame. Toxins impact nearly every aspect of our body and can damage the brain, leading to a variety of physical and mental symptoms, increasing the risk of depression, suicide, memory problems, autism, psychotic behaviors, and learning disorders, among others. My guest...

It’s hard to believe that it has been nearly 20 years since the 9/11 attacks took place in New York City in 2001. Traumatic events like this become imprinted in our minds. Some choose to forget, especially if we are directly affected. But if an event like this becomes so ingrained in a person’s mind who was almost 1000 miles away from the tragedy, what can something like this do to a person who is...

As we approach the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, I wanted to invite a former ATSTP guest, Matthew John Bocchi. Last year, he released the first memoir written by a surviving child of a 9/11 victim. This year Sway is being re-released in paperback. Sway details the tragic event of Matt losing his father during the 9/11 attacks, the manipulation and sexual abuse by...

Children are reluctant to report abuse for fear of not being believed or even worse, being punished. What if the abuse is by the hands of a close family member? From my own experience, I understand the fear of living with an abuser and the manipulation it took to keep me quiet. Today, Child Advocate Kathy Picard joins me and she is the author of “Life with My Idiot Family: A True Story of Survival...

Throughout my podcast, my focus has not only been to destigmatize mental illness but to also to provide different perspectives to elicit empathy and compassion. When we are fully able to be curious, we begin to develop a better understanding of others.   D. John Jackson joins me today, he is a Fortune 50 leader, creative visionary, who is an executive producer of documentary films, an author, a st...

This is Part 3 of my 3-part podcast series in my MDMA experience. Heather Smith, my  Internal Family Systems therapist and Psychedelic Integrative therapist joins A Trauma Survivor Thriver's Podcast to discuss MDMA's ability to heal trauma and how to integrate the experience post MDMA session.   We discuss transformational growth or post traumatic growth and other ways this sacred drug can mental...

In part 2 of my 3-part podcast series, I have invited Deborah Servetnick, Transformational and Psychedelic Integrative Coach on A Trauma Survivor Thriver's Podcast. Deborah is a cancer survivor and was part of the Johns Hopkins Research in psychedelic therapy. Deborah joins the show to discuss the psychedelic experience to heal the soul.

This is the first of my 3-part podcast series in my MDMA experience. Methyl​enedioxy​methamphetamine (MDMA) is commonly known as ecstasy (E) or molly. This episode discusses what I did to prep with my personal trauma therapist, Internal Family Systems Therapist, and Psychedelic Integrative Therapist, Heather Smith.  In my journey to healing, I have been privileged enough to explore the many treatm...

My search for alternative trauma treatments from my own childhood sexual abuse led me to so many modalities: EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, Brainspotting, Neurofeedback, and so much more. But nothing intrigued me as much as psychedelic-assisted therapy, which includes MDMA, LSD and psilocybin mushrooms, and ketamine among others.  In this episode of A Trauma Survivor Thriver's Podcast, Eric Osborne d...

In my quest to find alternative therapies and even medications to help mental health, I’ve been testing out a neurostimulation device that you wear for 20 minutes a day to treat insomnia, anxiety, and depression. Today's guest is Kelly Roman Co-founder and CEO of Fisher Wallace Laboratories which created the wearable neurostimulation device. He discusses how it works, its benefits, and its side ef...

Everyday hundreds of Americans are affected by Sexual Violence. RAINN, the Rape Assault Incest National Network is an organization dedicated to supporting survivors of sexual violence every day of the year. However, in April during Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, RAINN is asking you to be a part of the conversation. Ebonique Bethea joins A Trauma Survivor Thriver's Podcast to discus...

33 states including the District of Columbia all have access to medical marijuana, and more are considering bills to do the same.  From limited research, cannabis can potentially reduce anxiety, inflammation, relieve pain, control nausea and vomiting, kill cancer cells and slow tumor growth. Eduardo Cortina, Licensed Professional Counselor and Cannabis Integrative Somatic Experiencing Practitioner...

Managing a child’s behavior is one of the biggest challenges parents face. Many parents think that physical punishment is an acceptable form of discipline with more than two-thirds of American adults agreeing or strongly agreeing that children sometimes need a “good hard spanking.” That is according to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. Spanking may work temporarily to stop children’s pr...

According to the Centers for Disease Control,  autism affects an estimated 1 in 54 children  in the United States today. The  Autism Society , the nation’s leading grassroots autism organization to create autism awareness, inclusion, and self-determination for all with a goal to assure that each person with Autism Spectrum Disorder has the opportunity to achieve the highest possible quality of lif...

According to Recovery Across Mental Health (RAMH) , men and women are equally affected by mental illness, however, many people may feel like there's an imbalance assuming women are mostly affected. Women are more likely than men to disclose mental health issues and seek help. The stigma around men and mental illness is one that needs to be dismantled and It starts by talking about. Ryan Harland, A...

An estimated 70 percent of adults in the United States have experienced a traumatic event at least once in their lives and up to 20 percent of these people go on to develop posttraumatic stress disorder or PTSD. That’s According to the Sidran Institute, a non-profit organization that helps people understand, recover from, and treat Post-Traumatic Stress and other mental health disorders. Jacquelyn...

Losing a baby — either during pregnancy or after birth — may be one of the most heartbreaking and painful experiences a parent will ever endure. Yet these experiences are more common than most of us realize. According to the National Institute of Health, about 10-15% of women will experience a miscarriage , about  24,000 U.S. babies are stillborn each year , and  over a thousand babies die each ye...

You’ve heard of the Golden Rule, right? “Treat others as you want others to treat you.” But have you heard of the NEW Golden Rule? “Treat yourself the way you want others to treat you?"   Emily Golden joins a Trauma Survivor Thriver’s Podcast to tell us why the NEW Golden Rule will naturally improve your mental wellness.

Anyone who has endured any type of trauma knows that those traumatic moments shape us. They become ripple effects that control how we respond to the world around us. And if we cannot control our own emotions, we are all held hostage by them until we make a conscious effort to heal that trauma or traumas. Joining today's episode is Gina Defa, Trauma Survivor Thriver & Author of the recently rel...

It’s being called a worldwide epidemic. Brad Watts, Mental Health Professional, Sex Offender Specialist, and Author of Sibling Sexual Abuse: A Guide for Confronting America's Epidemic , joins this episode of A Trauma Survivor Thriver's Podcast to discuss the taboo subject of sibling sexual abuse.  Watts provides crucial information for families, survivors, and abusers for how to spot it, treatment...

Many people in their lifetime will experience traumatic moments in their life that will shape who they become in the world. And so many of them will take those experiences and use that energy to thrive, not just for themselves, but also use that energy to help other’s find their purpose. My guest Blythe Langford discusses how she took her multiple traumas and turned them into a business she loves...