Beyond Trauma

Amy B. Scher had a debilitating case of Lyme Disease that resulted in her being bedridden in her twenties. She tried every available solution from intravenous antibiotics to flying all the way to India. Though some of the medicines she tried helped, in the end, she only became completely healthy and relapse-free when she began looking at her traumas, thoughts, and beliefs and neutralizing them. In...

Timothy Lewis walked into my yoga studio, Land Yoga on one New Year's Eve and never turned back. He became a regular and dedicated yoga practitioner, got his yoga teacher certification, and then did his Trauma-Informed Yoga Teacher Training with Three and a Half Acres Yoga where he now teaches classes for trauma survivors. Timothy is a born scientist, full of a curiosity which he allows to tak...

Not everyone can talk about neuroscience and make it make sense, but Rotem Brayer certainly can. During our time together he showed me why EMDR has become his number one go-to modality for helping his clients process trauma. In this episode, Rotem explains the neuroscience behind this practice and how it can help with trauma and sleep disorders. We also discuss the other elements that need to be i...

In this incredible conversation with Christiane Wolf, MD, PhD, we separate out different kinds of pain. Christiane shows us how by learning to differentiate between types of pain, we can plan an appropriate course of action. We discuss when the approaches of mindfulness and compassion may help and how to implement them to feel less stress and suffering when experiencing uncomfortable sensations. C...

In this extraordinary conversation with Jacoby Ballard we cover a wide range of topics from black feminism to queer identity to parenthood and what each of these lenses can teach us about processing our feelings and finding our way to forgiveness. As you will no doubt witness through our very live and in real-time process together, Jacoby is a "calling in" centered person who has done his...

In this episode, Dr. Jamie Marich discusses why the martial art Jiu-Jitsu is so specifically good for healing trauma. We discuss in detail the overlaps with yoga and where these practices differ. We offer some ideas for why all facilitators should have trauma sensitivity training and what that might look like. We talk about exposure to triggers, and breathwork, and finally get into some really cla...

In this deeply touching and sensitive episode, I'm in conversation with a long-time friend and colleague, former Sergeant for Transit District One, Annie Labrada. In this conversation, we discuss Annie's time at the New York Police Department (NYPD) and the traumas she and her colleagues experienced. She shares her coping mechanisms, her journey to becoming a certified yoga teacher, and he...

In this conversation, I interview my former teacher, Betsy Polatin who taught me Alexander Technique at Boston University as part of my theater studies. Those teachings had a profound impact on my life, helping me to recognize where I was making unuseful efforts both with my body and in my life. I began to understand personal responsibility in a new way and my relationships shifted. Twenty years l...

In this deeply important conversation with Thenmozhi Soundararajan, we discuss the often overlooked, devastatingly real trauma of caste. Thenmozhi's eye-opening work exposes how the brutal creation of caste is still harming so many, both in South Asia and here in the states. Her personal story of surviving religious trauma and her insights into the ways caste-oppressive rituals are steeped in...

In this episode, Sabrina Vedete Elmaliah and I discuss the power of intention especially as it applies to healing generational trauma. Sabrina shares her family's trauma history and how this informs who she is and how she works on herself. We explore group healing and the power of combining crystals, yoga, chanting, nature, and group work to heal. Sabrina's Jeweled Womb Membership starts J...

In this conversation, I speak with prosocial entrepreneur, Rachel Aiden about what we know about the use of psychedelics on healing the impacts of trauma. We discuss what steps and precautions one should talk before embarking on the world of plant medicine, what one can expect if one decides to go on a journey with her company Synthesis and the roles of the guides, group work and integration in th...

Chris Wilson had a normal childhood with a loving and nurturing mom who gave him many of the lessons and skill sets he uses today, but when gun violence started showing up in his neighborhood everything changed for Chris. In this podcast, we discuss the traumatic stress young Chris had to go through surrounded by so much violence both from kids on the streets and the folks who were supposed to be...

In this wonderful conversation with my long-time friend and yoga service comrade, Pamela Stokes Eggleston, we discuss her experience with secondary trauma which she faced after taking care of her husband who returned from service with PTSD. We talk about the signs of trauma and how she's been able to take what she's learned to heal herself with yoga practice and help war veterans and their...

In this episode with Michelle Casandra Johnson, we cover the importance of the grieving process and having practices that support it. We discuss how our practices have shifted since Covid-19 and the things we hope will not go back. Michelle talks about working with our ancestors and learning from their traumas and resistance as well as her special connection to her honey bees. Michelle wrote the f...

In this conversation, Zahabiyah Yamasaki and I talk about how trauma-informed yoga can help survivors of sexual trauma, the power of the fully accepting, non-judgemental relationship, and tips for yoga teachers including trauma-informed language and the energy trauma-informed yoga teachers should bring into the classroom. Zabie shares why a survivor might choose yoga over talk therapy, the limitat...

In this special BONUS episode, I share a bit about the writing of my forthcoming book, The Essential Guide to Trauma Sensitive Yoga: How to Create Safer Spaces for All due out this May for Shambhala Publications. I also detail what you can expect to find inside the book and how you can get a first look at the cover and a chance to WIN a free copy! Make sure to listen to find out how! Follow me at...

In this bravely vulnerable interview, D'Angela Alberty shares what it was like to grow up in an abusive family. Her story helps us understand how abuse follows an individual and just what it takes to disrupt that cycle. D'Angela's story is a gift for both folks going through abuse and for those who care enough to understand and look out for it. She details the people, resources, and qu...

In this deep episode with Lama Rod Owens, we discuss the what it means to face the reality of life and do the hard work of coming to know and love ourselves. We discuss the difference between practicing for comfort verses freedom, the wise message in anger, and how becoming more expansive actually leads to better boundaries. Plus, the roles of the teacher, the student and the teachings along this...

Micah Mortali and I discuss how nature immersion, rewilding, survival, ancestral skills can support our circadian rhythms, and proper release of melatonin, regulate our nervous systems and ease the impacts of trauma. We talk about the impact of technology on our psychies and that of our children, especially teens, the minimum unnegotiable outdoor time a human needs each week (so start tracking) an...

Seane Corn is an internationally-acclaimed yoga teacher, author, and public speaker who has been at the forefront of yoga, activism, and community service for 28 years. In this episode we delve into the significance of the tension we carry in our bodies, our addiction to holding onto it, and what happens when we begin to release it. We examine the specific medicine that yoga offers in allowing us...

In this solo episode of the Beyond Trauma Podcast, I take a look back at the wisdom our guests shared with us in Season 1 as well as drop some hints about Season 2 and who is to come...(hint... some MEGA stars) I also make some announcements about what I have been working on and how we might work together! Join me as usual for our next guest episode in two weeks! Lara Land is a deeply compassionat...

In this conversation with community organizer, wellness activist and author, Kerri Kelly, we talk about the perpetual and often unspoken trauma present in our country due to the systems in place that have created and sustain a health, education, wealth, and wellness gap where some are able to seemingly thrive and others are given so little. We also talk about about what it does to us to be on the...

Nikki Myers is the creator of Y12SR Yoga of 12-step recovery. She is an expert on the subtle nature of addition and the ways to apply both cognitive and embodies practices to fully address addiction. We discuss how addiction is a part of us all and the ways we use it to find relief from being uncomfortable. Nikki is such a wealth of knowledge quoting Patanjali’s yoga sutras like pie and making the...

Dr. Liz Cohen discusses how the field of trauma research is changing and helping us understand more about neuroplasticity, the rewiring that happens to our brains from ongoing "small t traumas" that we may not have thought about as impacting us. Childhood situations where our needs were regularly unmet can result in responses which are more likely to be chronic. Do you find yourself in pat...

I am honored to be in conversation with Devika Shankar, a transnational feminist, organizer, and advocate interested in supporting activists and organizers of color in building an embodied practice and increasing their capacity for resilience in the face of long-haul social justice work. In this conversation we talk about what happens when our nervous system over reacts and the subtle practice of...