Blink of an Eye

#70 - I Don't Want To Talk About It   “We are not out of the woods,” Louise thought to herself in the aftermath of another near cardiac arrest. Billy had gone to pick up their son Dutch, and when they came back and saw Archer, Louise continued to realize the ramifications of Archer’s accident on her youngest son. In this episode, #70 I Don't Want To Talk About It, Louise and Dutch reflect on a spe...

#69 - Lollipops and Laughter   How can laughter help us in crisis? Well, it provides moments of lightness and sweetness among bitter times. And it can help soothe our stressed bodies. In #69 Lollipops and Laughter, Louise elaborates on the gift of humor and laughing during traumatic times and how medical staff could bring this lightness to patients and their families.  Please share this Trauma Hea...

#68 - Lollipops and Laughter   Is it possible to laugh amidst the tragic reality? In #68 Lollipops and Laughter, Archer is beginning to stabilize and his humor shows through, prompting Louise to experience sweet and even funny moments in the bitter environment of the ICU.  It’s likely you’ve heard the cliche  “Laughter is the best medicine.” There is some truth to it and that is what they experien...

#67 - Don't Settle For Less   Healthy and relational self-advocacy can help heal our transactional world, and it can also help with trauma healing. In this #67 Don’t Settle For Less, Louise looks back at her career as a mediator and lawyer to give examples of how relational self advocacy and “The Positive Frame” can help heal not only our trauma, but also help make the world less divided. She give...

#66 - Don't Settle For Less   Self-advocacy looks different for everyone. That’s what Louise Phipps Senft realized when her husband Billy asked for time alone with Archer at the hospital, and what she has continually been reminded of throughout her marriage. Some people need space and time as a result of trauma, and some people need immediate, warm connection. In #66 Don’t Settle For Less, Louise...

#65 - Healing Sanctuary   How did power play into Louise’s creation of a healing space in Archer’s hospital room? While she realized she didn’t have power in the typical sense, she did realize her own special power and insight in how she approached the situation. And with that new perspective, she set out to make Archer’s room feel like a spa. In this #65 Healing Sanctuary, Louise expands on diffe...

#64 - Healing Sanctuary   When Louise’s sister Lillian Johnston arrived in Atlantic City with her tiny backpack, Louise felt a pang of relief, of release. Her sister had arrived on a whim but helped create a healing space around Archer and Louise just by her presence at a time when the family was feeling powerless as the medical staff was running out of treatment options. In #64 Healing Sanctuary,...

#63 - Get On The Record   Last episode, Louise explored how early childhood trauma can impact our lives now.  In this Trauma Healing Learning for #63 Get On The Record, Louise continues to reflect on the ACES inventory and on the relationship of trust to trauma healing, and what is at the heart of rebuilding trust. To find out more about Archer, Louise, and this podcast, visit our website at blink...

#62 - Get On The Record   50 hours after Archer’s cardiac arrest, Louise turned to journaling to make sense of the confusing medical world around her and her family. In #62 Get On The Record, you will hear how writing helped her parse out her inner thoughts and allowed her to chronicle an experience with Archer’s tree in their backyard when the doctors were indicating Archer’s imminent death. Join...

#61 - Just Stay Alert   Early trauma can impact us in so many ways beyond our emotional lives. Research has shown that early exposure to trauma can have adverse impacts on physical health — leading to chronic disease. In this Trauma Healing Learning for#61 Just Stay Alert, Louise explores how building trust and an awareness of one’s body and emotions factor in to trauma healing — both in the momen...

#60 - Just Stay Alert   As Archer continued to recover from his cardiac arrest and pneumonia,  Louise sought out information in the hospital like it was her own lifeline. She needed to feel grounded in something and couldn’t bring herself to trust Archer’s medical team yet — especially after a medical error days earlier. In  Just #60 Stay Alert, Louise explores her persistent advocacy for more inf...

#59 - Reach Out and Touch   When we are in crisis, connection with others around us can help in a multitude of ways. In this week’s Trauma Healing Learning, we’ll explore why it is a human need to desire another person to be close and to hold your hand. Join Louise as she explores how that desire can serve us in times of trauma and hardship. Please share this Trauma Healing Learning with anyone yo...

#58 - Reach Out and Touch   Reach out and touch somebody’s hand. Pneumonia set in to Archer’s lungs and the doctors said he might not turn the corner as his heart beat remained faint. Unsure if her son would turn a corner, Louise found herself reaching out for support, and for support in a vulnerable way. You will hear how childhood best friends, business friends, clients and even strangers reache...

#57 - Blind Faith   Accessing hope during a traumatic experience can be challenging. But hope is also a powerful tool for healing. In this Trauma Healing Learning, Louise explores how belief in a higher power can help foster hope and connection in the midst of crisis and shares some medical research on the connection between believing in God and medical outcomes. She reflects on the power of blind...

#56 - Blind Faith   In the early morning before the dawn, after Archer’s cardiac arrest, Louise found herself called in a moment of blind faith to text her support system. The message was simple: pray hard. She didn’t expect to hear back at such an odd hour, but she did. And the responses were exactly what she needed to hear. In this second episode of Season 2, we will explore one reaction to cris...

#55 - What Just Happened   Welcome to Season 2. One person’s trauma healing has the incredible power to change the system they live in. In Blink of an Eye’s first Trauma Healing Learning of Season 2, Louise Phipps Senft discusses a deeper understanding of your system, and the impact of trauma and trauma healing. Join her as she offers you wisdom about how your emotions and bodily sensations serve...

#54 - What Just Happened   Welcome to Season 2. Trauma is not just an event, although the trauma experience begins with one event.  In order to move forward in trauma-healing, you often have to look back.  That’s what Louise Phipps Senft is doing in this first episode of Blink of an Eye’s Season 2. Join Louise as she recaps the first 9 days in the ICU following her son Archer’s diving accident in...

#53 - Interview with Loretto Kane   In this final bonus episode before season 2 starts next week, Louise talks with her friend Loretto Kane about faith and prayer, connection and authenticity in the context of Archer’s accident, and the days and months that followed. They reflect on the lives touched by Archer’s story, how much we need each other, and the sustaining power of spiritual connection....

#52 - A Conversation with James, Danny, and Parker   In this bonus episode, you’ll hear the story of Archer’s accident from the perspective of three of his friends who were right there with him in Cape May: James Schmucker, Danny Giannascoli, and Parker Mitchell. James was the one to pull Archer out of the water, Danny was on the beach, and Parker was visiting from Baltimore that week. They reflec...

#51 - Interview with Mary Ellen McNally   Mary Ellen McNally is one of Louise’s Cape May “beach friends,” and in this conversation they revisited events from the early days after Archer’s accident. They also explored broader themes of faith, prayer, relational awareness, and how their careers helped them learn more about themselves and how to relate to others.  When Louise collapsed at mass, just...

#50 - A Conversation with Bobbie, Robby, and Mike   In this bonus episode, you’ll hear the story of Archer’s first days in the ICU from the perspective of three of his friends. Robby Black and Bobbie Austin visited Archer on Day 3, along with a few other friends. Mike Determan, one of Archer’s childhood friends, also visited him in Atlantic City, and later in Atlanta.  Each young man shares his st...

#49 - Special Announcement (Patreon)   For as little as $3 a month, you can support the trauma healing work that we're doing, and help us keep making the podcast. To find out more and join our Patreon community, visit patreon.com/blinkofaneyepod . Our next bonus episode will be released on Wednesday, May 5, and will feature interviews with three of Archer's friends. To find out more about Archer,...

#48 - Interview with Davis Barsby   In this bonus episode, you’ll hear Louise’s full interview with Davis Barsby, a lifelong family friend who was with Archer when Archer had his accident. That summer, Davis was working as both head lifeguard and assistant manager at the Cape May Beach Club. Davis takes us back to that sweltering August afternoon, recounting his interactions with Archer earlier in...

#47 - Death Be Gone, Part 2   This is the final episode of season 1, and the conclusion of the “Death Be Gone” two-parter. Just like the night before, Louise wakes up to a crisis: an alarm blaring, a slew of medical staff running into the room, an urgency to bring Archer back from the brink. This time, though, it’s more serious, and everything is on the line. Louise takes listeners into the heavin...

#46 - Death Be Gone, Part 2   If answers are withheld about something that went wrong in a medical context, trauma healing can be delayed years, if not decades. But we can be proactive about our own healing, despite this setback. Forgiveness is powerful. Self-compassion is powerful. It is possible to metabolize the generational wounds we have inherited, and make different choices so we can avoid p...