Hiba Balfaqih

The Shadow Sessions

Health EN ↓ 28 episodes

The Shadow Sessions is hosted by Hiba Balfaqih, an unconventional psychologist and trauma alchemist. We explore the stories that most people bury—particularly those tied to shame, trauma, and identity. Our goal is to shed light on the hidden corners of human experience, allowing listeners to hear stories that challenge societal norms and spark deep,introspective conversations.

Author

Hiba Balfaqih

Episodes

A Childhood Without Safety: Growing Up Inside the Prison System 15.01.2026 1:06:53

What happens when a child grows up without safety—and the system responds with punishment instead of protection? In this episode of The Shadow Sessions, host Hiba Balfaqih sits down with Sonny Van Cleaveland, whose life was shaped by incarceration before it was shaped by care. By the age of seven, Sonny was already inside the justice system. By sixteen, he was placed in an adult prison that became...

The Secret She Carried for Decades: Her Father Was the Father of Her Children 08.01.2026 1:24:03

We teach kids to avoid strangers. To trust their gut. To believe home means safety. But what if home was the danger? In this first episode of The Shadow Sessions, host Hiba Balfaqih sits down with Aziza Kibibi — a survivor whose story of incest, betrayal, and survival shatters the illusion of safety. Aziza was abused by her father, forced to carry and raise his children, and silenced by those mean...

We All Have Something We Are Hiding 18.12.2025 1:48

The Shadow Sessions is a podcast for the stories we hide, the ones too painful, too early, or too private to ever make it to therapy. Hosted by psychologist and trauma alchemist Hiba Balfaqih, each episode sits with the truths people were never given permission to speak. From survivors of abuse to those confronting their deepest shadows, these are raw, unfiltered conversations about what we carry...