The Trauma Therapist | Podcast With Guy Macpherson, Phd | Inspiring Interviews With Thought-leaders In The Field Of Trauma.

Several weeks ago I received an email from Anne Lauren. In her message she thanked me for the work I was doing to help individuals who’ve been impacted by trauma, and she also explained that she’d been so inspired by the #metoo movement that she wanted to share her story, as well. Anne is a word weaver, a woman warrior, and a wisdom wayfinder. She authors the blog, Blue&Lavender (http://www.bluandlav.com/), in which speaks of her experience recovering from sexual abuse and seeks to educate and inspire others to do the same. She can also be found on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/BlueandLavender/?ref=br_rs), Twitter (https://twitter.com/BlueandLavender?lang=en), and Medium (https://medium.com/@anne.m.lauren) @BlueandLavender.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-trauma-therapist-podcast-with-guy-macpherson-phd-inspiring-interviews-with-thought-leaders-in-the-field-of-trauma/exclusive-contentThis show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podca

First Lady Tonette Walker was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She spent more than 20 years employed in the insurance industry before working for the American Diabetes Association. Currently, the First Lady works in the development department for the American Lung Association in Wisconsin. As First Lady, Mrs. Walker most enjoys using her role to help improve the lives of the people of Wisconsin. She is currently working in partnership with various foundations and nonprofit organizations to better recognize, understand, and address the effects of trauma on the lives of children and families in Wisconsin through her Fostering Futures Initiative. Through this partnership, she hopes to establish the state of Wisconsin as a national leader in the Trauma-Informed Care movement. Mrs. Walker also works regularly with Teen Challenge of Wisconsin (http://firstlady.wi.gov/initiative/teen-challenge), a faith-based organization dedicated to the healing and rehabilitation of those with substance abuse addictions. T

When I initially began this podcast, when asked, I would have said that it’s about. Now? It’s truly about so much more. It’s about the incredible people and the story of their lives and what’s compelled them to do the inspiring work of helping those who’ve been impacted by trauma. It’s about inspiration and the courage to reflect on one’s own life and the cultivation of authenticity. My guest this week, Julia Rose, exemplifies this. And it's the reason why, before I’d even finished my first interview with her, I knew I wanted to have her back on. And quickly. You can listen to Julia’s first interview here, episode 272 (https://www.thetraumatherapistproject.com/podcast/the-art-of-being-real-with-julia-rose/) Julia Rose is an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at the University of the West, and is Founder and President of Trauma Camp (https://app.xtensio.com/folio/67sornt5), a professional development and consultation company that trains educators about trauma-informed and relationship-based approaches in the clas

Suzanne Scurlock-Durana is the author of Reclaiming Your Body (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1608684687/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wescoatrapro-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1608684687&linkId=d5ef7fe38d7806e36cd9ad9294f68b70) and Full Body Presence (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1577318609/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wescoatrapro-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1577318609&linkId=1948bb786c3338d3963a8e94b94d02aa). She is one of the world’s leading authorities on conscious awareness and its transformational impact on the healing process. Her Healing from the Core curriculum combined with CranioSacral therapy and other bodywork modalities creates a complete, body-centered guide to awareness, healing, and joy. Tara Brach, author of Radical Acceptance and True Refuge, has this to say about Suzanne’s book: “A master teacher and healer, Suzanne Scurlock-Durana draws on her decades of work facili

Laurie Kahn MA, LCPC, MFA is a pioneer in the field of trauma treatment. For more than thirty years, she has specialized in the treatment of survivors of childhood abuse. In 1980, she founded Womencare Counseling and Training Center (http://www.womencarecounseling.com/). Since then, her ideas and expertise have served people who have experienced childhood abuse, as well as hundreds of clinicians who have graduated from her Trauma Consultation Training Program. Psych Central, reviewing her recent book Baffled by Love: Stories of the Lasting Impact of Childhood Trauma by Loved Ones (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1631522264/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wescoatrapro-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1631522264&linkId=64287533acbe9a3612a3e57041a3dc8f), says it is "filled with touching stories, poignant moments, and brilliant therapeutic insights; Baffled by Love should be required reading for any clinician – new or seasoned." Bessel van der Kolk called her b

At the time I’m writing this I’ve completed 278 interviews on The Trauma Therapist | Podcast. However, I can’t name one guest who specializes in working with early childhood and trauma. Meet Dr. Mica Gonzalez. Mica is a clinical psychologist specializing in early childhood in the San Francisco Bay Area. His work involves helping young children and their families recover from trauma and loss primarily through the medium of the child-parent relationship. Mica received his doctoral degree from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology and trained in a variety of settings, including a middle school, an adult day treatment facility, and a home-visiting early intervention program. Mica is trained in Child-Parent Psychotherapy, a trauma-informed approach to early intervention, and has an endorsement as an Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist from the California Center for Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health. He has also presented on temperament, assessment, and social-emotional development in the ear

Chris Molaro reached out to me about two months ago. He talked about some of his experiences (see below), the work he’s doing now and what inspired him to do this work. As I was listening to him share his story, I knew pretty much immediately that I wanted to have him on the podcast, and do what I could to support his work. So, we met for breakfast, talked some, and here we are. Chris is an accomplished military veteran, Army Officer and Bronze Star recipient – serving five years as a Field Artillery Army Officer – a serial entrepreneur and speaker. He channeled his passion for service and energy into founding NeuroFlow - a mental health software platform leveraging objective data to track, assess and engage patients throughout the mental health therapy process. Chris received his MBA at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and his BS in Engineering Management from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife Erica.Support this podcast at — https://

Stephanie Covington Armstrong is the author of, Not All Black Girls Know How to Eat (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1556527861/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wescoatrapro-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1556527861&linkId=73475094a5616f4675c51607cf138c09), her memoir in which she vividly describes her struggle as a black woman with bulimia. Not All Black Girls Know How to Eat (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1556527861/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wescoatrapro-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1556527861&linkId=73475094a5616f4675c51607cf138c09), is the first book by and about black women and eating disorders, and in it, Stephanie answers many questions about why black women often do not seek traditional therapy for emotional problems. Stephanie is a playwright and screenwriter living in Los Angeles. Her commentary on black women and eating disorders, "Digesting the Truth," was featured on NPR (click HERE (http://www.npr.org/templates/

This week I’m so excited to have back on the podcast, Trauma Therapist | 2.0 member, Jessica Culp. Jessica first joined me on episode 237 (https://www.thetraumatherapistproject.com/podcast/can-trust-trauma-therapist-2-0-member-jessica-culp/). I thought it would be a great idea to invite her back to talk about her experiences as a student, a young therapist, and as a member of Trauma Therapist | 2.0 (https://www.thetraumatherapistproject.com/community/trauma2/), progressing along her trauma-informed journey. Jessica is a graduate student at Lincoln Christian University in Lincoln, Illinois. As part of the University’s Seminary program, she hopes to achieve her Masters in Arts Counseling Degree in 2018. This will be Jessica’s second career, after receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Communications in 2003 and working in the marketing and resource development field for three local nonprofit organizations that included a foodbank, a children’s home and a crisis nursery. Jessica has been listening to the Trauma Ther

Bessel A. van der Kolk M.D. is a clinician, researcher and teacher in the area of posttraumatic stress. His work integrates developmental, neurobiological, psychodynamic and interpersonal aspects of the impact of trauma and its treatment. Dr. van der Kolk and his various collaborators have published extensively on the impact of trauma on development, such as dissociative problems, borderline personality and self-mutilation, cognitive development, memory, and the psychobiology of trauma. He has published over 150 peer reviewed scientific articles on such diverse topics as neuroimaging, self-injury, memory, neurofeedback, Developmental Trauma, yoga, theater and EMDR. He is founder and Medical Director of the Trauma Center; past President of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, and Professor of Psychiatry at Boston University Medical School. He regularly teaches at universities and hospitals around the world. His most recent 2014 New York Times Science best seller, The Body Keeps the Score: Br

Today I had the unique privilege of speaking with David Carr. David has written an expose titled, We Can Overcome: An American Trauma This is riveting, and at times hard to read, and yet also inspiring and empowering. (And I’m not getting paid to say that.) As a boy, David heard the stories of what his father endured as a boy: Fists appearing like unexpected rain, kicks in the side, and nails in his skin. But Carr’s father never set a hand on him. The cycle of abuse, however, was not broken: David suffered mental and physical abuse from the people that were supposed to protect him. As an adult, he realizes that his continuing mental anguish was self-inflicted. In challenging himself to see his life in a new way, David realized that the story of his childhood trauma did not consist of what happened to him, but rather way he responded to what happened. This realization set the stage for him to embark on a transformative journey—one that began as a terrified child—but has since included him as a mixed martial ar

If you’ve been listening to the podcast recently, then you might know that about a month ago I left my full-time job at the county here in California to pursue work full-time with The Trauma Therapist Project, The Trauma Therapist | Podcast and Trauma Therapist | 2.0. I was working at the county for the last 5 years and was there as a Mental Health Clinical Specialist, under a licensed supervisor, and assessing and treating young people between the ages of 12 and 25 who were showing early signs of psychosis. As you can guess there was a lot of trauma with these young individuals. I Loved the job. I Loved working with the kids. However, I knew I needed to do something else and something different. It took me several months to get up the nerve to leave, and then I finally did. Was I more than a bit scared? Definitely. Did I spend a lot of time wondering whether I’d lost my marbles? Yep. But I was so, so ready. And now I’m loving every second of it. Even though there are days when I feel like I don’t know what t

A few months ago I received an email from one of my podcast listeners. The writer of this email (and my guest today), James Winnike, said that they liked the podcast, however, felt it was excluding a perspective and lens which needed to be addressed, and that it could, in fact, do better. The email was I’d like to share a bit of that email here: Hey Guy, [Summary: I love your podcast, but wish it more often included an intersectional lens and talked about the ways that marginalized communities experience trauma. These communities even face trauma at the hands of well-meaning therapists, and discussing these identities would help all listeners. I would love to consistently see interviews with black, queer/trans therapists, and generally therapists who themselves experience a high risk for trauma] I am a recent MSW graduate who has found your podcast extremely helpful. I love hearing about mistakes other therapists have made, which helps me to accept my own mistakes. My school did not specialize in trauma info

Dave Talamo, MFT is the founder of Wilderness Reflections (https://www.wildernessreflections.com/), an organization which leads individuals into the outdoors for healing and sanctuary. Dave has over 35 years of experience guiding wilderness trips, works as a therapist with youth and adults, and is a certified Wilderness First Responder. A Certified Hakomi Therapist and advanced-level student of Somatic Experiencing, Dave is a pioneer in the field of ecotherapy and was one of the first wilderness quest guides to develop a somatic approach to wilderness questing. He is committed to the expression of joy and authenticity through the body and to helping others experience their own embodied selves in an intimate, ecstatic relationship with Nature. Currently, he spends most of his field time apprenticing new guides and training therapists in bringing Nature into the therapy process. Dave finds that the natural rhythms, beauty and spaciousness of wild Nature are an ideal setting for trauma resolution work.Support th

Peter M. Bernstein is back. Peter was first on the podcast in episode 91 (https://www.thetraumatherapistproject.com/podcast/peter-m-bernstein-phd-fapa-mft/) and if you’ve listened to that interview then you know how much compassion and authenticity exudes from this individual. I have to say that Peter’s interview truly epitomized what I’m trying to do, and stand for here at The Trauma Therapist Project: Authenticity, integrity, and compassion in the pursuit of helping those who’ve been impacted by trauma. Peter M. Bernstein is the founder and director of the Bernstein Institute for Trauma (http://www.bernsteininstitute.com/) in Petaluma, CA. Peter holds a doctorate in clinical psychology as a California licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and has been in private practice since 1974. Dr. Bernstein specializes in the field of emotional and physical trauma and is the author of Trauma: Healing the Hidden Epidemic (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/148232749X/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&

The individuals in my membership community, Trauma Therapist | 2.0, represent trauma workers of a variety of disciplines, and who are from all over the globe. Today, I’m talking with one of them, Allan Katz. Allan is a licensed professional counselor and a certified sex addiction therapist. Allan currently works in an alcohol and drug residential treatment center where he sees clients and facilitates the trauma group program for men, using experiential methods as well as teaching Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills. Allan also treats clients and couples in his private practice where he deals with the trauma of infidelity, sex and love addiction and other relational traumas.   Allan is the author of Addictive Entrepreneurship (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0092F8UII/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wescoatrapro-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B0092F8UII&linkId=f041913a4364b9b66dcebe6742083a94) which deals with the addictive nature of workaholism vs. the

Amy Oestreicher is a PTSD peer-to-peer specialist, artist, author, writer for The Huffington Post, speaker for TEDx and RAINN, health advocate, award-winning actress, and playwright. As a survivor and “thriver” of multiple traumas, Amy eagerly shares the gifts of life’s “beautiful detours” her educational programming, writing, mixed media art, performance and inspirational speaking. Amy has headlined international conferences on leadership, entrepreneurship, women’s rights, mental health, disability, creativity, and domestic violence prevention. She is a SheSource Expert, a “Top Mental Health” writer for Medium, and a regular lifestyle, wellness, and arts contributor for over 70 notable online and print publications, and her story has appeared on NBC’s TODAY, CBS, Cosmopolitan, Seventeen Magazine, Washington Post, Good Housekeeping, MSNBC, among others.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-trauma-therapist-podcast-with-guy-macpherson-phd-inspiring-interviews-with-thought-leaders-in-the-field-of-

A large part of my focus with The Trauma Therapist | Podcast has been supporting those therapists and the filmmakers who work with and/or help to heal military veterans. There have been a number of filmmakers and I take it as one of my goals to do what I can to support their work. Today I have as my guest Stephanie Seldin Howard, the Director and Producer of The Weight of Honor (https://theweightofhonormovie.com/), a documentary about families caring for their catastrophically wounded loved ones returning from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Stephanie believes empathy is the driving force behind storytelling, something she attributes to her 25-year career as a broadcast news producer. The Omaha, Nebraska native is the recipient of a Los Angeles Emmy Award coupled with two additional Los Angeles Emmy nominations. Stephanie has produced specials and documentaries for CNN, Fox News Channel, and Reuters as well as local coverage for KNBC-TV and KTTV-TV in Los Angeles. In 2014 she was awarded the Roy W. Dean Grant a

Today I wanted to take a moment and reflect on the past year. As with everyone, I’m sure, a lot has transpired this past year with both myself, and The Trauma Therapist | Podcast, and I’d like to share a few of those things with you. I enjoy doing these episodes (and I hope you enjoy them, too!) because it gives me a chance to share my reflections on the podcast, what I’m doing (or attempting to do) with The Trauma Therapist Project, and where I envision things going with my work here.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-trauma-therapist-podcast-with-guy-macpherson-phd-inspiring-interviews-with-thought-leaders-in-the-field-of-trauma/exclusive-contentThis show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5739761/advertisement

Dr. Perry is the Senior Fellow of The ChildTrauma Academy (http://childtrauma.org/), a not-for-profit organization based in Houston, TX, and adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago.  He serves as the inaugural Senior Fellow of the Berry Street Childhood Institute (http://www.childhoodinstitute.org.au/). Dr. Perry is the author, along with Maia Szalavitz, of The Boy Who Was Raised As A Dog (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0465056539/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0465056539&linkCode=as2&tag=wescoatrapro-20&linkId=7KFLGJDTS72YBHWV), a bestselling book based on his work with maltreated children, and Born For Love: Why Empathy is Essential and Endangered (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061656798/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0061656798&linkCode=as2&tag=wescoatrapro-20&linkId=