A Trauma Survivor Thriver’s Podcast

Healing Traumatic Wounds: Seen & Unseen

Grief is a normal reaction to loss however, when a loss of a loved one is sudden or tragic, it can be traumatic. My guest today is Nikki Mammano. On October 13, 2019, she was in an accident with four friends when she lost her boyfriend and suffered a TBI, a traumatic brain injury, almost losing her own life.

The wounds were visible but the lingering wounds of such a tragedy could not be seen. Nikki joins me now to share her story and her journey through recovery.

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Embracing Post-Traumatic Growth

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People who experience trauma, live an existence that is lived through a different lens than others. Trauma sends us into survival mode, and you are not completely out of it until you’re able to process the event. And moments that trigger these memories feel like life or death.

Some people can end up living their lives in survival mode. However, it does not have to be that way and for those who are able to get to the other side get to experience something even more incredible than they ever though would be possible, Post-Traumatic Growth.

My guest is Stephanie Hutchins, Life Coach and Author of Transformation after Trauma: Embracing Post-Traumatic Growth.

Somatic Yoga: Healing Sexual Wounds

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 Eduardo Cortina, a Somatic cannabis integrative therapist in Episode 35.

In this episode, I speak with Kaity Holsapple, Somatic Yoga Therapist and Founder of Her Temple Healing.

 

If interested, Kaity is offering a healing retreat in Mexico. Follow the link. However, limited spaces left.  https://www.hertemplehealing.com/embodiment-retreat/

 

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Victory Over Cancer

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.

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A Psychedelic Rebirth

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 the use of psychedelics unless in proper settings with intentions of integrating the experience with a group, coach, or therapist.

My guest today is Doug Cartwright, Founder of The Daily Shifts and Author of Holyshit We are Alive, which explores Doug’s life as a 20 something ex-Mormon and ex-millionaire who lived an unfulfilled existence until he found purpose through psychedelic healing.

 

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The Triumph of A Special Needs Mom

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 mom and author of the “Fragile Face of God.”

Going Slightly Greener for Health

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 today is Tonya Harris, an award-winning environmental toxin expert, the founder of Slightly Greener and the creator of the Slightly Greener Method™ as well as the author of The Slightly Greener Method: Detoxifying Your Home Is Easier, Faster, and Less Expensive than You Think. She is a childhood leukemia survivor and mother of three, whose biggest passion is helping parents learn how toxins in the home can affect their family’s health. 

Rise From The Ashes: Resilience of the Children of 9/11

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 directly affected? What about the people who grow to love them, the ones who experience secondary trauma?

Payton Lynch, Author of the recently released book, Rise from the Ashes: Stories of trauma, resilience, and growth from the children of 9/11, who is also the spouse of a 9/11 surviving child describes what she has learned from the children personally affected by such a public tragedy.

Coming to Terms with Trauma

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 an uncle, drug addiction redemption, and sobriety. Matt joins us today to update us on his life after his perpetrator is released from prison, sobriety, how he is honoring his father 20 years after his death, and his latest endeavors.

Justice Over Childhood Sexual Abuse

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 Courage and Justice over Childhood Sexual Abuse.