🧠 How does trauma impact the LGBTQ+ community?

🕉️ What role does Indian spirituality play in acceptance?

🌍 How can we create a more inclusive and compassionate world?

In this powerful episode of Queer Story Time, Host Stevie sits down with Dr. Aninda Sidhana, MD a renowned psychiatrist, LGBTQ+ advocate, and expert in gender, trauma, and mental health. With years of experience working with marginalized communities, Dr. Sidhana is at the forefront of creating safe spaces, combating stigma, and counseling families throughout their child’s coming out process. 

Meet Dr. Aninda Sidhana

🔹 Expert in LGBTQ+ mental health, gender identity, and trauma recovery

🔹 Advocate for gender & sexual equality and human rights on a global scale

🔹 Researcher on the intersection of spirituality, psychotherapy & mental health

🔹 Passionate about ending gender-based violence & creating inclusive policies

🔹 Developing programs to support LGBTQ+ individuals & mental health initiatives

Dr. Sidhana brings a compassionate, evidence-based approach to mental health, integrating modern psychiatry with ancient wisdom from Indian spiritual traditions, including yoga, mindfulness, and the Bhagavad Gita. In this conversation, she shares insights from their research and real-world experience in counseling queer and trans individuals through their journeys of healing, self-acceptance, and resilience.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✅ How chronic marginalization creates complex PTSD in queer and trans individuals

✅ The history of gender and sexuality in Indian philosophy & why it matters today

✅ Why yoga is an ancient form of psychotherapy that can help heal trauma

✅ How lawmakers and policymakers can (and should) do better for LGBTQ+ rights

✅ The power of storytelling & community in breaking stigma

✅ The importance of self-love, journaling, and mindfulness in healing

💡 "One negative comment can take someone back into a spiral of trauma. Healing starts with safe spaces, education, and self-acceptance." – Dr. Aninda Sidhana

Resources & Mentions:

📖 Studies on yoga, mental health & trauma recovery (shared by Dr. Aninda Sidhana)

🕉️ Insights from Bhagavad Gita & Indian spiritual texts on gender & identity

💜 How mindfulness & journaling help LGBTQ+ people process their experiences

🏥 The role of hospitals & mental health institutions in LGBTQ+ support

🌍 Why safe spaces in schools, workplaces, and communities are essential

📣 Spread the Word, Leave A Review, & Follow QST: 

If this episode resonated with you, Stevie encourages you to share it widely! This will also help QST expand to an even bigger audience globally. We would also appreciate you leaving a written/star review to help us build our collective effort to liberate all queer and trans people globally. 

✨  Join the QST Podcast Community & Get In-Touch:

Looking to see everything happening in our community? Come reach out, connect, and celebrate queer & trans joy together! You can find all QST resources here: https://beacons.ai/qstpodcast

Host: Stevie Inghram, M.S., YT, AWC, NMS-4 (She/They)

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