In this episode of the Medical Trauma Support podcast, Sarah speaks to Vanessa Abraham, a mother and medical trauma survivor, about the untold impact of ICU hospitalization, medical PTSD, and parenting during and after illness. From the shock of sudden critical illness to the emotional pain of being separated from her young daughter and the worry that she would not live to raise her daughter, Vanessa shares her story with raw honesty and deeply earned wisdom.

Together, they explore:

• The experience of post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) and family post-intensive care syndrome (PICS-F)

• What it feels like to parent through and after a medical crisis

• The hidden layers of grief, guilt, and identity loss that accompany serious illness

• How medical systems often miss the emotional and nervous system needs of patients and families

• The role of nervous system regulation in healing trauma after an ICU stay

• How to begin feeling safe in your body again after medical trauma

If you're navigating medical PTSD, recovering from an ICU experience, parenting while ill, or supporting a loved one who's been hospitalized, this conversation offers compassion, understanding, and practical insight.

Search terms & support topics in this episode:medical trauma, ICU trauma, medical PTSD, post intensive care syndrome, family post intensive care syndrome, parenting while ill, nervous system regulation, somatic healing, parenting after ICU, grief after medical crisis, how to cope with medical trauma

What happens after you survive the ICU? For Vanessa Abraham — a speech pathologist, author, and ICU survivor — the real trauma began after she came home.

In this powerful episode, we talk about:

• Vanessa’s sudden illness that left her paralyzed and unable to speak

• The grief, identity loss, and depression she faced after ICU

• The emotional cost of being a caregiver and navigating life after medical trauma

• What PICS (Post-Intensive Care Syndrome) is — and why no one talks about it

• Healing tools: nervous system support, community, somatic practices, and more

Whether you're a survivor, caregiver, or provider, this conversation offers validation, education, and hope.

Get Vanessa’s book “Speechless”: https://a.co/d/0Ks1DSe

Are you looking for support and community with others who understand medical trauma? Join the Befriend Your Body Community: https://www.medicaltraumasupport.org/befriend-your-body-community

✨ You are not alone. There is hope, healing, and support waiting for you.

Medical trauma is real — and you are not alone.

In this podcast, we talk about the emotional and nervous system impact of medical procedures, ICU stays, chronic illness, and caregiving. Whether you’re healing from your own experience or supporting someone else, these conversations will help you feel seen, supported, and less alone.

Hosted by Sarah from Medical Trauma Support, each episode offers gentle insight, nervous system tools, and stories from people who truly understand.

🎧 Subscribe and start your healing journey.

In this deeply personal and validating episode of the Medical Trauma Support Podcast, host Sarah Stasica welcomes psychologist Rachel Allen for a heartfelt conversation about healing from medical trauma—both as a professional and as someone with lived experience.

Rachel shares her journey through a traumatic birth and her role as a caregiver during her husband’s cancer diagnosis, highlighting the emotional weight of being unseen in medical systems. Sarah and Rachel explore what it means to feel safe in your body again, how to build supportive care systems, and the importance of sitting in discomfort to access healing.

From navigating the medical system to the power of community care and showing up for others without needing to be asked, this episode is a reminder that healing is possible—and we need community on our journey.

You can find more about Dr. Rachel Allen at

https://www.everwellbehavioralhealth.com/

https://www.instagram.com/resetwithdrrachel

Find out more about the Medical Trauma Support Community at https://www.medicaltraumasupport.org/befriend-your-body-community

In this powerful episode of the Medical Trauma Support Podcast, Sarah Stasica is joined by leadership and wellness consultant Kelsey Wesley for an honest conversation about the emotional complexities of childhood medical trauma.

Kelsey shares her lived experience of undergoing multiple childhood surgeries and how those early medical experiences significantly impacted her. Together, Kelsey and Sarah explore how medical trauma impacts not only the child—but also the parent making heart-wrenching decisions in high-stakes moments.

They discuss:

• The emotional aftermath of childhood medical trauma

• The importance of consent and agency in healthcare, even for children

• How parents can co-regulate and support their child without bypassing their own emotions

• Why understanding the nervous system is a crucial part of trauma-informed parenting

• The healing power of presence, storytelling, and community

Healing doesn’t happen in isolation. If you’re navigating medical trauma—whether as a parent, patient, or practitioner—the Befriend Your Body Community offers steady support, trauma-informed guidance, and a space where your story is understood.

➡️ Learn more and join the community

Learn more about Kelsey Wesley here!

⁠Instagram⁠

⁠Website⁠

Keywords: medical trauma

In this powerful episode of the Medical Trauma Support Podcast, I’m joined by Dana Hammerstrom, a journalism student at USC, who shares her deeply personal story of being diagnosed with scleroderma, a rare autoimmune disease, as a child. Dana opens up about the medical trauma she experienced — from frightening medical experiences and painful treatments to the emotional impact of being a young child facing a complex chronic illness.

Together, we explore how childhood medical trauma can leave lasting emotional scars, especially when it’s misunderstood or minimized. Dana also discusses how revisiting her medical history through the lens of her college capstone project helped her reclaim her voice and begin to heal.

This conversation sheds light on:

• What it’s like to grow up with a rare pediatric autoimmune condition
• Childhood medical trauma and situations that can cause it
• How unprocessed medical trauma can show up years later
• The healing power of telling your story and raising awareness

Whether you're navigating your own healing or supporting a child through chronic illness, this episode offers insight, validation, and hope.

You can find Dana's childhood medical trauma website here.

Learn more about the medical trauma community, Befriend Your Body to Heal from Medical Trauma.

In this heartfelt episode of the Medical Trauma Support Podcast, host Sarah Stasica speaks with dancer and choreographer Allison Thomas about her powerful healing journey after the devastating loss of her infant. Together, they explore the deep layers of medical trauma, infant loss, and the complex emotions of grief, and how movement—especially dance—became a transformative outlet for Allison's healing.

Allison shares how her body carried both her pain and her path toward recovery. Through somatic practices, breath awareness, and nervous system support, she began to process her trauma and reconnect with her inner wisdom. The episode also touches on the isolation that often comes with loss, and the critical role of community, remembrance rituals, and gentle self-expression in the healing process.

Whether you are navigating your own experience with infant loss, supporting a loved one through grief, or healing from medical trauma, this episode offers hope, validation, and a reminder that your journey matters—and you don’t have to walk it alone.

You can find Allison on Instagram @all_is_on_the_move

If you would like to see the short film she made for her son, Indy, you can view it here.

In this powerful episode of the Medical Trauma Support Podcast, Sarah Stasica is joined by Emily Guarnotta, clinical psychologist and founder of Phoenix Health, for an honest conversation about the often-unspoken emotional and medical trauma of infertility. Emily shares her personal experience with postpartum depression and how it led her to create a supportive space for others navigating infertility and perinatal mental health challenges.

Together, they explore the deep isolation and anxiety that can come with fertility treatments and medical interventions, and the crucial role that mindfulness, breathwork, and community support play in the healing process. Whether you're in the middle of your infertility journey or supporting someone who is, this episode offers compassion, coping strategies, and a reminder that you are not alone.

Keywords: infertility, medical trauma, perinatal mental health, mindfulness, breathwork, support systems, coping strategies, emotional healing, Phoenix Health

In this episode of the Medical Trauma Support Podcast, host Sarah Stasica welcomes Leah Levitan, certified lymphatic therapist and founder of Lymph Love Club, for an empowering conversation about lymphatic system health and its vital role in healing after medical trauma.

Leah shares her personal story of how her mother’s breast cancer diagnosis led her to explore the world of lymphatic drainage, somatic healing, and nervous system regulation. Together, Sarah and Leah discuss how the lymphatic system supports detoxification, immune function, and trauma recovery—especially for those living with autoimmune conditions or recovering from chronic illness and medical interventions.

You’ll learn about the connection between movement, breathwork, self-care, and community in supporting lymphatic flow, and Leah offers a powerful, beginner-friendly somatic practice called The Big Six to help you connect with your body and support your healing.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone curious about lymphatic healing, body awareness, and finding accessible tools for post-trauma recovery.

Lymph Love Club

How to Change Your Body by Saga Briggs

Stop Chasing Pain

In this episode of the Medical Trauma Support Podcast, we explore the wisdom of the body with Devon Hornby, a manual therapist and Chinese medicine practitioner at Tao Health Clinic in Austin, TX. We discuss how somatic awareness, nervous system regulation, and trauma-informed healing can help rebuild trust and safety within the body. Learn why there is no wrong place to start your healing journey, how slowing down fosters deep healing, and why you have more agency in your recovery than you realize. Tune in for expert insights on befriending your body, accessing its innate wisdom, and using somatic practices to heal from medical trauma.

To learn more about Devon's work you can visit his website at https://taohealthclinic.com/ and you can follow him on Instagram @taohealthclinic