Medical Trauma Support

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

In this episode of the Medical Trauma Support Podcast, Sarah Stasica and Jenn Wooten discuss the profound impact of medical trauma on the nervous system and the importance of understanding this relationship for healing. There is so much wisdom in the body but it takes nervous system capacity to be able to turn toward the body. When we can increase our nervous system capacity, it allows us to turn in and befriend the body.

Jenn shares her expertise in somatic practices to heal the nervous system and the Via Somatic methodology, emphasizing self-regulation, resilience, and the significance of community support in navigating medical trauma. They explore practical techniques for managing stress responses, the role of deep rest in recovery, and the necessity of advocating for trauma-informed care in healthcare settings.

Jenn and Sarah also discuss the journey of post-traumatic growth and the power of lived experience in fostering compassion and understanding in both practitioners and patients.

You can learn more about Jenn and her work at:

Viasomatic.com

Keywords for this episode: medical trauma, nervous system, trauma-informed care, somatic practices, healing, resilience, self-regulation, post-traumatic growth, peer support, yoga therapy

In this episode of the Medical Trauma Support Podcast, I speak with Dr. Sasha McBain about medical trauma and the emotions that often go along with it. We particularly focus on anger because it is such a common experience for those of us who have experienced medical trauma. We discuss Sasha's journey into this field, the psychological impact of medical experiences, and the importance of addressing trauma in healthcare settings. We also address the need for systemic change in healthcare to better support patients and their families. In this conversation, Sacha McBain, PhD, and I explore the complex emotions surrounding medical trauma, particularly focusing on anger and its underlying causes. We discuss how ableism affects perceptions of illness and recovery, the importance of recognizing and processing anger, and the role of self-compassion in healing. The conversation emphasizes that while anger can be a protective emotion, it is crucial to understand its roots and transform it into constructive actions. We also highlight the significance of acceptance and the various coping strategies available for individuals navigating these challenges.

Medical Trauma Support Podcast