The Complex Trauma Podcast

If you've ever gone completely blank in the middle of a hard conversation, or found yourself frozen, heart hammering, unable to say a single thing, this episode is for you.

A listener wrote in asking why she shuts down instead of getting upset. Why everyone else seems to cry or fight while she just goes numb and feels nothing. And whether something is wrong with her.

The answer is no. And this whole episode is the explanation.

We cover the difference between freeze and shutdown, because they get used interchangeably and they are not the same thing. Freeze is high activation trapped under stillness. Shutdown is the system going offline entirely. Two different nervous system responses, two different origins, two different things that actually help.

We also talk about why the tools that usually work, breathing, grounding, thinking your way through it, don't reach you when you're in shutdown, and what actually does.

If you recognize yourself in either of these patterns, this episode will give you language for something that's probably been really hard to explain.

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Thanks for listening to The Complex Trauma Podcast!

Be sure to follow, share and give us a review on your favorite podcast platform.

Follow on Instagram: @sarahherstichlcsw 

Follow on TikTok: @sarahherstichlcsw

Learn more about EMDR & trauma therapy in Pennsylvania with Reclaim Therapy

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or nutritional advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Remember, I'm a therapist, but I'm not your therapist. Nothing in this podcast is meant to replace actual therapy or treatment. If you're in crisis or things feel really unsafe right now, please reach out to someone. You can call 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, text them, or head to your nearest ER.

The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organizations or institutions. Reliance on any information provided by this podcast is solely at your own risk.

If you've done the work, learned the tools, and still feel like you're white knuckling through every single day, this episode is for you.

For many people with complex PTSD and developmental trauma, calm isn't somewhere familiar to return to. It's something that has to be built, maybe for the first time. And that changes everything about how healing needs to look.

This episode breaks down three concepts from developmental trauma research that explain why nervous system regulation can feel so darn hard, and why that has nothing to do with how hard you're trying.

Foundational dysregulation. Blended autonomic states. Defensive accommodations.

These are the missing pieces that explain why you can feel wired and exhausted at the same time, why your coping strategies became your personality, and why the standard regulation tools keep hitting a wall.

This episode draws on the work of Peter Levine and clinical literature on the side effects of developmental trauma.

You are absolutely not broken. There is a real reason you feel the way you do.

Thanks for listening to The Complex Trauma Podcast!

Be sure to follow, share and give us a review on your favorite podcast platform.

Follow on Instagram: @sarahherstichlcsw 

Follow on TikTok: @sarahherstichlcsw

Learn more about EMDR & trauma therapy in Pennsylvania with Reclaim Therapy

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or nutritional advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Remember, I'm a therapist, but I'm not your therapist. Nothing in this podcast is meant to replace actual therapy or treatment. If you're in crisis or things feel really unsafe right now, please reach out to someone. You can call 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, text them, or head to your nearest ER.

The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organizations or institutions. Reliance on any information provided by this podcast is solely at your own risk.

Childhood emotional neglect doesn't always look like what you'd expect. Sometimes it looks like a parent who showed up to every game, made dinner every night, and still wasn't really there. That gap between what was present and what was missing is exactly what we're unpacking today.

Dr. Danica Harris is a somatic experiencing practitioner and complex trauma expert, and she breaks down why emotional neglect is so hard to identify, what it costs the body to grow up as the easy kid, and what healing actually looks like when you go low and slow. If you've ever said "I had a good childhood" and still felt like something was off, this one is for you.

Find Dr. Danica Harris

@theempoweredtherapist on Instagram and Facebook @empoweredhealingdallas for her group practice

Check out her group practice here and learn more about working with Danica here

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Thanks for listening to The Complex Trauma Podcast!

Be sure to follow, share and give us a review on your favorite podcast platform.

Follow on Instagram: @sarahherstichlcsw 

Follow on TikTok: @sarahherstichlcsw

Learn more about EMDR & trauma therapy in Pennsylvania with Reclaim Therapy

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or nutritional advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Remember, I'm a therapist, but I'm not your therapist. Nothing in this podcast is meant to replace actual therapy or treatment. If you're in crisis or things feel really unsafe right now, please reach out to someone. You can call 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, text them, or head to your nearest ER.

The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organizations or institutions. Reliance on any information provided by this podcast is solely at your own risk.

After my conversation with Janina Fisher about dissociative parts, my inbox exploded with questions about dissociation. So today, I'm answering three that showed up a few times

In this episode, we're covering:

• Why you might dissociate MORE in therapy than anywhere else (and why that doesn't mean therapy isn't working)
• How to tell the difference between zoning out and actual dissociation
• Why you can tell your trauma story without feeling anything, and what that really means

If you've ever driven home from therapy wondering why your brain keeps checking out, or if you've told your story a hundred times but can't seem to access the feelings, this episode is for you.

What You'll Learn:

• Early warning signs of dissociation in your body (before it fully takes over)
• How to use orienting to stay present when things get heavy
• The difference between depersonalization and derealization
• Why emotional numbness is protection, not proof that nothing happened
• Three concrete ways to start rebuilding the bridge between your story and your body

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Episode with Janina Fisher on dissociative parts (listen if you haven't yet!)
• Window of tolerance
• State-dependent memory
• Dorsal vagal shutdown response

Thanks for listening to The Complex Trauma Podcast!

Be sure to follow, share and give us a review on your favorite podcast platform.

Follow on Instagram: @sarahherstichlcsw 

Follow on TikTok: @sarahherstichlcsw

Learn more about EMDR & trauma therapy in Pennsylvania with Reclaim Therapy

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or nutritional advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Remember, I'm a therapist, but I'm not your therapist. Nothing in this podcast is meant to replace actual therapy or treatment. If you're in crisis or things feel really unsafe right now, please reach out to someone. You can call 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, text them, or head to your nearest ER.

The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organizations or institutions. Reliance on any information provided by this podcast is solely at your own risk.

Betrayal doesn't just hurt. 

It rewires your nervous system, shakes your ability to trust yourself, and makes you question everything you thought you knew about your relationship. 

In this episode, Joe Sanok shares what happened when his marriage ended suddenly on an RV trip, how he navigated the shock of becoming an unexpected single dad, and what it actually took to rebuild his life without replaying the same patterns.

Joe talks openly about waking up in a camper next to someone who was already gone, the nervous system chaos that followed, and why he built a "support committee" instead of white-knuckling his way through alone. 

We also get into dating after betrayal, how to show up for yourself when everything feels uncertain, and what it looks like to trust again without abandoning the parts of you that are still healing.

This conversation is for anyone who's been blindsided by betrayal, anyone who's had to rebuild their sense of safety from the ground up, or anyone who's wondered if they'll ever feel solid in a relationship again.

Topics covered:

• What betrayal trauma does to your nervous system
• How Joe's marriage ended and what the early days looked like
• Why building a support committee matters more than going it alone
• Dating after betrayal without repeating the same patterns
• Learning to trust yourself again after your judgment feels broken
• How to parent through your own crisis
• Rebuilding safety in your body and relationships

Download Joe's new book: Dating After Betrayal: A Guided Healing and Re-Entry Experience here.

Listen to Joe's podcast, Practice of the Practice on Apple or Spotify

Learn more about Joe's Consulting Services

Thanks for listening to The Complex Trauma Podcast!

Be sure to follow, share and give us a review on your favorite podcast platform.

Follow on Instagram: @sarahherstichlcsw 

Follow on TikTok: @sarahherstichlcsw

Learn more about EMDR & trauma therapy in Pennsylvania with Reclaim Therapy

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or nutritional advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Remember, I'm a therapist, but I'm not your therapist. Nothing in this podcast is meant to replace actual therapy or treatment. If you're in crisis or things feel really unsafe right now, please reach out to someone. You can call 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, text them, or head to your nearest ER.

The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organizations or institutions. Reliance on any information provided by this podcast is solely at your own risk.

What if forgetting your childhood, feeling disconnected from your emotions, or experiencing different "versions" of yourself weren't signs that something's wrong with you, but evidence of how brilliantly your brain protected you?

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Janina Fisher, one of the leading experts on trauma and dissociation, to unpack what dissociation actually is and why it's a survival response, not a pathology. We talk about why so many people say "I had a good childhood" even when they can barely remember it, what's really happening when you lose time or feel like different parts take over, and how understanding your parts can change everything about how you heal.

Dr. Fischer breaks down her Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment (TIST) model and explains why chasing "safety" might be the wrong goal if you've never known what safety feels like. This conversation gets real about fight parts, attached parts, and why noticing what's happening inside you matters more than remembering every detail of what happened to you.

If you've ever felt fragmented, disconnected, or like parts of you don't quite fit together, this episode will help you see yourself through a completely different lens.

Thanks for listening to The Complex Trauma Podcast!

Be sure to follow, share and give us a review on your favorite podcast platform.

Follow on Instagram: @sarahherstichlcsw 

Follow on TikTok: @sarahherstichlcsw

Learn more about EMDR & trauma therapy in Pennsylvania with Reclaim Therapy

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or nutritional advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Remember, I'm a therapist, but I'm not your therapist. Nothing in this podcast is meant to replace actual therapy or treatment. If you're in crisis or things feel really unsafe right now, please reach out to someone. You can call 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, text them, or head to your nearest ER.

The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organizations or institutions. Reliance on any information provided by this podcast is solely at your own risk.

This episode is a bit different. If it's not for you, that's okay.

Right now, a lot of us are struggling. The anxiety that won't quit, the rage that scares you, the numbness that makes you wonder what's wrong with you, the exhaustion that feels bone-deep. You're not overreacting. Your nervous system is responding to real threat.

In this episode, we talk about what happens in your body when threat is ongoing and there's no clear way to resolve it. We look at vicarious trauma, suppressed anger, grief that doesn't feel like sadness, and the shame of struggling when you think you should be stronger.

If you're trying to figure out how to care without being destroyed by it, how to stay engaged without depleting yourself completely, this one's for you.

Thanks for listening to The Complex Trauma Podcast!

Be sure to follow, share and give us a review on your favorite podcast platform.

Follow on Instagram: @sarahherstichlcsw 

Follow on TikTok: @sarahherstichlcsw

Learn more about EMDR & trauma therapy in Pennsylvania with Reclaim Therapy

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or nutritional advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Remember, I'm a therapist, but I'm not your therapist. Nothing in this podcast is meant to replace actual therapy or treatment. If you're in crisis or things feel really unsafe right now, please reach out to someone. You can call 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, text them, or head to your nearest ER.

The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organizations or institutions. Reliance on any information provided by this podcast is solely at your own risk.

In this episode, I sit down with Cassidy DuHadway, author of "Becoming Me," to talk about religious trauma as complex trauma. We dig into how growing up in systems that demand you not be yourself creates deep attachment wounds, shame spirals, and an outsourcing of your internal knowing.

Cassidy breaks down what religious trauma actually is, how it shows up in adult relationships, and why leaving or deconstructing your faith creates such profound grief and identity loss. We talk about the cost of purity culture, the weight of intergenerational patterns, and what it takes to rebuild when everything you knew gets questioned.

This conversation is for anyone who's felt the quiet pressure to conform, who's carried shame that never quite made sense, or who's grieving what could have been if they'd had different choices earlier in life.

About Cassidy DuHadway: Cassidy DuHadway, LCSW, is a trauma therapist, EMDR Approved Trainer, and author of "Becoming Me: Unraveling and Healing the Sacred Wounds of Religious Trauma." She specializes in complex trauma and emotional neglect and is the CEO of Purple Sky Counseling in Utah.

Connect with Cassidy:

• Follow Cassidy on Instagram: @therapywithcassidy
• Check out her website: cassidyduhadway.com
• Purchase her book: "Becoming Me: Unraveling and Healing The Sacred Wounds of Religious Trauma
• Learn more about her Utah therapy practice and work with her team: Purple Sky Counseling

Thanks for listening to The Complex Trauma Podcast!

Be sure to follow, share and give us a review on your favorite podcast platform.

Follow on Instagram: @sarahherstichlcsw 

Follow on TikTok: @sarahherstichlcsw

Learn more about EMDR & trauma therapy in Pennsylvania with Reclaim Therapy

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or nutritional advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Remember, I'm a therapist, but I'm not your therapist. Nothing in this podcast is meant to replace actual therapy or treatment. If you're in crisis or things feel really unsafe right now, please reach out to someone. You can call 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, text them, or head to your nearest ER.

The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organizations or institutions. Reliance on any information provided by this podcast is solely at your own risk.

"What counts as a trigger for CPTSD? And why do I get triggered by everyday stuff that shouldn't feel threatening?"

If you've ever found yourself completely activated by something that seems small to everyone else (a text message, a tone of voice, someone's silence), this episode is for you.

I'm breaking down what triggers actually are in complex trauma, why your body responds to threat cues that your conscious mind doesn't recognize, and what to do when you feel like you're walking around with an invisible tripwire system.

What we cover:

Why triggers are often reminders of a state rather than a specific event

The neuroscience behind why your body can hold trauma even when you don't have clear memories

How to tell the difference between being triggered and being overloaded

Seven practical steps to work with your triggers without turning life into a self-monitoring project

Why the whole "I shouldn't be triggered because I don't remember anything" mindset is keeping you stuck.

Download my FREE Dysregulation Toolkit Here! 

Thanks for listening to The Complex Trauma Podcast!

Be sure to follow, share and give us a review on your favorite podcast platform.

Follow on Instagram: @sarahherstichlcsw 

Follow on TikTok: @sarahherstichlcsw

Learn more about EMDR & trauma therapy in Pennsylvania with Reclaim Therapy

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or nutritional advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Remember, I'm a therapist, but I'm not your therapist. Nothing in this podcast is meant to replace actual therapy or treatment. If you're in crisis or things feel really unsafe right now, please reach out to someone. You can call 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, text them, or head to your nearest ER.

The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organizations or institutions. Reliance on any information provided by this podcast is solely at your own risk.

What if your anxiety, depression, or chronic overwhelm aren’t personal failures, but the echoes of unprocessed trauma?

In this week’s episode, Sarah sits down with EMDR therapist, consultant, and author Thomas Zimmerman, whose work has shaped how thousands of clinicians around the world approach complex trauma. Together, they unpack what recovery from complex trauma actually looks like and why it’s not about willpower, positive thinking, or pushing through.

You’ll hear Thomas’ refreshingly honest take on:

• Why trauma is “learning that’s not meant to be changed easily”
• How EMDR helps the nervous system update old survival learning
• Why so many survivors struggle to “slow down and notice” (and what to do instead)
• The importance of preparation and resourcing before trauma processing
• How to widen your window of tolerance without getting flooded
• And why, even though recovery takes time, it’s one of the most beautiful acts of self-liberation there is

This conversation is both validating and practical for anyone walking the long, brave path of reclaiming themselves after complex trauma.

Connect with Thomas Zimmerman:

• Book: EMDR with Complex Trauma
• YouTube: Thomas Zimmerman EMDR
• His website: Thomas Zimmerman EMDR
  
  

Connect with Sarah & Reclaim Therapy:

• https://www.yourcomplextrauma.com
• Follow on Instagram: @sarahherstichlcsw 
• Follow on TikTok: @sarahherstichlcsw
• Learn more about EMDR & trauma therapy in Pennsylvania with Reclaim Therapy

Thanks for listening to The Complex Trauma Podcast!

Be sure to follow, share and give us a review on your favorite podcast platform.

Follow on Instagram: @sarahherstichlcsw 

Follow on TikTok: @sarahherstichlcsw

Learn more about EMDR & trauma therapy in Pennsylvania with Reclaim Therapy

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or nutritional advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Remember, I'm a therapist, but I'm not your therapist. Nothing in this podcast is meant to replace actual therapy or treatment. If you're in crisis or things feel really unsafe right now, please reach out to someone. You can call 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, text them, or head to your nearest ER.

The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organizations or institutions. Reliance on any information provided by this podcast is solely at your own risk.