The Trauma Thrivers Podcast

Simon Chapple is a former daily drinker who experienced all the negative consequences of being stuck in the alcohol-trap. He learned how to quit alcohol without willpower and changed his life for the better.

Simon has written several books – you can find the link here. When he stopped drinking, he was diagnosed with ADHD and complex PTSD from emotional neglect and trauma related to his childhood.

Since he stopped drinking, Simon has embarked on an amazing career and an equally inspiring healing journey of his own.

We talk about:

·     The battle between the conscious and subconscious

·     The link between underlying trauma and addiction

·     How our childhood experiences impact our adult life

·     How to improve your life with boundaries

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All too often, undiagnosed PTSD is at the root of many of our unhealthy coping mechanisms as adults. This can present in all sorts of ways, from substance or alcohol abuse, to getting involved in abusive relationships, to how we spend money.

Liz Cashin is an amazing example of someone who has gone on to thrive, after once having the shadow of past trauma over her life. At the age of 13 she accidentally killed a classmate on sports day.

As many of us do, especially as children, Liz internalised this experience. Without knowing, every time she went through the story again, she was re-traumatizing herself. It took her reading one of my favourite books; The Body Keeps the Score, to realise she was still experiencing PTSD.

Liz has since embarked on her own healing journey. As she beautifully puts it “my journey to healing started with self-forgiveness and then it became compassion”.

Liz has since embarked on her own healing journey. As she beautifully puts it “my journey to healing started with self-forgiveness and then it became compassion”.

Liz now helps others unlock their potential and transform their mental wellbeing through speaking, coaching, training & workshops and through her self-help memoir This is Me: One Hell of a Path to Happiness.

In this episode we talk about:

·     The power of forgiving yourself

·     Liz’s journey from survivor to thriver

·     How Liz had her unexpected breakthrough moment and stopped punishing herself

·     The importance of self-compassion

Follow Lou on social media and join her Facebook Group for more amazing Trauma Thriving content:

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I’m very pleased to welcome Mark Escott, Co-Founder of ‘Life Chance Education’, ‘School for Inspiring Talents’, and Amazon bestselling author of the book One More Life Chance - How to Support the Journey from Trauma to Transformation.

I absolutely love what Life Chance do! They run a therapeutic service that helps young people and families with all of the behavioural and emotional difficulties caused by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s).

All too often our early life experiences, most of which we have no control over, can come to control us later in life. ACE’s have been shown to affect practically every area of our lives – from our mental health, to our risk of diabetes, to how likely we are to end up in prison.

In this podcast we talk about:

·     The importance of trauma-informed education

·     The impact of intergenerational trauma and abuse

·     How Mark went beyond healing and into thriving

·     How triangulating different therapeutic modalities gets maximum results

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So much of what we do as trauma survivors, and as practitioners who treat trauma, is to do with the body. People often think that there is a distinct line between the physical and the mental. The fact is physical things can affect us mentally and mental things can affect us physically.

Lorna is an Integrative Psychotherapist registered with UKCP & BACP, holding an MSc in Body Awareness & Psychotherapy and PGDip in Integrative Psychotherapy.

Lorna also runs workshops across the UK training therapists and yoga teachers who have an interest in working with the Body, Breath, Movement and Yoga for the treatment of anxiety, depression, trauma, maintaining positive mental health and wellness.

In this episode we talk about:

·     The need for connection between mind and body, and how this can help us care for ourselves rather than get into a crisis

·     The power of breathing to bring us into the parasympathetic nervous system

·     How to stimulate your vagus nerve and promote healing

·     How community plays a vital role in Thriving

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There are many ways to heal from trauma. As I always say, it’s a case of different strokes for different folks. We’re all unique, and our healing journeys should reflect that. A lot of the healing journey is to do with getting back in touch with our bodies, especially if we’re prone to dissociation.

This week, I’m very pleased to be joined by Kirstie Pearce. Kirstie is an amazing lady, who has recovered from post-natal depression, Ross River virus and chronic fatigue syndrome after the birth of her youngest daughter.

She has studied a variety of ways in which to help people work through their own stories of the shadow self, trauma and anxiety. Kirstie practices psychotherapy, massage, Reiki, yoga, to name just a few!

Kirstie aims to help people “reclaim their personal power and voice so that they can live an authentic, passionate and heart-centred life, fully free”.

In this episode we discuss:

·     Why Kirstie decided to make a change in her own life and heal from trauma

·     How yoga helped Kirstie release trauma from her body

·     Learning to release after repression

·     Which yoga poses calm your nervous system

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I’m thrilled to present Dr. Karol Darsa - licensed psychologist who is highly experienced in the treatment of trauma.

When we experience trauma, often our mind and body can become disconnected. Dr. Darsa uses a finely attuned, gentle body-based process to help reconnect these parts back up so that we can heal.

Dr. Darsa is the creator of the ‘Reconnect Integrative Trauma Treatment Centre’ – over the years they have helped hundreds of clients recovering from trauma and mental health conditions.

We talk about:

·     How to combine and choose the best trauma treatment modalities

·     The ‘bottom up, top down’ approach to trauma

·     Dr. Darsa’s five steps to healing from trauma

·     The power of keeping a journal

Follow Dr. Darsa on social media:

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Rene is a mother, transformational trauma coach, child abuse prevention advocate, speaker, author, and consultant.

Her memoir, “Battle Scars are Beautiful, from Victim to Victory” has been published on four different continents.

Rene’s mission is to help you become your most confident, unstoppable and empowered self, no longer held back by your past.

We talk about:

·     The impact of generational trauma

·     The power of forgiving others

·     The importance of having your voice heard

·     How sharing your story and experience can help others

Follow Rene on social media:

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Follow Lou on social media and join her Facebook Group for more amazing Trauma Thriving content:

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John-Paul Davies is a psychotherapist, counselor and coach running a busy, full-time private practice in Surrey in the UK -www.thistrustedplace.co.uk.

In this episode Lou and John-Paul talk about Compassion Focused Therapy and how it helps enormously with Trauma. Also, how coming from a place of compassion is one of the more challenging aspects for all of us on a trauma healing journey.

For more information on Compassion Focused work John-Paul has written an excellent book, Finding a Balanced Connection which is available on Amazon.co.uk.

In this podcast you'll learn:

✔️ More about compassion focused therapy 

✔️ How to move into connection with self and others

✔️ The importance of the mind-body connection 

✔️ What impact being in threat can have on the mind and body

✔️The importance of being in a calm and alive state

✔️Tips for staying within the window of tolerance 

Social links for John:

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Follow Lou on social media and join her Facebook Group for more amazing Trauma Thriving content:

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Shari Botwin, LCSW opened her Cherry Hill private practice in 1996. Prior to starting her own practice Shari worked at the Renfrew Center in Philadelphia.

She provides individual, group and family therapy with a specialization in treating trauma, abuse, eating disorders, anxiety and depression. Shari also provides virtual individual and family teletherapy using a HIPPA approved telemedicine platform.

Shari holds a Masters Degree in Social Work from Rutgers University. Her second book, Thriving After Trauma: Stories of Living and Healing, was released worldwide November 4, 2019.

In this podcast you'll learn:

✔️ The link between eating disorders and trauma 

✔️ Explore the role your eating disorder plays for you

✔️ New coping strategies 

✔️ Understand when and how we can form safe relationships

✔️ Discover what you need to work through in order to move from surviving to thriving 

✔️ Understand ways in which shame can manifest

Follow Shari on social media:

Facebook: www.facebook/sharilcsw

          www.facebook/warriorwomenspeak

Instagram: www.instagram.com/warriorwomenspeak/

          www.instagram.com/warriorbotwin7

Twitter:    www.twitter.com/shari_botwin

Linkedin:   www.linkedin.com/in/shari-botwin-901172a

Youtube:   www.youtube.com/channel/UCDP56CZSd8kDVzqpjuvtvDA

Website: www.sharibotwin.com  

 www.rowman.com/ISBN/9781538125601/Thriving-After-Trauma-Stories-of-Living-and-Healing  

Audiobook available at https://www.audible.com/pd/Thriving-After-Trauma-Audiobook/1515933938

Follow Lou on social media and join her Facebook Group for more amazing Trauma Thriving content:

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