Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, continuing the discussion of the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), we have a new interview with my colleague, teacher and friend Paula Scatoloni, LCSW. Paula Scatoloni is a Licensed Social Worker and a Healing Arts Practitioner in NC blending transpersonal psychology, somatics, and sound with the principles of traditional wisdom and earth-based spirituality.

Paula created Transformative Harmonics as a bridge to help individuals shift their frequency into safety, connection, and empowerment so they can begin live a more purpose-driven life. We talked about the importance of embodiment for practitioners who are delivering the SSP. Paula spoke about how we can work with our nervous systems for co-regulation and much more. 

Find Paula's website with all of her offerings at: www.paulascatoloni.com

Find the Polyvagal Institute website here.

Purchase Safe and Sound: A polyvagal approach for connection, change and healing here.

Therapists, visit the new For Therapists page on the Trauma Therapist Network website for discounts on training, recommended resources and more. 

On behalf of our friends at Unyte Health, we are pleased to share this Trauma Recovery Toolkit, a free resource aimed to support you as you work with clients who present with trauma and nervous system dysregulation. Download the toolkit and access an exclusive discount code for the SSP training! 

Find a trauma therapist near you via findtraumatherapy.com! We believe that trauma is real, healing is possible and help is available at Trauma Therapist Network. 

TherapyNotes® is the highest-rated EHR, practice management, and billing software for mental health professionals. Its all-in-one platform is designed to streamline all aspects of your practice, from connecting with clients via secure messages, to scheduling, to notes, to billing, and more; you can trust TherapyNotes has you covered. And one of the best parts? 24-7 customer service. It's beyond easy to get help over the phone or by email at any time of day from their knowledgeable and friendly representatives. The best time to give TherapyNotes a try is now! Sign up for your free trial by going to TherapyNotes.com, clicking "Start my free trial", and accessing your first two months free with the promo code CHAT. See why TherapyNotes is the most trusted EHR for behavioral health professionals today.

Love Therapy Chat? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and subscribe where you listen to your podcasts! Thank you!

Podcast produced by Vaudeo Productions - https://vaudeoproductions.com

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week we have another new episode, which I've been super excited to share with you! I had a powerful experience with the SSP myself, over the last couple of years, and prior to that I had been interested in its potential since first hearing about it around 2017.

The challenge I found was in understanding - and then explaining - how it can benefit those who participate in the protocol! My guests today understand all the ins and outs of the protocol. In fact, they literally wrote the book! The new book, Safe and Sound: A polyvagal approach for connection, change and healing, is out now! It covers the research on SSP, gives many case examples, and covers some important factors in the delivery of the method.

Stephen W. Porges, PhD, is author of The Polyvagal Theory and creator of SSP. He is professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina and Distinguished University Scientist at Indiana University, where he is founding director of the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium. He lives in Atlantic Beach, Florida. More at stephenporges.com. Karen Onderko helped bring SSP from the research lab to clinicians, who then enabled individuals to experience the many benefits of improved nervous system regulation.

Together, they answered all of my questions about how the SSP works, who it's for and what the research to date has found. We will continue to learn about the SSP in a few more episodes. Look for my interview with Paula Scatoloni about the importance of the therapist's (or other provider's) embodied presence when delivering the SSP next week! 

Find the Polyvagal Institute website here.

Purchase Safe and Sound: A polyvagal approach for connection, change and healing here.

Access the bonus content my guests mentioned here - you'll see Deb Dana and Arielle Schwartz, among many others!

Therapists, visit the new For Therapists page on the Trauma Therapist Network website for discounts on training, recommended resources and more. 

On behalf of our friends at Unyte Health, we are pleased to share this Trauma Recovery Toolkit, a free resource aimed to support you as you work with clients who present with trauma and nervous system dysregulation. Download the toolkit and access an exclusive discount code for the SSP training! 

Find a trauma therapist near you via findtraumatherapy.com! We believe that trauma is real, healing is possible and help is available at Trauma Therapist Network. 

TherapyNotes® is the highest-rated EHR, practice management, and billing software for mental health professionals. Its all-in-one platform is designed to streamline all aspects of your practice, from connecting with clients via secure messages, to scheduling, to notes, to billing, and more; you can trust TherapyNotes has you covered. And one of the best parts? 24-7 customer service. It's beyond easy to get help over the phone or by email at any time of day from their knowledgeable and friendly representatives. The best time to give TherapyNotes a try is now! Sign up for your free trial by going to TherapyNotes.com, clicking "Start my free trial", and accessing your first two months free with the promo code CHAT. See why TherapyNotes is the most trusted EHR for behavioral health professionals today.

Love Therapy Chat? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and subscribe where you listen to your podcasts! Thank you!

Podcast produced by Vaudeo Productions - https://vaudeoproductions.com

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week I'm sharing a new interview with Dr. Hillary McBride, a clinician, teacher, author, speaker, trainer, and host of "Other People's Problems" podcast on CBC. 

One of the things I wanted to discuss with her is how they ensure ethics and consent from the clients featured in the therapy sessions shared on the show. I loved her answer!

We also discussed spiritual abuse, psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, the research on the COVID pandemic as a transformative experience and more! Hillary writes about embodiment, trauma, eating disorders, mental health and spirituality; her bestselling book The Wisdom Of Your Body was released in 2021, Practices for Embodied Living was released in 2024, and her most recent book "Holy Hurt: understanding spiritual trauma and the process of healing" was released April 2025.

Her award-winning CBC podcast Other People's Problems was mentioned in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times as essential listening, and she is the co-developer of Katalyst Mental Health Ketamine Assisted Therapy program.

Hillary McBride's headshot photo credit: Lily Glass

Find Hillary McBride's website here: www.hillarylmcbride.com

Read the article Hillary mentioned about transformation after the pandemic here.

Therapists, visit the new For Therapists page on the Trauma Therapist Network website for discounts on training, recommended resources and more. 

On behalf of our friends at Unyte Health, we are pleased to share this Trauma Recovery Toolkit, a free resource aimed to support you as you work with clients who present with trauma and nervous system dysregulation. Download the toolkit and access an exclusive discount code!

Find a trauma therapist near you via findtraumatherapy.com! We believe that trauma is real, healing is possible and help is available at Trauma Therapist Network. 

TherapyNotes® is the highest-rated EHR, practice management, and billing software for mental health professionals. Its all-in-one platform is designed to streamline all aspects of your practice, from connecting with clients via secure messages, to scheduling, to notes, to billing, and more; you can trust TherapyNotes has you covered. And one of the best parts? 24-7 customer service. It's beyond easy to get help over the phone or by email at any time of day from their knowledgeable and friendly representatives. The best time to give TherapyNotes a try is now! Sign up for your free trial by going to TherapyNotes.com, clicking "Start my free trial", and accessing your first two months free with the promo code CHAT. See why TherapyNotes is the most trusted EHR for behavioral health professionals today.

Love Therapy Chat? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and subscribe where you listen to your podcasts! Thank you!

Podcast produced by Vaudeo Productions - https://vaudeoproductions.com

This week's episode of Therapy Chat features the creator of Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY), David Emerson.

In this replay episode which originally aired in 2017, you'll hear David explaining how trauma-sensitive yoga can be brought into psychotherapy. He discusses some of the benefits of trauma-sensitive yoga on mental health and talks about his book, Trauma Sensitive Yoga in Therapy: Bringing the Body Into Treatment. I also highly recommend his other book, Overcoming Trauma Through Yoga: Reclaiming Your Body. I really appreciate how the authors explain why yoga is beneficial in healing trauma. 

Visit the Trauma Sensitive Yoga website, where you can find trainings as well as David Emerson's books and more.

Therapists, visit the new For Therapists page on the Trauma Therapist Network website for discounts on training, recommended resources and more. 

On behalf of our friends at Unyte Health, we are pleased to share this Trauma Recovery

Toolkit, a free resource aimed to support you as you work with clients who present with trauma and nervous system dysregulation. Download the toolkit and access an exclusive discount code!

Find a trauma therapist near you via findtraumatherapy.com! We believe that trauma is real, healing is possible and help is available at Trauma Therapist Network. 

TherapyNotes® is the highest-rated EHR, practice management, and billing software for mental health professionals. Its all-in-one platform is designed to streamline all aspects of your practice, from connecting with clients via secure messages, to scheduling, to notes, to billing, and more; you can trust TherapyNotes has you covered. And one of the best parts? 24-7 customer service. It's beyond easy to get help over the phone or by email at any time of day from their knowledgeable and friendly representatives. The best time to give TherapyNotes a try is now! Sign up for your free trial by going to TherapyNotes.com, clicking "Start my free trial", and accessing your first two months free with the promo code CHAT. See why TherapyNotes is the most trusted EHR for behavioral health professionals today.

Love Therapy Chat? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and subscribe where you listen to your podcasts! Thank you!

Podcast produced by Vaudeo Productions - https://vaudeoproductions.com

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! I recently returned from Austin, Texas, where I completed level 1 of the Trauma Conscious Yoga Method, founded by this week's guest, Nityda Gessel.

This week's episode is a part two replay of my interview with Nityda about the differences between psychotherapeutic yoga, used in clinical practice, and yoga therapy, which can be offered by yoga instructors with specialised training.

Whether you're a therapist considering training in yoga to add to your clinical practice, a yoga instructor or yoga therapist, or anyone who is considering adding yoga to their healing toolkit, this is an informative episode!

Nityda Gessel Online

https://traumaconsciousyoga.com

https://traumaconsciousyoga.com

Therapists can get the lowest prices on selected PESI trainings, featuring past and future Therapy Chat guests by going to this link: https://pesi.com/therapychat

Thank you to TherapyNotes for sponsoring this week’s episode! TherapyNotes makes billing, scheduling, notetaking, and telehealth incredibly easy. And now, for all you prescribers out there, TherapyNotes is proudly introducing E-prescribe! Try it today with no strings attached, and see why everyone is switching to TherapyNotes, now featuring E-prescribe! Use promo code “chat” at www.therapynotes.com to receive 2 FREE months of TherapyNotes!!

Join the TTN e-mail list to learn what's coming up in 2025 with Therapy Chat, Trauma Chat and Trauma Therapist Network and get my free PDF 5 Common Mistakes People Make When Searching For A Trauma Therapist here!

Find my most frequently recommended resources for learning about trauma here – includes recommended books and trainings.

Find a trauma therapist near you via findtraumatherapy.com! We believe that trauma is real, healing is possible and help is available at Trauma Therapist Network. 

Love Therapy Chat? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and subscribe where you listen to your podcasts! Thank you!

Podcast produced by Vaudeo Productions - https://vaudeoproductions.com

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! I recently returned from Austin, Texas, where I completed level 1 of the Trauma Conscious Yoga Method, founded by this week's guest, Nityda Gessel.

This week's episode is a replay of my interview with Nityda about the differences between psychotherapeutic yoga, used in clinical practice, and yoga therapy, which can be offered by yoga instructors with specialised training.

Whether you're a therapist considering training in yoga to add to your clinical practice, a yoga instructor or yoga therapist, or anyone who is considering adding yoga to their healing toolkit, this is an informative episode!

Nityda Gessel Online

https://traumaconsciousyoga.com

https://traumaconsciousyoga.com

Therapists can get the lowest prices on selected PESI trainings, featuring past and future Therapy Chat guests by going to this link: https://pesi.com/therapychat

Thank you to TherapyNotes for sponsoring this week’s episode! TherapyNotes makes billing, scheduling, notetaking, and telehealth incredibly easy. And now, for all you prescribers out there, TherapyNotes is proudly introducing E-prescribe! Try it today with no strings attached, and see why everyone is switching to TherapyNotes, now featuring E-prescribe! Use promo code “chat” at www.therapynotes.com to receive 2 FREE months of TherapyNotes!!

Join the TTN e-mail list to learn what's coming up in 2025 with Therapy Chat, Trauma Chat and Trauma Therapist Network and get my free PDF 5 Common Mistakes People Make When Searching For A Trauma Therapist here!

Find my most frequently recommended resources for learning about trauma here – includes recommended books and trainings.

Find a trauma therapist near you via findtraumatherapy.com! We believe that trauma is real, healing is possible and help is available at Trauma Therapist Network. 

Love Therapy Chat? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and subscribe where you listen to your podcasts! Thank you!

Podcast produced by Vaudeo Productions - https://vaudeoproductions.com

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! In this week's episode, I'm replaying an interview I did with Amy Weintraub, founder of LifeForce Yoga, before I was trained in the method.

She explained how she developed LifeForce Yoga and how it can be helpful for depression and anxiety. I completed Level 1 training in 2018, and I highly recommend this method to therapists who would like to bring yoga into their clinical practices. Side note - Amy Weintraub is still associated with LifeForce Yoga, but it is now owned by Rose Kress.

Resources:

Learn more about Amy Weintraub and LifeForce Yoga here: https://yogafordepression.com

Therapists can get the lowest prices on selected PESI trainings, featuring past and future Therapy Chat guests by going to this link: https://pesi.com/therapychat

Thank you to TherapyNotes for sponsoring this week’s episode! TherapyNotes makes billing, scheduling, notetaking, and telehealth incredibly easy. And now, for all you prescribers out there, TherapyNotes is proudly introducing E-prescribe! Try it today with no strings attached, and see why everyone is switching toTherapyNotes, now featuring E-prescribe! Use promo code “chat” at www.therapynotes.com to receive 2 FREE months of TherapyNotes!!

Join the TTN e-mail list to learn what's coming up in 2025 with Therapy Chat, Trauma Chat and Trauma Therapist Network and get my free PDF 5 Common Mistakes People Make When Searching For A Trauma Therapist here!

Find my most frequently recommended resources for learning about trauma here – includes recommended books and trainings.

Find a trauma therapist near you via findtraumatherapy.com! We believe that trauma is real, healing is possible and help is available at Trauma Therapist Network. 

Love Therapy Chat? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and subscribe where you listen to your podcasts! Thank you!

Podcast produced by Vaudeo Productions - https://vaudeoproductions.com

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week we're bringing back an interview with Dr. David Treleaven, PhD., author of "Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness".

David Treleaven, PhD, is a writer, educator, and trauma professional whose work focuses on the intersection of mindfulness, trauma, and social justice. He received his master’s in counseling psychology at the University of British Columbia and a doctorate in East-West psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies.

We discussed how mindfulness, which most people think will help them feel better, can sometimes stir up trauma reactions that people aren't expecting and don't know how to handle. In this conversation and in his book, he explains why this happens and what can be done when it does. This is an important conversation for anyone who practices mindfulness and any therapist!

Resources:

Find Dr. David Treleaven's website here: 

https://www.davidtreleaven.com

Read Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness - found here.

Therapists can get the lowest prices on selected PESI trainings featuring past and future Therapy Chat guests by going to this link: https://pesi.com/therapychat 

Thank you to TherapyNotes for sponsoring this week’s episode! TherapyNotes makes billing, scheduling, notetaking, and telehealth incredibly easy. And now, for all you prescribers out there, TherapyNotes is proudly introducing E-prescribe! Try it today with no strings attached, and see why everyone is switching toTherapyNotes, now featuring E-prescribe! Use promo code “chat” at www.therapynotes.com to receive 2 FREE months of TherapyNotes!!

Join the TTN e-mail list to learn what's coming up in 2025 with Therapy Chat, Trauma Chat and Trauma Therapist Network and get my free PDF 5 Common Mistakes People Make When Searching For A Trauma Therapist here!

Find my most frequently recommended resources for learning about trauma here – includes recommended books and trainings.

Find a trauma therapist near you via findtraumatherapy.com! We believe that trauma is real, healing is possible and help is available at Trauma Therapist Network. 

Love Therapy Chat? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and subscribe where you listen to your podcasts! Thank you!

Podcast produced by Vaudeo Productions - https://vaudeoproductions.com

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week I’m replaying my interview with yoga and meditation teacher and coach Lynn Fraser about mindfulness & somatic work in healing trauma. 

Lynn Fraser is a senior meditation and yoga teacher in the Himalayan Yoga Meditation tradition; and a Senior Facilitator of the Living Inquiries and Natural Rest. She brings the depth and richness of twenty years experience teaching meditation and yoga philosophy to her work. She specializes in holding a safe and trusted space for healing trauma in her private Living Inquiries online sessions with individuals. Lynn lives near family, the ocean and forest in Nova Scotia Canada where she also plays flute in a jazz band.

Lynn is a student and teaches within the Himalayan Tradition of Swami Rama as taught by Swami Veda Bharati. She is certified through the Association of Himalayan Yoga Meditation Societies (AHYMSIN) and the Yoga Center of Calgary. She was a founding member of the organizing committee for the AHYMSIN teacher training program and is faculty for the Yoga Studio College in Calgary. Lynn has studied extensively in the United States and India with Swami Veda Bharati, Pandit Dabral and other senior teachers in the Himalayan Tradition.

She teaches in Halifax/Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada. Her classes are suitable for students in various physical conditions as a primary emphasis for asana (yoga poses) is on training the mind through the body. Her teaching features an integrated approach of relaxation, asana, pranayama, meditation and philosophy for every day life. She is a certified Himalayan Institute Ayurveda Yoga Specialist.

Lynn supports people healing from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other trauma through meditation, yoga therapy and mindfulness inquiry.

Resources:

Find everything Lynn is doing on her website: https://lynnfraserstillpoint.com/

Thank you for listening to Therapy Chat! Please be sure to go to iTunes and leave a rating and review, subscribe and download episodes.

Trauma Therapist Network is a resource for learning about trauma and how it shows up in our lives, and to search for a trauma therapist. Our searchable directory is at www.findtraumatherapy.com or you can go to www.traumatherapistnetwork.com to see everything our site has to offer! Look for discounts on therapy trainings, recommended books, wearable tech, my recommended EHR, and much more!

Thank you to TherapyNotes for sponsoring this week’s episode! TherapyNotes makes billing, scheduling, notetaking, and telehealth incredibly easy. And now, for all you prescribers out there, TherapyNotes is proudly introducing E-prescribe! Try it today with no strings attached, and see why everyone is switching toTherapyNotes, now featuring E-prescribe! Use promo code “chat” at www.therapynotes.com to receive 2 FREE months of TherapyNotes!!

Join the TTN e-mail list to learn what's coming up in 2025 with Therapy Chat, Trauma Chat and Trauma Therapist Network and get my free PDF 5 Common Mistakes People Make When Searching For A Trauma Therapist here!

Find my most frequently recommended resources for learning about trauma here – includes recommended books and trainings.

Find a trauma therapist near you via findtraumatherapy.com! We believe that trauma is real, healing is possible and help is available at Trauma Therapist Network. 

Love Therapy Chat? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and subscribe where you listen to your podcasts! Thank you!

Podcast produced by Vaudeo Productions - https://vaudeoproductions.com

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week's episode is part two of the conversation where I'm reflecting on where I'm at in my life right now. My guest is Amber Trejo, LMFT an integrative trauma therapist in Indiana.

Like myself, Amber is also a trauma survivor and speaks openly about living and parenting with complex trauma (also known as developmental trauma or CPTSD) on her Instagram channel, @integrativetraumatherapist. Amber and I talked about our shared experience of losing one of our parents in the last year or so, and discussed our personal experiences of navigating the grieving process, with all of the opportunities for healing that it brings.

Learn more about Amber Trejo via her Instagram channel: https://instagram.com/integrativetraumatherapist and her website, https://www.theintegrativetraumatherapist.com/ 

Are you going to Psychotherapy Networker? Come say hi to me! I'm hosting an exhibit booth for Trauma Therapist Network and Therapy Chat. 

By the way, therapists can get the lowest prices on selected PESI trainings featuring past and future Therapy Chat guests by going to this link: https://pesi.com/therapychat 

Thank you to TherapyNotes for sponsoring this week’s episode! TherapyNotes makes billing, scheduling, notetaking, and telehealth incredibly easy. And now, for all you prescribers out there, TherapyNotes is proudly introducing E-prescribe! Try it today with no strings attached, and see why everyone is switching toTherapyNotes, now featuring E-prescribe! Use promo code “chat” at www.therapynotes.com to receive 2 FREE months of TherapyNotes!!

Join the TTN e-mail list to learn what's coming up in 2025 with Therapy Chat, Trauma Chat and Trauma Therapist Network and get my free PDF 5 Common Mistakes People Make When Searching For A Trauma Therapist here!

Find my most frequently recommended resources for learning about trauma here – includes recommended books and trainings.

Find a trauma therapist near you via findtraumatherapy.com! We believe that trauma is real, healing is possible and help is available at Trauma Therapist Network. 

Love Therapy Chat? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and subscribe where you listen to your podcasts! Thank you!

Podcast produced by Vaudeo Productions - https://vaudeoproductions.com