Trauma Chats with MacKenzie Mae

Healing journeys are a roller coaster of ups, downs, and everything in between! In this episode, I'll be chatting about the nonlinear path of healing, embracing the understanding that everything in life is temporary, and sharing personal insights and experiences that highlight this phenomenon. Towards the end, I'll provide journal prompts that have helped me find balance and rediscover myself during challenging times. So take a listen to explore the nonlinear path of healing, find peace in impermanence, and discover the transformative power of journaling to bring us back to our center in order to move forward.

Healing requires energy, vulnerability, and hard work. It’s a lifelong journey and it's never linear. Whatever season you're in on your healing journey, hold on to hope. <3

I hope you have a lovely rest of your day!
Love,
MacKenzie Mae


For help NOW!
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE

For boys and men specifically: 1-800-656-4673

More resources here! https://linktr.ee/traumachatspodcast

Trauma can significantly impact a survivor's brain and memory making it difficult to recall details of traumatic experiences, the sequence in which they played out, and sometimes the entirety of the experience. However, there are proven ways to retrieve repressed memories, work through them, and ultimately heal your brain to live a more peaceful reality.

In this episode, I chat about how the brain responds to trauma, how explicit and implicit memories are impacted, and most importantly 4 healing strategies to lower the intensity of traumatic memories and move forward in your healing journey.

Sources:
NICABM Infographic https://www.nicabm.com/trauma-how-trauma-can-impact-4-types-of-memory-infographic/
Somatic Therapy Info https://meridianuniversity.edu/content/a-holistic-path-to-healing-somatic-therapy
CBT Info https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/cognitive-behavioral-therapy/about/pac-20384610
EMDR Info https://www.emdr.com/what-is-emdr/
Trauma and Memory https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4087/3/1/5

Healing requires energy, vulnerability, and hard work. It’s a lifelong journey and it's never linear. Whatever season you're in on your healing journey, hold on to hope. <3

I hope you have a lovely rest of your day!
Love,
MacKenzie Mae


For help NOW!
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE

For boys and men specifically: 1-800-656-4673

More resources here! https://linktr.ee/traumachatspodcast

Change is inevitable, but the excess stress and anxiety associated with it don't have to be. In this episode, I chat about practical tips to help you minimize stress and anxiety, allowing you to approach change with a more calm and centered mindset using mindfulness, self-care, and creating adaptable routines and plans. 

Healing requires energy, vulnerability, and hard work. It’s a lifelong journey and it's never linear. Whatever season you're in on your healing journey, hold on to hope. <3

I hope you have a lovely rest of your day!
Love,
MacKenzie Mae


For help NOW!
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE

For boys and men specifically: 1-800-656-4673

More resources here! https://linktr.ee/traumachatspodcast

Sexual assault or abuse can impact survivors' relationship with their bodies through disassociation, negative body image, hypervigilance, and/or difficulties with sexual intimacy. In this episode, I share practical tips, strategies, and coping mechanisms that I've been using and may help other survivors to reclaim a sense of safety in their bodies after experiencing sexual trauma.

SAPREA: https://youniquefoundation.org/resources-for-child-sexual-abuse-survivors/

Healing requires energy, vulnerability, and hard work. It’s a lifelong journey and it's never linear. Whatever season you're in on your healing journey, hold on to hope. <3

I hope you have a lovely rest of your day!
Love,
MacKenzie Mae


For help NOW!
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE

For boys and men specifically: 1-800-656-4673

More resources here! https://linktr.ee/traumachatspodcast

In this episode, I answer questions ranging from overcoming feeling like "damaged goods" to if I've thought about what my life would be like if I never endured child sexual abuse. I also cover a lot on how I've managed to cope from my trauma. Hopefully, some of my insights will help you!

Healing Resources! https://youniquefoundation.org/resources-for-child-sexual-abuse-survivors/
Survivor Stories https://www.rainn.org/stories
Male Survivors' Stories https://1in6.org/male-survivor-stories/
CPTSD Info https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24881-cptsd-complex-ptsd

Healing requires energy, vulnerability, and hard work. It’s a lifelong journey and it's never linear. Whatever season you're in on your healing journey, hold on to hope. <3

I hope you have a lovely rest of your day!
Love,
MacKenzie Mae


For help NOW!
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE

For boys and men specifically: 1-800-656-4673

More resources here! https://linktr.ee/traumachatspodcast

Ending child sexual abuse is truly an adult issue. Children cannot be expected to fend off sexual predators. Which means we as adults must do our job to protect our children. The more this topic is discussed, the more people are aware, the more children can grow up in safe environments free of sexual abuse.

Find your local child advocacy center https://www.nationalchildrensalliance.org/nca-members/?postal_code=&miles=50&search=
Darkness to Light https://www.d2l.org/education/5-steps/
Saprea (prevention conversations)https://defendinnocence.org/child-sexual-abuse-risk-reduction/
https://www.rainn.org/articles/if-you-suspect-child-being-harmed

Healing requires energy, vulnerability, and hard work. It’s a lifelong journey and it's never linear. Whatever season you're in on your healing journey, hold on to hope. <3

I hope you have a lovely rest of your day!
Love,
MacKenzie Mae


For help NOW!
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE

For boys and men specifically: 1-800-656-4673

More resources here! https://linktr.ee/traumachatspodcast

Unfortunately, child sexual abuse is far more common than society thinks. Knowing the signs of abuse is critically important to save a child from enduring abuse or to stop abuse that a child is already experiencing. Please share this episode with anyone you know who has children of their own or is frequently around children <3

The following sources were used in creating this episode.
https://www.rainn.org/articles/warning-signs-young-children
https://childusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Delayed-Disclosure-Factsheet-2020.pdf
https://www.d2l.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/all_statistics_20150619.pdf

Healing requires energy, vulnerability, and hard work. It’s a lifelong journey and it's never linear. Whatever season you're in on your healing journey, hold on to hope. <3

I hope you have a lovely rest of your day!
Love,
MacKenzie Mae


For help NOW!
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE

For boys and men specifically: 1-800-656-4673

More resources here! https://linktr.ee/traumachatspodcast

It's April, meaning it's Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Child Abuse Prevention Month. This episode covers 10 common misconceptions or myths of sexual assault or abuse that everyone needs to know about so, as a society, we can correct misinformed comments, shift these misconceptions to the truth, prevent further abuse, and best support survivors.

Sources used to create this episode:
https://www.d2l.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/all_statistics_20150619.pdf
https://www.rainn.org/articles/what-is-consent
https://www.taalk.org/resources/signs-of-abuse/244-sexual-acts-between-minors
https://www.nsvrc.org/sites/default/files/Publications_NSVRC_Overview_False-Reporting.pdf 

Healing requires energy, vulnerability, and hard work. It’s a lifelong journey and it's never linear. Whatever season you're in on your healing journey, hold on to hope. <3

I hope you have a lovely rest of your day!
Love,
MacKenzie Mae


For help NOW!
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE

For boys and men specifically: 1-800-656-4673

More resources here! https://linktr.ee/traumachatspodcast

By striving towards improving your sense of self, your trust in others, and your perspective of what a healthy attachment truly entails, you will slowly shift to a secure attachment style. It will require trial and error, time, energy, and repetition, but you are SO worth investing in yourself.

Source: https://simplypsychology.org/attachment.html

Healing requires energy, vulnerability, and hard work. It’s a lifelong journey and it's never linear. Whatever season you're in on your healing journey, hold on to hope. <3

I hope you have a lovely rest of your day!
Love,
MacKenzie Mae


For help NOW!
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE

For boys and men specifically: 1-800-656-4673

More resources here! https://linktr.ee/traumachatspodcast

Discovering and exploring your attachment style can be incredibly helpful in understanding yourself better, your view on others, and how you navigate close relationships in your life. 
In this episode, you will learn about the attachment theory and the four different attachment styles (secure, anxious, avoidant, and disorganzed/anxious-avoidant). I also share my personal experience on how I developed an anxious attachment style and how it's impacted me and my relationships with others.

Source: https://simplypsychology.org/attachment.html

Healing requires energy, vulnerability, and hard work. It’s a lifelong journey and it's never linear. Whatever season you're in on your healing journey, hold on to hope. <3

I hope you have a lovely rest of your day!
Love,
MacKenzie Mae


For help NOW!
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE

For boys and men specifically: 1-800-656-4673

More resources here! https://linktr.ee/traumachatspodcast