TraumaTies

In this episode of TraumaTies, Bridgette and Lindsey are delighted to be joined by Denise Huskins Quinn, whose journey as a survivor has led her to become a leading advocate for crime victims’ rights. She speaks with us about how traditional training for law enforcement fails survivors, how she and her husband found hope in healing, and why she continues to advocate for policy change to further support survivors.

• Healing starts with investment: it requires time, dedication, and acknowledgement that it ebbs and flows.
• How systems respond greatly influence the healing journey: skepticism deepens trauma, while belief and trust allow a survivor to share their story openly.
• Traditional law enforcement training often fails to recognize that all survivors react differently to trauma; there is no standard response.
• Resilience does not mean “moving on”, rather understanding that people always have the capacity to hope through their trauma.
• Our ability to love and create community is key to overcoming hate when surrounded by negativity, disbelief, and hurtful actions.

• Mona Mittal, forthcoming research on how trauma-informed practices influence outcomes through pro bono attorney work.
• Science-Based Interviewing (SBI) method
• The Reid Technique of Investigative Interviewing and Advanced Interrogation Techniques

☑️ Bridgette Stumpf | LinkedIn

☑️ Lindsey Silverberg | LinkedIn

☑️ Volare | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

☑️ TraumaTies Website | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube

☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Brought to you by Volare, TraumaTies: Untangling Societal Harm & Healing After Crime is a podcast that creates space and conversations to dissect the structural and systemic knots that keep us from addressing trauma.

Rooted in a belief that survivors of crime deserve respect for their dignity in the aftermath of victimization, Volare seeks to empower survivors by informing them of all of the options available and working to transform existing response systems to be more inclusive of the diverse needs that survivors often have after crime.

Volare also provides free, holistic, and comprehensive advocacy, therapeutic, and legal services to survivors of all crime types. Visit our website to learn more about how to access our trauma-informed education training and how to partner with us to expand survivor-defined justice.

Do you give your pets their own voice and personality? Announce their thoughts like they could talk? Or maybe you use the signature baby voice for them? We don’t judge! Bridgette and Lindsey discuss how our pets can act as conduits for our own subconscious thoughts and feelings. Don’t worry, you’re not alone, and as we discuss, it can be an emotional outlet.

• We see pets as part of our internal family structures, making us more likely to want to create personalities for them by anthropomorphizing them.
• This externalization can help us with our own indirect emotional expression.
• Animal anthropomorphization can be linked to similar outlets as play, which are proven to aid in expressing vulnerability, comfort, silliness, and more.
• Pets can also allow people to feel a sense of belonging and understanding when they may feel isolated or unable to express themselves directly.
• Our pets can become extensions of ourselves, and their “voices” allow us to feel bonded to our nonhuman counterparts.

• Nicholas Epley, “On seeing human: a three-factor theory of anthropomorphism”, Psychological Review, October 2007, 864-868.
• Brené Brown, Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead, New York: Gotham Books, 2017.

☑️ Bridgette Stumpf | LinkedIn

☑️ Lindsey Silverberg | LinkedIn

☑️ Volare | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

☑️ TraumaTies Website | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube

☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Brought to you by Volare, TraumaTies: Untangling Societal Harm & Healing After Crime is a podcast that creates space and conversations to dissect the structural and systemic knots that keep us from addressing trauma.

Rooted in a belief that survivors of crime deserve respect for their dignity in the aftermath of victimization, Volare seeks to empower survivors by informing them of all of the options available and working to transform existing response systems to be more inclusive of the diverse needs that survivors often have after crime.

Volare also provides free, holistic, and comprehensive advocacy, therapeutic, and legal services to survivors of all crime types. Visit our website to learn more about how to access our trauma-informed education training and how to partner with us to expand survivor-defined justice.

This week, Bridgette and Lindsey ask: why does our society find it hard to trust and believe survivors? What do we misunderstand about “credibility?” Finally, how can we show survivors that we do support them? We’re breaking down popular media, legal history, and more all contribute to our society’s aversion to believing survivors.

• Memory recall after trauma is often tangled and difficult to remember chronologically.
• Differences in recall and reactions to remembering trauma widely vary.
• In the United States, our legal history surrounding crime, especially sexual assault, has conditioned us to be skeptical of survivors’ stories.
• Education on trauma recall and memory are essential to debunk common beliefs on credibility.
• Believing survivors critically impacts every aspect of their healing journey.

• The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, MD
• Dr. Rebecca Campbell’s research on the neurobiology of trauma
• Saleem Reshamwala, “Peanut Butter, Jelly and Racism”, New York Times, 16 December 2016.

☑️ Bridgette Stumpf | LinkedIn

☑️ Lindsey Silverberg | LinkedIn

☑️ Volare | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

☑️ TraumaTies Website | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube

☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Brought to you by Volare, TraumaTies: Untangling Societal Harm & Healing After Crime is a podcast that creates space and conversations to dissect the structural and systemic knots that keep us from addressing trauma.

Rooted in a belief that survivors of crime deserve respect for their dignity in the aftermath of victimization, Volare seeks to empower survivors by informing them of all of the options available and working to transform existing response systems to be more inclusive of the diverse needs that survivors often have after crime.

Volare also provides free, holistic, and comprehensive advocacy, therapeutic, and legal services to survivors of all crime types. Visit our website to learn more about how to access our trauma-informed education training and how to partner with us to expand survivor-defined justice.

In this episode of TraumaTies, Bridgette and Lindsey are joined by Dr. Jaquel Patterson, a nationally recognized doctor of naturopathic medicine who has taught thousands of doctors in integrative medicine. They discuss the connection between trauma and physical health, why treating symptoms alone often isn't enough, how Dr. Patterson helps patients uncover the root causes of illness, and why she believes physicians should serve as educators and partners in the healing process.

• Naturopathic medicine works to address the root causes of illness or infection
• Many diagnoses are interconnected and can therefore be treated in conjunction
• It is important for medical providers to educate patients and work with them in their care
• Environmental, mental, and behavioral factors can also contribute to healing
• Finding joy and hope in the healing journey provides a grounding force in care spaces

• No mentions this week, but consider reading one of Dr. Patterson’s books!

☑️ Bridgette Stumpf | LinkedIn

☑️ Lindsey Silverberg | LinkedIn

☑️ Volare | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

☑️ TraumaTies Website | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube

☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Brought to you by Volare, TraumaTies: Untangling Societal Harm & Healing After Crime is a podcast that creates space and conversations to dissect the structural and systemic knots that keep us from addressing trauma.

Rooted in a belief that survivors of crime deserve respect for their dignity in the aftermath of victimization, Volare seeks to empower survivors by informing them of all of the options available and working to transform existing response systems to be more inclusive of the diverse needs that survivors often have after crime.

Volare also provides free, holistic, and comprehensive advocacy, therapeutic, and legal services to survivors of all crime types. Visit our website to learn more about how to access our trauma-informed education training and how to partner with us to expand survivor-defined justice.

This week on TraumaTies, Bridgette Stumpf and Lindsey Silverberg discuss categorization, bias, and how we respond to people and conversations that challenge our perspective. How do our implicit biases shape our relationships? Where does implicit bias or categorization influence government, policy, and history? And how does this all tie back to Zootopia? Bridgette and Lindsey explore these questions and more.

• We can feel deep discomfort in sharing our perspective if the environment feels hostile.
• Bias and categorization can create an “us versus them” mentality.
• These biases ripple from the interpersonal level to system-wide policies and laws.
• It is important to commit to learning and unlearning from others despite discomfort.
• Movies like Zootopia provide audiences with poignant lessons on consent, unlearning bias, and creating healthy relationships.

• Anthony Greenwald and Mahzarin Banaji, “Implicit social cognition: attitudes, self-esteem, and stereotypes”, Psychological Review 1995 Jan;102(1):4-27.

☑️ Bridgette Stumpf | LinkedIn

☑️ Lindsey Silverberg | LinkedIn

☑️ Volare | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

☑️ TraumaTies Website | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube

☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Brought to you by Volare, TraumaTies: Untangling Societal Harm & Healing After Crime is a podcast that creates space and conversations to dissect the structural and systemic knots that keep us from addressing trauma.

Rooted in a belief that survivors of crime deserve respect for their dignity in the aftermath of victimization, Volare seeks to empower survivors by informing them of all of the options available and working to transform existing response systems to be more inclusive of the diverse needs that survivors often have after crime.

Volare also provides free, holistic, and comprehensive advocacy, therapeutic, and legal services to survivors of all crime types. Visit our website to learn more about how to access our trauma-informed education training and how to partner with us to expand survivor-defined justice.

In this episode of TraumaTies, Bridgette Stumpf and Lindsey Silverberg explore how behavior is shaped by environment, experience, and survival. Through famous studies on addiction, learned helplessness, and hope, they challenge the idea that behaviors like avoidance, substance use, or shutting down are signs of weakness. Instead, they ask a different question: What purpose did this behavior once serve?

• Many behaviors make sense when viewed through the lens of survival.
• Addiction is often connected to isolation, suffering, and unmet needs.
• Change happens when people experience safety, connection, and agency.
• Hope is more than a feeling—it can be cultivated through relationships and action.
• Sometimes the most powerful form of support is simply showing up.

• Dr. Gabor Maté and The Myth of Normal
• Bruce Alexander’s Rat Park research
• Research on learned helplessness and agency
• Hope science and hope mapping

☑️ Bridgette Stumpf | LinkedIn

☑️ Lindsey Silverberg | LinkedIn

☑️ Volare | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

☑️ TraumaTies Website | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube

☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Brought to you by Volare, TraumaTies: Untangling Societal Harm & Healing After Crime is a podcast that creates space and conversations to dissect the structural and systemic knots that keep us from addressing trauma.

Rooted in a belief that survivors of crime deserve respect for their dignity in the aftermath of victimization, Volare seeks to empower survivors by informing them of all of the options available and working to transform existing response systems to be more inclusive of the diverse needs that survivors often have after crime.

Volare also provides free, holistic, and comprehensive advocacy, therapeutic, and legal services to survivors of all crime types. Visit our website to learn more about how to access our trauma-informed education training and how to partner with us to expand survivor-defined justice.

In this episode of TraumaTies, Bridgette, Lindsey, and Dr. Stacy Phillips discuss childhood trauma, polyvictimization, how we can shift the conversation from blame to understanding and invite us all to go beyond being trauma-informed to trauma-sensitive. Dr. Phillips is the founder and CEO of IMPACT (Intervening Mitigating Preventing Adolescent and Childhood Trauma), an organization working within schools to understand and implement trauma-informed, hope centered practices. She has also worked on national initiatives to expand support and resources for survivors.

• Trauma is often cumulative, not isolated.
• Understanding brain science helps us respond with empathy instead of judgment.
• Trauma-responsive systems go beyond awareness to actively support healing.
• Hope is not a feeling—it is a skill that can be taught and strengthened.
• Creating pathways to hope may be one of the most effective ways to promote well-being and recovery.

• Dr. Bruce Perry and The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog
• Dr. Chan Hellman and the Hope Research Center
• Hope Science (Goals, Pathways, and Agency)
• Research on polyvictimization and trauma-responsive systems

☑️ Bridgette Stumpf | LinkedIn

☑️ Lindsey Silverberg | LinkedIn

☑️ Volare | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

☑️ TraumaTies Website | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube

☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Brought to you by Volare, TraumaTies: Untangling Societal Harm & Healing After Crime is a podcast that creates space and conversations to dissect the structural and systemic knots that keep us from addressing trauma.

Rooted in a belief that survivors of crime deserve respect for their dignity in the aftermath of victimization, Volare seeks to empower survivors by informing them of all of the options available and working to transform existing response systems to be more inclusive of the diverse needs that survivors often have after crime.

Volare also provides free, holistic, and comprehensive advocacy, therapeutic, and legal services to survivors of all crime types. Visit our website to learn more about how to access our trauma-informed education training and how to partner with us to expand survivor-defined justice.

In this episode of TraumaTies, Bridgette Stumpf and Lindsey Silverberg explore how healing is shaped not only by what happens inside of us, but also by the environments around us. From neuroscience and trauma research to forest bathing and the hidden communication systems of trees, they unpack how nature, community, and physical spaces impact nervous system regulation and recovery.

The hosts discuss how healing is often framed as an individual responsibility, while research shows our surroundings play a major role in stress, regulation, and recovery.

Bridgette and Lindsey explore studies showing that exposure to nature can reduce stress, improve recovery, and help regulate the nervous system—including research on forest bathing, birdsong, and green spaces.

The conversation connects trauma and hypervigilance to environments that constantly demand attention, while nature allows the brain and body to recover more effectively.

Inspired by The Hidden Life of Trees, Bridgette shares how trees support one another through underground root systems—offering a powerful metaphor for collective care, connection, and healing.

• Healing is influenced by both internal and external conditions.
• Nature can help regulate the nervous system and reduce stress.
• Trauma recovery is supported through safety, connection, and restorative environments.
• Community care exists throughout nature—and humans need it too.

• The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben
• Attention Restoration Theory
• Research on green space, trauma recovery, and nervous system regulation

☑️ Bridgette Stumpf | LinkedIn

☑️ Lindsey Silverberg | LinkedIn

☑️ Volare | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

☑️ TraumaTies Website | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube

☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Brought to you by Volare, TraumaTies: Untangling Societal Harm & Healing After Crime is a podcast that creates space and conversations to dissect the structural and systemic knots that keep us from addressing trauma.

Rooted in a belief that survivors of crime deserve respect for their dignity in the aftermath of victimization, Volare seeks to empower survivors by informing them of all of the options available and working to transform existing response systems to be more inclusive of the diverse needs that survivors often have after crime.

Volare also provides free, holistic, and comprehensive advocacy, therapeutic, and legal services to survivors of all crime types. Visit our website to learn more about how to access our trauma-informed education training and how to partner with us to expand survivor-defined justice.

In this episode of TraumaTies, Bridgette Stumpf and Lindsey Silverberg continue their conversation about support, resilience, and the neuroscience of healing. Through research, personal stories, and reflections on trauma and grief, they explore how connection can fundamentally change the way we experience suffering—not by removing the weight, but by helping us carry it.

The hosts discuss research showing that support doesn’t just feel comforting—it actually changes our brain’s perception of what we can handle. Even symbolic support can make challenges feel lighter and more manageable.

Bridgette and Lindsey unpack how hyper-independence can develop as a survival response when support was inconsistent, unavailable, or unsafe earlier in life. They explore how trauma, parentification, and adverse childhood experiences can shape the way people relate to help and connection as adults.

The conversation turns practical as they share examples of meaningful support during grief, trauma, and crisis:

• Physically showing up
• Acknowledging the hard thing directly
• Offering practical help without waiting to be asked
• Continuing support long after the initial crisis passes

• Support changes how heavy hardship feels to the brain and body.
• Independence can sometimes be a survival strategy rather than a personality trait.
• People often don’t need solutions—they need presence, consistency, and connection.
• Healing becomes more possible when we don’t have to carry difficult things alone.

“Support doesn’t always fix the problem—but sometimes it shifts how heavy the problem feels.”

☑️ Bridgette Stumpf | LinkedIn

☑️ Lindsey Silverberg | LinkedIn

☑️ Volare | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

☑️ TraumaTies Website | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube

☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Brought to you by Volare, TraumaTies: Untangling Societal Harm & Healing After Crime is a podcast that creates space and conversations to dissect the structural and systemic knots that keep us from addressing trauma.

Rooted in a belief that survivors of crime deserve respect for their dignity in the aftermath of victimization, Volare seeks to empower survivors by informing them of all of the options available and working to transform existing response systems to be more inclusive of the diverse needs that survivors often have after crime.

Volare also provides free, holistic, and comprehensive advocacy, therapeutic, and legal services to survivors of all crime types. Visit our website to learn more about how to access our trauma-informed education training and how to partner with us to expand survivor-defined justice.

Welcome back to TraumaTies and the beginning of a new season. This chapter of the podcast expands beyond trauma awareness into deeper conversations about neuroscience, resilience, relationships, nervous system regulation, and the ways healing shows up in everyday life.

In this season premiere, Bridgette Stumpf and Lindsey Silverberg explore a powerful question: Why do hard things feel even harder when we carry them alone? Inspired by research showing that people literally perceive a hill as less steep when standing beside a trusted friend, they unpack how support changes not only our emotional experience, but our brain’s perception of stress and difficulty.

Through personal stories, reflections on grief and trust, and insights from trauma-responsive work, Bridgette and Lindsey examine the difference between simply having people around and truly feeling supported. They also discuss how trauma can disrupt a person’s sense of safety, making even manageable challenges feel overwhelming without connection and regulation.

This episode sets the tone for a season focused on untangling the science and lived experience of trauma while exploring practical ways we can build resilience, safety, and support in our lives.

☑️ Bridgette Stumpf | LinkedIn

☑️ Lindsey Silverberg | LinkedIn

☑️ Volare | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

☑️ TraumaTies Website | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube

☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Brought to you by Volare, TraumaTies: Untangling Societal Harm & Healing After Crime is a podcast that creates space and conversations to dissect the structural and systemic knots that keep us from addressing trauma.

Rooted in a belief that survivors of crime deserve respect for their dignity in the aftermath of victimization, Volare seeks to empower survivors by informing them of all of the options available and working to transform existing response systems to be more inclusive of the diverse needs that survivors often have after crime.

Volare also provides free, holistic, and comprehensive advocacy, therapeutic, and legal services to survivors of all crime types. Visit our website to learn more about how to access our trauma-informed education training and how to partner with us to expand survivor-defined justice.