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You Can Be Okay: Medical Trauma, Avoidance, and the Path Forward with Dr. Jim Jackson
Medical trauma is real. Millions of people are living with it. And most of them don't even have a name for it yet.
In this episode, Sarah sits down with Dr. Jim Jackson, neuropsychologist at Vanderbilt University and author of Reclaiming Your Life from Medical Trauma, for a deeply human conversation about what medical trauma actually looks like, why avoidance is so much more dangerous than we realize, and why you don't have to be symptom-free to live a meaningful life.
Dr. Jackson has spent over 25 years working with ICU survivors, long COVID patients, and people navigating the aftermath of life-altering medical experiences. He brings both clinical expertise and his own lived experience with OCD to a conversation that is honest, warm, and genuinely hopeful.
In this episode, you'll hear:
- Why medical trauma is "hiding in plain sight" and what it costs people to not have a name for it
- How avoidance quietly shrinks your world (and what actually helps you move through it)
- What acceptance and commitment therapy offers people who can't imagine returning to medical care
- The "beach ball in the pool" approach to distressing symptoms
- Why shame keeps people stuck, and how to begin gently moving out of it
- Jim's own story of being diagnosed with OCD and what it taught him about healing without a cure
- Why post-traumatic growth isn't about gratitude, it's about finding a new opportunity
Resources mentioned:
- Reclaiming Your Life from Medical Trauma by Dr. Jim Jackson (available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and wherever books are sold, including an audio version)
- ICU Recovery Center at Vanderbilt University
- Critical Illness Brain Dysfunction and Survivorship Center at Vanderbilt
- Medical Trauma Support Circle: https://your-bc-befriend.mn.co/landing/
- medicaltraumasupport.org
The Medical Trauma Support Podcast is a human-centered, nervous-system-informed space for anyone whose relationship with their body, safety, and trust has been shaped by medical experiences. Because your experience deserves recognition.
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By Sarah StasicaMedical trauma is real. Millions of people are living with it. And most of them don't even have a name for it yet.
In this episode, Sarah sits down with Dr. Jim Jackson, neuropsychologist at Vanderbilt University and author of Reclaiming Your Life from Medical Trauma, for a deeply human conversation about what medical trauma actually looks like, why avoidance is so much more dangerous than we realize, and why you don't have to be symptom-free to live a meaningful life.
Dr. Jackson has spent over 25 years working with ICU survivors, long COVID patients, and people navigating the aftermath of life-altering medical experiences. He brings both clinical expertise and his own lived experience with OCD to a conversation that is honest, warm, and genuinely hopeful.
In this episode, you'll hear:
- Why medical trauma is "hiding in plain sight" and what it costs people to not have a name for it
- How avoidance quietly shrinks your world (and what actually helps you move through it)
- What acceptance and commitment therapy offers people who can't imagine returning to medical care
- The "beach ball in the pool" approach to distressing symptoms
- Why shame keeps people stuck, and how to begin gently moving out of it
- Jim's own story of being diagnosed with OCD and what it taught him about healing without a cure
- Why post-traumatic growth isn't about gratitude, it's about finding a new opportunity
Resources mentioned:
- Reclaiming Your Life from Medical Trauma by Dr. Jim Jackson (available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and wherever books are sold, including an audio version)
- ICU Recovery Center at Vanderbilt University
- Critical Illness Brain Dysfunction and Survivorship Center at Vanderbilt
- Medical Trauma Support Circle: https://your-bc-befriend.mn.co/landing/
- medicaltraumasupport.org
The Medical Trauma Support Podcast is a human-centered, nervous-system-informed space for anyone whose relationship with their body, safety, and trust has been shaped by medical experiences. Because your experience deserves recognition.