Trauma Therapy Podcasts: Mental Health Tips and Therapist Insights
Trauma may result from a range of experiences across a person’s lifetime, from chronic neglect in childhood to sexual assault as an adult. Traumatic events may affect people in different ways, meaning that two people who survived the same event may experience different post-traumatic symptoms or even no symptoms at all. For this reason, it can sometimes be difficult for trauma survivors to connect with others and feel a sense of community.
How can a trauma podcast provide support?
Reputable podcasts about trauma, while not a substitute for professional mental health treatment, could be one way for people who have experienced trauma to feel seen, learn more about trauma’s impacts, and find out how trauma-informed treatment could help mitigate some of their symptoms.
What is trauma?
The impact of traumatic events on mental health
It lists traumatic events as including “those caused by human behavior (e.g., rape, war, industrial accidents) as well as by nature (e.g., earthquakes),” and states that such events “often challenge an individual’s view of the world as a just, safe, and predictable place.”
Not everyone who experiences trauma will develop a trauma- and stressor-related disorder like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
How trauma affects physical and mental health
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), of the 70% of people worldwide who will experience trauma in their lifetime, only 5.6% will develop post-traumatic stress disorder. However, even if a person doesn’t develop PTSD, they could still experience mental and physical health impacts as a result of their trauma. That’s why conversations around trauma and seeking treatment can be so important: because of the impact these experiences can have and because so many people will have to cope with them at some point in life.
Trauma therapy podcasts to consider exploring
Trauma fundamentally changes the brain, meaning that a person who has not experienced a traumatic event or worked with trauma survivors may not fully understand its impact. These brain changes can lead to the adoption of core negative beliefs, in which a person blames themselves or others for the traumatic event, causing a range of potential problematic impacts on their mental health and relationships.
Learn about trauma through podcasts
Trauma podcasts that educate and inform listeners about the effects of trauma through interviews with trauma survivors and trauma experts may help. Here are a few that might be worth exploring if you or a loved one has experienced trauma.
The Trauma Therapist Podcast
The Trauma Therapist Podcast is hosted by Dr. Guy Macpherson, a clinical psychologist with a background in studying the impact of trauma and effective trauma treatments. Dr. Macpherson started The Trauma Therapist Podcast with the goal of raising awareness about what trauma is and the effect it can have on people, along with creating an informational, supportive community for both trauma therapists and trauma survivors. The Trauma Therapist Podcast currently has listeners in over 160 countries.
Innovative approaches to trauma treatment
In recent years, it has specifically focused on the concept of post-traumatic growth—as opposed to post-traumatic stress, which can emphasize the negative effects of trauma and dismiss the positive changes that may result from the process of healing from traumatic experiences. Dr. Macpherson also examines the link between trauma and psychosis, especially how a childhood trauma survivor may experience brain changes that could increase their likelihood of developing psychotic symptoms later in life.
The Trauma Therapist Podcast includes interviews with thought leaders, therapists, and researchers who specialize in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), complex trauma, and vicarious trauma with innovative therapies. These techniques include things like trauma-sensitive mindfulness, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, exposure therapy, and the use of psychedelics in trauma processing.
The podcast is sponsored by renowned trauma-focused organizations like the Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) Foundation.
Recent trauma podcast episodes
Recent episodes include a deep dive on the widely misunderstood dissociative identity disorder (DID) and one on the relationship between mindfulness, addiction, and yoga.
Therapy Chat
Although the word “trauma” is not included in the name of this podcast, Therapy Chat focuses primarily on issues related to trauma and attachment concerns.
How Therapy Chat, a trauma therapist podcast, approaches trauma healing
Therapy Chat is hosted by Laura Regan, a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist who specializes in burnout prevention and is a certified Daring Way facilitator. Daring Way is an empirically based training and certification program that emphasizes building courage, resilience to shame, and the capacity to be vulnerable—all of which are foundational aspects of many forms of mental health care, especially trauma recovery.
Regan uses her knowledge and expertise to facilitate conversations between therapists on her podcast about different techniques used in trauma treatment, including self-care and self-compassion, EMDR therapy, art therapy, sensorimotor psychotherapy, somatic therapeutic methods, and embodiment techniques. Therapy Chat also examines the impact of a person’s early relationships with their caregivers on their later mental and emotional development (what is known as attachment theory) and the ways that these relationships and experiences with trauma can impact future relationships, including romantic relationships and parent-child relationships.
Therapist Uncensored
Therapist Uncensored is hosted by two therapists: Sue Marriott, a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) and certified group psychotherapist (CGP), and Dr. Ann Kelley, Ph.D. Their podcast focuses on attachment theory, relational neuroscience, and trauma—essentially, how undergoing traumatic experiences like childhood emotional neglect can change a person’s brain in ways that impact their relationships.
How community and connection support trauma recovery
Therapist Uncensored emphasizes how community and connection can help a person process trauma in a way that lowers the possibility of developing trauma- and stressor-related disorders like PTSD or acute stress disorder. The podcast teaches ways to improve and expand your community connections to help you build resilience against future stressors.
Therapist uncensored: Guidance and giving back
Therapist Uncensored offers tips and tricks to help improve thought processes, expectations of self and others, parenting, social and romantic relationships, work/life balance, and day-to-day interactions. In addition, Marriott and Kelley donate half of all podcast income from corporate sponsorships and the sale of merchandise to nonprofit organizations that connect “those traditionally left out of mainstream healthcare” with mental health services.
Finding personalized support for processing trauma
As helpful as trauma podcasts may be for trauma survivors, individualized therapeutic treatment is usually necessary to address symptoms of PTSD and other trauma-related disorders. However, for people who have experienced traumatic events and may have intrusive symptoms like flashbacks, the thought of commuting to and attending an in-person therapy appointment may seem overwhelming. Online therapy could be a viable alternative option in these scenarios.
With online therapy through a service like BetterHelp, you can get matched and then speak with a licensed therapist remotely from home or anywhere you have an internet connection. A growing body of research indicates that online therapy may be just as effective as traditional in-person therapy in treating a number of mental health conditions, including those related to traumatic experiences. For example, the findings of one study suggest that online delivery of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a top treatment for PTSD, helped to reduce PTSD symptoms at a similar rate as in-person CBT.
Takeaway
What is the most successful trauma therapy?
It depends on each person’s unique needs, but several approaches are widely recognized for their effectiveness. A trauma therapist uses evidence-based methods like EMDR, somatic experiencing, and internal family systems to help clients in their healing process. These approaches focus on reconnecting the body and mind, working through emotions.
Some trauma experts and passionate mental health therapists also use trauma-sensitive mindfulness to guide people through difficult feelings with compassion and awareness. You can even explore these practices through a trauma-sensitive mindfulness podcast or by following thought leaders in the trauma field, like Guy Macpherson, who regularly interviews professionals about healing trauma and strengthening the human spirit.
These therapies aim to help individuals understand trauma, reduce fear, and regain a sense of control and hope in their lives.
Why is trauma therapy so hard?
Trauma therapy can be hard because it often involves revisiting painful stories and emotions. Trauma therapists help guide this process, but it can take time and emotional effort to work through what happened.
Experts like Guy Crawford Macpherson talk about this in interviews, explaining how deep healing can challenge both the mind and body. It’s not always easy to talk about trauma, and progress can feel slow.
Tools like mindfulness can help manage strong feelings during sessions. When you listen to therapists share insights, it becomes clear this is important work—done not only by professionals but also by colleagues supporting one another as they help people recover.
What is the gold standard for trauma treatment?
The gold standard for trauma treatment often includes EMDR and trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy. A trauma therapist also uses mindfulness to help people manage emotions during sessions.
Experts like Guy Crawford Macpherson and David Treleaven talk about this in interviews, sharing how these methods help with abuse, addiction, and emotional suffering.
Listening to a trauma therapist in podcasts can give helpful advice and real stories from those in the field. Therapists like Laura Reagan, LCSW-C, often highlight how mindfulness supports healing in everyday practice. When you listen to those with experience, you learn what really helps people move forward.
How do we release trauma from the body?
Releasing trauma from the body often involves working with a qualified trauma therapist who understands how trauma affects both the mind and body. Many passionate mental health therapists and trauma experts recommend approaches like somatic experiencing, yoga, and mindfulness to help process stored emotions and begin healing trauma on a deeper level.
Therapies like internal family systems can also support clients in reconnecting with parts of themselves that were affected by trauma. In the trauma field, professionals like Guy Macpherson have shared insights from guest interviews with thought leaders who focus on the human spirit, body-based healing, and resilience.
Listening to a trauma therapy podcast, including those that interview thought leaders, can also provide education and support. These tools help people better understand what’s happening in their bodies and create space to process and move forward in their lives.
How long should I be in therapy for trauma?
Some clients may work with a trauma therapist for a few months, while others may need more time. Passionate mental health therapists know that healing looks different for everyone.
In the trauma field, experts like Guy Macpherson share in interviews and trauma therapy podcasts that there’s no set timeline. His interviews highlight how trauma affects the human spirit and how healing takes patience.
Tools like mindfulness, yoga, and regular practice can support your healing. Listening to Guy Crawford Macpherson and other thought leaders who interview guests can help you understand what’s happening during recovery and stay hopeful for the future.
Does PTSD ever go away?
PTSD can get better with help from a trauma therapist and regular practice of management strategies and other healing tools. For some, symptoms may go away over time. For others, they become easier to manage. With the right support and practice, people can feel better and move forward.
What is the most effective way to heal trauma?
Healing trauma often starts with a trauma therapist who helps guide the process. It takes time, practice, and sharing your stories in a safe space. Experts like Guy Crawford Macpherson and Laura Reagan, LCSW-C, give helpful advice in interviews. They talk about how trauma connects to things like addiction and emotional pain. When you listen to these interviews, you learn what works. With support, many people find ways to heal and move forward.
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