482: Embodiment + Disembodiment with Dr. Hillary McBride

4 snips

May 12, 2025

In this engaging discussion, Dr. Hillary McBride, a clinician and author known for her work on embodiment and trauma, delves into profound topics. She explores the ethics of sharing personal stories in therapy, emphasizing informed consent. Hillary addresses the nuances of spiritual abuse and trauma, connecting them to cultural contexts. They also examine the transformative impact of the COVID pandemic on mental health. Listeners will find insights on the importance of community in healing and the evolving nature of therapy as a journey of personal growth.

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INSIGHT

Ethics of Sharing Trauma Stories

Authentic consent in sharing trauma stories requires thorough discussion of risks and benefits.
Processing and revisiting consent over time respects survivors' changing feelings about sharing their story.

INSIGHT

Embodiment Beyond Trauma

Embodiment research focuses on women's experiences through life stages disrupting cultural body narratives.
The body holds agency, power, and mental health implications beyond mere trauma storage.

ANECDOTE

Somatic Therapy's Joyful Surprise

Laura Reagan shared a personal experience of feeling sudden body pleasure during somatic therapy training.
This joy revealed the body's integrative capacity beyond just pain or trauma release.

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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.

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