System Speak: Complex Trauma and Dissociative Disorders Guest: Dr. Chuck Benincasa (Part 1 of 3)
Sep 1, 2025
Dr. Chuck Benincasa, a psychologist specializing in complex trauma and culturally responsive practices, shares his insights on liberation frameworks in trauma care. He emphasizes the importance of dignity-based approaches and how true safety involves interconnection rather than merely the absence of danger. Their discussion explores the role of shame as an evolutionary protector and the need to reclaim children's adaptive behaviors. Additionally, Dr. Chuck critiques standard therapy dynamics that can unintentionally replicate trauma, advocating for community-oriented healing.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Safety Is Relational, Not Absence Of Danger
- Safety is not merely the absence of danger but the presence of nurture, connection, and interdependence.
- Dr. Chuck Benincasa reframes safety as relational and emergent, not a static destination.
Civilization Emerged From Mutual Care
- Early civilization is evidenced by healed injuries, showing safety arises from communal care.
- Benincasa uses a broken femur example to illustrate safety as surviving harm through others' help.
Shame Protects Belonging, Not Truth
- Shame functions to protect against banishment by inhibiting behaviors that threaten belonging.
- Benincasa contrasts shame with guilt and links shame to evolutionary survival needs.
