Three Percent What is Trauma? With Rachel Clinton Chen
Aug 18, 2025
Rachel Clinton Chen, a therapist and trauma practitioner, dives deep into the realities of trauma and healing. She discusses how trauma isn’t just about the events we endure but also the weight we carry alone. Rachel unpacks the high cost of integrity in spiritually abusive environments and emphasizes that grief can be the starting point for hope. She urges listeners to acknowledge their truth and understand the body as both a vessel of pain and a site for redemption. Her insights blend honesty and compassion, making the conversation a powerful call to embrace vulnerability.
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From Theology To Story Work
- Rachel recounts studying theology then shifting toward psychology after finding intellectual knowledge didn't translate into healing for youth she served.
- Her own failed practicum revealed personal trauma and sparked integration of story and therapy.
Trauma Is The Unmetabolized Residue
- Trauma is not primarily the event but the residue left when harm isn't metabolized with an empathetic witness.
- Trauma embeds in the nervous system, psychology, and spirit, producing fragmentation across body and meaning-making.
Get An Empathetic Witness
- When harm is witnessed and interpreted by supportive others it often does not calcify into lifelong trauma.
- Seek contexts and people who help you name and metabolize painful events rather than minimize them.
