Sex Birth Trauma with Kimberly Ann Johnson EP 233: A Creative and Curious Life after Childhood Trauma with Jamie Mustard, author of Child X
Trauma As Biological Injury
- Jamie frames trauma as a biological injury to the sympathetic nervous system rather than a moral or character flaw.
- He argues this reframe reduces stigma and explains persistent physical symptoms like hypervigilance and anxiety.
Try Sympathetic Reset For Severe Reactivity
- Try a dual sympathetic reset (SGB) when severe sympathetic symptoms overwhelm daily life and safety is a concern.
- Jamie reports rapid reduction of violent physical reactions so cognition and therapy become usable again.
Start Tiny, Repeat Daily
- Start tiny and repeat daily when rebuilding after trauma: small habitual steps compound into recovery.
- Forgive setbacks and focus on incremental progress over months and years.
On this episode, Kimberly and, author, artist, and researcher, Jamie Mustard dive deep into Jamie's childhood in Scientology and his healing and research quest to understand his complex childhood PTSI (Post-Traumatic Stress Injury). This conversation moves between Mustard's autobiographical story, which features heavily in his upcoming novel Child X and graphic novel Hybred, in addition to his previous research into trauma that stemmed from a transformative experience with Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) treatment. After benefitting so deeply from the treatment, Jamie spent years researching The Invisible Machine, the book he co-wrote with Dr. Eugen Lipov, the doctor who developed the treatment, and which features input from many leaders across the trauma field. Jamie emphasizes the importance of addressing trauma as a biological injury rather than a disorder. He goes into detail about his work across victims of trauma from soldiers to sexual assault survivors to former gang members who all benefited from SGB treatment that resets the sympathetic nervous system, significantly reducing trauma symptoms. Jamie also discusses the role of brain health in trauma recovery and the potential of alternative therapies like ketamine and psilocybin. In the second half of the conversation, Jamie details his harrowing experiences as a baby in Scientology's notorious Sea Org's, and the effects of severe neglect, medical issues, and emotional abuse on his adulthood. Jamie highlights the systemic destruction of empathy and the mind-body connection within Scientology. He emphasizes the importance of his book in raising awareness about the lost children of Scientology, as well as the intersection of race and his family's history, framing his story as a quest for humanism and resilience. You can best support Jamie's work by pre-ordering the Child X and Hybred at the links below!
Bio
Jamie Mustard was born into one of the most influential fringe movements in the 1970s: Scientology. Raised on a mythos of spaceships and made to believe that it was his life's purpose to help save the world, he was determined to survive — not only unsurvivable neglect but also the impossible physical and psychological gauntlet of extreme poverty and illiteracy. Child X (BenBella Books) is a dark existential journey into a deepest hole of human existence and the road back. The unbelievable story of a lost generation of children, Child X takes readers through Mustard's childhood and adolescence in "the movement," his daring escape, and his rise into self-possession. With wit and vulnerability, Mustard sheds light on one of the untold, but not uncommon, accounts of a powerful Black family that rose from the ashes of slavery to prominence and wealth, and how the counterculture of the 1960s and 70s caused that rise to crumble. This deeply personal true story gives a child's-eye view of one of the most notorious American religious movements in history. Despite his family's success, Jamie would be born a slave and then reborn an artist. Through extraordinary encounters with celebrity, icons, and historical figures, it also powerfully places Black American history in the larger context of world events. A universal story of resilience in the face of overwhelming odds, Child X celebrates yet transcends race — and is ultimately an uplifting, impossible-to-believe story of rising out of adversity and building a life full of meaning and connection. With this book, Mustard continues working to restore his family's legacy and provides a salient saga of the road to humanity and self-possession.
What You'll Hear:
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Why Jamie hesitates to call himself a survivor
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Why Jamie doesn't refer to Scientology as a cult
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How an artist and art director dove headlong into trauma research
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The ins and outs of Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) treatment for PTSD/PTSI
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Jamie's extensive research on PTSD/PTSI treatment modalities
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Jamie's encounters with Stephen Porges, Gabor Maté, Peter Lavine, and Daniel Amen, and military psychologists on Fort Bragg.
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How Scientology's Mission translates to severe childhood neglect
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The consequences of Medical neglect for infants
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The justifications savior-complex-driven parents use to emotionally separate from their child
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The way that Scientology's ideology treats feelings and ailments
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The impact of hiding health issues
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The power of self-blame
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How Child X focuses more on the emotional effects than the sensationalist events
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What are the retaliation tactics of Scientology for speaking out?
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Jamie's African-American family history including the Tuskegee Airmen and generations of doctors
Links
Website: iconist.ltd
IG: @jamie_mustard (Jamie encourages you to direct any questions to him over DM)
Pre-Order Child X here
Pre-Order Hybred here