The Trauma Therapist

Paola DiFlorio, an Oscar and Emmy-nominated filmmaker and co-founder of Counterpoint Films, dives into her unique journey from news to authentic storytelling. She reveals how the documentary on Master Lee transformed into a deeper exploration of his hidden trauma, shaped by his childhood during China’s Cultural Revolution. Paola emphasizes the importance of trust in filmmaking, allowing for profound revelations and healing. Additionally, she shares insights into her upcoming projects, including a film on the Diamond Approach.

MJ Renshaw is a breathwork facilitator, founder of The Being Method, and author of How to Cry. She shares her journey through childhood trauma and how literature and horses became her refuge. MJ discusses the transformative power of somatic breathwork and its ability to help release grief and emotions. She emphasizes choosing to feel both love and pain for true healing. MJ also highlights the scientific connections between emotional suppression and illness, aiming to normalize emotional expression and promote resilience.

Richard Taite, founder of Carrara Treatment Wellness & Spa and host of the We’re Out of Time podcast, shares his powerful journey through addiction and recovery. He recounts his traumatic upbringing and early substance use experiences. Richard discusses hitting rock bottom, the humbling moment he sought help, and the motivation behind his commitment to aid others in reclaiming their lives. He emphasizes the importance of compassion in treatment and shares how his own recovery informs the supportive environments he creates for clients.

Mark Astor, co-founder of Astor Simovitch Law, brings over 30 years of legal expertise to the conversation. He shares his journey into law driven by a passion for helping families facing crises related to substance use and mental health. Mark discusses the vital role of legal tools in involuntary treatment and emphasizes the importance of clinical collaboration. He addresses the risks of state commitments and advocates for family-led alternatives. With a focus on empowerment, Mark illustrates how compassionate legal advocacy can transform lives.

Harpreet Sangha is a survivor of extreme autonomic and neurological trauma, including post-symapthectomy baroreflex failure and multiple head injuries. Against medical odds, he's lived without traditional medication support, relying instead on conscious cortical regulation, resilience and self-guided recovery strategies. Harpreet now shares his experience to help others facing trauma, offering real-world insights from both the physical and psychological edge. His focus is on honesty, survival and showing that even in extreme cases, there's a way forward.In This EpisodeHarpreet’s websiteHarpreet’s bookBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-trauma-therapist--5739761/support.You can learn more about what I do here:The Trauma Therapist Newsletter: celebrates the people and voices in the mental health profession. And it's free! Check it out here: https://bit.ly/4jGBeSa———If you’d like to support The Trauma Therapist Podcast and the work I do you can do that here with a monthly donation of $5, $7, or $10: Donate to The Trauma Therapist Podcast.Click here to join my email list and receive podcast updates and other news.Thank you to our Sponsors:Incogni - Use code [traumatherapist] and get 60% off annual plans: https://incogni.com/traumatherapistJane App - use code GUY1MO at https://jane.app/book_a_demoJourney Clinical - visit https://join.journeyclinical/trauma for 1 month off your membershipTherapy Wisdom - https://therapywisdom.com/jan/

Lisa is a retired Army veteran who served 21.5 years in the Military Police Corps, with deployments in peacekeeping missions and in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Lisa is the author of In and Out of Uniform, a memoir published in 2019 that shares the highs and lows of her military career, including experiences with MST, assault, suicide, mTBI, and the resilience that carried her through. She spoke out to break the silence many still carry, knowing the toll unspoken trauma can take. Lisa also runs a small paint party business, “Create With Lisee,” and is passionate about becoming a guest speaker to advocate for those who feel they can’t speak for themselves.In This EpisodeIn and Out of UniformLisa’s websiteBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-trauma-therapist--5739761/support.You can learn more about what I do here:The Trauma Therapist Newsletter: celebrates the people and voices in the mental health profession. And it's free! Check it out here: https://bit.ly/4jGBeSa———If you’d like to support The Trauma Therapist Podcast and the work I do you can do that here with a monthly donation of $5, $7, or $10: Donate to The Trauma Therapist Podcast.Click here to join my email list and receive podcast updates and other news.Thank you to our Sponsors:Incogni - Use code [traumatherapist] and get 60% off annual plans: https://incogni.com/traumatherapistJane App - use code GUY1MO at https://jane.app/book_a_demoJourney Clinical - visit https://join.journeyclinical/trauma for 1 month off your membershipTherapy Wisdom - https://therapywisdom.com/jan/

Michael is the CEO and Co-Founder The Stella Center whose mission is to advance the understanding, destigmatization, and treatment of post-traumatic stress and other emotional trauma, grounded in science, rooted in compassion, and relentlessly committed to a world where no person needlessly suffers. Stella Center is disrupting the mental and emotional health industry by advancing breakthrough modalities that dramatically reduce symptoms of PTSD and other emotional trauma related symptoms.In This EpisodeStella Mental HealthSocials: FB: https://www.facebook.com/StellaMentalHealthIG: https://www.instagram.com/stellamentalhealthTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@stellamentalhealthhqBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-trauma-therapist--5739761/support.You can learn more about what I do here:The Trauma Therapist Newsletter: celebrates the people and voices in the mental health profession. And it's free! Check it out here: https://bit.ly/4jGBeSa———If you’d like to support The Trauma Therapist Podcast and the work I do you can do that here with a monthly donation of $5, $7, or $10: Donate to The Trauma Therapist Podcast.Click here to join my email list and receive podcast updates and other news.Thank you to our Sponsors:Incogni - Use code [traumatherapist] and get 60% off annual plans: https://incogni.com/traumatherapistJane App - use code GUY1MO at https://jane.app/book_a_demoJourney Clinical - visit https://join.journeyclinical/trauma for 1 month off your membershipTherapy Wisdom - https://therapywisdom.com/jan/

Dane Johnson is the Founder/CEO of Crohn's Colitis Lifestyle and a Holistic Nutritionist specializing in reversing Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Dane’s story ignited through a life-threatening case of  Crohn’s/Colitis which nearly took his life in December 2014. Since committing his life to natural healing he has remained surgery and medication-free while eliminating Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) symptoms. To date, Dane and his passionate team of specialists and coaches have created 500+ success stories for reversing IBD symptoms using his signature S.H.I.E.L.D. Program. Today we’re going to talk about: The Role of Trauma in AutoimmunityHow Trauma Impacts Digestive Disease In This EpisodeDane’s website danejohnson1FacebookYoutubeLinkedInIncogni - Take back your personal data with Incogni. Use code [traumatherapist] at the link below and get 60% off annual plans: https://incogni.com/traumatherapistBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-trauma-therapist--5739761/support.You can learn more about what I do here:The Trauma Therapist Newsletter: celebrates the people and voices in the mental health profession. And it's free! Check it out here: https://bit.ly/4jGBeSa———If you’d like to support The Trauma Therapist Podcast and the work I do you can do that here with a monthly donation of $5, $7, or $10: Donate to The Trauma Therapist Podcast.Click here to join my email list and receive podcast updates and other news.Thank you to our Sponsors:Incogni - Use code [traumatherapist] and get 60% off annual plans: https://incogni.com/traumatherapistJane App - use code GUY1MO at https://jane.app/book_a_demoJourney Clinical - visit https://join.journeyclinical/trauma for 1 month off your membershipTherapy Wisdom - https://therapywisdom.com/jan/

Katie Baker is a writer, advocate, and childhood abuse survivor who has transformed her journey of trauma and healing into a story of resilience, empowerment, and hope. After years of battling addiction, shame, and the lingering effects of a tumultuous childhood, she found profound transformation through therapeutic psychedelics and deep inner work.In her memoir, When The Universe Holds Your Hair Back, Katie shares her raw and deeply personal journey—a story of confronting the past, reclaiming lost parts of herself, and embracing a life of authenticity, self-love, and purpose.From the Amazon description:For years, Katie Baker wore the mask of a woman who had it all together. On the surface, she was a successful professional, a loving mother, and the embodiment of relentless perseverance. But beneath that carefully crafted facade, the cracks were deepening into fractures too wide to ignore. Haunted by a childhood of instability—marked by alcoholic fathers, sexual, physical, and verbal abuse, a lack of protection, and exposure to addiction—she carried her pain like an invisible weight. In This EpisodeKatie’s websiteFB @Peace & Fire Healing LLC IG: @peaceandfirehealingBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-trauma-therapist--5739761/support.You can learn more about what I do here:The Trauma Therapist Newsletter: celebrates the people and voices in the mental health profession. And it's free! Check it out here: https://bit.ly/4jGBeSa———If you’d like to support The Trauma Therapist Podcast and the work I do you can do that here with a monthly donation of $5, $7, or $10: Donate to The Trauma Therapist Podcast.Click here to join my email list and receive podcast updates and other news.Thank you to our Sponsors:Incogni - Use code [traumatherapist] and get 60% off annual plans: https://incogni.com/traumatherapistJane App - use code GUY1MO at https://jane.app/book_a_demoJourney Clinical - visit https://join.journeyclinical/trauma for 1 month off your membershipTherapy Wisdom - https://therapywisdom.com/jan/

Manuela Mischke-Reeds is an internationally respected somatic psychotherapist, somatic trauma expert and educator with over 30 years of clinical and teaching experience. She is a founder of the Hakomi Institute of California and creator of Embodywise, a platform for embodied learning. Manuela developed the Innate Somatic Intelligence Trauma Therapy Approach (ISITTA), an advanced training program for therapists, and co-developed the Hakomi Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Training.A global voice in somatic and trauma psychology, Manuela teaches and trains professionals in mindfulness-based somatic therapy, trauma recovery, leadership embodiment, and psychedelic-assisted therapy integration. Her work bridges neurobiology, somatic nervous system practices, and ancient wisdom, helping therapists and leaders embody resilience and compassion in their work and lives.Manuela’s books: Trauma-Sensitive Movement: 96 Somatic Techniques to Support Nervous System Regulation and Embodied Transformation in TherapyEmbodied Psychedelic Therapy: A somatic guide. In This EpisodeManuela’s websiteIncogni - Take back your personal data with Incogni. Use code [traumatherapist] at the link below and get 60% off annual plans: https://incogni.com/traumatherapistBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-trauma-therapist--5739761/support.You can learn more about what I do here:The Trauma Therapist Newsletter: celebrates the people and voices in the mental health profession. And it's free! Check it out here: https://bit.ly/4jGBeSa———If you’d like to support The Trauma Therapist Podcast and the work I do you can do that here with a monthly donation of $5, $7, or $10: Donate to The Trauma Therapist Podcast.Click here to join my email list and receive podcast updates and other news.Thank you to our Sponsors:Incogni - Use code [traumatherapist] and get 60% off annual plans: https://incogni.com/traumatherapistJane App - use code GUY1MO at https://jane.app/book_a_demoJourney Clinical - visit https://join.journeyclinical/trauma for 1 month off your membershipTherapy Wisdom - https://therapywisdom.com/jan/