Mastering Change | The trauma, mental health & wellbeing podcast

How do we stop working at “the wrong end of the spectrum” – only intervening when it’s too late? This week on Mastering Change, clinical psychologist and Innovating Minds founder Dr. Asha Patel shares her journey from working in forensic services to building trauma-informed systems for schools and community-based organisations.  Asha explains how behaviour is always a form of communication, why exclusion punishes pain instead of addressing it, and how compassion, regulated adults and safe environments can change young people’s life trajectories. We also explore: Why trauma-informed systems are essential in schools The role of emotional regulation in supporting children How early intervention prevents cycles of trauma from repeating Practical ways to shift from punishment to compassion Moment of Care: This episode discusses sensitive episodes related to trauma, mental health and potential distressing experiences. If you feel triggered at any point, please take a moment to check in with yourself and seek support.Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcast Follow us on instagram: www.instagram.com/masterseventsltd Visit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details.

What happens when silence becomes survival? This week on Mastering Change, sisters Cipriana and TK Quann share their journey of surviving over a decade of childhood abuse – and what it has meant to finally speak the unspeakable. They discuss the long shadow of shame, the healing impact of psychedelic plant medicines, and why sisterhood has been their most powerful form of therapy. With honesty and vulnerability, the Quann sisters open a window into how trauma shapes identity – and how expression, community, and truth can begin to set us free. We also explore: How silence and shame keep trauma alive The role of psychedelics and integration in recovery Sisterhood and community as vital forms of healing Why speaking out is both terrifying and transformative Moment of Care: This episode contains discussion of sexual abuse and trauma. Please listen with awareness and take care of yourself as needed.Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcast Follow us on instagram: www.instagram.com/masterseventsltd Visit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details.

What does it take to heal after abuse, assault or complex PTSD? This week on Mastering Change, trauma therapist, speaker and author Shari Botwin joins us for a candid conversation about dismantling shame and speaking the unspeakable. She draws on her own journey as a survivor as well as 25 years of clinical work, sharing how shame takes hold and how to recognise and move through it.  Compassion and safe relationships are, she says, essential in recovery and she explains why. We also explore her work as an expert witness in abuse cases, the systemic barriers survivors face and the difference it makes when someone is truly believed. We also explore The roots and mechanics of shame Tools for managing and releasing shame in real time The importance of self-parenting and community support Why telling your story can be a turning point in recovery Moment of Care: This episode discusses sensitive topics including abuse, trauma and shame. Please listen with awareness and seek support if needed. Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcast Follow us on instagram: www.instagram.com/masterseventsltd Visit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details.

We know about the five stages of grief – but did you know there’s a sixth? David Kessler speaks to us in this episode about how finding meaning can become one of the most powerful steps in healing after loss. Kessler is one of the world’s leading grief experts and author of On Grief and Grieving and Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief. Drawing on decades of experience and his own personal journey with loss, David shares why all trauma carries grief, and why healing requires more than just “moving on.” We explore the deep connection between trauma and loss, the importance of feeling rather than suppressing emotions and why grief must be witnessed by another to truly heal. From the misconceptions about the famous five stages of grief to his pioneering work on the sixth stage – finding meaning – David offers insight, compassion and practical wisdom for anyone navigating loss, whether it’s death, divorce, childhood wounds or other life changes we didn’t choose. We also explore: Why trauma work and grief work must go hand in hand How suppressed grief shapes relationships, boundaries, and self-worth The role of ritual and community in healing Why “presence” matters more than perfect words How meaning-making parallels post-traumatic growth Moment of Care: This episode discusses sensitive episodes related to trauma, mental health and potential distressing experiences. If you feel triggered at any point, please take a moment to check in with yourself and seek support. Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcast Follow us on instagram: www.instagram.com/masterseventsltd Visit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details.

Why do we keep falling into the same family roles – even as adults? This week we speak with systems therapist and family recovery coach Jerry Wise about how to break free from emotional enmeshment, codependency and the unspoken rules that keep us stuck. Drawing on decades of clinical and coaching experience, Jerry introduces the concept of self-differentiation – the process of becoming your own person while staying connected to others. He explains why physical distance doesn’t necessarily create emotional freedom, how to stop internalising guilt and shame, and why staying calm can ripple change through an entire relationship dynamic. We also explore: How family patterns live on in us – even when we’re miles away Why boundaries aren’t about pushing people out, but staying connected on your own terms The surprising link between self-regulation and changing relationship dynamics What it really takes to step out of old family roles and become yourself This episode offers clarity, compassion and practical tools for therapists helping patients to create healthier, more authentic connections – without losing themselves in the process. Moment of Care: This episode discusses sensitive episodes related to trauma, mental health and potential distressing experiences. If you feel triggered at any point, please take a moment to check in with yourself and seek support. Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcast Follow us on instagram: www.instagram.com/masterseventsltd Visit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details.

Could just a few minutes of intention, presence and energy work change everything? This week on Mastering Change, we speak with Poppy Delbridge – energy psychologist, rapid tapping practitioner and author of TAP – to explore how energy-based practices like EFT (emotional freedom technique) can shift trauma and regulate the nervous system. Poppy explains how belief systems are stored in the body, why affirmations alone don’t work and how trauma can wire us into patterns of fear and scarcity. She shows us how tapping offers a real-time, trauma-informed way to interrupt those loops – and reconnect with joy and safety. We explore What rapid tapping is and how it differs from classic EFT The body’s role in storing emotion and limiting beliefs How to interrupt trauma loops and shift state instantly Why energy work supports healing for trauma survivors How to use tapping for self-regulation, creativity, and joy This episode is a powerful reminder that change doesn’t always have to take years – it can happen in the space of a few breaths, a few taps and a shift in energy. Moment of Care: This episode discusses sensitive episodes related to trauma, mental health and potential distressing experiences. If you feel triggered at any point, please take a moment to check in with yourself and seek support. Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcast Follow us on instagram: www.instagram.com/masterseventsltd Visit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details.

Before we can speak our pain, our bodies have already carried it – which means, often, talking through trauma isn’t enough. This week on Mastering Change, we sit down with Erica Hornthal, licensed clinical professional counselor, board-certified dance/movement therapist, and author of Body Aware and the brand-new BodyTalk. Known as “The Therapist Who Moves You,” Erica explores how trauma lives not just in memory, but in muscle tone, breath, posture – even stillness. Drawing on years of somatic practice, Erica helps us understand why talk therapy alone often isn’t enough – and how movement can offer a direct line to regulation, relief, and reconnection. “The body holds the story before we can speak it.” We explore What dance/movement therapy really is How trauma shows up in subtle physical habits The difference between expressive movement and embodied awareness Why stillness can signal stress How movement can become a language for healing Whether you're a trauma survivor, a therapist, or someone feeling disconnected from yourself – this episode is a reminder that healing isn’t just something we think through. It’s something we move through. Moment of Care: This episode discusses sensitive episodes related to trauma, mental health and potential distressing experiences. If you feel triggered at any point, please take a moment to check in with yourself and seek support.  Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcast Follow us on instagram: www.instagram.com/masterseventsltd Visit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details.

Romance novels aren’t just escapism – they can help process trauma too. Academic, writer and trauma theorist Dr. Alicia Kindleysides invites us to think differently about healing – examining how reading and writing can offer safe spaces for processing pain.Her PhD research explores trauma responses through the world of romance fiction. She has found that romance fiction gives people a place to safely rehearse emotional experiences – connection, desire, safety – that may have been disrupted by trauma. Her research also identified a ninth trauma response – “fade” – in addition to the existing 8F model of trauma reactions (fight, flight, fright, freeze, flag, fawn, faint and flood). Fade, she says, is a response rooted in hiding, invisibility and withdrawal. We exploreBibliotherapy and scriptotherapy as creative healing tools How trauma disconnects us from instinct and inner knowing The link between overthinking, perfectionism, and childhood hypervigilance Escapism vs healing: when dissociation becomes a resource Why fiction might reach where words alone can’t Moment of Care: This episode discusses sensitive episodes related to trauma, mental health and potential distressing experiences. If you feel triggered at any point, please take a moment to check in with yourself and seek support. Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcast Follow us on instagram: www.instagram.com/masterseventsltd Visit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details.

What if healing didn’t start with words – but simply with presence? This week on the Mastering Change podcast, we speak with Rianne Sibma-de Vries, a trauma-informed counsellor and equine therapist based in the Netherlands. Rianne’s work combines Internal Family Systems (IFS), systemic constellations, somatic techniques and equine-assisted therapy to help people reconnect with themselves in profound, body-based ways. Horses, Rianne explains, are instinctive, non-judgemental and deeply attuned. They help people access parts of themselves that have long been buried. Whether working with clients with complex PTSD or high-performing leaders, she sees the same transformation: “Once the body feels the sensation of being held… they will never forget that.”   Horses don’t care about titles, trauma narratives, or words. They respond to energy and truth.  And in doing so, they offer a mirror to our inner world – helping us regulate, reconnect, and heal. We exploreHow horses help us access the present moment and restore inner safety Why equine therapy can reach places talk therapy can’t The ancient, cross-cultural bond between humans and horses What it means to be “held” without judgment The power of self-love as a lever for societal changeMoment of Care: This episode discusses sensitive episodes related to trauma, mental health and potential distressing experiences. If you feel triggered at any point, please take a moment to check in with yourself and seek support. Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcast Follow us on instagram: www.instagram.com/masterseventsltd Visit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details.

Is traditional talk therapy enough to heal trauma? This week on Mastering Change, we speak with Rathika Marsh – a spiritual psychologist who helps people connect with their inner voice, their bodies, and their soul. “The body doesn’t just hold trauma – it holds wisdom and resilience.” Growing tired of the limitations placed upon her as a psychologist, Rathika developed the Freedom and Expansion Method: a multidimensional approach to healing trauma that bridges embodiment and psychology with intuition and spirituality. She describes how trauma disconnects people from their intuitive selves. She works somatically and spiritually, helping clients transmute pain into purpose and power. Many of her clients come from therapeutic backgrounds themselves – psychologists and psychotherapists, who like her, are burnt out by restrictive models and seeking space to reconnect to their creativity and cultural roots. We talk about the importance of personal responsibility, the power of inner child work, and how meeting discomfort with movement – through breath, body or ritual – can unlock buried truths. We also exploreRathika’s Freedom and Expansion Method and its foundations How traditional psychotherapy can limit creativity and intuition The role of spirituality in trauma work Working with the body: from dance to breath to sensuality What it means to be a channel for someone’s healing – not a saviour How to cultivate agency and vision in trauma survivors Moment of Care: This episode discusses sensitive episodes related to trauma, mental health and potential distressing experiences. If you feel triggered at any point, please take a moment to check in with yourself and seek support. Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcast Follow us on instagram: www.instagram.com/masterseventsltd Visit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details.