Transforming Trauma
The Complex Trauma Training Center
In-depth conversations about how to help individuals and communities thrive after Complex Trauma. In a modern world beset by trauma and a legacy of suffering, conflict and disconnection, healing trauma can serve as a vehicle for personal and social transformation. Interviews with mental health and other helping professionals who are using the NeuroAffective Relational Model® (NARM®), as well as other prominent trauma specialists, will highlight the current efforts to address the legacy of childhood, relational, cultural and intergenerational trauma. These leaders in the Trauma-Informed Care movement will guide listeners through the diverse ways they are supporting individuals, couples, families and communities in order to actualize Post-Traumatic Growth. Whether you are a healthcare professional, an educator, a parent, a public policy maker, a trauma survivor, or someone interested in personal healing and social justice; this podcast will provide you with a map for increased resiliency, greater health outcomes, healthier relationships, personal growth and social change through transforming trauma. Hosted by the Complex Trauma Training Center.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Nov 4, 2026 • 51min
Louis Cozolino on Why Good Therapists Need Courage, Not Just Compassion
Louis Cozolino, clinical psychologist, author, and Pepperdine professor, explores what trauma therapy demands beyond compassion. He discusses balancing safety with courageous challenge, how attuned relationships regulate the brain, and why curiosity matters more than expert performance. Cozolino also reflects on inherited trauma, therapist self-care, mentorship, neuroplasticity, and helping clients move from survival toward agency and connection.
Oct 21, 2026 • 43min
What Makes NARM® Training Different? Where Clinical Skills Meet Personal Transformation with Stefanie Klein and Lisa Gillispie
Stefanie Klein, a seasoned clinical social worker and NARM Master Therapist, joins Lisa Gillispie, a licensed counselor and NARM trainer specializing in somatic care. They explore why mastering NARM® goes beyond technique, how self-doubt can fuel authentic growth, and the power of mentorship, experiential learning, and professional community. They also discuss trusting embodied knowledge, embracing uncertainty, and carrying trauma-informed practice into relationships and communities.
8 snips
Oct 14, 2026 • 1h 1min
How Traumatic Narcissism Harms and How Survivors Heal with Daniel Shaw
Daniel Shaw, psychotherapist, author, and creator of Traumatic Narcissism Theory, explores how coercive control creates subjugation trauma. He discusses love bombing, humiliation, DARVO, dissociation, self-blame, and why couples therapy can fail under abuse. Shaw also examines self-negation as survival, and how patience, psychoeducation, supervision, and respect for readiness help survivors reclaim autonomy.
20 snips
Sep 30, 2026 • 1h 6min
Polyvagal Theory in the Therapy Room with Dr. Stephen Porges
Dr. Stephen Porges, behavioral neuroscientist and originator of Polyvagal Theory, explores how nervous-system states shape behavior, compassion, and connection. He reframes fight, flight, withdrawal, and dissociation as adaptive survival responses. The conversation examines neuroception, reading physiological cues in therapy, co-regulation, prosodic voice, movement, play, and the path toward safety, embodiment, and becoming whole.
Sep 16, 2026 • 43min
Breaking Generational Silence and Healing Inherited Trauma with Nicole Russell-Wharton
Nicole Russell-Wharton, social impact leader, mental health advocate, author, and Precious Dreams Foundation founder, explores the hidden costs of family silence. She discusses asking difficult health and emotional questions, creating safer communication, supporting young people affected by foster care and homelessness, and becoming a transitional character who helps change inherited patterns. A candid look at courage, patience, and healing across generations.
Sep 2, 2026 • 52min
How Trauma Changes Us and How We Heal with Dr. Paul Conti, Author of What's Going Right
Dr. Paul Conti, psychiatrist and author of Trauma: The Invisible Epidemic and What’s Going Right, explores trauma’s impact on the brain, body, identity, relationships, and society. He discusses reclaiming agency, compassionate curiosity, gratitude, the generative drive, avoidance, happiness, and rewriting painful life narratives toward greater truth and connection.
Aug 19, 2026 • 51min
Why Neurodivergent Clients Need Curiosity, Not Correction with Sabrena Ness
Sabrena Ness, a clinical mental health counselor and NARM Master Therapist, explores care for neurodivergent people through a trauma-informed lens. She discusses ADHD, autism, masking, shame, and the damage of being pressured to fit neurotypical norms. The conversation also covers therapist curiosity, flexible NARM pacing, authenticity, and navigating neurodivergence in couples.
Aug 5, 2026 • 42min
Corazonada: Migration, Memory and Heartfulness with Dr. Annecy Báez
Dr. Annecy Báez, a Dominican-American psychotherapist, writer, educator, and artist, blends expressive arts, mindfulness, and trauma-informed approaches. She talks about migration and family memory. She describes translating roles in childhood and discovering NARM and dream work. She highlights weaving creativity, teaching, and community into healing through curiosity and compassion.
Jul 22, 2026 • 46min
Raising Neurodivergent Kids Without Shame with Amanda Losch, NARM® Master Therapist
Amanda Losch, licensed clinical social worker and NARM® Master Therapist who builds supports for neurodivergent families in Chicago. She talks about choosing kindness over parental shame. She describes how NARM shifted her parenting into a relational, somatic practice. She highlights creating community resources, accessibility-focused guides, and saying accommodation not fixing.
Jul 8, 2026 • 46min
Beyond Attachment Styles: Secure Relating & Trauma Healing with Dr. Ann Kelley, Therapist Uncensored
Dr. Ann Kelley, licensed psychologist, couples therapist, and author, offers a concise mini bio as a modern attachment educator. She unpacks secure relating as a moment-to-moment practice. Topics include reducing shame, the MARS regulation spectrum, warming shut-downs, grieving defenses, and how curiosity and repair boost emotional safety.
