Therapy Chat | Psychotherapy | Mindfulness | Trauma | Attachment | Worthiness | Self Care | Parenting

Welcome back to Therapy Chat. This week I interviewed author, EMDR-Certified therapist and Consultant In Training Marcken Volmy, LMHC about how EMDR can help with betrayal trauma and the impact of broken trust. We explored how betrayal by trusted figures and institutions can shatter one's sense of safety and trust in the world. We also discussed recent examples of betrayal within the mental health field, for example, the FTC settlement with BetterHelp, and other situations in our field which have affected both of us. We talked about the impact these experiences can have on therapists' and clients' trust in the systems and processes of our profession. Marcken explains how EMDR can help change implicit beliefs about self and the world, leading to healing and a felt sense of safety. We also touch on the current political climate and its effect on trust and safety. Marcken's book, Trauma Stories, is available now! Listen in to this hopeful conversation. It's never too late to heal. Marcken Vol

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! We all know people who'll do anything for others but never accept help for themselves. In fact, they never admit needing any help, despite being very attuned to how everyone around them is doing. These relationships feel out of balance, and limit both partners' ability to show up authentically. This is true in intimate partner relationships, friendships, work relationships and family relationships. This week host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Michelle Farris, LMFT about codependent relational dynamics. Michelle describes the dynamics of codependency within relationships, talks about how these patterns develop and how people who lose themselves within relationships can build a stronger sense of self.Michelle Farris is a licensed psychotherapist and anger management specialist. She helps others build healthy relationships without sacrificing themselves while using her own recovery to provide hope for creating a happier life. She has written three e-books and has created s

This week on Therapy Chat we are revisiting a conversation from a few years ago that will feel timely to many of us as we move through the holiday season. Whether you are a parent or an adult child, the holidays - which are supposed to be a time of family togetherness - can often feel very stressful. This week's guest is Tina Gilbertson. She specializes in supporting parents who are estranged from their adult children, and not by choice. Tina Gilbertson is a psychotherapist and author of Reconnecting with Your Estranged Adult Child.Her work has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Glamour, Real Simple and Redbook. In 2019,Tina cofounded www.ReconnectionClub.com, offering education, community, and support to help estranged parents repair their relationships with their adult children. Originally from Vancouver, B.C., Canada, she now lives in Denver, CO. Find out more about her work at www.TinaGilbertson.com.We are accepting new clients in my therapy practice (for those located in Maryland). Learn more via

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, in an interview that is timely as we're in the thick of the holiday season, I interviewed Dr. Lindsay Gibson for the second time. This time we're discussing the challenge of disentangling from emotionally immature people. In our conversation, you'll hear Lindsay describe the characteristics of Emotionally Immature People, how it feels to be in a relationship with them, and how to assert ourselves within those relationships. She discusses her newest book, "Disentangling From Emotionally Immature People: Avoid Emotional Traps, stand up for Yourself, and Transform Your Relationships as an adult child of Emotionally Immature Parents".Lindsay C. Gibson is an author and clinical psychologist who has been a psychotherapist for over thirty years, working in both public service and private practice. She has the author of several books, including the bestseller, Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents. In the past, Dr. Gibson has served as an adjunct

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week we are continuing our exploration of the many ways to use EMDR. This week's guest is Rebecca Kase, a licensed clinical social worker and yoga instructor, living in Gig Harbor, WA. She is an EMDR Consultant & Basic Trainer, and owner of Kase & CO, an EMDR Training and Consulting company. She is the author of Polyvagal informed EMDR: A Neuro-informed Approach to Healing. In our conversation, you'll hear why a Polyvagal perspective is important when learning EMDR, and how she incorporates this into her EMDR sessions, as well as learning about EMDR training with Rebecca.Learn more about Rebecca's work via her website: https://kaseandco.com/Find Rebecca's book here: Polyvagal informed EMDR: A Neuro-informed Approach to HealingWe are accepting new clients in my therapy practice (for those located in Maryland). Learn more via our website: https://bahealing.com Find a trauma therapist near you via https://traumatherapistnetwork.com ! We believe that trau

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week I'm honored to bring you another interview on the subject of religious trauma. My guest today is Dr. Mark G. Karris, a Marriage and Family Therapist in California who is the author of four books, including most recently, "The Diabolical Trinity: Healing Religious Trauma from a Wrathful God, Tormenting Hell, and a Sinful Self." He describes why he wrote this book, and how religious beliefs with these three components can be traumatic. This conversation is not about bashing religion, though. Mark explains how these beliefs are different from the healthy aspects of religion and the ways it can be beneficial. Tune in for this thought provoking conversation!Learn more about Mark's work and find his book at: https://markgregorykarris.com/We are accepting new clients in my therapy practice (for those located in Maryland). Learn more via our website: https://bahealing.com Find a trauma therapist near you via https://traumatherapistnetwork.com ! We believe that t

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, we are talking about a topic we haven't covered before because I didn't know people were doing it! This week's guests are Ann Beckley Forest and Annie Monaco, two EMDR therapists who together make up Playful EMDR! Ann and Annie talk about how they use EMDR in combination with play therapy with children who have experienced disrupted attachment relationships and trauma. As always, I had many questions and they answered them all. If you found Robyn Gobbel's episode interesting a couple months ago, here is another take on working with the same population of children in therapy. I hope this will inspire you to think outside the box about working with traumatized children.ResourcesFind Playful EMDR at: www.playfulemdr.com - their summit is coming up and they have an EMDR training starting in December 2023.Keep up with Annie Monaco via: www.anniemonaco.com, Ann Beckley Forest is found at: www.annbeckleyforest.comWe are accepting new clients in my therapy prac

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week I’m bringing you an episode which was recorded a few months ago as the third part of my series of somatic witnessing along my grief journey with Linda Thai. If you missed the first two episodes, they’re linked in the show notes. I had an unexpected loss of a family member early this year. The context is that I’ve been dealing with anticipatory grief related to my own parents’ health issues, which has opened the opportunity to explore deep healing of the attachment wounds I’ve carried throughout my life. Within this, the traumatic grief that arose with the most recent loss allowed another layer to come to light. Linda Thai and I agreed to do a series of episodes in which she guided somatic work and I was the participant. It’s a demonstration of how somatic work can look and feel. In this third episode of that series, we worked with the back body and the “yield” aspect of the developmental/attachment cycle. Listening may provide one level of experience, and watching on vi

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, with all the hate and violence in the world, we are revisiting an episode which was originally recorded in 2020. My guest, Sarah Peyton, is a neuroscience educator and author of the wonderful book, "Your Resonant Self," and the accompanying workbook.I'm replaying this episode this week because Sarah shared such interesting and surprising information about how it makes us feel good to unite against a common enemy. Though the newest war that is happening now is what many are focused on, I hope this week's discussion will remind listeners that we can always extend kindness, love, hope and healing outward, and the ripple effects can make a difference. We can also choose to spread hate and fear, but that is not good for our physical or mental health, nor for humanity overall. I hope this episode will help you find glimmers of hope for peace and healing.The Institute for Creative Mindfulness is the brainchild of my friend Dr. Jamie+ Marich, an EMDR Certified

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! We've all heard the term "self regulation," and many of us are familiar with the concept of "co-regulation," but what is it, really? How do we do it? How do we know when we are in a ventral vagal nervous system state? If you heard my conversation with Dr. Stephen Porges a couple of weeks ago you may be curious what this would feel like and look like, for yourself and for therapy. Today's guest, Alyce Wellons, LCSW, has studied mind/body practices and used them in therapy for years. In our conversation you'll hear Alyce speak about the importance of connection and community for nervous system regulation and co-regulation. She will demonstrate (using me as the example) how easily we can bring ourselves into a ventral vagal state using somatic practices and mindfulness, and why she uses these practices in her work with clients who are in recovery and healing from trauma. The Institute for Creative Mindfulness is the brainchild of my friend Dr. Jamie+ Mari

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! Have you ever considered trying Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy (PAP)? If you're a therapist, is this something that you've been wondering about adding to your practice? Maybe you're just curious. Whether you're a therapist or someone who is interested in learning about psychedelics and trauma, you'll find something in this conversation that will inspire curiosity! This week I'm grateful to bring you my recent conversation with friend and colleague (and TTN member) Lauren Going, LCSW-C, RYT, a trauma-focused, psychedelic assisted psychotherapist, consultant and speaker who co-founded Baltimore's Inner Path Wellness with Eleanor Bramwell, SEP, BSC. In this conversation you'll hear me asking Lauren every possible question I can think of about what it's really like to do psychedelic assisted psychotherapy for trauma, as a therapist and a client. She describes the various medicines she works with at Inner Path, how and why they help, and how to

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week I'm thrilled to be speaking with Dr. Stephen Porges, who proposed the Polyvagal Theory back in the 90's and has continued to study, write and speak about this important work ever since. In our conversation you'll hear the story of Dr. Porges's work over the past decades; find out how the Polyvagal Theory relates to our felt sense of safety; learn about the Safe & Sound Protocol; learn about the positive impact of our individual and collective healing; and much more. Stephen W. Porges, PhD is a Distinguished University Scientist at Indiana University, where he is the founding director of the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium. He is professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina and professor emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Maryland. He has published more than 400 peer‐reviewed scientific papers that have been cited in more than 50,000 peer-review publications. He is the creator of the Polyvagal T

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, in celebration of our 400th episode of Therapy Chat, I'm sharing my recent interview with Robyn Gobbel, a former therapist who now focuses her time on writing and educating about what she calls "big, baffling behaviors," and teaching children and families to understand their Owl, Watchdog and Possum brains. Robyn is demystifying child behavior by making neuroscience relatable. She shares about her work, the communities she hosts, and her new book, Raising Kids With Big, Baffling Behaviors. This is a must listen episode for anyone who wants to gain understanding of why children who have been hurt, abandoned and betrayed behave the way they do, and how parents and teachers can reconnect with them.Visit Robyn's website: https://robyngobbel.com where you can find her book, her podcast and the communities she hosts as well as everything she's offering.The Institute for Creative Mindfulness is the brainchild of my friend Dr. Jamie+ Marich, an EMDR Certifi

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week I'm recovering from Covid (again) after being in England the past 2 weeks. I'm sharing an episode that I hope will resonate with you if you've ever wondered why it can be so hard to open up in therapy. There are the things we don't choose to share because we're not ready, and then there are the things we WANT to share, but can't seem to bring ourselves to speak out loud. I've experienced it myself, when I want to talk about something and my throat feels like it is closing up. I've seen clients exhibit this same struggle. As a therapist, patience is key, and letting the client know that there's no agenda for them to share about anything until they're ready. But what can we do about this when we're the client? I hope this interview with Dr. Robert T. Muller about his book, Trauma & The Struggle To Open Up, will be helpful.Visit Robert's website: https://psychotherapytoronto.ca/ where you can find his books and everything

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week I'm away at the Not Your Typical Psychotherapist Conference in London, I'm sharing an episode from 2021 about connecting with your inner resonance, with Sarah Peyton.  Sarah Peyton, Certified Trainer of Nonviolent Communication, constellation facilitator and neuroscience educator, integrates brain science and the use of resonant language to heal trauma and nourish self-warmth with exquisite gentleness. She teaches and lectures internationally, and is the author of the book “Your Resonant Self: Guided Meditations and Exercises to Engage Your Brain’s Capacity for Healing." Her second book from W.W. Norton, The Your Resonant Self Workbook, was published May 25, 2021.Visit Sarah's website: https://sarahpeyton.com/ where you can find her books and courses.I'm recommending Linda Thai's training to therapists and anyone who wants to learn about trauma through a polyvagal and somatic lens. It begins soon, and if you miss this cohort, be sure to catch the

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week I'm away at the Master Series: Oxford trauma conference in England, and I'm sharing an episode which was originally recorded 5 years ago. This week we welcome Susan Pease Banitt, a now-retired trauma therapist who spoke with me about her second book, Wisdom, Attachment & Love in Trauma Therapy: Beyond Evidence Based Practice. Susan was the first person to educate me and provide a critical perspective on what "evidence based practice" really is, and who decides what is considered adequate "evidence," through the lens of social justice and an expanded view of history. I'll give you a hint - it's the patriarchy that says what the "gold standard" is, and Susan challenges these ideas in our discussion and in her books! Her first book, The Trauma Toolkit, is one I recommend regularly to clients. I consider it a manual for how to live with the symptoms of complex trauma, CPTSD, and dissociation, including dissociative "disorders.

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! As a follow up to last week's episode with Dr. Arielle Schwartz, we're revisiting a previous conversation with her from 2021. In our conversation, you'll hear Arielle talk about how adverse experiences from childhood can show up in our adult lives. She explains why it's hard for us to reconcile the moments when our parents didn't meet our needs back then to our perception of them and ourselves as adults. You'll hear HOW dissociation protects us and helps us create fantasies about our family relationships which make them feel safer and more trustworthy than they felt to us during childhood. She describes why this is needed and how resilience-focused somatic therapies can help us come out of a "functional freeze" state to be present in the here and now, with autonomy and agency. This conversation is all about understanding why we need the adaptive skill of dissociation and challenges the stigma about dissociation, trauma and mental health that is com

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week we welcome back a previous guest, Dr. Arielle Schwartz.to talk about applied Polyvagal Theory and how it helps us connect to a sense of resilience within our bodies. This episode is like a mini-course in how somatic embodiment affects our access to our inner "yes" and "no." Past traumatic experiences and attachment wounds can prevent us from being connected to our own wisdom from within, but we can reconnect to an empowered sense of agency and autonomy where we can move, breathe and be present to our pain without being swallowed by it. Arielle's teachings provide therapists with the tools to live resiliently while we do our work and to support our clients in doing the same. Arielle Schwartz, PhD, is a psychologist, internationally sought-out teacher, yoga instructor, and leading voice in the healing of PTSD and complex trauma. She is the author of many books, including The Complex PTSD Workbook, EMDR Therapy and Somatic Psychology, The Post Traumatic

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week we welcome back a previous guest, trauma informed herbalist Dr. Elizabeth Guthrie! Dr. Elizabeth Guthrie, the founder of Herbal Somatics, is a board certified wellness practitioner and the author of The Trauma Informed Herbalist. She holds a PhD in Natural Medicine with a focus in Naturopathic Psychology and a Master's of Public Health in Functional Nutrition. Elizabeth has helped create research for UAB’s Integrative Medicine clinic, teaches online, and works as a wellness practitioner and yoga instructor in Birmingham, AL. We talked about Elizabeth's newest book, Essential Oils for Trauma, and her course which is now available through the Shift Network.Find Essential OIls for Trauma here. Visit Dr. Elizabeth Guthrie's website here.Listen to Dr. Elizabeth Guthrie's previous Therapy Chat interview here: Episode 370Dr. Elizabeth Guthrie's free webinar recording and link to learn about her course are found here: Explore Your Healing Garden of Unique Pl

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! If you're an EMDR therapist, or a therapist who is interested in learning about psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, this episode is for you! And if you're someone who is interested in learning about how EMDR and psychedelic assisted therapy can be combined, you're in the right place! This week's guest, Rotem Brayer, was a guest on Therapy Chat earlier this year and he came back to discuss how he uses psychedelic assisted psychotherapy with EMDR. I learned a lot from our conversation and can't wait for you to hear it! I'm very curious about the potential for psychedelic assisted psychotherapy to help trauma survivors heal, as I'm hearing more and more positive experiences that people have shared with me. Look for more episodes on the topic of trauma and psychedelic assisted psychotherapy in the coming months! Rotem Brayer, M.Ed., LPC, is a certified EMDR therapist, EMDR consultant, and advanced EMDR trainer. He's the founder of the EMDR Learning Com