In the Open

America and Theresa explore the healing that comes after trauma. They both give a timeline of their trauma in their lives and how they are healing from their trauma. They talk about doing the hard work to unpack moments of failure, the healing journey and the moments when they knew there was hope. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org To submit questions, comments or ideas about future topics on the podcast, contact  podcast@mhanational.org

The trauma series continues with how trauma affects your values. They try to differentiate values and beliefs and they identify which values are really important to both of them. They make the connection between worth and ability and having the willingness to receive support. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org To submit questions, comments or ideas about future topics on the podcast, contact  podcast@mhanational.org

How does trauma affect our actions? Theresa and America explore how trauma has affected how they react in certain situations and some their triggers that have made them lash out. There is a discussion of some of the subtle and more serious circumstances that they have identified as issues they are sensitive to. They talk about trauma in all relationships, how our insecurities affect our actions and exploring the process of how your trauma affects your everyday life. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org To submit questions, comments or ideas about future topics on the podcast, contact  podcast@mhanational.org

Theresa and America remain on the topic of trauma and this time they explore how trauma affects people’s beliefs. They share how trauma can affect your core beliefs and shape the way you see the world. They talk about how the ability to evaluate and change your thoughts and beliefs are critical to getting better and Theresa comes to a realization about some of her coping mechanisms. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org To submit questions, comments or ideas about future topics on the podcast, contact  podcast@mhanational.org

America and Theresa bring on Alyson Zalta (Clinical Psychologist/Associate Professor at UC Irvine) to speak about how trauma affects the brain. They share some important factors on how trauma affects the brain like intrusive memories and environmental triggers. They talk about the emotional processing theory, emotional numbing and the benefits of the full body approach when treating trauma. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org To submit questions, comments or ideas about future topics on the podcast, contact  podcast@mhanational.org To learn about Alyson Zalta’s work visit https://cnlm.uci.edu/alyson-zalta/

As part of their trauma series, Theresa and America explore how trauma affects our sleep. They share what it takes for them to get some good rest and the things that throw them off when it’s time to sleep. They talk about recognizing the signs of how your trauma affects your sleep, the military method for falling asleep and how good sleep centers around finding safety. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org To submit questions, comments or ideas about future topics on the podcast, contact  podcast@mhanational.org

The trauma series continues and the focus on this episode is on whether or not you can trust your memories. There is a discussion about how your brain tries to protect you and ways in which you can try to get confirmation that your memories happened. They talk about flashbulb memories, journaling so you can keep records of your personal experiences and the importance of validation. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org To submit questions, comments or ideas about future topics on the podcast, contact  podcast@mhanational.org

America and Theresa record their next installment in their trauma series and it’s about how trauma can show up later in life. They talk about feeling stuck or being held back by their trauma and how they move past it. America shares situations where her trauma pops up and how it ties to her worth. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org To submit questions, comments or ideas about future topics on the podcast, contact  podcast@mhanational.org

America and Theresa kick off a new series and this episode covers having a traumatic childhood. There is a discussion around trauma and how they are unpacking it 30 years later. They talk about how they’ve both dealt with trauma differently, neglect as a form trauma and they ask whether or not they would ever change anything about their past to avoid their traumatic childhood. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org To submit questions, comments or ideas about future topics on the podcast, contact  podcast@mhanational.org

This is the final episode in the grief series, turning suffering into action. Once you’ve gone through these different stages of grief, what then? They talk about seeking out meaning and validation, coming to terms with the impact of your grief and how your recovery in grief is best done with others. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org To submit questions, comments or ideas about future topics on the podcast, contact  podcast@mhanational.org

America and Theresa move along in their grief series and pivot to acceptance. Theresa explains a working theory of acceptance and denial becoming hope. They both explore what acceptance looks like for them, how acceptance shouldn’t be the destination and the feeling of being covered in the blanket of grief and seeking light and hope. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org To submit questions, comments or ideas about future topics on the podcast, contact  podcast@mhanational.org

In this next installment of their grief series, Theresa and America move onto the question what do I do? They explore the idea of how to deal with grief when you have no control. They talk about rooting yourself in what you can control, implementing grounding techniques and some cultural customs tied to grief. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org To submit questions, comments or ideas about future topics on the podcast, contact  podcast@mhanational.org

The series on grief continues and on this episode they explore the stage of depression and feeling numb. They both share how they experience feeling numb and the disconnect that comes with it. They talk about how some people pull away during this stage, differences between depression and introversion and how all these stages do eventually get better. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org To submit questions, comments or ideas about future topics on the podcast, contact  podcast@mhanational.org

*This episode of “In The Open” contains explicit language* Theresa and America continue their series on grief and in this episode they focus in on anger. There is a discussion on when they both get to the attitude of just “f**k it” and when they respond to anger. They talk about how they process anger individually, how they attempt to move past it and all the experiences across the anger spectrum. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org To submit questions, comments or ideas about future topics on the podcast, contact  podcast@mhanational.org

Last time they talked about the stage of denial and in this episode Theresa and America go over the bargaining space. They talk about two sides of bargaining: wishing you were somewhere else and processing through it to alleviate the guilt. There is a discussion about acceptance and why bargaining isn’t necessarily a bad thing. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org To submit questions, comments or ideas about future topics on the podcast, contact  podcast@mhanational.org

America and Theresa start a new series on grief and on this episode it is about the stage of denial. There is a focus on the trap of thinking things aren’t ever going to get better when experiencing grief. They talk about the grieving process and control, when avoidance can be helpful and hurtful and how it’s hard to move past denial when you haven’t allowed yourself to be sad and grieve. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org To submit questions, comments or ideas about future topics on the podcast, contact  podcast@mhanational.org

Theresa and America talk about managing how to live with a mental health condition and how you can deal with it in the workplace. How do you disclose that you’re struggling with your mental health because it could possibly affect your work? They get into the specifics. Focus on your work environment, find a co-worker you can talk with honestly and familiarize yourself with your company’s policy on mental health. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org To submit questions, comments or ideas about future topics on the podcast, contact  podcast@mhanational.org

Am I Broken? Theresa and America have asked themselves this question and it’s something they’ve had to work through, so they navigate through these intrusive thoughts. They talk about how these thoughts make you feel like an outsider and even wonder if they’ll ever be “normal.” There is a conversation about self-worth, how being broken doesn’t mean you have to stay broken and how Theresa helped heal through the metaphor of the “broken vase.” To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org To submit questions, comments or ideas about future topics on the podcast, contact podcast@mhanational.org

Emily Skehill and David Riley are back to explore getting the most out of your medication treatment. They talk about discussing expectations with your doctor about what you want from your medication and the first steps to take after you fill your prescription. Emily and David share when they started taking medication and the process of where they are now in their medication treatments, being consistent with taking your medication to know if it’s helping and trying to tell the difference between medications that work and those that aren’t working. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org To submit questions, comments or ideas about future topics on the podcast, contact  podcast@mhanational.org

While Theresa and America are taking a break, friends of the podcast Emily Skehill and David Riley take over to talk about deciding when you should start medication. They both discuss their personal circumstances when deciding to start medication and how it varies person-to-person. They talk about some signs of when you should explore medication, trying to balance improving symptoms while also trying to curb side effects and how you should be your biggest advocate. To take a mental health screen, or to find mental health information and resources, visit mhascreening.org To submit questions, comments or ideas about future topics on the podcast, contact  podcast@mhanational.org