The Biology of Trauma® With Dr. Aimie

• The Biology Behind It: How to Navigate Your Own Chronic Illness & Healing Journey

  Are you a practitioner struggling to balance patient care with your own health needs? In this mini episode, Dr. Aimie looks at the biology behind the Spoon Theory and how practitioners can manage their own health while helping others heal. She answers a listener’s question about why she feels drained after certain client sessions and the actionable steps she can take to keep her energy levels up.  Dr. Aimie’s will build on her conversation with Helga Byrne from Episode 118, where they discussed navigating professional responsibilities while managing personal health challenges. You’ll hear more on: What the Spoon Theory is  How trauma impacts the body’s mitochondria What happens to the your cells when you go into overwhelm  Why practitioners experience brain fog and fatigue while helping others How your nervous system sends signals to either boost or reduce your energy levels throughout the day Practical ways to manage your “spoons” of every daily  If you're struggling to manage your energy while caring for others, this episode will provide insights on how to maintain energy levels while still being an effective practitioner. If you’d like to go deeper into this topic, listen to the full conversation with Helga Byrne on Episode 118: How Practitioners Can Navigate Their Own Chronic Illness & Healing Journey.

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• How Practitioners Can Navigate Their Own Chronic Illness and Healing Journey

  Are you trying to work caring for others while navigating your own chronic health symptoms? In this episode, we’ll take a look at one woman's decade-long battle with a chronic illness and the actions she took to build and maintain her practice.  Helga Byrne, worked years in corporate, but wanted a more meaningful life. Becoming a licensed therapist, she spent years struggling with a chronic health issue without having an answer. Eventually, it was discovered it was chronic Lyme disease, but that didn’t bring an overnight solution.  How do we manage being a professional in the healing field when we have our own chronic health issues? What happens when our physical health issues get triggered by long days or difficult clients?  In this conversation, Helga joins Dr. Aimie to share the struggles and strategies Helga implemented to effectively run her business while navigating brain fog and extreme fatigue. She’ll also share insights on common identity challenges, the challenge of finding practitioners who believed her symptoms, how to identify what gives you energy, and changes you can make to your life, relationships and work. They’ll discuss: How trauma can be created by medical rejection How chronic illness can create isolation Using the "spoon theory" for managing energy  Creating different ways to earn income when you can't see clients full-time The healing power of accepting your illness instead of waiting to "get better someday" Why working with clients can be energizing even during chronic illness Why learning to say "no" can protect your limited time and energy How finding a supportive community can change your outlook on your illness How your own health struggles can help you better understand and connect with clients And more! Whether you are a practitioner, parent or other caregiver, this episode will give you great insights into how you can structure your life, work and schedule around your body's needs while showing up for others effectively.   Guides, Tools & Resources: The Essential Sequence - free guide that shows you the difference between stress and trauma states of our nervous system. In just 3 steps, it walks you through what your body needs when it has stored trauma or is in a freeze response. Foundational Journey - If you want to be safely guided through The Essential Sequence, and lay your foundation of regulation in this online 6 week course, join me and my team of mentors for this journey into your inner world with practical somatic and parts self-practices.   Brain Inflammation Protocol – The complete protocol for if you have anxiety, depression, prior head injuries and want to address the brain inflammation that’s keeping you stuck. Tackling Brain Inflammation [Video Library] – 27 videos from experts on how to recognize brain inflammation, how to get tested and what nutrients and supplements can support you   Related Podcast Episodes for Practitioners: Episode 67: Healing Trauma and Chronic Illness Through Connection with Gabor Mate Episode 99: Stress In The Body: Trauma-Informed Medicine & Why Dysregulation Should Be Included In Assessments Disclaimer: By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others. Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having. This entire disclaimer also applies to any guests or contributors to the podcast. Under no circumstances shall Trauma Healing Accelerated, any guests or contributors to The Biology of Trauma® podcast, or any employees, associates, or affiliates of Trauma Healing Accelerated be responsible for damages arising from the use of the podcast.  

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• The Biology Behind It: How Movement Can Heal Stored Trauma, Grief & Emotions

  Can your body be stuck in trauma or grief? In this mini episode, Dr. Aimie is answering a listener’s question about why her physical symptoms are still bothering her a year after a loved one’s death. She dives into why the normal approach to self care won’t work and how creating safety can allow the trauma and grief to move through the body instead of staying stuck. Dr. Aimie goes into the biology behind why movement is needed for overwhelming grief and trauma, building on her conversation with Paul Denniston from episode 117. She shares more on why “emotions need motion” and how movement practices work on a physiological level to release the trauma and grief trapped in the body. You’ll hear more about: How grief pushes the body from a stress response into a trauma response The three coping strategies triggered by grief Where grief and trauma get stored physically within the body  The action steps you can start taking today to move through your own trauma or grief  And more! If you feel like you’re ready to let go of the trauma and grief that your body has been holding onto, then this episode is a must listen to! For more on this topic, listen to the full conversation with Paul Denniston in Episode 117: Movement For Healing Stored Grief & Emotions   Check out The Essential Sequence which is a free guide that shows you the difference between stress and trauma states of our nervous system. In just 3 steps, it walks you through what your body needs when it has stored trauma or is in a freeze response.

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• How Movement Can Heal Stored Trauma, Grief and Emotions with Paul Denniston

  “Emotions need motion” - Paul Denniston Grief is an emotion that many of us try to avoid. But what happens when we don't let it out? In this episode, we explore how hidden grief can get stuck in the body, causing tight shoulders, stomach pain, and nonstop anxiety. Paul Denniston, founder of Grief Yoga, joins Dr. Aimie to explain that grief doesn't simply disappear when ignored. Instead, it hides in our muscles and body, making them hurt or feel uncomfortable.This conversation sheds light on how movement and even laughter can let the feelings out of our bodies in a safe way. We'll talk more about: How grief physically manifests in the body Why movement is essential for trauma healing How to recognize if what you're feeling is grief (even if it looks like anxiety or anger) The power in creating dedicated time and space for grief expression Learning how to sit with grief safely so it doesn't feel too overwhelming How laughter can be used to access deeper grief How practitioners can hold space for others' grief without becoming overwhelmed themselves The physical and emotional benefits of moving grief through the body  And more!   Whether you're a practitioner working with grief, someone supporting a loved one through loss, or navigating your own healing journey, this episode shares insights into transforming pain through movement practices that incorporate breath, sound, and embodied awareness.   Paul Denniston is the founder of Grief Yoga®, which uses yoga, movement, breath, and sound to release pain and suffering and connect to love. His intention with Grief Yoga is to combine many different forms of yoga in order to help heal grief. Guides, Tools & Resources: The Essential Sequence - free guide that shows you the difference between stress and trauma states of our nervous system. In just 3 steps, it walks you through what your body needs when it has stored trauma or is in a freeze response. Biology of Trauma book - How the body experiences and holds fear, pain and overwhelm, and how to heal. At the time of this recording, you can join us in The Insider’s Circle Book Club and pre-orders will be going live soon.  Foundational Journey - If you want to be guided through The Essential Sequence laid out in the guide and the book, join me and my team for this 6 week journey into your inner world with practical somatic and parts self-practices to lay your foundation to do the deeper work safely. These are the daily practices I have found that change one’s biology and health symptoms the fastest. Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 74: Why Stored Trauma Becomes Syndromes & Their Somatic Solutions Episode 114: Grief: The Science Behind Why We Can’t “Get Over” Loss and How to Grieve Disclaimer: By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others. Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having. This entire disclaimer also applies to any guests or contributors to the podcast. Under no circumstances shall Trauma Healing Accelerated, any guests or contributors to The Biology of Trauma® podcast, or any employees, associates, or affiliates of Trauma Healing Accelerated be responsible for damages arising from the use of the podcast.  

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• The Biology Behind It: The Body Keeps Score

  Preventing people from moving when something terrible happens is what makes trauma a trauma. In this mini episode, Dr. Aimie dives into the biology behind why not being able to move (either physically or internally) can create trauma. She looks more closely at the moment in the trauma response that she calls "hitting the wall" - the pivotal point where we feel powerless and our physiology shifts from a stress response to a trauma response. Dr. Aimie also explains that our neuroception (nervous system's perception) determines whether we take action or shut down, and this process isn't based on reality but on our perceived capacity against perceived danger. So when we feel overwhelmed, our nervous system prevents movement as a way to protect us. You'll hear more about: The five steps of trauma response and why "the wall" is the most significant How our nervous system can block our own movement The biological factors that influence our capacity to respond vs. shut down And more! If you're interested in understanding why you might "hit the wall" in everyday situations and how to support your body's capacity to respond differently, then this episode is for you! For more on this topic, listen to the full conversation with Dr. Bessel van der Kolk in Episode 116: The Body Keeps Score: How Trauma Rewires Your Nervous System

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