CARING FOR THE BODY

Sasha shares how we learned the hard way that journaling, doing the workbook, and attending therapy consistently really is helping. She shares how watching the (outside) children struggle through the recent storms taught us a lot about what it was like for us to deal with ongoing trauma as children. She shares about what we have been learning about caring for the body, and how to use this as a bridge to considering the body as an ally. She shares about our auto-immune disorder and how learning to eat well specific to our body has helped us. She then goes through what we learned about sleep from the workbook. Trigger warning for reference to avoiding Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, but no direct discussion of it, as well as mention of flashbacks and nightmares and bedtime triggers. One specific example of a trigger is discussed (the sound of a belt coming out), but the memories are not discussed.

We share the processing we have done following the Mother Hunger episode and the interview with Dr. Siegel. We share how understanding what Dissociation is actually helps us deal with both false beliefs from shame and the protective denial that comes with it. We explain how Dissociation isn’t just avoidance of what was bad, but avoidance of the realization we couldn’t do anything about it. This tells us, we learned, what the wall of terror is and how to get through it.

Dr. E interviews Dr. Dan Siegel of the Mindsight Institute, who defines dissociation by defining integration by defining differentiation. He explains interpersonal neurobiology, and how that has everything to do with DID but is also bigger than that. He then defines developmental trauma as an assault on integration. He then explains the science of why and how this is, and what hope it gives for healing.

We share our own journey of our experience getting vaccinated and the few days after, for those who have been emailing about anxiety regarding trauma triggers in trying to get vaccinated. This is not a podcast about whether you should or not, nor to counter reasons why or why not. This episode is in response to emails from those who want to get vaccinated but who have some alters anxious or scared to do so because of triggers.

We share our experience going to the doctor for our annual checkup, and discuss other routine care appointments. Trigger warning for discussion of obgyn, annual women’s exams, mammograms, and other routine care such as dentists and eye doctors, as well as discussion of triggers and reference to big feelings in response to those triggers.

Part 1 - Our guest this week is Cathy Collyer, an Occupational Therapist diagnosed with DID. She shares her journey of healing, and how that balances with her professional life. She explains how she combined professional experience with lived experience to write a book about how to care for ourselves during medical and dental appointments. The content note for this episode includes a trigger warning for references to medical and dental appointments, procedures and exams, and the related trauma triggers.

Part 2 - Our guest this week is Cathy Collyer, an Occupational Therapist diagnosed with DID. She shares her journey of healing, and how that balances with her professional life. She explains how she combined professional experience with lived experience to write a book about how to care for ourselves during medical and dental appointments. The content note for this episode includes a trigger warning for references to medical and dental appointments, procedures and exams, and the related trauma triggers.