CLEANING UP THE MENTAL MESS with Dr. Caroline Leaf

For many of us, trauma is something with a capital “T”, a big event or situation, such as a car accident or pandemic, that impacts us in dramatic and unforeseen ways. Yet, as I discuss in this week’s blog and podcast with licensed clinical social worker and therapist Alyssa Mancao, trauma with a lowercase “t” is something many people have to deal with on a daily basis. This kind of trauma, institutional or otherwise, is often normalised and suppressed, which can have a lasting impact on someone’s mental and physical health, compelling them to fight for survival in the face of persistent stressors in their environment. 

Thankfully, as Alyssa has seen in her social work and her private practice, many people, given the right help, can and do recover from trauma and learn how to reconnect to themselves and their communities in deep and meaningful ways. How? Alyssa focuses on bringing back the human element in therapy, going beyond evidence-based practices and focusing on the individual’s unique story and experiences. She recognizes that many of the people she works with are dealing with little traumas like bullying and failed relationships on a daily basis, and that their mental and physical symptoms are a function of survival. 

Podcast Time Stamps

4:15 How Alyssa’s clients gave her hope, and the power of human resilience 

5:46 What Alyssa thinks about evidence-based therapy and why she started her own therapy practice

9:33 The difference between little traumas and big Trauma

14:41 What is EMDR therapy and can it help you?

25:33 What is the “inner child” and how do you heal childhood wounds?

33:29 Should we forgive those who have hurt us?

36:15 Why being told you are a sinner is bad for your mental health

37:48 The difference between shame and guilt, and how to overcome them

41:55 When is it time to end a friendship?

49:00 You have everything you need in you to heal yourself!

Read the podcast blog and transcript here: https://drleaf.com/blogs/news/how-to-heal-from-trauma-signs-of-secondary-trauma-and-how-emdr-can-help-with-trauma-recovery-and-ptsd-with-therapist-and-trauma-expert-alyssa-mancao

For more info on Alyssa and to contact here visit her website: www.alyssamariewellness.com