The focus of today’s episode is how we can resource ourselves to deal with challenging emotional experiences generally, and traumatic experiences in particular. As with all of our episodes related to painful experiences, I really ask that you take it easy on yourself and go at your own pace.

Over the next few weeks, we’re going to be releasing two episodes I’ve been looking forward to for a long time – conversations with Dr. Bruce Perry and Dr. Peter Levine. Both episodes are about facing challenging experiences, specifically trauma, the impact of and ways to resolve childhood trauma in the case of Dr. Perry and somatic approaches to working with trauma in the case of Dr. Levine.

I think that the material we explore in those episodes could end up being some of the most helpful stuff we’ve ever shared on the podcast. But, as you might imagine, some of the topics that we explore during those two episodes could be challenging for many people. In order to ‘get the good out of it’, so to speak, we need to be able to resource ourselves so we’re not overwhelmed by it.

That’s the focus of today’s episode: how we can resource ourselves to deal with challenging emotional experiences generally, and traumatic experiences in particular. As with all of our episodes related to painful experiences, I really ask that you take it easy on yourself and go at your own pace.

Key Topics:

• The importance of eventually unwinding from traumatic material.
• The framework of challenges, resources, and vulnerabilities.
• The inner strengths that are particularly useful for dealing with challenging experiences.
• Tactics for distancing yourself from activation.
• How to get yourself out of a negative spiral.

Timestamps:

• 03:45: The necessity of eventually contacting trauma material in order to heal.
• 06:50: Challenges, resources, and vulnerabilities. 
• 11:20: Key resources for facing challenging experiences. 
• 16:15: Courage and self-worth.
• 22:00: General resources for disengaging from activation.
• 28:00: Contacting challenging material safely.
• 36:20: The nature of all experiences.