“[Dissociation] can happen with anything that is overwhelming or intense and I think it is important, especially to those who are highly sensitive, to be aware of because it’s not just perceived danger or a lot of anxiety or stress. It can be something very positive that you actually want.” [9:20]    In this episode of Women In-Depth, Lourdes Viado and Carmen Schmidt Benedetti continue their podcast series on Complex Trauma and Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs). Today’s episode explores the coping mechanism of dissociation, diving into what it is, what causes it, and potentially how to avoid and combat dissociation.     Dissociation is a common coping mechanism for many people, but can be harmful for people who are HSPs and have experienced complex trauma in their lives. Listen as Lourdes and Carmen shed light on the signs of dissociation and possible tools to help keep you present.    In this episode you will learn:  What is dissociation? [3:33]  Why do we experience dissociation? [4:30]  Biological responses that cause dissociation. [9:50]  The continuum of dissociation. [11:35]  How to distinguish between dissociation and anxiety, stress, or overwhelm. [17:15]  Ways to cope with and respond to dissociation. [28:22]    Dr. Lourdes Viado is a psychotherapist for anxious and overwhelmed highly sensitive women in Las Vegas, Nevada.  She is a Myers-Briggs Typology Indicator (MBTI) Certified Practitioner and integrates Jungian psychology, mindfulness, neuroscience, and astrology into her work with clients.  She is also the host of the Women In-Depth Podcast: Conversations about the Inner Lives of Women, which has been downloaded over 450,000x in 107 countries.    Carmen Schmidt Benedetti is a psychotherapist for highly sensitive womxn in Sonoma County, California. She helps them to heal layers of unrecognized childhood trauma and create calm, balance and stability in their life. As a Certified EMDR therapist, Carmen guides adults in reframing their past from an empowered perspective, coming to believe they are ‘good enough’ and their needs and feelings matter    Resources:    Lourdes’ website: https://lourdesviado.com/    Carmen’s website: https://carmenschmidtmft.com/     Pete Walker, Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving  

Women In-Depth: Conversations about the Inner Lives of Women

142: HSPs & Complex Trauma Series: What is Dissociation?

 “The body never lies and that is the truth.”     In this episode of Women In-Depth, Lourdes Viado speaks with Tara Galeano about the journey of women rediscovering and reconnecting with their bodies. By building a more solid relationship with themselves, women are able to improve the quality of their relationship with others.     Tara focuses not only on sex, but the universal reconnection of women to their bodies, who have so often experienced a disconnection in many ways. Listen as Lourdes and Tara discuss how true intimacy with oneself and, to a degree, selfishness allows women to have more agency over themselves and their bodies.    In this episode you will learn:  Tara’s inspiration for her book [4:42]  What is “true intimacy” [14]  The initial steps in the journey of discovering your body [24]  How trauma is addressed in rediscovering and reconnecting to the body [27:40]  Tara’s words of wisdom [33:05]    Tara Galeano is a sex therapist, sexual empowerment coach, and author of Rediscovering My Body. Tara has been working for over 20 years helping women get their sexy back. From her own experiences and years of professional knowledge, Tara aids women in reconnecting with their bodies and selves as well as reclaiming their own sexuality.    Resources:    Tara’s book Rediscovering My Body is available wherever books are sold.     Tara’s website: rediscoveringmybody.com     9 Week Masterclass, June 15th-August 17th, 2021: For women who want to reconnect to themselves sexually, intimately, and completely but want to space it out over a few weeks. https://rediscoveringmybody.mykajabi.com/rediscovering-my-body-a-9-week-virtual-masterclass    3 Day Virtual Retreat on June 18-20, 2021 A journey to reconnect with yourself and your partner intimately and completely. https://rediscoveringmybody.mykajabi.com/rediscovering-my-body-3%20Day-Virtual-Couples-Solstice-Retreat   

141: Rediscovering Your Body with Tara Galeano, LPC

 “A large part of the work of The Mind-Body Stress Reset is coming to understand how important those sensations that run through your body are - coming to value them. I think we are a culture that overvalues our thinking-self and undervalues our feeling-self.” [51:10]     In this episode, Dr. Lourdes Viado speaks with Rebekkah LaDyne about mind-body somatic approaches. Rebekkah discusses how and why exercising and teaching your body ways to respond to anxiety, stress, and trauma are effective tools for your mind-body well-being.      Listen as Rebekkah emphasizes the importance of the feeling-self and the body as tools for self-regulation for individuals who are not benefiting from practices solely focusing on the thinking-self and the mind.     In this episode you will learn:  Rebekkah LaDyne’s personal and professional inspiration for her book. [3:04]  How the amygdala, mid frontal cortex, and prefrontal cortex function in times of extreme stress, anxiety, and trauma. [11:30]  What a somatic approach is. [22:47]  Different approaches to self-regulation using both mind and body approaches. [27:40]  How to recognize when certain approaches to stress and trauma are unhelpful. [39:20]  What the window of tolerance is and how it can inform which type of therapeutic approach is best suited for you. [46:42]      Rebekkah LaDyne, MS, SEP, is a practicing Somatic Therapist and Researcher and author of The Mind-Body Stress Reset: Somatic Practices to Reduce Overwhelm and Increase Well-Being. Focusing on trauma and dysregulation, Rebecca’s work has centered on wellness of the mind-body in the face of anxiety, stress, as well as overwhelm and development trauma. She earned her Master’s degree from Saybrook University in Mind-Body Medicine and practices mind-body well-being and wellness with the integration of somatic approaches.     Resources:  Rebekkah’s website: www.rebekkahladyne.com or http://www.thismindfullife.info/    The Mind-Body Stress Reset: Somatic Practices to Reduce Overwhelm and Increase Well-Being by Rebekkah LaDyne is available anywhere books are sold.  

140: Somatic Approaches: Self-Regulation for Mind-Body Well-Being

This episode of Women In-Depth features Dr. Tracy Packiam Alloway, an award-winning psychologist who has conducted extensive research on memory and the brain. In this conversation Dr. Alloway discusses her recent book “Think Like a Girl:  10 Unique Strengths of a Woman’s Brain and How to Make Them Work for You.”     Dr. Alloway has authored 15 books and over 100 scientific articles and has been featured on BBC, Good Morning America, the Today Show, Forbes, Bloomberg, The Washington Post, Newsweek, and many others. She’s also a consultant for documentaries, ABC/NBC and the CW affiliates,  AMC TV, and the World Bank.   Topics discussed in this episode:  Some myths about women’s brains (4:26) How women make decisions under stress (7:07) How sticking your hand in a bucket of ice can help you make a less emotional decision (8:38) The surprising research about the lies women tell (11:10) How the women’s way of thinking is a creative superpower (15:18)   Resources: Tracy’s website: https://www.tracyalloway.com/  Tracy’s book “Think Like a Girl”: https://www.zondervan.com/p/think-like-a-girl/#purchasenow

139: Harnessing the Unique Strengths of Women's Brains

 This episode of Women In-Depth features Arianna Smith, EMDR Clinician and Licensed Professional Counselor. She helps Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs) and LGBTQ individuals process childhood trauma, recover from abusive relationships, and release the cycle of constant people pleasing.  Based out of Denver, Colorado, Arianna is a psychotherapist by day and copywriter by night and she supports fellow healers to craft the right words that showcase their passion, personality and expertise so they can have a practice filled with dream clients.     Topics discussed in this episode:   Differentiating between an abusive and toxic relationship (5:13)  Common experiences for those in abusive or toxic relationships (16:08)  How prior trauma can make someone more vulnerable to an abusive or toxic relationship (25:54)  “Trauma glasses” and their impact on those who have gotten out of a abusive or toxic relationship (27:38)  The importance of compassion and healing for those who grew up with abuse or trauma (29:35)  The intersection between HSPs and abusive or toxic relationships (32:47)  DOES:: Depth of processing, Overstimulation or Overwhelm, Emotional reactivity or Empathy, Sensing of Subtleties (34:04)  The hope and recovery on the other side of an abusive or toxic relationship (44:14)   The importance of safety, support, and education for those in abusive or toxic relationships (46:30)      Resources:  Arianna’s website: https://quietmooncounseling.com/   National Hotline for Domestic Violence   telephone: 1.800.799.7233  website:  https://www.thehotline.org/   The Relationship Bill of Rights: https://www.morethantwo.com/relationshipbillofrights.html   

138: HSPs:  Healing from Toxic & Abusive Relationships with Arianna Smith, LPC

This episode of Women In-Depth features Dr. Pearl Gregor. Pearl began studying dreams in 1988. By 2015, widowed, retired, and having finished her doctorate, she created her website: www.dreamsalongtheway.com. In December 2018, she published “I, the Woman, Planted the Tree: A Journey through Dreams to the Feminine,” followed by two more books and a memoir.   Topics discussed in this episode:  What is the search for the divine feminine? (3:15) The Myth of Inanna  (5:09) How Pearl’s journey in and out of depression brought her to dreamwork (12:34) How working with myth & archetype helps anchor you (14:38) The work of relearning to hear our inner voice (17:34) How the word “feminine” has been distorted (19:52) Jung’s process for individuation (28:23) Benefits of dreamwork for those in therapy (30:08) Nightmares are an unexamined letter from the self (40:05)   Resources: Pearl’s website: https://dreamsalongtheway.com/author/pearl/  Pearl’s books: https://dreamsalongtheway.com/books/  Carol Crist’s website: https://www.goddessariadne.org/  Daniel Kalsched’s website: https://www.donaldkalsched.com/

137: Dream Journey to the Divine Feminine

This episode of Women In-Depth features Bronwyn Shiffer, LCSW, a psychotherapist from Madison, Wisconsin who works with highly sensitive women struggling with depression. Bronwyn supports women who want to feel more strong, connected and comfortable in their own skin. She has a Masters of Social Work from Smith College School for Social Work and believes that personal transformation is what heals the world.    Topics discussed in this episode:  What it means to be highly sensitive (2:03) How Bronwyn was drawn to working with highly sensitive women (5:52) How depression can mirror the experiences of a highly sensitive person (HSP) (6:52) The importance and value in creating space for grief and depression (8:55) What is depression and how it shows up for HSPs (9:23) The characteristics specific to the HSP brain and their impact on HSPs (15:25) How HSPs feel deeply the full range of emotions and the experience of being human (16:47) The challenges of an HSP in discerning and disentangling from other’s emotions (17:52) The differences in an HSP’s experience of recovering and healing from depression (18:55) The importance of seeking out an HSP-informed therapist when you are a HSP (19:47) Tips to help HSPs manage the trait (27:31) The benefits of being an HSP (37:37)   Resources: Bronwyn’s website: https://www.bronwynshiffertherapy.com/   Bronwyn’s blog post on how to find a therapist: https://www.bronwynshiffertherapy.com/blog/how-to-find-a-therapist  Bronwyn’s blog post on asking yourself what you need:  https://www.bronwynshiffertherapy.com/blog/self-care-needs  Dr. Elain Aron’s website: https://hsperson.com/  Donna Eden’s website: https://edenenergymedicine.com/ 

136: Depression & the Highly Sensitive Person

In this episode of Women In-Depth, Bridgit Dengel Gaspard, LCSW, shares why, despite preparation, resources, knowledge, and support, we sometimes fail to achieve our goals. While Bridgit specifically discusses being stuck in relation to larger life goals, her work also applies to other ways we are stuck in our lives.    She is the author of “The Final 8th: Enlist Your Inner Selves to Accomplish Your Goals,” and the founder of the New York Voice Dialogue Institute. Bridgit received her MSW from Columbia University and teaches in numerous professional settings, including the Omega Institute. She lives in New York City where she maintains a thriving private practice. You can connect with her through her website or find her on Youtube, Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.   Topics discussed in this episode:  Inner Selves and the idea of multiple ego states with competing agendas (2:54) The Final 8th: failing inside a victory  (3:29)  Developing a direct relationship with our inner selves (5:06) How our early childhood influences our inner selves (5:35) The gifts of our inner selves (6:08) Using Voice Dialogue to listen and communicate with our inner selves (6:52) How our inner selves to protect us from vulnerability (16:52) The importance of processing grief (18:36) Approaching our inner selves with compassion and curiosity (19:22) Gifts of our hidden selves (23:56) The power of the Blameography Exercise (25:03) The challenge of the double bind or twisted loyalties (28:48) Developing the ability to let go of a goal (30:26) Practicing safe success (33:01)   Resources: Bridgit’s website: http://www.bridgit-dengel-gaspard.com/  Bridgit’s book: The Final 8th: Enlist Your Inner Selves to Accomplish Your Goals Bridgit’s free Voice Dialogue Zoom Shop on the 3rd Thursday of the month: https://www.final8th.com/ 

135: The Final 8th: Inner Selves & Getting Unstuck

In this episode of Women In-Depth, Lourdes Viado  & Carmen Schmidt Benedetti continue their podcast series on Complex Trauma and Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs).  Today they discuss where our anxiety comes from and why it matters.   Dr. Lourdes Viado is a psychotherapist for anxious and overwhelmed highly sensitive women in Las Vegas, Nevada.  She is a Myers-Briggs Typology Indicator (MBTI) Certified Practitioner and integrates Jungian psychology, mindfulness, neuroscience, and astrology into her work with clients.  She is also the host of the Women In-Depth Podcast:  Conversations about the Inner Lives of Women, which has been downloaded over 350,000x in 96 countries.   Carmen Schmidt Benedetti is a psychotherapist for highly sensitive womxn in Sonoma County, California. She helps them to heal layers of unrecognized childhood trauma and create calm, balance and stability in their life. As a Certified EMDR therapist, Carmen guides adults in reframing their past from an empowered perspective, coming to believe they are ‘good enough’ and their needs and feelings matter   Topics discussed in this episode:  The relationship between anxiety and trauma and the HSP trait (1:45) The importance of understanding the different types of anxiety and the brain in order to reduce anxiety (4:38) Cortex-based anxiety (5:49) Some times for reducing cortex-cased anxiety (9:23) Amygdala-based anxiety (10:49) Differences between amygdala-based and cortex-based anxiety (20:56) Some tips for reducing amygdala-based anxiety (25:52) Treating the root of anxiety versus treating the symptoms of anxiety (30:04) How the HSP trait impacts understanding and healing from anxiety and trauma (33:14)   Resources: Carmen’s website: https://carmenschmidtmft.com/  “Rewire Your Anxious Brain: How to Use the Neuroscience of Fear to End Anxiety, Panic, and Worry” is available on Amazon or your favorite independent bookseller    Related Episodes: https://lourdesviado.com/124-complex-trauma-and-the-highly-sensitive-person/  https://lourdesviado.com/127-complex-trauma-in-the-highly-sensitive-person/  https://lourdesviado.com/132-tools-for-the-highly-sensitive-person/

134: HSPs & Complex Trauma Series: Where Does Your Anxiety Come From?

In this episode of Women In-Depth,  Alana Carvalho, LMHC, shares her insights on helping parents recover from patterns of codependency and perfectionism so they can raise empowered children.     Alana Carvalho is a licensed mental health counselor who focuses on helping parents, couples and individuals build balanced relationships by releasing old patterns and becoming more authentic. She is especially passionate about helping individuals see how healing codependency and perfectionism can lead to a more joy filled life. Alana has lectured on child development at The College of Staten Island. Her first book Raising Empowered Children: The Codependent Perfectionist’s Guide to Parenting is now available on amazon.com. Alana maintains her private practice in Midtown Manhattan and is currently seeing clients virtually. You can connect with her through her website, Instagram, podcast or you can email her at alana@alanacarvalho.com   Topics discussed in this episode:  The importance of helping parents understand codependency and perfectionism (2:39)  What is codependency? (8:57) How codependency can show up in parenting (9:34) How someone can begin to heal from codependency (18:31) What is perfectionism? (19:52) How perfectionism can show up in parenting (20:30) The double whammy of codependency and perfectionism in parenting (24:25) The impact of little, everyday kinds of trauma (29:08) The importance of emotional safety (35:20) Bringing faith and spirituality into parenting (42:59)   Resources: Alana’s website: https://www.alanacarvalho.com/  Alana’s book:  Raising Empowered Children: The Codependent Perfectionist’s Guide to Parenting  Women In-Depth episodes on childhood emotional neglect (CEN)with Dr. Jonice Webb:   Childhood Emotional Neglect:   The Invisible Experience After Childhood Emotional Neglect:  Healing Your Relationships with Your Partner, Children, & Parents

133: Raising Empowered Children: Insights for the Codependent Perfectionist Parent

Join me in a laughter-filled conversation with Allison Lefkowitz, author of “The Highly Sensitive Person’s Toolkit: Everyday Strategies for Thriving in an Overstimulating World,” and one of the best resources for highly sensitive individuals. Allison is a licensed marriage and family therapist in private practice in New York City who specializes in working with highly sensitive people (HSPs). Topics discussed in this episode:  What it means to be Highly Sensitive (8:18) Areas where Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs) struggle (9:30)  How to differentiate an empath versus an HSP (10:16) Self-Advocacy and Self Parenting: the first of the nine Core Skills for HSPs (13:26) The Self-Advocacy and Self Parenting Skill Set (14:51) The *5 Different Sensitive Styles (23:19) What has surprised Allison the most in her work with HSPs (30:02)   Resources: Allison’s website: http://almft.com/  Allison’s email: AllisonLefkowitz@icloud.com  The Highly Sensitive Person’s Toolkit: http://almft.com/highly-sensitive-persons-toolkit-book/  *Resource for the 5 different sensitive styles:  Living With Intensity: Understanding the Sensitivity, Excitability, and the Emotional Development of Gifted Children, Adolescents, and Adults, edited by Susan Daniels and Michael Piechowski

132: Tools for the Highly Sensitive Person with Allison Lefkowitz, LMFT

In this episode, Karly Randolph Pitman and I explore the parts of ourselves that tend to overeat in response to stress through the metaphor of “Food as Mother” and how this perspective can help us understand why we overeat and move towards changing this behavior.   Karly is the founder and facilitator at www.growinghumankindness. She helps highly sensitive people who struggle with shame, sugar, and perfectionism and who want to heal painful habits of self blame, self criticism, and over consuming.     Growing human(kind)ness arose from two things:  Karly’s own experience with 20 years of multiple eating disorders, chronic depression, shame, and anxiety; and from bearing witness to others’ stories of challenge, growth and rebirth.    Karly lives in Austin, Texas with her husband Patrick and her family of two dogs, a very frisky cat, lots of dust bunnies, and beautiful oak trees.   Topics discussed in this episode:  How food has become a refuge during the Covid-19 pandemic (3:58) Food and the Mother archetype (4:56) Food is safe, nourishing & comforting (5:16) Food as Mother as a metaphor for our relationship with food The significance of core needs Overeating as soul preservation  (9:17) Listening & connecting to the side of ourselves that is seeking solace in food (9:44) Moving away from thinking of overeating as the enemy (9:56) Tending and befriending rather than fighting (10:06) How this approach helped Karly move away from shame regarding her eating disorder (10:22) The shift in our approach to a challenging aspect of ourselves shifts our relationship to that aspect of ourself and plays a huge part in changing the behavior (11:45) Our coping mechanisms for stress, overwhelm & trauma can be messy (12:29) Stand in contrast to the Western culture of controlling your own destiny (13:08) Can cause you to dislike your response to stress (13:31) Examples:  Eating when you are stressed (13:31) Binge watching Netflix (13:36) Understanding the base human need for connection (14:15) Dr. Anita Johnston’s book “Eating by the Light of the Moon” (15:07) How the kinds of food we are eating reflect the kind of nourishment we are seeking  Recognizing the wisdom of the body’s desires for a particular food (16:42) How sugar or comfort foods can make you feel heard, understood & acknowledged (17:03) The risk that of not being heard or understood when you ask someone for support (17:47) How the act of eating is used to fill the need for empathy (18:20)  How the food reflects back what we are feeling and needing (18:45) How food does not carry the same risk as someone dismissing or minimizing your feelings (19:09) Yet food does not meet the need for connection (20:03) Food becomes a safe substitute for meeting your needs (20:36) How to transition from using food for connection to finding safe connections within ourselves and others (21:27) Very different from breaking a habit (21:46) Focus moves away from changing a behavior to nurturing safety within your being and others (22:12) Deepening connections within yourself and the wider world (22:36) Food becomes one of many ways for connection rather than the primary way (22:50) Becoming consciously aware of the part of yourself that is overeating and your internal critic (24:11) How Karly’s focus on self-compassion brings you into a loving and nourishing relationship with that part of yourself (24:47) How connecting to the Mother archetype helped Karly (25:04) Ideas for connecting with the Mother archetype Gardening, caring for pets, relationships with loved ones (25:43) Seeing your needs as sacred (26:16) Befriending your neediness and healing your relationship with food are intimately connected (26:38) Acknowledging our needs can be shaming (26:56) When we have shame regarding our needs, there is no way to acknowledge them directly (27:21) We can use food to fill the deficit, but we continue to feel unnourished, deprived and unprotected (27:21) Having a different relationship with our needs often changes our relationship to receiving (27:55) Being a place of receiving can be very vulnerable if we’ve been shamed for our needs in the past (28:11) The risks in asking for help (29:43) Karly & Lourdes’ work with Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs) (30:41) HSPs are more attuned to their needs and feelings (30:51) Can create shame in a culture that isn’t attuned to feeling or emotion (31:06) For HSPs, food can become a way of receiving mothering (31:30) Asking for your needs to be met can be risky, but it’s the way forward to receive the help and support that feeds and nourishes us (32:00) Suggestion for personal practice: Asking yourself and your loved ones, “What do you need?” (32:57) Can make the person responding to the question feel very vulnerable (34:03) Allow the person responding time to process before answering (34:29) Some beginning steps to help someone working with overeating (36:44) Consider overeating as a prayer in disguise (37:07) It’s a part of yourself asking for help (37:19) Pause and ask yourself: What are you feeling? What are you needing? (37:48) Karly offers a free tool: The Binge Rescue worksheet (38:16) Helps build the internal sense of holding rather than seeking it through food (38:50) Connect with Karly at https://growinghumankindness.com/   Resources:   Karly Randolph Pitman’s website: https://growinghumankindness.com/  Karly’s courses: https://growinghumankindness.com/courses/  The Binge Rescue worksheet: https://growinghumankindness.com/binge-rescue/  Dr. Anita Johnston’s website: https://dranitajohnston.com/eating-in-the-light-of-the-moon/  Dr. Johnson’s previous episodes: Episode 59: Cracking the Hunger Code Through Storytelling and Metaphor with Anita Johnston, Ph.D.

131: Food As Mother: Healing Your Relationship with Food

In this episode, therapist and pychotherapist Maya Benattar and I talk about her intriguing work in music therapy.  Maya is in private practice in New York City and online in the State of New York. (01:24) She specializes in helping women who are ready to work through trauma, “stuckness,” and long-held anxiety.  In addition to her clinical work, she offers online and in-person “Reclaim Your Rhythm” workshops for helpers and healers and is a frequent presenter and speaker at conferences and trainings.   Maya received her Bachelors in Music Therapy from SUNY New Paltz and her Masters in Music Therapy from New York University.  (01:54) She completed post-graduate training in vocal psychotherapy with Dr. Diane Austin, in creative arts and trauma treatment at the Kint Institute, and Music & Imagery with Dr. Lisa Summer at Institute for Music & Consciousness. (2:12) Maya believes that women deserve to be loud, messy, sensitive, angry, shy, and so much more.  (2:23)   Topics discussed in this episode: How Maya found music therapy as her calling (3:05) What is music therapy? (4:24) A working definition of music therapy (5:09) Maya’s approach to music therapy (6:48) An overview of the theoretical approaches to music therapy (7:15) Maya’s psychodynamic model of generational influence on how people show up in the moment (7:43) The impact of trauma and influence of untold stories (7:43) Hypothetical approach to working with a woman with anxiety (8:14) Approach is individualized Maya’s tagline “Reclaim Your Rhythm” (8:39) Often women with anxiety or trauma have become disconnected from their core rhythms (8:49) Gentle mindfulness and body based sematic work (9:11) Creating music in the moment to reflect or deepen a certain feeling or idea (9:24) Using musical instruments and art supplies to facilitate sessions (10:14) Adjusting to online sessions during the Covid-19 pandemic (11:13) Exploring the relationship between lack of control and anxiety through music (11:29) The differences between talk and music therapy (12:42) The struggle with the unknown for women (14:24) The gifts & challenges of rediscovering play as an adult (15:29) Musical improvisation as the work of therapy (16:34) Music as an access point to different aspects of ourselves (17:39) Benefits of using tactile objects during in-person sessions (19:00) Ways to make the abstract real (19:56) Reclaiming Your Rhythm as a big process as well as gentle tending (21:00) How musical therapy surprises and inspires (22:16) Discovering and returning to the big wins for clients (24:23) Unexpected benefits of telehealth (24:42) Music Listening in Music Therapy (25:05) Most accessible way to explore musical therapy on your own (25:25) What works for one person does not work for another (25:25) Challenges of working with preconceived notions & assumptions (27:19) Anxiety and the need to feel grounded and a release (28:25) What works for a client on a particular day and in a particular moment may change (29:20) Develop playlists rather than leaning on a particular song (29:36) Practice listening to the music and paying attention to what it evokes (30:10) Creating space to explore and recognizing what you need or want (30:10)   Resources:   Maya’s website: https://www.mayabenattar.com/ Dr. Diane Austin’s website: http://dianeaustin.com/music/?page_id=7 The Kint Institute’s website: https://kintinstitute.org/

130: Music Therapy: Reclaim Your Rhythm

Welcome to episode 2 of a brand new Women In-Depth series hosted by Lourdes Viado and Carmen Schmidt Benedetti.  This series focuses on highly sensitive persons (HSPs) who have experienced complex trauma.    Lourdes and Carmen hope this discussion will help listeners get more clarity and understanding of the HSP’s experience of and recovery from complex trauma.  As HSPs themselves, Lourdes & Carmen  are passionate about working with individuals with this trait and welcome your ideas and questions as we move forward.   Dr. Lourdes Viado is a psychotherapist for anxious and overwhelmed highly sensitive women in Las Vegas, Nevada.  She is a Myers-Briggs Typology Indicator (MBTI) Certified Practitioner and integrates Jungian psychology, mindfulness, neuroscience, and astrology into her work with clients.  She is also the host of the Women In-Depth Podcast:  Conversations about the Inner Lives of Women, which has been downloaded over 350,000x in 96 countries.   Carmen Schmidt Benedetti is a psychotherapist for highly sensitive womxn in Sonoma County, California. She helps them to heal layers of unrecognized childhood trauma and create calm, balance and stability in their life. As a Certified EMDR therapist, Carmen guides adults in reframing their past from an empowered perspective, coming to believe they are ‘good enough’ and their needs and feelings matter   Topics discussed in this episode: Tips & suggestions for navigating the holidays and staying calm, centered & grounded (1:49) Specific to Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs) (2:01) Everyone can benefit from ways to calm their nervous system (2:10) Also useful for navigating everyday life (2:21) Clarification and definition of “trigger” or “triggers” (2:25) Use of the word can be upsetting (2:54) Alternate words will be used to interchangeably describing the feeling of being emotionally charged by something that has happened (3:07) Alternatives: reactive, distressed, activated, emotionally charged (3:12) There is a need to prepare or respond in order to cope with whatever is happening to you effectively (3:52) Boundaries as a framework for discussion (4:23) Time: having boundaries around your time When planning your time, be very clear from the start (5:14) Clearly communicate and set expectations (5:29) Setup cue words with partner to signal it’s time to leave (5:53) Asking for time to make a decision (6:24) Building time to transition and decompress into your schedule (7:02) Lighten your schedule during the holiday season (7:35) Boundary setting is a great skill for HSPs to learn (8:09) Will help you feel safe & in control (8:24) Will prevent you from feeling overwhelmed (8:24) Connection between feeling calm and centered and how well you are setting your boundaries (8:43) Your body & your physical space (8:54) How much you allow yourself to take on in terms of your energy level (9:08) Self care is another essential skill for HSPs (9:53) Balancing nurturing and supporting others while honoring your needs (10:57) Being mindful of those around you and their energy and emotions (11:43) HSPs will mirror the energy and emotions of those around them, both positive and negative (11:47) Pay attention to clues that you are beginning to get overwhelmed (12:34) Develop strategies to calm your nervous system when you are overwhelmed (13:18) Unplugging, turning off your screens, going for a walk outside (13:41) Diaphragmatic or belly breathing activates your relaxation system (14:02) Explore techniques which give your senses a break (15:17) Limiting alcohol,caffeine and sugar due to the intense effect they can have on HSPs (15:32) Tips for events and traveling (16:02) Create smaller gatherings (16:03) Choose accommodations, ways of traveling, and locations that limit overstimulation (17:08) Develop a strategy for hugs and handshakes and communicate your preference to friends and family (17:43) Avoid hurt feelings and awkwardness in the moment (17:47) Create your own sacred space or retreat (18:24) A place for you to rejuvenate and restore (18:29) Set boundaries around this space with your loved ones (18:57) Whatever works for you around taking care and protecting you and your family is ok (20:14) Intellectual or communication boundaries (21:16) Being clear and direct about your needs (21:29) Avoid using qualifiers which diminish the clarity of your boundary (22:54) Saying no is acceptable and no explanation is necessary (22:56) Communicating in writing can be easier (23:33) Emotional Boundaries (26:51) Disagreements, differences of opinions & hurt feelings from others can be particularly challenging for HSPs (27:03) HSPs default is to notice and nurture the emotions of others (27:42) Important to focus on your well being and sense of calm (28:14) Balance acknowledging the emotions of others while honoring how you feel (29:10) Boundary setting is uncomfortable (30:37) If you are setting boundaries where they are needed, you will experience pushback (30:53) People and situations who have difficulty with boundaries are the ones who need it the most (31:08) Recognize that stress and discomfort is normal with boundary setting (31:15) Reminder: you are not responsible for others’ feelings or reactions (31:47) Choose and create experiences that help you bring you joy and help you feel calm and grounded (33:32) Being assertive is related to boundary setting (34:02) Being clear about what you want, expressing it, and expressing how you feel (34:08) Do the things that help your body decompress (35:02) Exercise or getting enough sleep (35:08) Hobbies that help you relax: journaling or creating art (35:18) Being present for your moments of joy to give you strength during moments with difficult emotions (35:57) Holidays are particularly challenging for survivors of trauma (36:10) Important to create places and people who can support you (36:23) For example: therapist, a podcast, a good friend or family member (36:44) Schedule an extra session with your therapist or phone call with a friend to help process your emotions (37:07) Energetic Boundaries (37:21) Importance of managing energy and emotions to stay grounded (37:32) HSPs tend to take on a lot of energy from others (37:50) Slowing down during times of increased hustle and bustle like the holiday season (38:31) Recognizing that the holiday season can be associated with negative experiences and the need to manage those emotions (39:03) Staying focused on the present moment and what you can do right now (39:37) Simplifying where you can (40:30) Keep your meals basic and simple to make them easier to manage (40:35) Being gentle and compassionate with yourself and your energetic capacity (41:38) Financial and Material Aspects of Life (43:18) Being intentional about gifting (43:44) How many gifts are you buying? (43:44) Who is on your list? (43:45) What is your budget? (43:47) Establishing expectations around decorations (43:58) Exploring gifts that will create memories (44:41) Recognizing that financial circumstance are very different for many people right now (45:30) Exploring alternatives to spending money (46:10) Carmen and Lourdes are available for online therapy for those seeking extra support in California and Nevada (47:06) For those outside of California & Nevada, Dr. Elaine Aron’s website: The Highly Sensitive Person (hsperson.com) has a list of therapists with experience working with HSPs (47:40) Carmen and Lourdes can also assist with referrals (48:10) 

129: HSPs & Complex Trauma Series: Holiday Tips for HSPs

We’re excited to welcome back Bethany Webster to the podcast since her last visit in November 2016 where we discussed the “Mother Wound”. Her 2014 article “Why it’s Crucial for Women to Heal the Mother Wound” went viral and brought worldwide attention to her body of work in feminism and women’s leadership and personal development. Bethany’s work addresses a crucial gap in women’s psychology and empowerment by comprehensively defining the Mother Wound and how it manifests in women’s lives (1:42).   Bethany has a Master’s degree in psychology and completed training in Life Coaching from Joanna Lindenbaum and Holistic MBA. Prior to coaching, as a graduate student she focused on social psychology research on the intersection of race, class and gender. Post-grad school, she worked in academia in the area of research ethics and also as a writer/editor at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City.   Topics discussed in this episode:   Healing the Mother Wound (3:07) Discovering the Inner Mother How the Work is Evolving and Resonating throughout the world Importance of this work during the Covid-19 pandemic (3:20) Impact on those healing from trauma or working on spiritual growth (4:59) Quick recap of the November 2016 episode with Bethany: What is the Mother Wound? (5:39) The connection between the Mother Wound and the patriarchy (5:45) The three levels of the Mother Wound (5:47) The connection between unhealthy motherhood behaviours patterns in adult life and the Mother Wound (5:50) Taboos and stereotypes about the Mother Wound (5:59) Benefits of openly discussing the Mother Wound (6:05) What is the Mother Wound (6:17) How 23 years as a client in depth psychotherapy started Bethany’s journey (6:43) Definition of the Mother Wound (7:13) The Four Levels of the Mother Wound (7:15) The Personal Level - how painful dynamics with our mothers shaped or limited how we see ourselves (7:21) The Cultural Level - how the Mother Wound is a product of living as a woman in a patriarchal society (8:17) The Spiritual Level - how pain between ourselves and our mothers, ranging from mild to traumatic, leads to an existential sense of feeling separate (9:18) The Planetary Level - how the Mother Wound impacts how we treat the planet (10:34) Goals of the work (11:53) Increase awareness of the urgency and primacy of healing the Mother Wound Human attachment is the base of conflicts and problems (12:09) Importance of transforming our culture into a place where all people can thrive (12:52) The depth and breadth of the Mother Wound (13:14) How the Mother Wound shows up in therapy (13:24) Self-criticism, perfectionism, comparison & competition between women Difficulty in showing self-compassion & receiving Acts of self sabotage Books exploring the Mother Wound The work of Clarissa Pinkola Estes which explores when the mother-child dynamic is not working (14:07) Bethany’s upcoming book, “The Inner Mother” (14:33) which is about nurturing and developing that part of yourself Resources discussing the Mother-Child Dynamic (15:32) Previous podcast discussing development trauma in infants with Selma Bacevac (15:03) https://lourdesviado.com/118-why-infant-mental-health-matters/ Gabor Mate’s work regarding the impact of maternal trauma on infants in utero (15:43) https://drgabormate.com/ Healing the Mother Wound as a foundation for creating a new world (16:15) Our defenses around our pain (16:23) Projecting onto others, fearing connecting, pushing people away & sabotaging ourselves When our defenses become barriers to our thriving and potential (17:59) Understanding our Safety Algorithm as a coping mechanism (18:24) Understanding and filling the Mother Gaps (19:14) Definition of the Mother Gaps (19:22) Unconscious coping skills we’ve developed to fill those gaps (19:31) Filling the gap by building internal resilience (19:53) Gifts of Healing the Inner Mother (20:26) Leadership qualities, speaking truth, standing their ground, pursuing their dreams, expanded capacity for pleasure and good things Restructuring the brain (20:46) Comparing the inner child to the amygdala and the inner mother as the prefrontal cortex Building new connections and accessing new choices & possibilities The Mother Wound as a pattern of behavior we developed as children that is no longer serving us as adults and the response to a particular situation is an emotional memory (22:13) Learning to be with challenging emotions as part of Inner Mothering work (22:45) Simple steps to begin healing the Mother Wound (22:55) Connecting with your inner child (23:10) Concerns and fears of connecting with your inner child are normal (25:12) If you are feeling stuck or stumped, give yourself lots of empathy (25:57) Connecting with your inner child as a tool for getting through tough moments (26:19) Journaling exercises (26:30) What did you need as a child that you didn’t get enough of? (26:40) What’s one of my current challenges right now that’s repeating? (26:47) How is my inner child keeping me safe and holding me back? (27:20) Where is your Safety Algorithm? (28:30) What does your Inner Child need to feel safe? What are her biggest fears right now? (28:32) Advanced work for healing the Mother Wound (28:40) Morning ritual with your Inner Child (28:42) Morning greeting to your Inner Child (28:53) Morning affirmations to make your Inner Child feel supported and safe (29:37) Validate and differentiate (29:46) Validate the feelings of the Inner Child Differentiate between the past and the present moments (30:02) Evening ritual with your child, for parents and for those working with their inner children (31:28) What was good about your day? What was a struggle about your day? Reviewing your day (31:52) Affirming you are safe (31:54) Connecting with Bethany (32:50) Free ebook “What is the Mother Wound” https://ebook.bethanywebster.com/ (32:57) Bethany’s website: https://www.bethanywebster.com/ (33:03) Free Facebook Group: (33:18) “Discovering the Inner Mother: A Guide to Healing the Mother Wound and Claiming your Power,” coming out January 5th, 2021 and a pre-order bonus (33:23) Free & paid courses: https://www.bethanywebster.com/inner-mother-course/ (33:40) Upcoming Toolkit (34:14) How to Handle Family Gatherings and Stay True to Ourselves   Resources: Clarissa Pinkola Estes, “Warming the Stone Child” (14:07)             https://www.audible.com/pd/Warming-the-Stone-Child-Audiobook/B002V8KO8C             https://www.amazon.com/Warming-Stone-Child-audiobook/dp/B000EPRHJS   Related Podcasts: “Why Infant Mental Health Matters” with Selma Bacevac https://lourdesviado.com/118-why-infant-mental-health-matters/   Bethany Webster             https://www.bethanywebster.com/             https://ebook.bethanywebster.com/ (32:57)

128: Healing the Mother Wound: A Foundation for a Better World

Listen in as therapists, coaches, writers, and other experts explore the inner lives of women: their struggles, fears, hopes, & dreams. This podcast is about cultivating a conversation around the uncomfortable, uncertain, and unknown aspects of a woman's experience. Through interviews and stories, Lourdes Viado, PhD, MFT goes beneath the surface and takes a deeper look at relationships, motherhood, self-acceptance, authenticity, aging, healing, suffering, loss, and other areas connected to the emotional and psychological well-being of women. We will be exploring conversation around the entire experience of being a woman, with all its different aspects.

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Women In-Depth: Conversations about the Inner Lives of Women

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