Explore every episode of the podcast Resilient Birth

In this episode, Justine and Sarah are joined by Helena Vissing, PsyD, SEP, PMH-C, a licensed psychologist practicing trauma-informed somatic psychotherapy. They discuss the quote by Rosemary Balsam that highlights the relationship between a woman and embodied events, such as birth, across her entire lifetime. They explore the significance of birth as a prism that captures the past and future, the need for relational care in the prevention and healing from birth trauma, and the limitations of a purely medical approach to birth. Helena emphasizes the importance of holding a lifespan perspective and integrating somatic and psychodynamic approaches in supporting clients.

Keywords

birth trauma, female body, relational care, healing, lifespan perspective, somatic psychotherapy, psychodynamic approach

Takeaways

• Birth is a transformative event that holds meaning for the individual both before and after it occurs.
• Relational care is essential in the prevention and healing from birth trauma. Relational care provides support, understanding, and validation that is not available technology alone.
• A purely medical approach to birth overlooks the importance of the relationship between the birthing person and their body, emotions, and experiences.
• A lifespan perspective is crucial in understanding the impact of birth trauma and the ongoing journey of healing and transformation.
• Integrating somatic and psychodynamic approaches can support clients in reconnecting with their bodies and navigating the complexities of the perinatal transition.

Sound Bites

• "Birth is never just that one moment. It captures so much of what has gone before in your whole life."
• "We cannot bypass the need for relational care that humans have. It's a defining feature of being human."

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction

01:43 Quote by Rosemary Balsam

08:28 The Importance of Relational Care in Birth

17:51 Challenging the Medical Approach to Birth

28:22 The Dilemma of Western Medicine

38:06 Healing and Reconnecting with the Body

50:17 The Prism of Healing and Transformation

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma across the perinatal period, from trying-to-conceive to pregnancy, from childbirth to postpartum and parenting. Through an inspirational quote that drives our weekly conversations about trauma and healing, Justine and Sarah explore topics such as birth trauma, parenting as a survivor, and finding healing with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Learn more about Sarah and Justine's course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals

Helena Vissing, PsyD, SEP, PMH-C, is a licensed psychologist practicing trauma-informed somatic psychotherapy in North California. She is certified in Perinatal Mental Health and specializes in working with expecting and new parents. She is Associate Professor in the somatic program at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Before joining CIIS, Helena taught at several graduate institutions, including Reiss-Davis Graduate School, Antioch University, and The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Her areas of specialization include developmental psychology, perinatal mental health, and integrating psychodynamic and somatic modalities in trauma treatment. Helena also has extensive experience providing advanced level training of providers in perinatal mental health. She has published book chapters and articles on the topic of the psychology of mothering and its somatic aspects and is the author of Somatic Maternal Healing. Psychodynamic and Somatic Trauma Treatment for Perinatal Mental Health; a biopsychosocial framework for integrating and adapting a somatic approach to make perinatal mental health not only trauma informed, but also trauma responsive. She is one of the hosts of the podcast channel New Books in Psychoanalysis and is on the editorial board of the International Body Psychotherapy Journal.  

In this conversation, Sarah and Justine discuss the impact of trauma on our sense of time and how the past can erupt into the present or shift our perception of what is about to happen in the future. Justine shares a quote from the book Trauma and Human Existence by Robert D. Storolow. She was reminded of this quote, in particular his words, “Trauma destroys time,” after a recent personal experience of reacting unexpectedly and dramatically to a trigger resulting from an experience with her baby she did not originally categorize as a trauma. Sarah and Justine emphasize the importance of seeking support and understanding in navigating the effects of trauma particularly when parenting. The conversation highlights the power of trusted relationships and creating safe spaces for healing so that we can be present with ourselves and our children.

 Keywords

Trauma and temporality, unexpected triggers, fragmentation along time, healing, creating safe spaces

Takeaways

• Trauma can disrupt our sense of time and bring past experiences into the present moment.
• Triggers can unexpectedly bring us back to traumatic events, even if we don't categorize them as traumas.
• Seeking support and understanding is crucial in navigating the effects of trauma.
• Creating safe spaces and trusted relationships can help in healing and bringing fragmented parts of ourselves back together.

Sound Bites

• "Trauma destroys time."
• "The world feels more tender and vulnerable when you're a parent."
• "Our body can sometimes feel like it's never in that calm state."

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Quote

08:02 The Impact of Trauma on Our Sense of Time

15:27 Triggers: Unexpectedly Reliving Traumatic Experiences

25:21 The Importance of Seeking Support in Navigating Trauma

27:15 Creating Safe Spaces for Healing and Integration

38:27 Conclusion and Takeaways

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma across the perinatal period, from trying-to-conceive to pregnancy, from childbirth to postpartum and parenting. Through an inspirational quote that drives our weekly conversations about trauma and healing, Justine and Sarah explore topics such as birth trauma, parenting as a survivor, and finding healing with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Learn more about Sarah and Justine's course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals

In this episode, Justine and Sarah debate definitions of birth trauma. Is birth trauma really just any experience of distress in childbirth? Does it occur because we had unrealistic expectations? And what is the impact of other people in the birthing space on the extent to which we experience birth trauma?

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma in the perinatal period. Through an inspirational quote that drives the weekly content, Justine and Sarah explore various trauma areas with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Learn more about our course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals

In this episode, Sarah and Justine explore the value of shifting your mindset in the perinatal period as Sarah was inspired this week by words from a competitive cyclist that helped reconnect her to her power. Justine had some audio issues at the end of the episode, but Sarah managed to bring the recording to a close with such wisdom and grace we did not want you to miss it.

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma in the perinatal period. Through an inspirational quote that drives the weekly content, Justine and Sarah explore various trauma areas with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Learn more about our course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals

This is our second episode of Season 2 and today we are talking to Erin Ronder Neves, a birth and postpartum doula, about her experiences with Postpartum Depression and OCD. In this episode, Erin shares candidly about the intrusive thoughts she experienced and the support she sought to help her through this frightening experience.

We wanted to link to this helpful article to help you understand how intrusive thoughts and OCD work and how they are different to postpartum psychosis: https://www.cedars-sinai.org/blog/difference-between-postpartum-anxiety-ocd-psychosis.html

Unlike postpartum OCD, postpartum psychosis is a medical emergency and visiting your nearest emergency room is the appropriate response.

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma in the perinatal period. Through an inspirational quote that drives the weekly content, Justine and Sarah explore various trauma areas with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Erin Ronder Neves started birth work after the birth of her second daughter, but it was the birth and postpartum experience of her first daughter that initially opened her eyes to all the empowering opportunities that birthing people are not made aware of on their journey. Erin is a certified Birth Doula who has supported over 275 births. She is also a postpartum doula and has worked with just as many families during the postpartum period, as she believes that support should continue once someone gives birth instead of well wishes and one follow-up visit which is usually 6 weeks after birth. Throughout the years, Erin has tacked on a few additional letters after her name to become a Certified Childbirth Educator through BACE, A Certified Lactation Counselor, and a Spinning Babies Parent Educator. And of course, Erin is a proud graduate of Resilient Birth's Trauma Informed Training. Erin started her doula and education business, ERN Doula, back in 2020, and is currently about to launch a brand new brick and mortar location on the North Shore of MA in Beverly, MA, called Beyond Birthing. Doors will open in mid June! Beyond Birthing is the first of its kind, all-inclusive prenatal and postpartum support center. Under one roof families will be able to have access to FULL TIME chiropractic services, lactation consultant, perinatal mental health clinicians, maternal nutritionist, massage therapy, caregiver education groups and so, so many support groups. The mission of Beyond Birthing is focused on the caregivers! Beyond Birthing will allow caregivers to prioritize their own mental health and physical wellbeing, and is dedicated to making it easier to do so. Feel free to check out her website: www.beyondbirthingvillage.com

Learn more about our course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals

We are excited to announce the first episode of Season 2 of the Resilient Birth Podcast! In this episode Justine speaks about her own experience of suffering a third degree tear with her first child after reading the recent report by the all-party parliamentary group on birth trauma.

Link here to a copy of the report: https://www.theo-clarke.org.uk/sites/www.theo-clarke.org.uk/files/2024-05/Birth%20Trauma%20Inquiry%20Report%20for%20Publication_May13_2024.pdf

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma in the perinatal period. Through an inspirational quote that drives the weekly content, Justine and Sarah explore various trauma areas with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Learn more about our course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals

In today's Resilient Birth Short why you should care about trauma-informed care and we introduce our training Trauma Informed Fundamentals, which provides a really great introduction to trauma and trauma-informed care. Learn more about our course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals

While we record Season 2 of the podcast we will be sharing some of our weekly conversations from our Facebook group the Trauma-Informed Perinatal Professionals.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

In today's Resilient Birth Short we discuss debriefing a birth with your client. We discuss how your client may be looking for more than just person to listen to the story of the birth.  So often our clients want to be witnessed and have their experience of birth and what has come after validated. They want to feel seen and heard.

While we record Season 2 of the podcast we will be sharing some of our weekly conversations from our Facebook group the Trauma-Informed Perinatal Professionals. This episode was recorded back in the winter as you will hear in the introductory comments.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Learn more about our course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals

In today's Resilient Birth Short we discuss what we need to be mindful of when thinking about our intake questions and asking about prior trauma during that first meeting.

While we record Season 2 of the podcast we will be sharing some of our weekly conversations from our Facebook group the Trauma-Informed Perinatal Professionals.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Learn more about our course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals

While we record Season 2 of the podcast we will be sharing some of our weekly conversations from our Facebook group the Trauma-Informed Perinatal Professionals. In today's Resilient Birth Short we discuss how thinking flexibly about how we give birth can reduce anxiety and what are some the questions we might ask clients to help them still feel how they want to feel even if birth plans have to shift.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Learn more about our course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals

While we record Season 2 of the podcast we will be sharing some of our weekly conversations from our Facebook group the Trauma-Informed Perinatal Professionals. In today's Resilient Birth Short we discuss how to read a birth plan.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Learn more about our course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals

While we record Season 2 of the podcast we will be sharing some of our weekly conversations from our Facebook group the Trauma-Informed Perinatal Professionals. In today's Resilient Birth Short we discuss trauma-informed birth plans.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Learn more about our course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals

 In this episode, Justine and Sarah are joined by Marissa Hathaway, a certified birth and postpartum doula. They discuss the harmful impact of 'at least' statements and how they can be invalidating to individuals who have experienced trauma or infertility. Marissa shares her personal journey of going through IVF and the challenges she faced as a doula supporting families while navigating her own miscarriage and infertility journey. They also discuss the importance of recognizing and honoring each person's unique story and the need for more support and understanding in the perinatal field.

Keywords

birth, postpartum, doula, trauma, infertility, IVF, ‘at least’ statements, miscarriage reproductive health

Takeaways

• The harmful impact of 'at least' statements and how they can be invalidating
• The challenges faced by individuals who have experienced trauma or infertility while supporting others in the perinatal field
• The importance of recognizing and honoring each person's unique story

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

03:30 The Harmful Impact of 'At Least' Statements

11:17 Supporting Others While Navigating Personal Trauma

15:01 Navigating Reproductive Health Challenges as a Doula

26:45 Recognizing and Honoring Each Person's Unique Story

34:56 Conclusion and Takeaways

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma across the perinatal period, from trying-to-conceive to pregnancy, from childbirth to postpartum and parenting. Through an inspirational quote that drives our weekly conversations about trauma and healing, Justine and Sarah explore topics such as birth trauma, parenting as a survivor, and finding healing with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Learn more about Sarah and Justine's course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals

Marissa Hathaway is a full spectrum doula (certified in birth and postpartum), Childbirth Educator, and photographer. She came to doula through starting her career in global maternal health, human rights, and reproductive justice. She is dedicated to reducing maternal health inequities via intersectional collaboration and cultural humility. After studying Public Health & International Relations at Boston University, she attended the University of Haifa, in Israel, for her Masters in Public Health. Marissa has experience in rape crisis counseling, family planning/contraception counseling, and refugee health. Marissa’s approach to supporting families is centered around: embodied consent and informed decision-making; support for partners; and mental health and wellbeing

While we record Season 2 of the podcast we will be sharing some of our weekly conversations from our Facebook group the Trauma-Informed Perinatal Professionals. In today's Resilient Birth Short we discuss why consent really matters.

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma in the perinatal period. Through an inspirational quote that drives the weekly content, Justine and Sarah explore various trauma areas with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Learn more about our course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals

In this episode, Justine and Sarah honor Penny Simkin, physiotherapist, doula, co-founder of DONA and PATTCH, and author of numerous books including When Survivors Give Birth. We talk about her impact of our work and the legacy she has created in the birth world.

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma in the perinatal period. Through an inspirational quote that drives the weekly content, Justine and Sarah explore various trauma areas with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Learn more about our course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals

In this episode Sarah shares a quote from rap artist NF and we talk about the importance of partners being emotionally present during birth. The conversation also take us to an exploration of the grief we may feel for older child when expecting another baby. 

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma in the perinatal period. Through an inspirational quote that drives the weekly content, Justine and Sarah explore various trauma areas with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Learn more about our course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals

In this episode, the conversation centers around questions about when and whether to dismantle the fences and defences we may have built around our hearts. Justine begins the discussion with a focus on the vicarious trauma, but the weight of Arizona's highest courts ruling to reinstate a law from 1864 which will mean near total abortion ban in Arizona weighs heavily on Sarah's heart.

The quotes this week are from the book "Trauma Stewardship" by Laura van Dernoot Lipsky and "My Heart" by Corinna Luykin.

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma in the perinatal period. Through an inspirational quote that drives the weekly content, Justine and Sarah explore various trauma areas with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Learn more about our course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals

In this episode Sarah shares a quote from "The Retrievals" podcast which focuses on the experiences of women who were harmed during fertility treatment at Yale and Justine shares her own experience of having her pain go unacknowledged during her first birth.

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma in the perinatal period. Through an inspirational quote that drives the weekly content, Justine and Sarah explore various trauma areas with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Learn more about our course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals

In this episode, Justine shares from an article about the experiences of rape and sexual assault survivors during labor and birth and we discuss how feeling in control looks different for each individual. Sarah shares her experience of being misnamed her during one of her births and the impact that had on her sense of safety, and we talk about how birth plans can be read to really personalize care and support.

Here is the reference for the article Justine quotes from: Lissmann, R., Lokot, M. & Marston, C. Understanding the lived experience of pregnancy and birth for survivors of rape and sexual assault. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 23, 796 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-023-06085-4

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma in the perinatal period. Through an inspirational quote that drives the weekly content, Justine and Sarah explore various trauma areas with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Learn more about our course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals

In this episode, Sarah shares a quote by the author and artist Chanel Miller and we discuss how neither we nor our clients can ever be truly stuck in one place, even if trauma can make us feel that way. By taking note of small moments we can see the shifts that are already taking place within us or the possibility of what the future may hold.

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma in the perinatal period. Through an inspirational quote that drives the weekly content, Justine and Sarah explore various trauma areas with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Learn more about our course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals

In this episode, Justine and Sarah discuss how EMDR can help people feel differently about their traumatic experience. 

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma in the perinatal period. Through an inspirational quote that drives the weekly content, Justine and Sarah explore various trauma areas with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Learn more about our course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals

 In this episode, Sarah and Justine discuss the stories we carry and the shame that often comes with them. What would it mean to open the book and take a look inside?

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma in the perinatal period. Through an inspirational quote that drives the weekly content, Justine and Sarah explore various trauma areas with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Learn more about our course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals

In this episode, Justine and Sarah discuss how providers, such as midwives, nurses, doulas, therapists and OBs, need and deserve work environments and systems that support their mental health and so enable them to provide the trauma-informed care that clients and patients deserve.

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma in the perinatal period. Through an inspirational quote that drives the weekly content, Justine and Sarah explore various trauma areas with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Learn more about our course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals

In this episode, Justine and Sarah are joined by Mara Tesler-Stein, a clinical psychologist and founder of the Touchstone Institute for Psychotherapy and Training. We talk about EMDR for the perinatal population, the impact on Mara's own perinatal journey as the parent of preemie twins on her professional career, and the experience of having a baby in the NICU.

Summary

Mara begins by sharing the Talmudic quote: “Someone who saves a single life is considered as if they have saved an entire world.” The conversation then delves into the topic of EMDR therapy and its benefits for the perinatal population. Mara explains that EMDR is a trauma-focused therapy that helps individuals process and integrate traumatic experiences. Mara shares her story including her perinatal  journey of preterm labor, extended hospital stay and preemie twins. We explore what it is like for parents who have had to navigate life with a baby in the NICU and the emotional aftermath of that. The conversation explores the three core tasks that parents face in and after a perinatal crisis: developing parental identity for the baby, managing emotions, and managing relationships. Mara share that he loss of innocence and loss of peer group are significant challenges that parents face in the aftermath of a perinatal crisis, but also reassures that with window for attachment stretches well beyond the hour or hours after birth.

Keywords

EMDR therapy, perinatal mental health, birth trauma, NICU, early development, attachment, perinatal crisis, parental identity, healthcare providers,

Takeaways

• EMDR therapy is a trauma-focused therapy that helps individuals process and integrate traumatic experiences.
• Trauma in the perinatal period, including the trauma of a NICU experience, can have long-term impacts on individuals and their families.
• Parents face three core tasks in and after a perinatal crisis: developing parental identity, managing emotions, and managing relationships.
• Perinatal crises are transformative and can lead to a shift in identity and perspective for parents.
• The loss of innocence and loss of peer group are significant challenges that parents face in the aftermath of a perinatal crisis.
• Healthcare providers can understand their role as both the hosts of and guests within families in their care, making space for parents to fulfill their role as parents.

Sound Bites

• "Someone who saves a single life is considered as if they have saved an entire world."
• "The healing is already there. My job as the therapist is to help that internal healing mobilize."
• "The brain's very efficient when it's not being blocked."
• "Perinatal crises are transformative "
• "Parents of preemies are different parents"

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Quote

03:02 Understanding EMDR Therapy

06:01 The Power of Healing and Growth

10:06 The Impact of Trauma in the Perinatal Period

14:01 Navigating Medical Settings After NICU Trauma

15:40 Mara Shares Her Personal and Professional Story

24:56 The Three Core Tasks in a Perinatal Crisis

27:54 Challenges of Loss of Innocence and Peer Group

29:42 Navigating Relationships in a Perinatal Crisis

36:01 The Role of Healthcare Providers in Supporting Parents

40:03 The Importance of Acknowledging Parents' Input and Desires

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma across the perinatal period, from trying-to-conceive to pregnancy, from childbirth to postpartum and parenting. Through an inspirational quote that drives our weekly conversations about trauma and healing, Justine and Sarah explore topics such as birth trauma, parenting as a survivor, and finding healing with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Learn more about Sarah and Justine's course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals

Mara Tesler Stein, Psy.D., PMH-C is a clinical psychologist and EMDR consultant and trainer in Chicago and Jerusalem. She is the founder and director of The Touchstone Institute for Perinatal
Training where she offers both foundational and advanced EMDR trainings which take deep
dives into the intersections and applications of EMDR and perinatal mental health.
Dr. Stein is a staunch advocate for trauma-focused care and is trained and certified in a range of
integrative trauma therapies. Dr. Stein is also certified in Emotion-Focused Family and Couple
Therapy, Brainspotting, is a Gottman Certified Therapist, and continues to deepen her training in
Clinical Hypnosis, Yoga-Informed treatment, Advanced applications of EMDR, and Ego-State
therapies.

She is the co-author (with Deborah Davis, Ph.D.) of Parenting Your Premature Baby and Child:
The Emotional Journey (Fulcrum, 2004) and Intensive Parenting: Surviving the Journey
Through the NICU (Fulcrum, 2013). She has also contributed book chapters in the areas of
perinatal loss, EMDR treatment, and trauma focused psychological care for NICU families.
Her trauma work is grounded in her personal perinatal journey, which began 28 years ago taking
her through infertility, twin pregnancy, prolonged hospital bedrest, the NICU, and years of
raising NICU graduates.

You can find her at www.touchstoneinstitute.org and at mara@touchstoneinstitute.org.

In this episode Sarah shares her experience of coming home to safety and strength within her body through returning to something she loves.

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma in the perinatal period. Through an inspirational quote that drives the weekly content, Justine and Sarah explore various trauma areas with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Learn more about our course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals

In this episode Justine and Sarah explore the complexities of breastfeeding journeys. How do we support people navigating challenging emotional experiences while feeding their baby? Listen as Justine shares her story of breastfeeding challenges and what it was like to hear the words "Failure to Thrive."

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma in the perinatal period. Through an inspirational quote that drives the weekly content, Justine and Sarah explore various trauma areas with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Learn more about our course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals

In this episode, Sarah shares a quote from James Arthur's song "Finally" that connects to her grief as a parent who has also lost a parent. 

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma in the perinatal period. Through an inspirational quote that drives the weekly content, Justine and Sarah explore various trauma areas with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

In this episode, Justine shares a quote from her own birth plan and talks about how the plan itself became an important tool for creating safety with a midwife she had not met before the birth.

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma in the perinatal period. Through an inspirational quote that drives the weekly content, Justine and Sarah explore various trauma areas with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

In this episode we talk about whether healing from trauma is like healing from a physical wound: do our bodies innately know how to do it? How do we tap into that knowledge? And what is the role of others, such as a therapist, in the healing process? Sarah shares a quote this week from the book Internal Family Systems Therapy, 2nd edition, by Richard C. Schwartz and Martha Sweezy.

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma in the perinatal period. Through an inspirational quote that drives the weekly content, Justine and Sarah explore various trauma areas with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma in the perinatal period. Through an inspirational quote that drives the weekly content, Justine and Sarah explore various trauma areas with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

In this episode we talk about the challenges of connecting to oneself and our baby in pregnancy and birth. So many of us want to feel present at the moment of our baby's birth but can find that difficult particularly after a hard birth or if we have a history of trauma. Join us as we share our thoughts on why we might want a particular kind of birth and the power of thinking about how we want to feel and be when we meet out baby.

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma in the perinatal period. Through an inspirational quote that drives the weekly content, Justine and Sarah explore various trauma areas with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

In this episode Sarah shares some lyrics from a Sara Bareilles song - She Used To Be Mine. We talk about how it feels to carry unspoken stories and the power of feeling witnessed by music, literature, or another.

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma in the perinatal period. Through an inspirational quote that drives the weekly content, Justine and Sarah explore various trauma areas with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

In this episode wide ranging episode we begin with a conversation about how perinatal professionals should raise the topic of previous trauma with their clients and patients. We talk about the importance of giving control to our clients when raising the topic of trauma and helping them to find their own resources within themselves.

The article from with Justine shares her quote is: Cull J, Thomson G, Downe S, Fine M, Topalidou A (2023) Views from women and maternity care professionals on routine discussion of previous trauma in the perinatal period: A qualitative evidence synthesis. PLOS ONE 18(5): e0284119. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0284119

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma in the perinatal period. Through an inspirational quote that drives the weekly content, Justine and Sarah explore various trauma areas with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals. Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience. Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

In this episode we talk about the harshness with which we regard ourselves and how to find more kindness and grace for who we are, what we carry and the parenting journey we are on.

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma in the perinatal period. Through an inspirational quote that drives the weekly content, Justine and Sarah explore various trauma areas with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals. Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

In this episode we talk about what happens when birth trauma is or is not acknowledged by others. Both Sarah and Justine share personally about the impact of birth trauma upon themselves and how providers' actions and words activated previous trauma they experienced.

If you would like to read the article this week's quote came from, here is the citation: Theresa Morris, Joan H Robinson, Keridwyn Spiller, & Amanda Gomez, (2023) “Screaming, ‘No! No!’ It was Literally Like Being Raped”: Connecting Sexual Assault Trauma and Coerced Obstetric Procedures, Social Problems, 70:1, 55–70. https://doi.org/10.1093/socpro/spab024

We welcome Jana Glass, a Licensed Professional Counselor certified in Brainspotting, Addictions, and Perinatal Mental health, to the podcast this week. In this conversation we explore what it means for therapy to be truly client led and how can therapists support parents who have experienced perinatal trauma to find and trust in their brain's own capacity to heal.

Summary

Jana begins our conversation by sharing a quote that embodies her approach to therapy, which focuses on empowering clients to heal and be present in the moment. She discusses the importance of centering the client as the expert in their own experience and using brainspotting to process trauma. Jana also addresses the challenges of working within systems and offers advice for clinicians on navigating boundaries and providing client-centered care. In this conversation, Jana emphasizes the importance of not making assumptions and allowing clients to lead their own healing journey. She shares a powerful example of a client who chose her as a therapist because she didn't assume the meaning of her pregnancy. Jana highlights the significance of creating a safe space for clients to express their thoughts and feelings without judgment. She discusses the power of asking questions and letting clients find their own answers, as well as the importance of therapists doing their own therapeutic work. Jana believes that healing is achievable for anyone and that therapists should support clients in finding their own path to healing.

Keywords: Jana Glass, brainspotting, perinatal mental health, trauma therapy, client-centered care, assumptions, client-led healing, safe space, asking questions, therapeutic work, healing journey

Takeaways

• Clients are the experts on themselves and have everything they need inside of them to heal and be present in the moment.
• Trauma therapy involves helping clients access and process unprocessed material in their subcortical brain, allowing them to integrate past experiences and feel more grounded in the present.
• Clinicians can navigate the challenges of working within systems by maintaining a duality, following ethical guidelines while also prioritizing client-centered care.
• Brainspotting is a powerful brain and body-based approach that uses fixed eye positions to access and process trauma.
• The role of the therapist is to provide a safe and compassionate space for clients to explore their experiences and guide them in their healing journey. Don't make assumptions about what events mean to clients, especially in a professional setting.
• Allow clients to lead their own healing journey and support them in finding their own answers.
• Create a safe space for clients to express their thoughts and feelings without judgment.
• Therapists should do their own therapeutic work to be present, grounded, and attuned with their clients.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background of Jana Glass

02:35 Empowering Clients to Heal and Be Present

06:16 Recognizing Unmet Needs and Providing Support

11:25 Accessing and Processing Trauma with Brain Spotting

19:54 Navigating Boundaries and Providing Client-Centered Care

25:46 Working Within Systems and Prioritizing Client Needs

28:09 The Power of Not Making Assumptions

34:14 Creating a Safe Space for Authentic Expression

45:02 Therapists Doing Their Own Therapeutic Work

46:53 Healing is Achievable for Anyone

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma across the perinatal period, from trying-to-conceive to pregnancy, from childbirth to postpartum and parenting. Through an inspirational quote that drives our weekly conversations about trauma and healing, Justine and Sarah explore topics such as birth trauma, parenting as a survivor, and finding healing with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Learn more about Sarah and Justine's course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals

Jana Glass is a Licensed Professional Counselor certified in Brainspotting, Addictions, Perinatal Mental health, and Telemental health. She works with a wide spectrum of clients and her special interests include healing trauma, supporting people with substance use challenges, and prioritizing perinatal mental health and trauma. Jana is in private practice in Atlanta, Georgia and individuals and Families find relief and feel better.  She provides individual and group consultation as a certified brainspotting consultant and trainer. Jana educates professionals in a variety of topics including neurobiological approaches to trauma, Brainspotting Phase one and Phase two, Supporting  Birthgivers  with substance use during the perinatal period, and Connecting the rainbow: Healing perinatal trauma. Jana is passionate about helping to foster hope when faced with situations that appear hopeless.

Connect with Jana at www.supportivesolutionsga.com or facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SupportiveSolutionsGA, or Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rainbowconnector3?igsh=cmgzcWR0eG10bDIx&utm_source=qr, and professionals interested in Perinatal Mental Health and Trauma can join the Brainspotting and Perinatal Mental Health Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/1SLgKtfGfeyoDXwZ/?mibextid=K35XfP

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma in the perinatal period. Through an inspirational quote that drives the weekly content, Justine and Sarah explore various trauma areas with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals. Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

This week, Liz Gray, LCSW, RPT, shares her birth story in which she explores the complex feelings she has about the OB at her birth, who provided physically good medical care but whose language and attitude was extremely harmful. Her story includes navigating a lack of trauma-informed care during infertility treatment, a birth center to hospital birth transfer, an unplanned a cesarean birth, and a misdiagnosis of "failure to thrive" for her baby by her first pediatrician. A thread that weaves throughout her story is the impact of our words and how not being trauma-informed can add layers of trauma to what are already challenging prenatal, childbirth, and postpartum experiences, especially for survivors of trauma.

To start our conversation, Liz shares the words of Kayleigh Summers, LCSW, PMH-C, from her Instagram (@thebirthtrauma_mama), who is also host of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast.

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma in the perinatal period. Through an inspirational quote that drives the weekly content, Justine and Sarah explore various trauma areas with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Learn more about Sarah and Justine's course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals

Liz Gray, LCSW, RPT is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Registered Play Therapist, and certified EMDR therapist in Illinois. She is a Highly Sensitive Person, wife, human & goldendoodle momma, organizer, forever learner, quiet leader, social introvert, think-outside-the-box creator, trauma survivor, and infertility warrier. Liz is the proud co-founder of the Trauma-Informed Maternal Health Directory, an online directory that connects women in all phases of trying to conceive, infertility, pregnancy, birth & early parenthood to trauma-informed health and mental health providers.

In this episode, Sarah brings in a quote from Simone Biles in her documentary "Rising." Join us as we find deep connections between Simone's words and the weight of expectations around the identity of motherhood and the narratives that bear down upon women's bodies. We find inspiration in Simone's story and how she said refused to perform for others when that would not be safe for herself.

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma in the perinatal period. Through an inspirational quote that drives the weekly content, Justine and Sarah explore various trauma areas with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Learn more about Sarah and Justine's course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals

In this episode, we are joined  by Kate White, who talks intimately about integrating implicit memories and her experience supporting mothers and babies through trauma-informed somatic healing approaches. She starts our conversation, which explores what healing from perinatal trauma can look like when we take into account the baby's experience of birth and what is happening in the relationship between parent and infant, by quoting her mentors John and Anna Chitty.

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma in the perinatal period. Through an inspirational quote that drives the weekly content, Justine and Sarah explore various trauma areas with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Kate White is an award-winning educator and an advanced bodyworker. She is trained in somatic therapies, prenatal and perinatal somatic health, lactation, brain development, infant mental health, and has specialized in parent-baby dyad care using somatic prevention and trauma healing approaches for nearly 25 years. She is a mother of two children, holds a BA and MA in Communication, is a Registered Craniosacral Therapist in the Biodynamic Craniosacral method and a Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner. Her work combines somatic trauma healing, energetic therapies, bodywork, pediatric therapies and education about the nervous system to help give families with babies and small children the best possible start. She is Founding Director of Education for the Association for Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health where from 2013 – 2019 she created and ran the Prenatal and Perinatal Educator Certificate program, a large online educational program for professionals. She went on to found Prenatal and Perinatal Healing Online and the Prenatal and Perinatal Somatics Institute. She teaches classes online and in person, and offers a professional training called Integrated Prenatal and Perinatal Dynamics. She has a private practice in Charlottesville, VA called Belvedere Integrated Healing Arts (belvederearts.com) and offers her own seminars through the Center for Prenatal and Perinatal Programs, ppncenter.com

Learn more about Sarah and Justine's course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals

In this episode Sarah and Justine's guest, Morning Alexander, a birth and postpartum doula and soon to be labor and delivery nurse, surprises us with a quote from Justine that she wrote on the Resilient Birth social media. She shares how Justine helped reframe dissociation for her, shifting the shame she her felt about experiencing dissociation during a traumatic birth experience.

Here are links to Justine's words about dissociation as a gift that helped her survive the unbearable and which starts our conversation today.

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/8kAecEYzfxjiki3p/?mibextid=WC7FNe

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIga0x-ACQS/?igsh=MWhjYXdlcGRtcWE5ZA==

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma in the perinatal period. Through an inspirational quote that drives the weekly content, Justine and Sarah explore various trauma areas with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Morning Alexander has been supporting women in the perinatal period for over a decade and have been certified as a birth and postpartum doula for nearly 5 years. She has worked as a nurse tech in the Medical ICU for the past 4 years and is graduating this summer with my BSN and will be working as a labor and delivery nurse, with the ultimate goal of becoming a certified nurse midwife. Morning has a history of childhood trauma that was largely undealt with until after the births of her children. She had a very traumatic birth with her firstborn but it wasn’t until years later, as she was diving deeper into birth and trauma training that she came to understand her own experiences. Through her continuing education and years of therapy, she has found not only healing and wholeness but a deep passion for being trauma-informed as a provider and supporting other women in finding healing and empowerment in their births.

Learn more about our course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals

In this episode Sarah and Justine talk with Kristi Field about how her work as a birth and postpartum doula is grounded in Polyvagal Theory and how trauma can be stored within the nervous system. Join us as we explore how this understanding of trauma impacts people's birthing and postpartum experiences and what it means to truly hold space throughout the whole perinatal journey.

Here is a link to the Postpartum Resource Guide Kristi mentions: 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KZUNrZni1ntWZ3rriDOWewFljLlaGCgz/view?usp=sharing

On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma in the perinatal period. Through an inspirational quote that drives the weekly content, Justine and Sarah explore various trauma areas with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals.

Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic.

Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience.

Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence.

Kristi Field is a mom of two, certified birth and postpartum doula and a Registered Social Worker from the beautiful Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, Canada (the unceded traditional territory of the Syilx Okanagan people). She has worked with youth and families in the area of addiction, mental health and trauma counselling for the past ten years, and launched her own business as a doula after the birth of her second son. She became interested in the areas of trauma after losing her own brother at the age of 20, and experiencing first hand how trauma can impact the overall human experience and can be stored within the nervous system. As a doula, she is passionate about creating a space where families can feel empowered in creating the birth they envision while prioritizing mental wellness in all stages from pre-conception through to postpartum. She focuses on supporting all families, especially those who have experienced trauma or mental health concerns previously, and who are looking for a space where they can process and heal elements of their trauma experience. 

Learn more about our course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals