Healing through awe: Reclaiming the body after trauma | Karen Whelan | #055 Mastering Change

When trauma takes you out of your body, rebuilding safety and connection can take years. 

In this episode of Mastering Change, Karen Whelan shares her lived experience of sexual abuse and the long, gradual journey of healing that followed. She speaks openly about self-hate, disconnection and the profound loss of safety in her own body – and how therapy, spirituality and embodied practice helped her slowly rebuild trust in herself. 

Karen reflects on a powerful moment of forgiveness that left her feeling “no longer a hostage to my own trauma story.” She is clear that forgiveness was not a shortcut or solution, but part of a much wider process of reclaiming her life. 

Now a psychotherapist and spiritual practitioner, Karen guides others through a 21-day awe-based self-love practice. She describes awe as “the bridge between the human knowing and the divine encountering” – and explains how cultivating awe and gratitude can help people reconnect with their bodies and sense of the sacred. 

We explore: 

• Rebuilding safety after sexual trauma 
• The relationship between spirituality and embodied healing 
• Self-love as an ongoing practice 
• The role of awe in shifting self-perception 
• How reconnecting to the body supports recovery 

Moment of Care: This episode discusses sensitive episodes related to trauma, mental health and distressing experiences. If you feel triggered at any point, please take a moment to check in with yourself and seek support.  

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