Therapy Chat

526: "Did That Really Happen?" - Trauma + Memory with Susan Pease Banitt

May 4, 2026
A deep dive into trauma, memory and how dissociation can both shield and confuse survivors. Conversation about centering women and marginalized voices in healing narratives. Exploration of somatic, spiritual and energetic approaches alongside clinical techniques for reattaching fragmented memories.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
INSIGHT

Trauma Memory Often Appears As Fragments

  • Trauma survivors often present with fragmented memory where narrative, sensory, and interoceptive pieces are split apart.
  • Susan Pease Banitt explains the brain stores horrific events in components so a persistent snapshot or a narrative suspicion can be a true memory fragment.
INSIGHT

Short Trials Miss Complex Trauma Realities

  • Evidence-based trauma research often excludes long-term, complex cases and ritual or systemic harms.
  • Susan argues short studies miss triggers and anniversaries so they underrepresent the needs of repeated or developmental trauma survivors.
INSIGHT

Women's Trauma Wisdom Has Been Systematically Sidlined

  • The trauma field systematically sidelines women's voices despite women being the majority of clinicians and clients.
  • Susan created Women Therapists on Healing to center women and BIPOC perspectives often ignored by mainstream trauma authorities.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app