Make Some Noise with Andrea Owen

I first met this week’s guest, Christie Tate, at a book festival last year. I quickly realized that since we are on the theme of therapy and healing ourselves, she would be an interesting addition to the series. Christie is a lawyer who wrote about her experience in group therapy and her debut memoir about her adventures in life transformation through group therapy is called Group--How One Therapist and a Circle of Strangers Saved My Life. On paper, Christie explains that her life was great. But inward, she was depressed, lonely, and isolated. She eventually agreed to go to therapy. In this episode, she shares her experience with getting psychologically and emotionally naked in a room of six complete strangers—a psychotherapy group—and how in turn she found human connection, and ultimately, herself. You’ll hear: Christie shares what led her to therapy in the first place and shares her journey to group therapy. (6:23) Group therapy: what it’s really like. (8:41) The highs and lows of group therapy. Christie shares one of highs, sharing a food secret with the group and one of her lows which have to do with jealousy about who is getting attention. (17:40) Shining a light on the issue is where the healing begins. (36:00) Insight and advice for those reluctant to go to group therapy. (40:55) http://andreaowen.com/433  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week I have a conversation about shit that matters with unqualified people to share with you. My bestie, Amy Green Smith, helps me unpack the emotional damage humiliation has caused me for so many years and let it be seen for what it is. I had been told by a well-meaning friend that humiliation wasn’t something I should feel. After all, the things that happened to me (my ex-husband cheating on me) weren't my fault. Together Amy and I unpack the weight of humiliation, shame, and self-worth. By the end of this episode, I finally settled into the notion that healing is truly a one-day at a time journey. We explore:How earth-shattering it is to actually feel seen. If it is painful to you, it is valid. My inner teenager is pissed. We are all navigating trauma, personally and generationally. Unpacking trauma is labor! There is a tremendous weight of being the one in the family to carry the emotional load. And finally, from Amy, “We all have our shit and we are never done doing the work. There is an element in grief in this knowledge. The work won’t be void of hardship. We can just engage it in a more powerful way.”http://andreaowen.com/432  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Around 2013, I had a shoulder injury that turned into something called “Frozen Shoulder”, and later had to have surgery. I wanted to use this story as a metaphor for our emotional wounds and healing. In this minisode, I tell the story and you’ll also hear:  What I had to do before surgery for months, that we all do in different ways when it comes to our emotional lives.  How we all build up scar tissue and what we can do about it.  What we do afterward; when it comes to both surgery for an injury and healing our internal emotional wounds.  If you’re wanting to learn some amazing coping mechanisms, consider joining me and other like-minded women for one of my upcoming retreats. We’re gathering in May for a non-recovery retreat, and again in September, for a recovery-focused retreat. http://andreaowen.com/431  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you’ve ever been interested in learning about Transmagnetic Stimulation (TMS), genetic screening, and being diagnosed with ADHD - then you are in the right place! This week, Dr. Sasha Hamdani joins me to talk about all of those topics and more. Like several of the past guests in the series on healing, I found Dr. Hamdani on TikTok. Y’all, Mental Health is a big topic over there! Dr. Hamdani is a Board Certified psychiatrist and ADHD specialist. In addition to her private practice, she has a robust social media following across multiple platforms where she provides accessible and accurate information about ADHD. I am excited to introduce you to her and the work she does in the area of mental health and healing.You’ll hear: Dr. Hamdani and I both share our ADHD diagnosis stories and then discuss whether or not someone can someone have symptoms of ADHD but not have ADHD. (9:18) Transmagnetic Stimulation (TMS): what it is, who it can help, and how it helps. (16:44) How you can prepare for your first meeting with a mental health medical professional. (34:21) The benefits of genetic screening, what kind of data you can get from the testing, and who should use it. (39:42) How the stigma of having ADHD is different for women. (49:28) http://andreaowen.com/430  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We are continuing down our path answering the question, how do we heal. My friend, Sherianna Boyle is back on the show, this time to talk about emotions. We can’t have a theme around healing without talking specifically about our emotions, because they are so important to the healing process. Sherianna is the author of ten books including her latest Emotional Detox Now: 135 Self-Guided Practices to Renew Your Mind, Heart & Spirit. In this episode, we discuss the power of cleansing our emotions in order to get to a place of healing. Sherianna also offers her insight on the benefits of cleansing practices and how they can transform your attitude, focus, and energy.You’ll hear: What it means to cleanse challenging feelings and emotions. (5:48) The difference between a feeling and a reaction to a feeling. (8:07) The seven-step practice of emotional detox using the acronym CLEANSE. (18:51) The benefits of a cleansing practice. (20:27) How emotions can support a great life right now. (31:47) Tell-tale signs you may be numbing out or avoiding your feelings. (33:51) http://andreaowen.com/429 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Over the last few weeks, we’ve been hearing from some amazing therapists and experts in the field of inner work. We’ve heard about attachment styles, epigenetics, family roles, and more. And over this time I’ve been heavily pondering the question, Do we ever truly heal? In this minisode, you’ll hear:  My opinion on healing– in other words, what does that actually mean?  The one question you need to ask yourself and bring that answer to your therapist  The steps necessary to take before you begin your healing journey Don’t forget, if you’d like transcripts to this episode (and any episode!), simply go to the episode page.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We continue our conversation about healing ourselves with guest Melissa Parks! Melissa is a licensed therapist who specializes in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy and trauma therapy. I learned about her work through TikTok when she kept appearing on my For You Page. I have since come to learn just how insightful she is around the topic of attachment styles and the modalities she uses in her practice.In this episode, we explore some of the modalities, such as EMDR and Somatic therapy. Melissa also describes the four different attachment styles, anxious, avoidant, disorganized, and secure; and how they may manifest in our lives. She also explains how we can move through rigidity (avoidant or anxious, for example), to a place of security and healing.You’ll hear: EMDR: what it is and what symptoms it can help treat. Plus, it is not just a modality for treating trauma, it can be used for treating anxiety, depression or even lack of motivation. (6:47) Melissa explains how attachment styles are like strategies, shares the four different kinds and explains how the goal is moving from rigidity to consistency. (18:55) How someone can move into a secure attachment style. (27:39) Examples of when unhealthy attachment styles can cause conflict in a relationship. (33:22) Somatic tools and skills: what they are and when someone would use them. (40:32) http://andreaowen.com/427  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Healing ourselves from past trauma can be done through different avenues and modalities. As we continue the theme of healing, author and neuroscience educator, Sarah Peyton, joins me for a conversation about epigenetics, disorganized attachment styles, and self-expression.Sarah uses resonant language to heal trauma with exquisite and warm gentleness. In this episode, she helps us understand the effects of generational trauma and offers insight on how we can heal ourselves. And, y’all, her voice is so soothing and comforting. I know you are going to enjoy this episode.You’ll hear: Sarah’s time-travel empathy process and how it may help with the healing of generational trauma. (7:13) Epigenetics, including what it is, and how it reveals itself in our lives. (11:59) Attachment styles: disorganized, avoidant, etc. (25:50) What stops us from easy self-expression. (29:52) The unconscious contracts we make with ourselves. (33:19) http://andreaowen.com/426 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to my first podcast minisode! I’ll be dropping these short episodes on the first and third Fridays of the month (in addition to the regular episodes every Wednesday). They’ll be about ten minutes long, ad-free, and it could be anything from a book I’m reading that I think you might like, or my hot take on something happening in pop culture. Since the theme we’re talking about over the next few months is all about healing; more specifically around trauma and different healing modalities, I wanted to take a moment to talk about something important, and that’s how we talk about trauma publicly. I wanted to give my opinion, as someone in the personal empowerment field. The good news is that trauma is talked about now more than it ever has been. Previously, the only “appropriate” time to talk about it would have been in a psychiatrist's office. If you spend any time in the self-help spaces on social media, you’ll see that the topic of trauma is having its time in the spotlight. Which is great, but does come with a drawback. In this minisode, I talk about:  The difference between trauma-informed and trauma-responsive  Why that should matter to you What to look for in a practitioner/coach and what’s okay and not okay in terms of treating trauma  Don't forget– if you’re interested in learning more and possibly signing up for my next Daring Way™ Retreat (the first one in almost three years!) hop on over to THIS page, read the details and sign up to be notified when we open registration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This show marks the kick-off of themed episodes, where we’re looking at the question, “How do we heal ourselves?” In the episodes coming up over the next couple of months I'm going to be talking to therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, and others who have a different perspective or expertise around the topic of healing. To begin, I’ll be talking to experts who are sharing their wisdom about family roles, trauma responses, epigenetics, attachment styles, and even healing ancestral wounds. You know how much I love talking about the deeper stuff and the things that we talk about in counseling, therapy or even in the company of trusted friends. I'm kicking off this theme with Elizabeth Kupferman. She is a woman that I met on TikTok. (Yes, the app is not just for kids!) Elizabeth is a Licensed Professional Counselor and is the author of The Irreverent Grief Guide and the Irreverent Trust Guide: How to Trust Again After Trauma F*cked You Up. In this episode, Elizabeth and I discuss Complex PTSD, the impact of familial roles on our lives, and explore the trauma responses and the importance of replacing the responses with personal development tools to help heal. In this episode you’ll hear: How trauma work helped Elizabeth heal her eating disorder and how it led her to the work she is doing today. (9:14) The different “roles” children are put into in a family system, The Hero, Golden Child, Scapegoat, The Lost Child and Mascot; and how these roles impact us later in life. (11:49) The four trauma responses: flight, fight, freeze, and fawn and the importance of learning to replace the trauma responses with tools. (22:43) What Elizabeth means when she says, “Complex PTSD is the autoimmune disease of the psyche.” (40:37) http://andreaowen.com/424 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices