Mastering Change | The trauma, mental health & wellbeing podcast

Anxiety doesn’t begin in your thoughts – it begins in your nervous system. In this episode of Mastering Change, breathwork educator Jamie Clements explains how conscious breathing can directly regulate the autonomic nervous system and help shift anxiety at its root. Jamie shares how breathwork became central to his own recovery from panic attacks, and why he now teaches a structured approach that distinguishes between micro regulation practices and macro transformational work, including Conscious Connected Breathing. He explains how deeper breathwork can intentionally create safe “prediction error” experiences – moments where the body learns it is safe in situations it once perceived as threatening – allowing new neural pathways to form. But this isn’t about intensity for its own sake. Jamie emphasises preparation, containment and integration as essential parts of the process. We explore: How breath influences the autonomic nervous system Why anxiety is often a conditioned physiological response The role of Conscious Connected Breathing in deeper healing The difference between daily grounding and expanded-state work Why integration matters as much as the experience itself 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. See Jamie Clements at Transform Trauma Oxford 2026 – Get your Early Bird Tickets here.Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcastFollow us on instagram: www.instagram.com/masterseventsltdVisit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details. 

Trauma doesn’t only create fear – it often creates isolation. In this episode of Mastering Change, Lucas Casanova explores trauma as a fundamental rupture in safety and belonging. A Buddhist and transpersonal therapist, Lucas integrates secular Buddhist practices with neuroscience and embodied therapy to help people reconnect – not just cognitively, but physically and relationally. He explains that belonging and safety are biological needs. When trauma disrupts them, thinking alone cannot restore them. The body must feel safe first. “Trauma makes you lose your faith and trauma makes you feel disconnected.” Lucas differentiates spirituality from religion – framing spirituality as lived experience rather than belief – and introduces the concept of spiritual safety: the felt sense of belonging to something larger than ourselves. Drawing on his work with refugees and displaced communities, he describes how meditation, breath and embodied practices can rebuild connection from the inside out. We explore: Trauma as disconnection from body, community and self Why safety must be embodied before cognitive healing begins Spirituality versus religion in therapeutic practice Secular Buddhist practices as tools for regulation and reconnection Belonging as a core human need A powerful conversation about rebuilding safety where trauma once fractured it. Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcastFollow us on instagram: www.instagram.com/masterseventsltdVisit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details. 

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.  Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcast Follow us on instagram: www.instagram.com/masterseventsltd Visit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details.

Many of us weren’t optimally seen, held or supported as children – and the adaptations we made to survive can quietly shape how we relate, connect and protect ourselves as adults. This week on Mastering Change, Maya Vaughan, Director of the Trauma Training Institute (TTI), explains the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM) – a non-pathologising, relational approach to healing developmental trauma. Rather than focusing on diagnosis or “what’s wrong,” Maya describes NARM as “profoundly relational and non pathologizing” and “very kind of present process.” In a NARM session, the starting point is deceptively simple: “What is it you most want for yourself?” From there, the work follows what she calls a red thread – exploring what gets in the way of that longing by tracking what’s happening in the present moment. “As they see what they do to themselves, so much agency comes online.” If you work with developmental/relational trauma – or recognise its patterns in yourself – this conversation offers a grounded, practical lens on restoring safety, connection and self-regulation. We explore What makes NARM different from traditional trauma models Why starting with “what do you most want?” changes everything How fear of attachment loss drives survival adaptations Why NARM doesn’t label or pathologise How agency returns through present-moment awareness 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.  Dr. Laurence Heller, founder of NARM, releases his new book Healing Shame and Guilt on 12 May. Learn more: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/804584/healing-shame-and-guilt-by-laurence-heller-phd-and-stephan-k-niederweiser/Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcastFollow us on instagram: www.instagram.com/masterseventsltdVisit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details. 

Many of the behaviours we label as “dysfunctional” may actually be attempts to survive.In this episode of Mastering Change, we’re joined by Mike Niconchuk, whose work is shaped by personal and intergenerational trauma linked to his family’s experience during the Guatemalan civil war, as well as years of humanitarian work in active conflict zones.Mike did not enter this field through clinical training. Instead, his questions emerged through lived experience and direct exposure to overwhelming pain, where he became deeply interested in how trauma shapes the body, the brain, and our relationships with others.At the heart of this conversation is a simple but challenging idea:“The primary goal of the brain is to help us stay alive.”From this perspective, the brain is not organised around happiness or wellbeing. Behaviours that can appear confusing, harmful or self-defeating often begin to make sense when understood as short-term strategies for safety. Mike explores how trauma interacts with ordinary cognitive and neural processes, including empathy, and how the legacies of war can continue to live on socially and politically long after violence ends.This episode offers a reframing of trauma that extends beyond the individual, particularly in contexts where there is no clear “after” and no guaranteed space for reflection or healing.We explore:Trauma as an embodied, social and political experienceSurvival rather than wellbeing as the brain’s organising principleHow trauma can shape empathy and social behaviourShame as a powerful and often overlooked factor in PTSD and traumaWhat trauma looks like when there is no “post”Why reflection and healing are not universal privilegesMoment of Care: This episode discusses sensitive episodes related to trauma, mental health and potential distressing experiences. If you feel triggered at any point, please take a moment to check in with yourself and seek support.See Mike Niconchuk at Transform Trauma Oxford 2026 – Get your Early Bird Tickets here.Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcastFollow us on instagram: www.instagram.com/masterseventsltdVisit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details. 

For people living with trauma or chronic stress, the brain can feel like it’s working against them.In this episode of Mastering Change, Dr Kate Truitt introduces brain partnership – a trauma-informed approach that reframes the brain as a protector rather than a problem. She explains how fast threat pathways in the amygdala and hippocampus form to keep us safe, and why those same pathways can later drive hypervigilance, dissociation or shutdown.Kate explores how chronic stress reduces access to the thinking brain, reinforces survival responses, and fuels shame when symptoms don’t resolve. Rather than forcing change, she describes how compassionate inquiry and body-based regulation help bring systems back into the present – creating the conditions for neuroplastic change.This episode offers a practical and deeply human lens on trauma, anxiety and nervous system dysregulation, especially for those who feel stuck despite insight or effort. We discussBrain partnership as an alternative to “fixing” the brainHow threat pathways develop and persistWhy judgment increases dysregulationThe role of the body in calming fear responsesSupporting safety as a foundation for changeMoment of Care: This episode discusses sensitive episodes related to trauma, mental health and potential distressing experiences. If you feel triggered at any point, please take a moment to check in with yourself and seek support.See Kate Truitt at Transform Trauma Oxford 2026 – Get your Super Early Bird Tickets here.Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcastFollow us on instagram: www.instagram.com/masterseventsltdVisit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details. 

For many people, healing can feel stuck. Symptoms persist, patterns repeat and change itself can begin to feel unsafe. In this episode of Mastering Change, Raoul Goldberg, founder of the PATH Method, explores why what we often describe as “chronic” may not be purely medical – but psychosocial and spiritual in nature. He shares how his work helps people reconnect with a sense of wholeness by strengthening the parts of themselves that are capable of change. Raoul walks through the core elements of the PATH Method: forming a clear wish, connecting with a felt sense of one’s “best self,” embodying that state and learning to step outside habitual perspectives. Practised over time, this process helps people build enough internal strength to face trauma rather than remain trapped by it. Rather than creating something new, Raoul describes PATH as helping people reconnect with something that already exists within them – a capacity for agency, empowerment and growth. We explore Why long-term symptoms may reflect blocked psychosocial change How the PATH Method helps people feel safe enough to change The role of embodiment and perspective in breaking old patterns Why trauma work requires strength, not just insight How reconnecting with wholeness supports healing Moment of Care: This episode discusses sensitive episodes related to trauma, mental health and potential distressing experiences. If you feel triggered at any point, please take a moment to check in with yourself and seek support. See Raoul Goldberg at Transform Trauma Oxford 2026 – Get your Super Early Bird Tickets here. Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcastFollow us on instagram: www.instagram.com/masterseventsltdVisit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details. 

How do you rebuild a life when your earliest memories are of profound and extreme loss? That’s what Richard McCann explores in this episode. When he was just five years old, his mother was murdered – an event that later became national news and that influenced every part of his childhood. Richard describes how this grief showed up in ways he didn’t have words for at the time – hypervigilance, fear, constantly scanning for threats – and how teachers were among the first adults to recognise what he was going through and what he needed most. He shares how this early experience influenced his adult relationships and how he eventually found meaning and strength through spirituality and post-traumatic growth. Despite everything he faced, Richard believes that there is always a way forward, even from the most painful beginnings. Today, he uses his experience to support others navigating trauma. We explore What extreme Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) can look like How trauma shows up in children – and what adults can look out for The crucial role of teachers and early recognition How childhood trauma continues into adulthood The part spirituality played in Richard’s healing Why he believes there is always hope, even after unimaginable loss 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. Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcastFollow us on instagram: www.instagram.com/masterseventsltdVisit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details. 

So much of what happens in healthcare is shaped by trauma – yet most clinicians are never taught what trauma is or how to recognise it in themselves or their patients. This week on Mastering Change, we speak with Susanna Petche, a GP with 25 years’ experience, who shares how her own misdiagnosed depression eventually revealed an underlying trauma response. That realisation changed her life – and her medical practice. Susanna reflects on the reality that trauma is everywhere in the healthcare system: in people’s symptoms, in their behaviour and in the overwhelm that brings them to a GP or hospital. However, doctors receive no formal education about trauma, no supervision and little support in navigating the emotional impact of their work. She shows how much difference simple, trauma-aware tools can make – from acknowledging how frightening a hospital environment can be, to helping patients regulate their nervous systems in moments of stress. Small shifts like this, she argues, can meaningfully improve care long before large-scale system change becomes possible. We discuss  Why trauma underpins so many physical and mental health presentations How the lack of trauma training leaves clinicians without essential tools Why simple, everyday interventions can improve patient safety and connection What genuine practitioner wellbeing requires - beyond slogans about resilience How AI could support care if implemented with sensitivity Why even one hour of trauma education could transform healthcare Moment of Care: This episode discusses sensitive episodes related to trauma, mental health and potential distressing experiences. If you feel triggered at any point, please take a moment to check in with yourself and seek support. Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcastFollow us on instagram: www.instagram.com/masterseventsltdVisit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details. 

What makes someone feel so bonded to a group that they’d sacrifice almost anything for it – and how does that same force help us heal? In this episode of Mastering Change, cognitive anthropologist Dr. Martha Newson unpacks ‘identity fusion’ – an extreme form of social bonding where self and group identities merge, creating family-like ties and powerful loyalty.  Drawing on years of research with football fans, prisoners and festival communities, Martha explores how ritual, shared challenge and moments of perceived transformation strengthen these bonds. She explains why people can feel trapped in damaging groups – families, institutions, even cult-like communities – because losing that belonging can feel physiologically unsafe, not just emotionally painful.  Martha also advocates for collective healing spaces – from 12-step groups to choirs and walking clubs – explaining that they are essential companions to individual therapy. We explore: What identity fusion is – and how it shows up in everyday life How shared rituals, sport and festivals create deep feelings of “we-ness” Why leaving harmful groups can feel more dangerous than staying How trauma, when held in community, can shift from stagnation to transformation The role of collective spaces (12-step rooms, choirs, sports, retreats) in trauma healing How internalised community, ancestors, nature and a sense of “higher self” can sustain people who spend time alone Moment of Care: This episode discusses sensitive episodes related to trauma, mental health and potential distressing experiences. If you feel triggered at any point, please take a moment to check in with yourself and seek support. Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcastFollow us on instagram: www.instagram.com/masterseventsltdVisit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details.