The Episodes

This week on the podcast Alyssa discusses a brand new, multi-episode topic. Pulling from Nedra Glover Tawwab’s book, Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself, Alyssa discusses what boundaries are, why[...]

Depression might be clinically diagnosed as a very specific set of symptoms, but it is often so much more than that. Does your depression cause you to over-function? Does it cause you[...]

What is covert vs. overt narcissism? What do symptoms of abuse look like in victims? Can an abuser ever truly change? This week brings us[...]

What is narcissism and how do we know if someone is a narcissist?  Alyssa teams up with returning podcast guest, Rebecca Christianson, LCSW as they tackle this very important topic. 

Learn[...]

Diet culture and weight loss tools thrive off of making us hate our bodies. The good news is that you CAN reject the societal pressure to change your body and choose to[...]

Self sabotage often shows up at many points throughout our trauma recovery. It can take both conscious and unconscious forms. Tune in to find out if you may be sabotaging your own[...]

There are thousands of false representations of therapy in the media and general public. Some of these misconceptions about the therapeutic process may prevent people from seeking help or fully opening up[...]

Where do I even begin to look for a therapist? How do I know what I can afford? How can I know if I’ve found the right therapist for me? If you’re[...]

REDUX: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is one of the leading treatments for PTSD. Melissa Parks breaks down how this therapy can help you recover and why it is so[...]

Addressing your trauma in therapy can be one of the hardest, bravest things you’ll ever do. But before you do so, there are important safety measures that need to be put in[...]

Childhood trauma comes in a variety of different forms – no two trauma survivors have identical histories. However, what all trauma survivors have in common are experiences with the five core wounds[...]

Childhood trauma comes in a variety of different forms – no two trauma survivors have identical histories. What we do have in common, however, are experiences with the five core wounds that[...]

In episode 73, Alyssa shared about her ongoing battle with endometriosis, a chronic and extremely painful disease. This week Alyssa is following up with a part 2 to episode 73, in which[...]

"Good vibes only!" 
"Keep a positive mindset."
"Try to focus on the good."

These can all be examples of a cultural phenomenon known as toxic positivity. Toxic positivity is the[...]

Imposter syndrome is the overwhelming feeling that we are phony or fraudulent in different areas of our lives. This psychological phenomenon causes us to attribute our successes or achievements to external circumstances[...]

Did you know that the birth control pill can lead to clitoral shrinkage? Or that it can physically change your feelings of attraction to someone? Millions of people with female reproductive organs[...]

Over the last several years, the term “gaslighting” has gained significant popularity among adults and adolescents alike. “Gaslighting” is a term that has been around since the 1930’s, but what does it[...]

Kristen Donnelly (MSW, M.Div, PhD) is a TEDx speaker, international empathy educator, and researcher with two decades of experience in helping people[...]

Most of us live in a world that glorifies holding onto youth for as long as we can. As we get older, we are taught to be less excited about our birthdays,[...]

Jennifer Burns is a southern California mom who spent years being a people pleaser and suppressing trauma before she decided to take her life back into her own hands. Today she is[...]

Feeling overwhelmed by the push to make a New Year's Resolution? Tune in to learn more effective ways to create and achieve your 2022 goals.

Check out the Light After Trauma[...]

Trauma severs the connection between our brains and our bodies, yet so much of Western culture encourages healing only from the chin up. On this week’s episode, Kaity Rose Holsapple, a Somatic[...]

Endometriosis is an excruciatingly painful disease that is common among those with female reproductive organs, yet, there is little awareness on the subject. If you've ever had extremely painful periods but have[...]

In this old episode, Alyssa brings her husband, David, on the show to discuss the challenges that can come with supporting a loved one with PTSD. David offers advice for supporters on[...]

Michele Benyo became a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist after her six-year-old son died from cancer. After witnessing her young daughter’s intense grief over the loss of her brother, she knew she had[...]

Holiday gatherings are a struggle for anyone who battles with an eating disorder. With society’s ever-growing encouragement to avoid “holiday weight gain”, it can feel harder than ever to be able to[...]

Daylight savings time and the decreasing temperatures have some of us feeling blue, but it doesn’t have to be this way! If the lack of sunlight and cold weather have you feeling[...]

Whether you’ve gone no-contact with your family or are feeling anxious about being around family during the holidays, this week’s episode can help you figure out the best way to keep the[...]

At some point during the therapy process, we have likely all had the thought “My therapist gets paid to care about me – they’re not expressing genuine care or concern.” On this[...]

On this week’s episode, Alyssa sits down with Julie Duffy Dillon, a weight inclusive Registered Dietitian, to talk about PCOS. Tune in for a discussion on how PCOS has[...]

This episode is for those moments when we find ourselves wondering if what we went through is “bad enough” to be considered trauma. Tune in for a deep exploration of what trauma[...]

Christina Vitagliano shares her story from enduring child abuse to going on to start a multimillion-dollar business and publishing her own memoir. She breaks down the ripple effects that child abuse had[...]

Have you ever felt like you just don’t deserve to be happy? Or more specifically, have you ever found yourself having self-harm urges or feeling suicidal after someone is genuinely kind to[...]

We were not meant to live our lives by simply going through the motions. Unfortunately, far too many people go through their days feeling unsettled and unhappy with their[...]

On this week’s episode we welcome back our good friend, Denise R. Wolf MA, ATR-BC, ATCS, LPC along with our brand new guest, author Lynn Langan. Alyssa, Denise, and Lynn are passionate[...]

On this week’s episode, Alyssa sits down with author Kimberley Pittman-Schulz to talk about one of life’s toughest emotions: grief. Tune in to listen to Kim share her personal experience in losing[...]

Amy Guerrero is a trauma-informed recovery coach helping people on their journey of sobriety and healing from trauma. In this episode, she talks with Alyssa about why it can[...]

Alyssa shares about her own battle with self harm and why we should never be writing self harm off as merely an attention-seeking behavior. 

Support the Podcast

Light After Trauma[...]

In this week’s episode, Alyssa sits down with suicide and abuse survivor, Johnny Crowder, to talk about the seemingly "small things” that are hugely important to have in trauma recovery. Johnny opens[...]

When her world was turned upside after receiving a phone call that her son was in jail, Jolyn Armstrong set out to learn techniques and tools to cope with the shock, trauma,[...]

Dr. Jan Canty is a homicide survivor who seeks to spread awareness and garner more support for other homicide survivors. In this week’s episode, Dr. Canty explores the traumatic moment when she[...]

In this week’s episode, Alyssa sits down with veteran, PTSD survivor, and comedian Michael “CQ” Carrasquillo. Michael provides an in-depth perspective on his time serving in the military, from the moment he[...]

In this unique episode of Survived & Thrived Stories, Alyssa breaks her silence about escaping from an abusive relationship. Almost 8 years to the day after her escape, Alyssa opens up about[...]

This week brings us part 2 of a two-part episode with friend and spiritual guide, Drew Assini. Drew shares his recent experience with working in an inpatient facility in Tennessee. As trauma[...]

The spiritual friend and guide that we know and love, Drew Assini, is back with a two-part episode! During his last appearance on the podcast, Drew shared about his journey from addiction[...]

We don’t always want to hear that recovery from depression can take a long time. Some days,[...]

Author Bethany Barton joins us on the podcast this week to talk about her brand new book,[...]

Michael Levitt is the founder & Chief Burnout Officer of The Breakfast Leadership Network, a San Diego and Toronto-based burnout media firm. In this week’s episode, Michael and Alyssa talk about the[...]

Friend of the family and friend of the podcast, Rebecca Christianson, is back with a two-part discussion on the two emotions that trip us up the most when working through PTSD: Guilt[...]

Friend of the family and friend of the podcast, Rebecca Christianson, is back with a two-part discussion on the two emotions that trip[...]