What happens when healthcare providers are truly supported—and how does that ripple out to patient care?
In this powerful and deeply human conversation, I’m joined by three heart failure nurses from Christ Hospital Health Network who are quietly transforming what compassionate, trauma-informed care can look like from the inside of the system.
Together, we talk about:
Why medical trauma can occur even when “everything goes right”
How chronic illness and hospitalization impact both patients and providers.
The importance of peer support—for patients and clinicians
What patients are really processing after they go home
Why being seen, believed, and supported by medical staff matters so deeply
How systems that care for their staff create better outcomes for everyone
These nurses also share how they run a heart failure support group that welcomes both inpatients and community members—creating connection, hope, and healing during some of the hardest moments of life. We explore grief, nervous system overwhelm, and the simple yet powerful practices that help people feel safer in medical spaces.
This episode is especially meaningful to me as I continue expanding my work supporting medical providers, knowing that when clinicians are resourced, regulated, and supported, patients feel it.
Whether you’re:
A medical professional navigating burnout or moral injury
A patient or caregiver recovering from a traumatic medical experience
Or part of a healthcare system looking to do better
To connect with the Christ Hospital Heart Failure Support Group you can call the Heartlink Line at 513-585-0378
or email Pam at pamela.colton@thechristhospital.com
If you are looking for a peer support group for medical trauma, please join us in the Befriend Your Body Community where you can feel seen and validated with others who "get it".
What happens when the place that caused trauma is also the place you must return to for care?
In this episode of the Medical Trauma Support Podcast, Sarah Stasica is joined by Irish psychotherapist and former emergency department nurse Emma Tynan for a deeply compassionate conversation about medical trauma, chronic illness, and the nervous system.
Emma shares her journey from working in emergency care to becoming a trauma-informed therapist specializing in medical trauma and chronic illness. Together, they explore why medical trauma is uniquely complex — because unlike many other forms of trauma, healing often requires returning to the very environment where harm occurred.
This episode gently unpacks:
Why returning to hospitals and medical settings can feel terrifying — even years later
How medical trauma and chronic illness impact the nervous system
What it means to “fall apart” in medical settings — and why that response makes sense
The importance of co-regulation, support people, and realistic expectations
Why “good news” medically doesn’t always mean emotional relief
How caregivers and loved ones are often traumatized too
Why compassion — not self-judgment — is essential for healing
Whether you’re living with chronic illness, navigating medical trauma, supporting a loved one, or working in healthcare, this conversation offers validation, nervous-system wisdom, and a powerful reminder:
Your experience deserves recognition — even when healing isn’t linear.
If you’ve ever avoided medical care, felt ashamed of your reactions, or wondered why your body responds the way it does — this episode is for you.
In this episode, I’m joined by Seantae Jackson, speaker and co-founder of the Sandal Blue Foundation, who shares the life-changing story of the catastrophic car accident that reshaped her family’s world — and how that moment led to the creation of a nonprofit supporting survivors after severe crashes.
We talk about:
• Navigating medical trauma and long-term recovery
• Parenting a child with a severe TBI and rediscovering hope
• The healing power of community and nervous system regulation
• Why asking “What can I do?” can transform the recovery journey
• Support for caregivers and the unseen layers of trauma
We also pause for a grounding straw-breath exercise to help listeners regulate as the story unfolds.
This episode is emotional, inspiring, and full of hard-earned wisdom. If you’ve ever felt alone in your healing, may this conversation help you look up and see that your island is closer to others than you think.
Connect with Seantae at sandalbluefoundation.org or @seantaejacksonperspectives or seantae.jackson@sandalbluefoundation.org
Find out more about Sarah's support community, the Befriend Your Body Community.
In this episode, Sarah sits down with therapist and founder Shakira (Kira) O’Garro to talk about her powerful journey through endometriosis, medical gaslighting, and reclaiming trust in her body. Together, they explore how trauma responses like shutdown and fawning show up in medical settings, the importance of somatic healing, and the transformative power of community and faith.
Whether you’ve experienced medical trauma yourself or support others on their journey, this conversation will leave you feeling seen, validated, and hopeful. Please share this episode with anyone who would benefit, the more we share, the more we spread awareness of medical trauma as well as the awareness that we can recover.
Get in touch with Kira
Cheerful Heart Mental Health Counseling
Get in touch with Sarah
Medical Trauma Support Website
Many kids feel anxious or afraid during medical visits — and parents often feel helpless watching it happen. In this powerful conversation, Sarah talks with Mary A. Jenner, pediatric nurse and founder of The Butterfly Pig, about how medical play can help children feel safe, brave, and confident during medical care.
They explore how fear, anxiety, and even trauma can develop from medical experiences — and how parents and providers can take small but meaningful steps to prevent it.
You’ll learn:
• How to prepare kids for medical visits through play
• What parents can say and do during procedures to reduce fear
• Why simple tools like the Buzzy Bee or toy medical devices make a big difference
• How to advocate gently but effectively for your child’s emotional safety
Whether you’re a parent, healthcare provider, or someone who’s had your own difficult medical experiences, this episode offers hope, compassion, and practical tools to help you and your loved ones feel safer in care settings.
Guest: Mary A. Jenner, RN, Founder of The Butterfly Pig
Links: Parent Resources
Keywords: fear of doctors
child anxiety at doctor
preparing kids for medical procedures
how to help kids feel safe
preventing trauma in healthcare
pediatric medical play
nervous system regulation
supporting children through medical care
Many children experience medical procedures that leave lasting emotional wounds — even when everyone involved had the best intentions. In this episode, Sarah talks with Christina Gonzalez, MSW, who wrote her graduate thesis on childhood medical trauma. Christina shares her own story of growing up chronically ill and what her research revealed about how forced procedures, lack of informed consent, and emotional neglect impact children for life.
Together, Sarah and Christina explore what medical trauma looks like through a child’s eyes, how parents and providers can do better, and what healing can look like — for both children and parents.
You can find Christina's thesis project here: https://www.medicaltraumasupport.org/all-about-medical-trauma
You can reach Christina's blog post on Childhood Medical Trauma here: https://www.medicaltraumasupport.org/blog
You can read more about ACES here: https://www.cdc.gov/aces/about/index.html
Learn more and access parent resources at medicaltraumasupport.com
Topics covered:
Violation of bodily autonomy in pediatric care
The missing emotional care that children need after medical experiences
How it can feel to the child like their parents have betrayed them — and how parents can rebuild trust
What parents can do now to support their children before, during, and after medical experiences
In this heartfelt conversation, Sarah sits down with licensed professional counselor and chronic illness therapist Destiny Davis to explore what happens when medical systems fail to see, believe, or support you.
Together, they unpack the layers of medical trauma, chronic illness, and the emotional toll of being dismissed or disbelieved. Destiny shares her lived experience growing up with parents who had disabilities, the trauma of being labeled “hypochondriac,” and how that shaped her path as a therapist and advocate.
They talk about the importance of accommodations, neurodiversity, and how society’s “push through” mentality harms those living with invisible illnesses. You’ll also hear powerful insights on:
How medical trauma isn’t always what was done to you, but also what you didn’t receive
Rebuilding trust in a system that has caused harm
The overlap between medical and attachment trauma
Simple, somatic ways to begin feeling safe in your body again
Whether you live with chronic illness, support someone who does, or work in healthcare, this conversation will help you see medical trauma through a more compassionate, nuanced lens.
Show Links:
Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency - https://gvs.georgia.gov/
Connect with Destiny Davis:
Website: thechronicillnesstherapist.com
Membership: thechronicillnesstherapist.com/membership
Podcast: The Chronic Illness Therapist Podcast
Learn more about Medical Trauma Support: medicaltraumasupport.com
In this powerful episode of the Medical Trauma Support Podcast, Sarah Stasica is joined by Dr. Laura Vater, oncologist, writer, and advocate for compassionate, patient-centered care. Dr. Vater shares her journey into medicine, the personal story that inspired her to become a physician, and her work to bring humanity back into healthcare.
Together, they explore:
The impact of medical trauma on patients and providers
How sleep deprivation and burnout affect empathy and compassion in clinicians
What patients wish for in vulnerable moments, from being believed about pain to feeling truly seen
Practical ways to improve the healthcare system for both patients and medical professionals
Why honoring the humanity of both patients and providers is essential for healing
Whether you’ve experienced the pain of not being heard as a patient or the weight of burnout as a clinician, this episode explores how we can reimagine healthcare with empathy at its center.
Check out the Medical Trauma Support website for more resources and support - medicaltraumasupport.com
In this episode of the Medical Trauma Support Podcast, Sarah speaks with Lauren Isbell and Whitney Casal from Nevis Outreach, a patient advocacy organization focused on Congenital Melanocytic Nevi (CMN). They discuss their personal connections to CMN, the challenges families face when navigating medical decisions, and the importance of community support. The conversation highlights the medical risks associated with CMN, the need for shared decision-making in healthcare, and the emotional weight of making treatment choices for children. The episode emphasizes the value of connection and understanding among families dealing with rare diseases, and encourages listeners to seek out supportive communities.
Nevus Outreach - https://www.nevus.org/
Shared Decision Making - https://collaborativecare.wustl.edu/items/shared-decision-making-about-congenital-nevi/
Medical Trauma Support - https://www.medicaltraumasupport.com
Befriend Your Body Community - https://www.medicaltraumasupport.org/befriend-your-body-community
In this episode of the Medical Trauma Support podcast, Sarah talks about what Befriending Your Body really means. She also responds to the question, "how can I become friends with a body I am disconnected from or a body that I hate?". And the answer is that it isn't an overnight process, it is a slow, gentle way of being with yourself after learning about your nervous system and building capacity to turn toward your body.
Befriending your body is like coming home to yourself and feeling the safety and wisdom that has been inside of you all along.
Please follow this podcast to be notified when new episodes come out. We have some fabulous guests lined up for the fall.
To find out more about Medical Trauma Support, you can find us here:
MTS website: https://www.medicaltraumasupport.com
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@MedicalTraumaSupport
IG - https://www.instagram.com/medicaltraumasupport/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561327602614
In this deeply moving episode, we bring together patient Vanessa Abraham and her ICU doctor, Dr. Jared Rosen, for an honest, tender conversation about what it means to show up with humanity in medicine.
Vanessa shares how Dr. Rosen’s attunement, compassion, and presence helped her through one of the scariest moments of her life. Dr. Rosen opens up about how this experience shaped his entire medical career — and how he protects his own mental health to continue showing up for patients with empathy and care.
Together with host Sarah, they explore:
What makes a medical experience feel safe, even during trauma
The emotional impact of being truly seen by your care team
How medical professionals can protect themselves from burnout and compassion fatigue
Why little human gestures — like music, photos, and presence — can be life-changing
Whether you're a patient, a loved one, or a healthcare provider, this conversation will stay with you.
🎧 Listen now and follow for more stories that humanize medical care and support healing after trauma.
Here are the ways you can contact Vanessa and Sarah if you need help finding support.
Medical Trauma Support Website
Medical Trauma Support Instagram Account
#MedicalTrauma #ICUStories #HumanizingHealthcare #DoctorPatientBond #CompassionateCare #VanessaAbraham #BefriendYourBody #SomaticHealing #HealthcareBurnout #TraumaSupport
In this episode of the Medical Trauma Support podcast, Sarah speaks to Vanessa Abraham, a mother and medical trauma survivor, about the untold impact of ICU hospitalization, medical PTSD, and parenting during and after illness. From the shock of sudden critical illness to the emotional pain of being separated from her young daughter and the worry that she would not live to raise her daughter, Vanessa shares her story with raw honesty and deeply earned wisdom.
Together, they explore:
The experience of post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) and family post-intensive care syndrome (PICS-F)
What it feels like to parent through and after a medical crisis
The hidden layers of grief, guilt, and identity loss that accompany serious illness
How medical systems often miss the emotional and nervous system needs of patients and families
The role of nervous system regulation in healing trauma after an ICU stay
How to begin feeling safe in your body again after medical trauma
If you're navigating medical PTSD, recovering from an ICU experience, parenting while ill, or supporting a loved one who's been hospitalized, this conversation offers compassion, understanding, and practical insight.
Search terms & support topics in this episode:medical trauma, ICU trauma, medical PTSD, post intensive care syndrome, family post intensive care syndrome, parenting while ill, nervous system regulation, somatic healing, parenting after ICU, grief after medical crisis, how to cope with medical trauma
What happens after you survive the ICU? For Vanessa Abraham — a speech pathologist, author, and ICU survivor — the real trauma began after she came home.
In this powerful episode, we talk about:
Vanessa’s sudden illness that left her paralyzed and unable to speak
The grief, identity loss, and depression she faced after ICU
The emotional cost of being a caregiver and navigating life after medical trauma
What PICS (Post-Intensive Care Syndrome) is — and why no one talks about it
Healing tools: nervous system support, community, somatic practices, and more
Whether you're a survivor, caregiver, or provider, this conversation offers validation, education, and hope.
Get Vanessa’s book “Speechless”: https://a.co/d/0Ks1DSe
Are you looking for support and community with others who understand medical trauma? Join the Befriend Your Body Community: https://www.medicaltraumasupport.org/befriend-your-body-community
✨ You are not alone. There is hope, healing, and support waiting for you.
Medical trauma is real — and you are not alone.
In this podcast, we talk about the emotional and nervous system impact of medical procedures, ICU stays, chronic illness, and caregiving. Whether you’re healing from your own experience or supporting someone else, these conversations will help you feel seen, supported, and less alone.
Hosted by Sarah from Medical Trauma Support, each episode offers gentle insight, nervous system tools, and stories from people who truly understand.
🎧 Subscribe and start your healing journey.
In this deeply personal and validating episode of the Medical Trauma Support Podcast, host Sarah Stasica welcomes psychologist Rachel Allen for a heartfelt conversation about healing from medical trauma—both as a professional and as someone with lived experience.
Rachel shares her journey through a traumatic birth and her role as a caregiver during her husband’s cancer diagnosis, highlighting the emotional weight of being unseen in medical systems. Sarah and Rachel explore what it means to feel safe in your body again, how to build supportive care systems, and the importance of sitting in discomfort to access healing.
From navigating the medical system to the power of community care and showing up for others without needing to be asked, this episode is a reminder that healing is possible—and we need community on our journey.
You can find more about Dr. Rachel Allen at
https://www.everwellbehavioralhealth.com/
https://www.instagram.com/resetwithdrrachel
Find out more about the Medical Trauma Support Community at https://www.medicaltraumasupport.org/befriend-your-body-community
In this powerful episode of the Medical Trauma Support Podcast, Sarah Stasica is joined by leadership and wellness consultant Kelsey Wesley for an honest conversation about the emotional complexities of childhood medical trauma.
Kelsey shares her lived experience of undergoing multiple childhood surgeries and how those early medical experiences significantly impacted her. Together, Kelsey and Sarah explore how medical trauma impacts not only the child—but also the parent making heart-wrenching decisions in high-stakes moments.
They discuss:
The emotional aftermath of childhood medical trauma
The importance of consent and agency in healthcare, even for children
How parents can co-regulate and support their child without bypassing their own emotions
Why understanding the nervous system is a crucial part of trauma-informed parenting
The healing power of presence, storytelling, and community
Healing doesn’t happen in isolation. If you’re navigating medical trauma—whether as a parent, patient, or practitioner—the Befriend Your Body Community offers steady support, trauma-informed guidance, and a space where your story is understood.
➡️ Learn more and join the community
Learn more about Kelsey Wesley here!
Keywords: medical trauma
parenting and trauma
medical PTSD
childhood medical trauma
nervous system regulation
trauma-informed care
emotional resilience
parenting challenges
healthcare consent
community support for trauma
healing journey
somatic practices
parental guilt and shame
medical practitioners and trauma
presence after procedures
In this powerful episode of the Medical Trauma Support Podcast, I’m joined by Dana Hammerstrom, a journalism student at USC, who shares her deeply personal story of being diagnosed with scleroderma, a rare autoimmune disease, as a child. Dana opens up about the medical trauma she experienced — from frightening medical experiences and painful treatments to the emotional impact of being a young child facing a complex chronic illness.
Together, we explore how childhood medical trauma can leave lasting emotional scars, especially when it’s misunderstood or minimized. Dana also discusses how revisiting her medical history through the lens of her college capstone project helped her reclaim her voice and begin to heal.
This conversation sheds light on:
Whether you're navigating your own healing or supporting a child through chronic illness, this episode offers insight, validation, and hope.
You can find Dana's childhood medical trauma website here.
Learn more about the medical trauma community, Befriend Your Body to Heal from Medical Trauma.
In this heartfelt episode of the Medical Trauma Support Podcast, host Sarah Stasica speaks with dancer and choreographer Allison Thomas about her powerful healing journey after the devastating loss of her infant. Together, they explore the deep layers of medical trauma, infant loss, and the complex emotions of grief, and how movement—especially dance—became a transformative outlet for Allison's healing.
Allison shares how her body carried both her pain and her path toward recovery. Through somatic practices, breath awareness, and nervous system support, she began to process her trauma and reconnect with her inner wisdom. The episode also touches on the isolation that often comes with loss, and the critical role of community, remembrance rituals, and gentle self-expression in the healing process.
Whether you are navigating your own experience with infant loss, supporting a loved one through grief, or healing from medical trauma, this episode offers hope, validation, and a reminder that your journey matters—and you don’t have to walk it alone.
You can find Allison on Instagram @all_is_on_the_move
If you would like to see the short film she made for her son, Indy, you can view it here.
In this powerful episode of the Medical Trauma Support Podcast, Sarah Stasica is joined by Emily Guarnotta, clinical psychologist and founder of Phoenix Health, for an honest conversation about the often-unspoken emotional and medical trauma of infertility. Emily shares her personal experience with postpartum depression and how it led her to create a supportive space for others navigating infertility and perinatal mental health challenges.
Together, they explore the deep isolation and anxiety that can come with fertility treatments and medical interventions, and the crucial role that mindfulness, breathwork, and community support play in the healing process. Whether you're in the middle of your infertility journey or supporting someone who is, this episode offers compassion, coping strategies, and a reminder that you are not alone.
Keywords: infertility, medical trauma, perinatal mental health, mindfulness, breathwork, support systems, coping strategies, emotional healing, Phoenix Health
In this episode of the Medical Trauma Support Podcast, host Sarah Stasica welcomes Leah Levitan, certified lymphatic therapist and founder of Lymph Love Club, for an empowering conversation about lymphatic system health and its vital role in healing after medical trauma.
Leah shares her personal story of how her mother’s breast cancer diagnosis led her to explore the world of lymphatic drainage, somatic healing, and nervous system regulation. Together, Sarah and Leah discuss how the lymphatic system supports detoxification, immune function, and trauma recovery—especially for those living with autoimmune conditions or recovering from chronic illness and medical interventions.
You’ll learn about the connection between movement, breathwork, self-care, and community in supporting lymphatic flow, and Leah offers a powerful, beginner-friendly somatic practice called The Big Six to help you connect with your body and support your healing.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone curious about lymphatic healing, body awareness, and finding accessible tools for post-trauma recovery.