Episode 47- Yarns on trauma awareness, collective healing and recentering joy with Amanda
What is trauma, and why is it important on a collective level that we examine what's going on for us as individuals?
On this episode I yarn with the incredible Amanda Hanna, director and creator of SomaPsych which offers trauma-informed trainings across New Zealand. She also teaches yin yoga, somatic dance, mindfulness and meditation, and is currently studying towards a Masters in Psychology.
Amanda shares her origin story of creating SomaPsych, which came from a space of burnout and disconnection (which we can all relate to on some level!). She talks about what healing looked and felt like for her, including the mindset shifts that had to happen along the way.
I ask Amanda to share her definition of trauma, and we yarn about why a purely Western version of trauma misses so many important aspects of healing. We talk about how unpacking our own lived experiences can help us move towards collective healing, and what small steps we can take on a day to day basis. Amanda also explains how 'mindfulness' is often tokenistic, but also harmful, depending on the current state of our nervous system.
We also yarn about how we can look after ourselves while also accepting that we get to have sacred rage about everything going on in the world around us. Amanda shares her tips for how we can build capacity to be able to lean in, and how we can accept others around us who might choose to disengage.
To check out the awesome trainings that SomaPsych offers and to find out more, check out the website. You can also follow @soma.psych on Instagram.
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