Janina Fisher, PhD
on the Living Legacy of Trauma
Listen:
Show Notes:
As William Faulkner famously said, "The past is never dead. It’s not even past." And this is particularly true for trauma survivors, who experience intense physical and emotional pain in the present each time they face a trigger. So, what can survivors do to navigate triggering circumstances and heal from the living legacy of trauma?
On this episode of Noble Mind, Dr. Fisher joins Kate and Alex to discuss her new book, describing the physiology of trauma and what makes it a ‘living legacy.’ She explains why mindfulness-based treatments are helpful to trauma survivors, offering insight on what it means to be triggered and how we remember traumatic events with our feelings and bodies—not just our minds. Listen in for Dr. Fisher’s advice on using somatic resources to navigate triggers and learn how paying attention to your body is central to the healing process.
Janina Fisher, Ph.D. is the Assistant Educational Director of the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute and a former instructor, Harvard Medical School. An international expert on the treatment of trauma, she is co-author with Pat Ogden of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: Interventions for Attachment and Trauma (2015) and author of Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors: Overcoming Self-Alienation (2017) and Transforming the Living Legacy of Trauma: a Workbook for Survivors and Therapists (2021). She is best known for her work on integrating newer neurobiologically-informed interventions into traditional psychotherapy approaches. More information can be found on her website: www.janinafisher.com.
Key Takeaways:
- Why mindfulness-based treatments are helpful for trauma survivors
- How the element of fear differentiates trauma from what Dr. Fisher calls middle class neglect
- The essential physiology of trauma and what makes it a ‘living legacy’
- How Dr. Fisher’s new workbook reflects an intention to educate clients on how trauma affects them and make them full participants in their own therapy
- Dr. Fisher’s focus on how a client’s symptoms have helped them adapt and survive
- How Dr. Fisher thinks about the language around triggers
- How we remember traumatic events with our feelings and our bodies—not just our minds
- How being triggered differs from simply getting upset in terms of suddenness, intensity and duration
- How to tell when you’ve been triggered (and why it’s so important to know)
- Some of the somatic resources you can use to work with triggers
- Dr. Fisher’s theory that shame is part of the survival defense of submission
- The importance of bearing witness to your own traumatic experience
Resources Mentioned:
- Transforming the Living Legacy of Trauma: A Workbook for Survivors and Therapists by Janina Fisher, PhD
- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute
- Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors: Overcoming Internal Self-Alienation by Janina Fisher, PhD
- Dr. Judith Herman
- Dr. Bessel van der Kolk
- Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire
- Dr. Fisher’s Most Helpful Trauma Diagram
- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: Interventions for Trauma and Attachment by Pat Ogden and Janina Fisher
Recent Past Episodes:
Hosts:
Katherine King, PsyD
Katherine King, PsyD is a clinical psychologist and assistant professor of psychology at William James College. She was trained in evidence-based treatments within the Veterans’ Administration and has a private practice specializing in geropsychology. She is also a member of the Boston Shambhala Center Board of Directors, a vajrayana student of Buddhism, and has practiced meditation for over 20 years. Learn more about Kate at www.drkateking.com.
Alex Gokce, MSW
Alex Gokce, MSW has a master’s degree in social work from Salem State University and an undergraduate degree in Comparative Government from Harvard University. He has led psychotherapy groups on topics including mindfulness, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and mind-body approaches to pain management. He has co-led programs at the Boston Shambhala Center on the topics of trauma and self-compassion. His personal and professional interests center around the individual, societal and intergenerational impacts of trauma, as well as the sociocultural roots of interpersonal harm.
Disclaimer: Please note that the information shared in this podcast is strictly for educational purposes only, and is not intended as psychological treatment or consultation of any kind.
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The Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy is a non-profit organization dedicated to the education and training of mental health professionals in the integration of mindfulness meditation and psychotherapy.
