Can you heal from trauma without therapy? | Dr. Frank Anderson

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Is therapy the only way you can heal from trauma? There are many barriers to mental health care including cost, distance / finding a good therapist near you, discomfort with opening up about what you’re going through and even cultural stigmas.

So what do you do when you want to experience healing, but therapy isn’t the most accessible or desired option?

Dr. Frank Anderson, a world-renowned trauma treatment expert, Harvard-trained psychiatrist, and psychotherapist who has helped thousands of clinicians and individuals navigate the complexities of trauma is going to empower us with practical solutions and resources that can help us navigate this healing process without traditional therapy.

#trauma #traumahealing #traumarecovery

For more info on Dr. Frank Anderson:

[alexd]

‘Trauma is energy that doesn’t belong to us’… I LOVE that. 😮

[macca]

I had seen three different types of therapists without much headway. I found it exhausting, forcing myself to open up to these people. Then one day I went to an acupuncturist for a lower back issue. He said to me "We all do the best that we can do, at that particular time and that particular place". I went home and thought about that on and off, over the next couple of days. Eventually I was able to come to the conclusion, that if that was the best that my rapist could come up with, well, God help him. I was able to turn my hatred into pity. It made a big difference to me.

[rozdevin]

30 years with a covert narc, I gave myself compassion and healed my inner child as well

[kymmegascon]

I couldn’t afford therapy. So I started recording myself talking about the experience, then listening to it while using the EFT. I would choose one specific moment and journal on it. The technique has really helped me work through 3 years of physical and mental abuse.

[le_th_]

You can really see he is committed and passionate about helping others heal their trauma. What a lovely human being and extraordinary psychiatrist.

[kierlak]

What a great video. I went through IFS therapy myself and it was life changing. Frank Anderson's book: Transcending Trauma is probably in my top 5 titles on the subject. I'm so glad that he talked today around the topic of forgiveness.

There's so much wisdom here. Importance of witnessing the trauma instead of being overwhelmed by it. Importance of corrective experience. Only then part of us can start to release the trauma. Also the importance of moving on in the present moment. I think he's absolutely right: often therapists focus too much on the past or they avoid addressing it and focus purely on the future/present.

When doing IFS I really like the element of self-compassion. So often I was asked (after witnessing part of me expressing it's pain/trauma) one question: "How do YOU feel towards this part of you ?". And this is fundamentally one of the keys to healing. You can't skip that. That's how you build a relationship with your Inner Child ❤

Thank you so much for your wonderful book ("Trauma blocks love and love heals trauma") and I really enjoyed watching this interview.

Keep sharing your light with the world Dr Frank ❤

[darkcreatureinadarkroom]

This is gold. I've struggled and been burnt by therapy for years, precisely because therapists were either too focused on my past, or in forgiveness, when all I needed was validation. Dr Frank Anderson is everything I've ever wanted and sought for in a therapist, and he sounds like a lovely person as well. His comments about how to engage suicidal people are 💯
I spent the entire video in tears, it appears I still have a lot of healing left to do.
Thank you Kyle, and thank you Dr Frank! I want to give you a hug, truth be told. Thank you for everything you do.

[CALIFLOWS]

Trauma is energy that also teaches us to change our behavior. Bad habits. Negative thinking. I hope we all can release that trauma energy

[rozdevin]

I love myself too Frank. I believe it is because I survived homelessness for 10 years and I'm still smiling!

[OnsceneDC]

A bad therapist can absolutely make the trauma worse!

[barbarachappuis]

OK, I'm jumping in again! This IS a mini-masterclass! Dr. Frank, you are so eloquent, particularly on forgiveness. I tried to forgive too soon, which was a big mistake.
I finally made peace with my mother on my terms, and it took a long, long time. Like you, I believe if we try to 'force' ourselves to forgive too soon, we abandon ourselves and minimize our trauma. My wise therapist from years ago told me, you'll quit being angry with her when you're ready. I do believe that when we are ready, we realize that holding hate, pain, and resentment for too long is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.

[lupevaldes]

Forgiveness after healing is not only soothing for the soul but what kind of genuineness can you have when your heart still hurts. That is So important and I am so grateful and thankful to have been able to hear this message

[pehu]

it's crazy: kyle and dr. frank feel it and so do all the listeners who have experienced trauma - you can see it in their eyes. thanks for the great and literally healing contribution

[fernrivas]

This is so good!!
I've just been badly retraumatised by my local Trauma Clinic (internationally renowned psychoanalytic hub).
It's really good to see that there are trauma specialists that do get it.

[barbarachappuis]

Brilliant interview! I, too, am a massive fan of Bessel Von der Kolk and Gabor Mate. In my many years of therapy, I've learned it takes skill and self-trust to find 'the right' therapist (truly trauma-informed). I currently work with a Neuotherapist to re-train my brain. It's a bottom-up, not top-down, process, and very effective for me. When she shows me my brain activity, I can SEE the chronic overactivity and chronic stress responses. As Dr. Anderson explained, many useful approaches can be used simultaneously to help accelerate healing. Thank you, Kyle and Dr. Anderson!
P.S. Kyle, would you consider having a guest who discusses the physical consequences of unhealed trauma, such as autoimmune disorders?

[MeRe]

I just discovered this channel 4 days ago and I am already looking through every playlist and soaking up as much information as I can! I made the decision this evening that I am no longer choosing to see my current therapist who is using a psychodynamic approach to help me with my trauma and understand my behavior patterns. I find it destabilizing to rehash old traumatic memories repeatedly. It is harming me more than it is helping at this point. I found this video at the EXACT right time and the points that were made very much resonated with me! Thank you so much to all of you involved in this channel and the effort that is put forth to bring healing! ❤❤

[juliebell]

Jesus I was in lots of hospitals on tons of medicine for decades. I was horribly abused. And I am now completely healed and set free no meds except I very tiny dose of sleep meds

[susanharkema]

I'm reading Dr. Anderson's book now and it is SO sad but also so healing to hear the details of his traumatic upbringing and the similarities to my experiences even though I'm cis straight woman...his personal journey is so inspiring. I can't wait to heal more at age 54. I pray it's not too late to change. When I truly realized that my dad was just a fragile person and a boy who had his own trauma in a family with mental illness, I could accept and forgive him as equals. Now, I need to get fully under my physical and emotional symptoms to let them all go.

[seher-zeit-dr.johannessoll]

"Love and connection is what heals trauma". Probably the best and most resonating sentence I have heard on the topic so far. Really far too much focus is given to the mind, rather than healing through the heart. Being with the pain, releasing the stuck energy. Glad I have come across this video with Kyle and Dr. Frank Anderson. Authenticity rules.

[Trollophile]

OMG, Dr. Anderson has the answer to the residual dysfunction and healing I still need to work through! My progress hit a wall, and I now see how my trauma can give my life purpose. 🙏