The Complex Trauma Podcast

Sarah Herstich
  • 4.9 (23)
  • MENTAL HEALTH
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

A podcast for anyone healing from complex PTSD, childhood emotional neglect, and the patterns you've been carrying without knowing what to call them. Hosted by EMDR and somatic trauma therapist Sarah Herstich, each episode gets into nervous system healing, trauma responses, and what it actually takes to stop living in survival mode. If you've spent years people-pleasing, apologizing for existing, or holding it together on the outside while unraveling on the inside, this is for you. We talk about the fawn response, toxic shame, hypervigilance, and why your body still doesn't feel safe even when nothing bad is happening. No bypassing, no Band-Aids, just honest conversation about healing from complex trauma and getting your life back. Whether you're just figuring out what CPTSD is or you've been in therapy for years, you'll find nervous system education, somatic practices, and someone who actually understands what you're going through. New episodes every Wednesday.

  1. 3H AGO

    CPTSD and the Stack of Diagnoses Nobody Connects

    If you've been diagnosed with more than one thing, and it feels like every provider is treating each piece in isolation, this episode is for you. Complex PTSD doesn't just show up as one condition. For many people, CPTSD symptoms include a stack of co-occurring diagnoses that are deeply connected at the nervous system level but rarely treated that way. In this episode, I break down exactly what might be happening underneath seven of the most common conditions that show up alongside complex trauma, and why understanding the connection changes everything about how healing can work. In this episode you'll learn: What the window of tolerance is and how complex PTSD shrinks or collapses itThe faux window of tolerance: the nervous system concept that explains why behaviors like restriction, compulsions, and substance use are so hard to give upA quick nervous system primer covering sympathetic activation, dorsal vagal shutdown, and the vagus nerveHow CPTSD and eating disorders are connected at the nervous system level, including restriction, bingeing, and purgingThe research-backed link between complex trauma and OCD, including a documented posttraumatic subtypeWhy substance use, workaholism, chronic pain, dissociation, and emotional dysregulation are all nervous system adaptations in people with complex PTSDWhy treating these complex PTSD symptoms in isolation so often stalls, and what integrated trauma-informed treatment actually looks and feels likeThe three phases of healing: stabilization, the thaw, and integrationWhether you're early in understanding your CPTSD symptoms or years into treatment and still feeling like something is missing, this episode offers a framework that finally puts all the pieces in the same room. Free Resource: Dysregulation Toolkit for CPTSD Thanks for listening to The Complex Trauma Podcast! Be sure to follow, share and give us a review on your favorite podcast platform. Follow on Instagram: @sarahherstichlcsw  Follow on TikTok: @sarahherstichlcsw Learn more about EMDR & trauma therapy in Pennsylvania with Reclaim Therapy This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or nutritional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Remember, I'm a therapist, but I'm not your therapist. Nothing in this podcast is meant to replace actual therapy or treatment. If you're in crisis or things feel really unsafe right now, please reach out to someone. You can call 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, text them, or head to your nearest ER. The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organizations or institutions. Reliance on any information provided by this podcast is solely at your own risk.

    38 min

  2. APR 29

    It's Not People-Pleasing, It's Fawning

    If you've spent your life being told you're "too nice," "a people-pleaser," or that you just need to "set better boundaries," this episode is for you.  Fawning is the fourth trauma response, and for most folks with complex PTSD, it's been... a thing... for decades.  In this episode, Sarah unpacks what fawning actually is (hint: it's not a personality flaw), how it gets built in childhood, what it can feel like in the body, and three small experiments to begin the work of coming home to yourself. This is one of the most requested topics on The Complex Trauma Podcast. Sarah brings together the foundational work of Pete Walker, current research on complex trauma and emotional neglect, parts work and structural dissociation from Janina Fisher, polyvagal theory, and somatic experiencing into one  conversation about why so many of us learned to disappear into other people, and how we begin to find our way back. In this episode, you'll learn: The difference between fawning and people-pleasing, and why the distinction matters for healingHow fawning develops as a brilliant survival adaptation in childhood, often before you have language to remember itWhy the latest research shows emotional neglect is the strongest predictor of complex PTSDSeven somatic markers of fawning, including the rehearsing, the scanning, the voice change, and the disappearanceHow blended states (sympathetic activation plus dorsal shutdown) explain why fawning leaves you exhausted and wired at the same timeThe reframe that changes everything: you are not a fawner. You have parts of you that fawn.Three small, sticky experiments you can try this week: The Body Audit, The 1% Honest Answer, and The Tiny NoWhy titration (slow, tiny, repeated) is the only way trauma responses actually unwindMentioned in this episode: Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete WalkerFawning by Dr. Ingrid ClaytonEmbracing our Fragmented Selves by Janina FisherWaking the Tiger and In an Unspoken Voice by Peter LevineThe CDC-Kaiser ACE StudyWhy Regulation Feels So Hard with CPTSD (previous episode)Sarah's conversation with Janina Fisher (previous episode)Thanks for listening to The Complex Trauma Podcast! Be sure to follow, share and give us a review on your favorite podcast platform. Follow on Instagram: @sarahherstichlcsw  Follow on TikTok: @sarahherstichlcsw Learn more about EMDR & trauma therapy in Pennsylvania with Reclaim Therapy This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or nutritional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Remember, I'm a therapist, but I'm not your therapist. Nothing in this podcast is meant to replace actual therapy or treatment. If you're in crisis or things feel really unsafe right now, please reach out to someone. You can call 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, text them, or head to your nearest ER. The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organizations or institutions. Reliance on any information provided by this podcast is solely at your own risk.

    36 min

  3. APR 22

    When Being Seen Can Feel Unsafe in Therapy for CPTSD with Katie Fries

    If you've ever sat in your therapist's office and thought "I sort of just want you to take care of me" and then felt embarrassed for even thinking it, this episode is for you. Listener Laurie wrote in after the "I Finally Stopped Shrinking" episode asking why being truly seen by a therapist can feel so activating, why grounding doesn't always hit the way her therapist intends it to, and why part of her just wants her therapist to show up more parentally even though she knows that's not the answer. We took her question and ran with it. Today I'm joined by Katie Fries, LCSW, RPT, founder of All of You Therapy in Philadelphia, to talk about what's actually happening in the nervous system when the therapy relationship itself becomes the source of activation, and why that's not a sign something is wrong with you. In this episode we cover: Why wanting your therapist to parent you is not pathology, it's your nervous system doing exactly what it learned to doWhy being truly seen can trigger a threat response for people with complex traumaWhen grounding can actually widen a rupture instead of helpingWhat needs to happen before any regulation tool can landWhat co-regulation really looks like in the therapy roomWhy the therapist's own nervous system regulation matters more than most people realizeWhat relational repair actually looks like in practiceHow to bring a rupture into the room even when it feels terrifyingHow to know if this is a healing edge or a therapist fit issueAbout Katie Fries: Katie Fries, MSW, LCSW, RPT is the founder of All of You Therapy, a group therapy practice in Center City Philadelphia serving clients throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Katie works from a relational, body-oriented, experiential lens with a deep specialization in early relational trauma, attachment, and parent-child relationships. She is trained in AEDP, IFS, Gestalt, Theraplay, EMDR, and Psychedelic Somatic Interactional Psychotherapy among many others. Katie also offers clinical and business consultation. Learn more about her therapy practice: allofyoutherapy.net  For theraists looking for consultation: katiefries.com Thanks for listening to The Complex Trauma Podcast! Be sure to follow, share and give us a review on your favorite podcast platform. Follow on Instagram: @sarahherstichlcsw  Follow on TikTok: @sarahherstichlcsw Learn more about EMDR & trauma therapy in Pennsylvania with Reclaim Therapy This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or nutritional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Remember, I'm a therapist, but I'm not your therapist. Nothing in this podcast is meant to replace actual therapy or treatment. If you're in crisis or things feel really unsafe right now, please reach out to someone. You can call 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, text them, or head to your nearest ER. The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organizations or institutions. Reliance on any information provided by this podcast is solely at your own risk.

    38 min

  4. APR 15

    The Inner Critic, IFS, and Complex Trauma with Emily Pagone

    If you've ever wondered why the harshest voice in your head won't quiet down, this episode might help you reframe the why's behind it. This week I sits down with Emily Pagone, LCPC, founder of Authentic Growth Wellness Group and host of The Inner Critic Podcast. Emily specializes in IFS therapy, EMDR, and somatic approaches with a particular focus on complex trauma and neurodivergent trauma recovery. We talk about what the inner critic actually is through an IFS lens, why it developed, and why trying to silence it usually backfires. We get honest about our neurodivergent nervous systems, masking, and the shame that builds when your brain was never really understood growing up. If parts work is new to you, this is a great place to start. If you've been in it for a while, there's still something here. Find Emily at the Inner Critic Podcast on Apple and Spotify, and on Instagram at Emily @emilypagone. Learn more about her therapy practice, Authentic Growth Wellness Group here. Listen to The Inner Critic Podcast on Apple Podcasts  Listen to The Inner Critic Podcast on Spotify Thanks for listening to The Complex Trauma Podcast! Be sure to follow, share and give us a review on your favorite podcast platform. Follow on Instagram: @sarahherstichlcsw  Follow on TikTok: @sarahherstichlcsw Learn more about EMDR & trauma therapy in Pennsylvania with Reclaim Therapy This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or nutritional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Remember, I'm a therapist, but I'm not your therapist. Nothing in this podcast is meant to replace actual therapy or treatment. If you're in crisis or things feel really unsafe right now, please reach out to someone. You can call 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, text them, or head to your nearest ER. The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organizations or institutions. Reliance on any information provided by this podcast is solely at your own risk.

    35 min

  5. APR 8

    I Finally Stopped Shrinking… and Still Got Hurt

    You did the work. You stopped shrinking. You let someone in. And it still ended with you feeling invisible. So what do you do with that? In this episode I'm responding to a message from a listener going through a divorce. She didn't shrink. She showed up fully. And it still ended in abandonment.  Her question was simple and devastating: how do you reconcile that? And, how do you ever trust again? On today's episode I get into why adult relationships can reopen old wounds rather than heal them, what your nervous system is actually doing when someone starts pulling away, the difference between a trigger and a real present wound, and what rebuilding trust actually looks like from the inside out. This one is for anyone who thought they'd finally broken the pattern only to find themselves right back in the wound. Thanks for listening to The Complex Trauma Podcast! Be sure to follow, share and give us a review on your favorite podcast platform. Follow on Instagram: @sarahherstichlcsw  Follow on TikTok: @sarahherstichlcsw Learn more about EMDR & trauma therapy in Pennsylvania with Reclaim Therapy This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or nutritional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Remember, I'm a therapist, but I'm not your therapist. Nothing in this podcast is meant to replace actual therapy or treatment. If you're in crisis or things feel really unsafe right now, please reach out to someone. You can call 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, text them, or head to your nearest ER. The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organizations or institutions. Reliance on any information provided by this podcast is solely at your own risk.

    30 min
  6. Complex Trauma, Motherhood, and Cycle Breaking with Libby Ward

    APR 1

    Complex Trauma, Motherhood, and Cycle Breaking with Libby Ward

    In today's episode, I'm sitting down with Libby Ward, creator, speaker, and author of Honest Motherhood: On Losing My Mind and Finding Myself, to talk about what it really looks like to wake up mid-motherhood and realize you never actually knew yourself to begin with. Not because motherhood took you away from yourself, but because trauma did that long before your kids ever showed up. We talk about the overfunctioning, the perfectionism, the hypervigilance disgused up as "being a good mom," and the moment Libby hit a wall in her car on an ordinary morning that changed everything.  We also get into repair, the grief that comes with cycle breaking, and why loving your kids, while beautiful, is not actually enough on its own. This one is raw, honest, and so worth your time. In this episode we cover: How Libby recognized her childhood trauma well into motherhoodThe nervous system reality behind why "just calm down" isn't a real optionOverfunctioning and perfectionism as trauma responsesThe granola bar moment (you will feel this one)What cycle breaking actually looks like on a regular TuesdayThe grief of knowing better and still strugglingWhy repair might be the most powerful thing you can offer your kidsLibby's book Honest Motherhood and what's inside the pre-order bonusLinks and resources: Libby's website: https://libbyward.com/  Pre-order Honest Motherhood: On Losing My Mind and Finding Myself at https://libbyward.com/honest-motherhood-book Follow Libby on Instagram Follow Libby on TikTok Thanks for listening to The Complex Trauma Podcast! Be sure to follow, share and give us a review on your favorite podcast platform. Follow on Instagram: @sarahherstichlcsw  Follow on TikTok: @sarahherstichlcsw Learn more about EMDR & trauma therapy in Pennsylvania with Reclaim Therapy This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or nutritional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Remember, I'm a therapist, but I'm not your therapist. Nothing in this podcast is meant to replace actual therapy or treatment. If you're in crisis or things feel really unsafe right now, please reach out to someone. You can call 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, text them, or head to your nearest ER. The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organizations or institutions. Reliance on any information provided by this podcast is solely at your own risk.

    48 min

  7. MAR 25

    The Hidden Shame in Emotional Neglect

    You might not call it shame. But if you were emotionally neglected, there's a chance it's been running the show. Most people who grew up emotionally neglected don't have a name for what they carry. They just know that asking for help feels wrong, that they can't stop replaying conversations, that being seen makes them want to disappear. This episode is about why that story forms, where it lives in the body, and why it's so hard to recognize as shame at all. I break down the difference between shame from overt trauma and the kind that grows from absence, why a child's nervous system is wired to turn unmet needs into self-blame, and what it actually looks like to start healing something you can't even point to. In this episode: Why emotional neglect is described as an invisible injuryHow shame forms as a survival strategy to preserve attachmentThe version of freeze that looks like high-functioningWhy self-awareness can sometimes be shame in disguiseWhat it means that your nervous system never built a map for settledThe grief of growing up in an environment that couldn't hold all of youWhat healing actually looks like when insight alone isn't enough- Thanks for listening to The Complex Trauma Podcast! Be sure to follow, share and give us a review on your favorite podcast platform. Follow on Instagram: @sarahherstichlcsw  Follow on TikTok: @sarahherstichlcsw Learn more about EMDR & trauma therapy in Pennsylvania with Reclaim Therapy This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or nutritional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Remember, I'm a therapist, but I'm not your therapist. Nothing in this podcast is meant to replace actual therapy or treatment. If you're in crisis or things feel really unsafe right now, please reach out to someone. You can call 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, text them, or head to your nearest ER. The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organizations or institutions. Reliance on any information provided by this podcast is solely at your own risk.

    26 min

  8. MAR 18

    How Complex Trauma Shows Up in Your Sex Life— with Rachael Garner

    Sex and complex trauma. It's one of those topics that doesn't get nearly enough airtime, and yet it comes up so frequently in the therapy room. In this episode I'm talking with Rachael Garner, a certified sex therapist and EMDR clinician who works with complex trauma survivors, about what actually happens to our relationship with sex, desire, and our bodies when we've experienced complex trauma. And there is a lot more nuance here than most people realize. We talk about why dissociation during sex happens and what your body is doing when it checks out. We get into the difference between physiological arousal and actual desire, why zero libido sometimes has nothing to do with your partner, and how sexual neglect, not just abuse, can shape the way you relate to your own sexuality. We also talk about what healing looks like in this area, why it has to be slow, what partners often get wrong even with the best intentions, and how nervous system flexibility connects trauma work and sexual healing in a way that's genuinely hopeful. Rachael Garner is a Certified Sex Therapist, an EMDR Certified Therapist, and an EMDRIA-Approved Consultant-in-Training specializing in complex trauma and sexual issues through a somatic- and attachment-based lens. She is in private practice in Jackson MS, where she resides with her husband and two boys.  Learn more about Rachael and her work at https://www.garnercounseling.com. Thanks for listening to The Complex Trauma Podcast! Be sure to follow, share and give us a review on your favorite podcast platform. Follow on Instagram: @sarahherstichlcsw  Follow on TikTok: @sarahherstichlcsw Learn more about EMDR & trauma therapy in Pennsylvania with Reclaim Therapy This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or nutritional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Remember, I'm a therapist, but I'm not your therapist. Nothing in this podcast is meant to replace actual therapy or treatment. If you're in crisis or things feel really unsafe right now, please reach out to someone. You can call 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, text them, or head to your nearest ER. The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organizations or institutions. Reliance on any information provided by this podcast is solely at your own risk.

    37 min
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4.9
out of 5
23 Ratings

About

A podcast for anyone healing from complex PTSD, childhood emotional neglect, and the patterns you've been carrying without knowing what to call them. Hosted by EMDR and somatic trauma therapist Sarah Herstich, each episode gets into nervous system healing, trauma responses, and what it actually takes to stop living in survival mode. If you've spent years people-pleasing, apologizing for existing, or holding it together on the outside while unraveling on the inside, this is for you. We talk about the fawn response, toxic shame, hypervigilance, and why your body still doesn't feel safe even when nothing bad is happening. No bypassing, no Band-Aids, just honest conversation about healing from complex trauma and getting your life back. Whether you're just figuring out what CPTSD is or you've been in therapy for years, you'll find nervous system education, somatic practices, and someone who actually understands what you're going through. New episodes every Wednesday.

Information

  • Creator
    Sarah Herstich
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    129
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Complex Trauma Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Complex Trauma Podcast

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