Podcast
How We Can Heal
Hosted by Lisa Danylchuk · EN
A podcast to share deep conversations about How We Can Heal from life’s toughest circumstances.
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26episodes
Episodes
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From Teen Ultra Runner to Global Athlete: Lucy Bartholomew's Journey back to UTMB
Aug 2700:54:09Tap to summarizeLucy Bartholomew brings Australian sunshine to this captivating conversation about finding purpose on mountain trails and wisdom in difficult moments. When Lucy was just 15, she discovered her passion for ultra running alongside her father, embarking on a journey that would take her from weekend camping trips to world championship podiums.What began as quality time with her dad evolved into a career marked by remarkable achievements—winning Ultra Trail Cape Town 100K, placing third at Western States, and becoming one of only two women to complete both UTMB and the Ironman World Championships in a single year. Yet through her success, Lucy maintains a refreshing perspective that prioritizes joy, connection, and process over outcomes.The conversation takes a profound turn as Lucy reflects on her father's heartbreaking yet transformative Western States experience in 2023. After ten years of trying to gain entry through the lottery, he completed the entire 100-mile course but missed the official cutoff by just two minutes. Through a documentary that captured this emotional journey, her father became an unexpected spokesperson for valuing the experience over the result—a powerful reminder that what matters most isn't the finish time but the courage to begin and the determination to continue.Lucy shares her practical wisdom for navigating both trail and life challenges: breaking overwhelming distances into manageable segments, recognizing when physical needs like hunger are masquerading as emotional lows, and maintaining unwavering optimism that "maybe it will get better." Her ability to find joy in the process—even when that means hiking up a mountain pass while eating pizza during UTMB—exemplifies why she's beloved in the ultra-running community.Whether you're a seasoned ultra runner or someone who's never laced up running shoes, Lucy's insights on resilience, community, and finding your own path will inspire you to embrace challenges with curiosity and courage. As she prepares for another UTMB race, her message remains clear: sometimes the most meaningful journeys are the ones where we dare to cut our own trail.Support the show
Transcribe →Decolonial & Liberation Psychology with Dr. Thema Bryant
Aug 2500:59:34Tap to summarizeWhat does it truly mean to show up whole and authentic in a world that encourages fragmentation? Dr. Thema Bryant doesn't just talk about integration—she embodies it as a psychologist, author, professor, sacred artist, and minister leading transformative work in trauma healing and relationship building.Dr. Bryant shares her excitement about merging different aspects of her identity and work, challenging the notion that we must compartmentalize ourselves based on context. "I'm excited about not being segregated within myself and with other people, but to be inviting for us to engage with our whole selves," she explains. This radical authenticity creates ripple effects, encouraging others to bring their full humanity into spaces where they've previously felt silenced.Our conversation explores the powerful frameworks of decolonial and liberation psychology. Decolonial psychology deconstructs harmful colonial impacts—extraction, dehumanization, and power imbalances—while liberation psychology builds a vision for collective freedom. Dr. Bryant challenges the field's arrogance in assuming psychotherapy is the only path to healing, calling for cultural humility and recognition of diverse healing traditions that have sustained communities for generations.Perhaps most provocatively, Dr. Bryant calls for mental health professionals to embody the healing they claim to facilitate. "I would love us to actually be well," she says, noting how many practitioners suffer from self-erasure and neglect. She critiques training systems that preach self-care while penalizing boundary-setting, and challenges the field's silence on systemic issues affecting mental health.From the healing power of arts and cultural practices to the importance of releasing relationships that don't serve us, Dr. Bryant offers practical wisdom for navigating our interconnected existence. She reminds us that "liberation is interwoven, it is collective. It cannot be on the backs of other people's bondage."The conversation closes with a vision of a world with "more ease in our bodies, more ease with each other, more ease in our spirits," while acknowledging the ongoing need for intentional resistance against harmful patterns. Dr. Bryant's integration of psychology, spirituality, arts, and justice work offers a roadmap for authentic, holistic healing that honors our full humanity.Join us for this soul-nourishing conversation that will transform how you think about healing, relationships, and creating meaningful change in our complex world.Support the show
Transcribe →Truth and Repair with Dr. Judith Herman
Aug 1800:58:09Tap to summarizeDr. Judith Herman, a towering figure in trauma studies and author of the landmark books "Trauma and Recovery" and "Truth and Repair," takes us on a journey through the evolution of trauma understanding from the 1970s—when we didn't even have terminology for what victims experienced—to today's complex landscape of healing and justice.Drawing from decades of clinical work and research with survivors, Dr. Herman reveals how trauma exists within frameworks of dominance and subordination that permeate every level of human organization. "Whenever you have a dominant group and a subordinate group, especially when that dominance is deeply embedded in cultures and traditions, ultimately that dominance is enforced by violence," she explains. This perspective illuminates why healing cannot happen in isolation from addressing social power structures.Perhaps most revolutionary are her findings about what survivors actually want from justice systems. Through interviews with 30 trauma survivors, she discovered that punishment of offenders—the primary offering of our criminal justice system—ranked surprisingly low on survivors' priority lists. Instead, survivors unanimously desired public acknowledgment of what happened, particularly from bystanders rather than perpetrators. They wanted the harm recognized and denounced by their communities. As one survivor powerfully stated, "I think he'd get a kick out of talking about what he did. He wouldn't really be sorry."Dr. Herman's wisdom extends beyond analysis to action. She advocates for small community groups as starting points for change, emphasizing that healing happens in connection with others. "You can't do it alone," she reminds us. Her mother's saying—"activism is the antidote to despair"—continues to guide her vision for a world built on relationships of equality and mutuality rather than dominance and submission.Join us for this profound conversation with a true pioneer whose work has transformed how we understand trauma, healing, and the pursuit of justice. Listen, share, and be part of the movement toward a more trauma-informed society.---On September 15th I'm offering a new, free training Freedom from Trauma - register here!https://howwecanheal.com/freedomfromtrauma/In this free 60-minute training, I’ll guide you through a compassionate process of identifying trauma and exploring a path forward. Together, we’ll connect with the inner resources and resilience that make healing possible, so you can move beyond surviving and begin to truly thrive.In this session, we’ll explore:✨What trauma is and how to recognize it - understanding the signs and patterns that may be shaping your life.✨Pathways through trauma - tools and approaches to help you find your way forward with compassion.✨Resilience and psychological resources - practices to strengthen your inner foundation for growth and healing.✨Steps toward thriving - how to move from simply getting by to living with more ease, connection, and vitality.This hour together is an opportunity to learn, reflect, and connect with the deeper strengths that are already within you. Whether you’re new to this work or looking to deepen your practice, you’ll leave with practical insights and supportive practices you can carry into your daily life.Support the show
Transcribe →Season 6 is Coming August 18th!
Aug 11, 202500:02:31Tap to summarizeReady to transform your healing journey? Season six of the award-winning How We Can Heal podcast brings fresh perspectives and powerful insights every Monday. We've assembled an extraordinary lineup of powerhouse healers, teachers, athletes, researchers, and even actors who will share their unique approaches to personal and collective healing.This season dives deep into transformative concepts like liberation psychology and tyranny while exploring how moments of courage—whether small daily choices or life-altering decisions like embarking on year-long meditation retreats—can reshape our lives. Our conversations will challenge conventional thinking about healing while offering practical wisdom you can apply immediately.Season five connected us with remarkable stories: Dr. Frank Corrigan revealing how deep brain reorienting heals shock, athletes sharing their journeys through cancer and community-building, and the heartwarming tale of Dion Leonard adopting Gobi, the loyal dog who ran 70 miles with him across the Gobi Desert. Season six promises even more compelling narratives, beginning with the legendary Dr. Judith Herman, followed by Dr. Thema Bryant, exploring healing across individual and societal dimensions. We'll also learn from yoga and meditation teachers Cara Lai and Melanie Salvatore-August before concluding with some exciting surprises, including a professional actor you've definitely seen on screen.What healing are you seeking most right now? What excites you about this season? I'd love to hear from you at info@howwecanheal.com. Your comments, reviews, and shares have built this community of healing-seekers, and I'm deeply grateful. Subscribe now so you don't miss a single transformative conversation as we explore how we can heal ourselves and our world together.Support the show
Transcribe →Trauma, Dissociation & Hypnosis with Dr. David Spiegel
Jun 30, 202501:04:09Tap to summarizeDr. David Spiegel, Wilson Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, brings over 40 years of expertise in trauma, hypnosis, and mind-body medicine to this fascinating conversation. Drawing from decades of scientific research, Dr. Spiegel reveals how hypnosis serves as "controlled dissociation," offering a powerful pathway for trauma recovery by allowing people to revisit difficult experiences while maintaining physical comfort.The conversation takes us deep into the neuroscience of trauma and healing. Dr. Spiegel shares remarkable findings from brain imaging studies showing how hypnosis actually turns down activity in the brain's alarm system and reduces self-judgment, creating space for new perspectives and healing. Particularly fascinating is his explanation of how hypnosis can reduce pain perception by over 50% - without medication or side effects.Personal stories bring the science to life, from Dr. Spiegel's first experience using hypnosis with an asthmatic girl in crisis to his wife successfully using hypnosis during childbirth. His genetic "illness" of hypnosis, inherited from his psychiatrist father who used it to treat trauma in World War II veterans, creates a touching through-line in his lifelong dedication to understanding how our minds can heal our bodies.The conversation bridges clinical approaches with accessible self-help strategies. Dr. Spiegel explains how two-thirds of adults are naturally somewhat hypnotizable, then details how his Reverie app makes these powerful techniques available to anyone dealing with stress, insomnia, or trauma. The discussion reveals fascinating parallels between hypnosis and yoga, showing how both practices engage the brain's natural capacity for healing through focused attention and absorption.Ready to tap into your brain's natural healing abilities? Discover how hypnosis might serve as an underutilized "app" you already possess, and learn why focusing on what you're for rather than what you're against creates more effective healing. Whether you're a clinician or someone seeking relief from trauma or stress, this episode offers profound insights into our remarkable capacity for transformation.Support the show
Transcribe →Institutional Courage with Jennifer Freyd
Sep 20, 2022Tap to summarizeToday on the How We Can Heal Podcast, Lisa Danylchuk chats with Jennifer Freyd, Ph.D., a researcher, author, educator, speaker and so much more. The pair discuss Freyd’s path to finding the Center for Institutional Courage, how the connections we have to institutions affect us, and her research on DARVO. Now, let’s wrap up Season 2 and get talking about how we can heal.About Jennifer Freyd:Jennifer J. Freyd, PhD, is a researcher, author, educator, and speaker. Freyd is the Founder and President of the Center for Institutional Courage, Professor Emerit of Psychology at the University of Oregon, and Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in the School of Medicine, Affiliated Faculty at the Clayman Institute for Gender Research, and Affiliated Faculty, Women's Leadership Lab, Stanford University. She is also a Member of the Advisory Committee, 2019-2023, for the Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education, National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. Freyd was in 1989-90 and again in 2018-19 a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. Freyd currently serves as the Editor of The Journal of Trauma & Dissociation.Freyd is a widely published and renowned scholar known for her theories of betrayal trauma, institutional betrayal, institutional courage, and DARVO. She received her PhD in Psychology from Stanford University. The author or coauthor of over 200 articles and op-eds, Freyd is also the author of the Harvard Press award-winning book Betrayal Trauma: The Logic of Forgetting Childhood Abuse. Her most recent book Blind to Betrayal, co-authored with Pamela J. Birrell, was published by John Wiley, with seven additional translations. In 2014, Freyd was invited two times to the U.S. White House due to her research on sexual assault and institutional betrayal. In 2021 Freyd and the University of Oregon settled Freyd’s precedent-setting equal pay lawsuit.Freyd has received numerous awards including being named a John Simon Guggenheim Fellow, an Erskine Fellow at The University of Canterbury in New Zealand, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In April 2016, Freyd was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society for the Study of Trauma & Dissociation. Freyd was selected for the 2021 Christine Blasey Ford Woman of Courage Award by the Association for Women in Psychology.Additional Bio: Jennifer Joy Freyd profile by the American Psychological Association.Outline of the episode:04:26 Defining Institutional Courage18:54 Institutional Betrayal & Betrayal Blindness Explained33:29 The link between individuals and the institutions we love47:47 DARVO: Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender54:38 Lab Research Institutional CourageResources:Jennifer’s Website: https://www.jjfreyd.com/Center for Institutional Courage: https://www.institutionalcourage.org/Dynamics Lab: https://dynamic.uoregon.edu/South Park DARVO clip: https://southpark.cc.com/video-clips/gfwbrf/south-park-it-s-called-darvoYou can follow Dr. Freyd on Twitter at @jjfreydcourageFull Episode Transcript: howwecanheal.com/podcastSupport the show
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