Intelligence Squared Podcast: "How To Overcome Trauma, With Psychotherapist Dr Gwen Adshead (Part Two)"
Date: March 25, 2026
Host: Rachel Clark (with Dr Gwen Adshead)
Venue: Live at the Kiln Theatre
Producer: Mia Sorrenti
Episode Overview
This episode is part two of a live discussion with forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist Dr. Gwen Adshead, focusing on trauma, its impact on the sense of self, and the journey toward recovery and growth. Dr. Adshead draws on her extensive clinical experience and literary knowledge to explore how individuals cope with trauma and the unique importance of language, narrative, and attentive therapy in healing. The conversation also covers the applicability of various therapeutic approaches and the pitfalls of overreliance on diagnostic labels.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Therapeutic Responsibility and Approach
- Host Rachel Clark compares the responsibility of a psychotherapist to that of a surgeon, highlighting the profound influence words and actions have in the therapeutic context.
(01:51) - Dr. Gwen Adshead describes her path to psychiatry, drawn by an interest in psychological pain:
- The practitioner’s core duty is to proceed carefully with vulnerable clients.
- Research over the last decades challenges the notion that all trauma must be immediately "dug out"—instead, therapy should be gentle and paced, like archaeology:
“Archaeology begins with very soft brushing away at the surface. It doesn’t mean going in with a digger… You see what is there to be explored so you don’t make a deep cut where you shouldn’t.” (03:44)
- Therapists should not assume to know what the worst thing in a traumatic event is for the person; each experience is individual and must be explored with curiosity and care.
“It’s very unwise to assume you know what the worst thing is about a traumatic event.” (05:29)
2. The Intersection of Therapy and Writing
- Rachel Clark: Asks how Dr. Adshead's life as a clinician and writer are intertwined. (05:51)
- Dr. Adshead: Emphasizes the primacy of language in understanding and narrating the self:
- Many trauma survivors struggle to find words for their feelings (alexithymia).
- Helping people to “lexithyme”—to put feelings into words—is central to therapy.
- Therapy is likened to poetry, both being “raids on the inarticulate” (referencing T.S. Eliot):
“Poetry has something in common with therapy because it brings into being something that wasn’t there before.” (08:08)
- Both writing and clinical work involve trial, error, and refining language collaboratively.
3. The Meaning of Grief and Trauma
- Rachel Clark: Inquires about Dr. Adshead’s recommendation of CS Lewis’ "A Grief Observed." (09:24)
- Dr. Adshead:
- Highlights the psychological insight and raw honesty of the text.
- Grief is described as a kind of robbery, and post-trauma involves a search for meaning after something has been "stolen":
“There is something about trauma…some kinds of trauma at least about a kind of robbery, something being stolen from you and the grief that goes with that.” (10:48)
4. Audience Q&A
a. Historical and Cultural Approaches / Therapy Modalities (Audience Member 1, 11:52)
- Dr. Adshead traces trauma support through history:
- The act of reaching out and sharing is ancient (e.g., confession, camaraderie).
- Traditional therapies (psychoanalysis, mindfulness) serve the human need for meaning-making; newer interventions (psychedelic therapy, EMDR) are being researched.
- All effective approaches encourage facing, not avoiding, pain but at an individual’s pace.
- Interventions should be varied and tailored—no single “right order” has been established:
“The one thing they have in common…the first thing they have in common is that they’re an invitation not to avoid.” (17:10)
b. Diagnoses and Labels: Benefits and Pitfalls (Audience Member 2, 18:53)
- Dr. Adshead:
- Diagnosis, when used well, is a working hypothesis—not a box or a label.
- Over-diagnosis and label-as-identity can be dispiriting and even harmful, particularly if they become explanations for all of a person’s difficulties or vehicles for shutting down the story:
“One of the most dispiriting things of the last 10 years has been the use of diagnoses as a kind of box to put people in.” (19:42)
- Cautions against weaponizing diagnoses in legal and social contexts.
- Her approach: Start with the problem as experienced and described by the client.
c. Alternative to Talking Therapies (Audience Member 3, 25:55)
- Dr. Adshead:
- When people cannot speak, creative therapies (art, music, drama, occupational therapy) can be crucial.
- In some situations, simply sitting in compassionate silence is therapeutic:
“Sometimes the being is more important than the doing…letting the silence be can be enabling for people.” (27:04)
- Encourages non-doctrinaire, flexible approaches, guided by individual need.
d. Physiology and Narrative in Therapy (Audience Member 4, 29:20)
- Dr. Adshead:
- Physical well-being is always explored as part of the wider narrative.
- Does not use a rigid set of questions—lets the story and needs emerge organically.
- Inquires about early fear, attachment, strengths, and interests alongside distress.
- Stresses the importance of understanding both positive and difficult experiences:
“I always ask about positive things. I always ask about strengths.” (31:40)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On Trauma and Therapy:
“You have to make space to ask. It’s very unwise to assume you know what the worst thing is about a traumatic event.”
— Dr. Gwen Adshead (05:29) -
On the Common Ground Between Writing and Therapy:
“Poetry has something in common with therapy because it brings into being something that wasn’t there before.”
— Dr. Gwen Adshead (08:08) -
On Grief and Loss:
“There is something about trauma…some kinds of trauma at least about a kind of robbery, something being stolen from you and the grief that goes with that.”
— Dr. Gwen Adshead (10:48) -
On Diagnostic Labels:
“Diagnosis as a medical tool is about a working hypothesis, it’s not about a box.”
— Dr. Gwen Adshead (19:42) -
On the Limits and Power of Silence in Therapy:
“Sometimes the being is more important than the doing…letting the silence be can be enabling for people.”
— Dr. Gwen Adshead (27:04)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- Main discussion introduction: 01:00
- Therapeutic responsibility and analogy with surgery: 01:51
- Gentle process of uncovering trauma (archaeology metaphor): 03:44
- Therapy and writing as parallel processes: 06:24–08:08
- C.S. Lewis' ‘A Grief Observed’: 09:53–11:31
- Audience Q&A: Historical/cultural and therapy modalities: 11:52–18:45
- Diagnoses and their roles/pitfalls: 18:53–22:53
- Alternatives to talking therapies & silence in therapy: 25:55–29:07
- Role of physiology and narrative: 29:20–32:43
- Closing remarks: 32:43–33:55
Tone and Style
Through wisdom, humility, and literary references, Dr. Adshead advocates for nuanced, compassionate, and flexible approaches in trauma therapy. She resists reductionist answers, values narrative, and centers the lived experience of the individual over rigid diagnoses or predetermined protocols. The discussion is empathetic, layered with metaphor and cultural reflection, and rooted in practical clinical wisdom.
Final Reflection
This episode provides rich insights into the evolving understanding of trauma, emphasizing the need for gentle, individualized interventions, the healing power of narrative, and the importance of openness to multiple therapeutic approaches. Dr. Adshead’s stance on diagnostic humility and the value of silence and creativity in healing offers a nuanced, humane perspective for clinicians and lay listeners alike.