Reclaiming Yourself After Trauma: A Conversation with Dr. Thema Bryant

The Activate Change Podcast

What does it take to truly thrive after experiencing trauma? And how does trauma shape us in ways we might not even realize?

These are questions that hit close to home for me, especially as someone who has walked the incredibly challenging healing road after sexual trauma. That’s why I’m especially excited to share this conversation with you.

In this episode I am so honored to share with you an interview I did in 2019 with Dr. Thema Bryant, who’s such an inspiring and powerful voice in the field of trauma recovery. Her approach is a unique blend of psychology, spirituality, and embodied healing practices.

In the conversation, we explore the nuances of interpersonal trauma and why it often impacts survivors differently than other types of trauma. Dr. Thema also emphasizes the importance of understanding cultural context and how oppression plays a significant role in trauma, and the healing process. Her insights on reclaiming sexuality and reconnecting with the body after trauma were especially meaningful to me, and I believe they’ll resonate with many of you who are survivors of sexual trauma. And if you’re not a survivor, but are close to someone that is, especially if you’re in a romantic partnership with them, my hope is that this will help bring more awareness as to how to support your partner and navigate your shared intimacy with greater understanding.

Here’s a sneak peak into the conversation:

• Why interpersonal trauma hits so differently—how it feels like it steals a piece of you and what it takes to heal from that.
• How culture, oppression, and our environments impact healing. (This one is so so important!)
• What it means to truly reclaim your body and sexuality, step by tender step, and how to come home to yourself
• A surprising twist on forgiveness
• How sharing our trauma stories can be a profound and powerful step towards healing and why
• How important it is to address embodied healing as survivors, not just talk therapy

A little bit more about Dr. Thema Bryant:

Dr. Thema Bryant completed her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Duke University and her post-doctoral training at Harvard Medical Center’s Victims of Violence Program. Upon graduating, she became the Coordinator of the Princeton University SHARE Program, which provides intervention and prevention programming to combat sexual assault, sexual harassment, and harassment based on sexual orientation. She is currently a tenured professor of psychology in the Graduate School of Education and Psychology at Pepperdine University, where she directs the Culture and Trauma Research Laboratory. Her clinical and research interests center on interpersonal trauma and the societal trauma of oppression. She is a past president of the Society for the Psychology of Women and a past APA representative to the United Nations. Dr. Thema also served on the APA Committee on International Relations in Psychology and the Committee on Women in Psychology.

Having earned a master’s of divinity, Dr. Thema is an ordained elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. She directs the mental health ministry at First AME Church in South Los Angeles. Dr. Thema also utilizes sacred dance and spoken word in therapy, community forums, and faith communities. A member of the Association of Black Psychologists, she incorporates culturally based interventions in her teaching, research, and practice. Dr. Thema is the host of the Homecoming Podcast, a mental health podcast to facilitate your journey home to your authentic self.

For more info on Dr. Thema Bryant, go to: https://drthema.com/

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