The Trauma Recovery School

The Trauma Recovery School

Hosted by: Bonita Ackerman du Preez

The Trauma Recovery School Podcasts examines everyday anxiety that can affect most of us at some point in our lives, but did you realise your anxiety may have been caused by a specific traumatic event in the past?...

Episodes

#122 Why You Still Feel Stuck After Therapy | Trauma Explained

Season #3

In this episode, we explore why trauma is more than a memory of the past. Trauma can influence how the brain predicts the future, how the nervous system responds to uncertainty, and how individuals relate to...
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#121 Negative Self-Talk & Trauma | What Your Brain Learned

Season #3

In this episode, we explore how trauma can influence the brain’s focus on protection, prediction, and threat detection. You’ll learn why criticism, self-doubt, and fear-based thinking can become deeply ingrained...
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#120 Why the voice in your head is not telling the truth.

Season #3

In this episode, we explore how the brain learns to use internal dialogue as a form of protection. You’ll learn why the inner voice often anticipates rejection, avoids shame, and constantly scans for risk, as well as...
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#119 Why high achievers living with trauma feel worse despite success

Season #3

In this episode, we explore how the nervous system can begin associating achievement with safety, control, and self-worth. You’ll learn why stillness can feel uncomfortable, why the body stays in motion even during...
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#118 Why High Achievers Burn Out | Trauma & Survival Mode

Season #3

In this episode, we explore how the nervous system can associate achievement with safety, validation, and control. You’ll learn why productivity can become a coping mechanism, how survival patterns drive overworking...
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#117 Why overthinking makes trauma & PTSD feel worse!

Season #3

In this episode, we explore how trauma can change the role of thinking, shifting it from clarity to protection. You’ll learn how the brain scans for potential threats, why mental overactivity becomes automatic, and...
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#116 Why Your Mind Won’t Switch Off | Trauma & Overthinking

Season #3

In this Episode, we explore how trauma can change the role of thinking, shifting it from clarity to protection. You’ll learn how the brain scans for potential threats, why mental overactivity becomes automatic, and...
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#115 Why You Feel Worse When Life Calms Down | Trauma Explained

Season #3

In this episode, we explore how the brain’s threat system remains active even when the environment is safe, and why calm can be misinterpreted as a signal that something is wrong. You’ll learn how survival patterns...
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#114 Why You Overthink & Self-Sabotage | Trauma & Shame

Season #3

In this episode, we explore how shame differs from guilt, how it becomes identity-based, and how it can quietly influence behaviour over time. You’ll learn how unprocessed experiences can lead the brain to internalise...
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#113 Why Trauma Is Draining Your Body | Nervous System Survival Mode

Season #3

In this episode, we explore how trauma keeps the body in survival mode, leading to ongoing stress hormone activation. You’ll learn how this can affect the immune system, increase physical tension, disrupt sleep and...
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#112 Why Trauma Affects Sleep | Nervous System Survival Mode

Season #3

In this episode, we explore how trauma can keep the brain in survival mode, causing it to remain alert even at night. You’ll learn how stress hormones can continue to activate the body, why the brain scans for danger...
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#111 Why Trauma Affects Your Gut | Nervous System & Digestion

Season #3

In this episode, we explore how the brain and digestive system communicate, and why digestion is disrupted when the body shifts into survival mode. You’ll learn how stress hormones can reduce digestive function, how...
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