Have you thought about reaching out to a therapist? Have you considered working with a Counselor? What about working with Life Coach?

In this episode of the podcast, we talk about the importance of making your mental health a priority and deciding if it's time to seek professional help. Now more than ever, with your life being turned upside down, and dealing with the uncertainty surrounding everyday life due to COVID-19, you have a whole new set of pressures to work through every day. Then, what happens when life gets back to what it used to be, or a new version of what it used to be? Maybe your daily life will change in ways you never expected.

We talk about the benefits of deciding to seek out help for your mental health and the blocks that may be holding you back from doing so.

You'll learn how the perspective and insight that a mental health professional can give you, in virtually any aspect of your life, can be an invaluable resource in helping you feel more encouraged, inspired, grounded, and focused to handle what's coming. We'll also discuss the very important fact that, "You don't have to have a mental illness to seek out therapy".

We always want to hear from you, so hit us up anytime using the contact form at BeyondYourPastRadio.com. You rock and we appreciate you so much. Thank for the listens, likes, and shares! Don't forget to give us a review and subscribe on your favorite podcast app.

The video from Jodi Aman that was referenced in the podcast can be found here. 

Matt and Joanne

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We're talking to an essential employee, and offering support, encouragement, and validation to everyone who is on the front lines in hospitals, doctor's offices, animal hospitals, grocery and food store workers, and so many others who are dealing with a seemingly unending amount of stress and uncertainty. 

We share insight, tips, and strategies to help everyone who has to be away from home, away from family, friends, pets, and their usual routine. The long hours, lack of sleep, lack of personal time, and feeling like there's no end in sight can be debilitating and take its toll on not only our physical health but our mental health. 

Joanne and Matt talk about ways essential workers can cope and reach out for support. 

Mindful Breathing, Planned Worry Time, Exercise, Focusing on What You Can Control, Understanding and Embracing that this is a Season, Telling Your Family What You Need, Doing Everything Mindfully and Intentionally, and more!

If you have a question, suggestion, or comment, please reach out anytime at BeyondYourPastRadio.com - we'd love to hear from you. 

The next episode will focus on helping loved ones and those who are at home holding down the fort while their partners are away. 

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After a 5 month hiatus from recording new episodes, we're back with a special edition of Beyond Your Past Radio, and we couldn't be happier to be rejoining the podcast airwaves and spend some time in your podcast playlist this week. :)

As certified coaches working with clients, and continuing our own healing, awareness, and discovery, we wanted to spend some time talking about the struggle of isolation and the uncertainty that comes with the covid19 crisis, and how it takes its toll on our mental health especially.

After catching up for a few minutes, we talk about the differences between Concern and Worry; and how understanding the two can make a big difference in how you approach the unknown and uncertainty that is so prevalent in life these days.

We also share several strategies to deal with anxiety and isolation, putting our own unique spin on ways you can cope and reframe the challenges that face us all in the coming weeks and months ahead.

A huge thank you to everyone who continues to listen to our previous 170+ episodes, and is hopefully finding them to be validating, encouraging, and yes even a bit entertaining at times!

We promise it won't be 5 more months until the next episode.

Be sure and subscribe on your favorite podcast app, and give us a 5 star review if you wouldn't mind. )

Matt and Joanne
BeyondYourPastRadio.com

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The long-awaited and wildly anticipated (more or less) return of the Mental Health Megacast is here! Season 3, Ep. 2 I believe is where we are, although truth be told it's hard to say for sure what episode it is. If you're a regular listener of these podcast episodes with Wes, Mike, and Myself, you know that episode numbers and times are a running joke with us.

Anyways, on to the topic of What We've Learned About Ourselves Through Therapy. We discuss, in a round table format coming from 3 guys who are mental health advocates and recovering from our own struggles, not only what we've learned but also the struggle of overcoming the shame and stigma that therapy can bring.

It's a candid chat where we talk openly about our own lessons and struggles and ways we've found to overcome some aspects of our past and of course still continue to figure out much of it as we go.

Anyways, just in case you aren’t familiar with the Megacasts, you can check out past episodes here, and also my cohorts platforms as well….

To that end, the Megacast is the combined collaborative brain powers (more or less) of Wes from AudioRising.com and Mike from MikesOpenJournal.com, and myself.  I encourage you to check out and follow them online and through your favorite podcasting platform. Each of these guys has a tremendous message to share and an inspiring and unique way in how they go about it.

We hope you enjoy this latest episode, and if you do have suggestions for future shows, we are always happy to field your ideas. One of the best things about these episodes is that that they are completely unedited, unscripted, just us hanging out and having a chat, to which you are always invited to listen in on.

Be sure and follow Wes on Twitter @WesA1966 and Mike @Mike_Douglas_ & Open_Journal_  …oh and don’t forget to follow and subscribe to all of our shows on your favorite podcasting app!

All conversation and information shared during participation on the Beyond Your Past Radio, and on BeyondYourPastRadio.com is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Nothing on these podcasts or posted on the above-mentioned website are supplements for or supersedes the relationship and direction of your medical or mental health providers.

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Healing from physical pain, disease, or trauma is not an exact science; there is no "one size fits all" approach to healing. Each of us is different and experiences the feelings and emotions that come from healing in different ways, and of course on our own timeline. 

We talk often on the podcast about different ways that survivors of trauma, chronic pain, or illness, have found to embrace healing. The ways they have taken what's happened to them in life and figure out a way to turn it into a learning experience and being able to help others. Our guest on this episode, Amy Oestreicher, using art and creative expression in her journey, and she talks about that with us in an inspiring chat that is sure to leave you encouraged. 

Amy is many things, but first and foremost, she is a storyteller...she is an artist, writer, and influential speaker whose work is rooted in inspiration and built to be eclectic. From the visual arts to music to writing to education, click on any of the pictures above to explore her work and services offered. These include offerings such as a variety of hailed workshops and outreach programs, the sale of her visual art and fashion line, her original multimedia solo-musical PASSAGEWAYS, and her newly released book available below!

During our chat, Amy talks more about how she uses creative expression to heal and navigate PTSD:

• Amy talks about the 29 surgeries she's had throughout her life and a backstory of how she first ended up in the hospital with a condition that nearly killed her.
• How does she cope with emotional and physical healing; the sexual abuse she experienced and the physical trauma. How is emotional recovery different than physical recovery. 
• The four hardcore skills to resilience that have helped her. 
• How creativity can be anything you want it to be, and the importance of being ok with making mistakes. In addition, how the approach to writing and creative expression in similar to the approach she takes in all of her life. 
• Why she wrote her book, My Beautiful Detour, and the message she wants to share with everyone. 

You can learn more about Amy, her story, her artwork, her one-woman show, Ted Talks, her book "My Beautiful Detour, and more, over at her website, AmyOes.com. Be sure and follow her on social media as well!

facebook.com/amyoestr
linkedin.com/in/amyoes
instagram/amyoes70
twitter.com/amyoes
youtube.com/amyoes70

If you enjoy these podcasts would you consider doing 3 easy things for us?

1.  Share it with someone who might find it helpful.

2.  Leave a review on your favorite podcasting app.

3.  Subscribe so you never miss an episode.

That’s it…Super Easy and it would mean the world to us.

If you want to go a step further, we have a special Thank You just for You!

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Since gratitude and forgiveness are key to healing, feeling empowered, enforcing healthy boundaries in relationships, and so many other aspects in life, we wanted to bring back a guest for a podcast episode who specializes in fostering a mindset of gratitude and understanding forgiveness.

Lisa Cybaniak has dedicated her life to helping women in particular, and survivors as a whole, to find their voice. To begin to realize that they too have the ability to reach out for help, work through their past moving from victim to survivor, and ultimately from survivor to warrior.

Lisa Cybaniak is a Motivational Speaker, Success Coach, NLP Practitioner, Author, and survivor of 10 years of child abuse. Over the last 3 years, her work has been featured on radio programs, podcasts, in magazines, and other media outlets. Her first book, Survivor to Warrior is available now on her website, LifeLikeYouMeanIt.com and on Amazon.  She outlines on her website, I’ve developed three healing streams to empower you to build a life of purpose after abuse, wherever you may be on your path to recovery: Reaching Out, Victim to Survivor, and Survivor to Warrior.

During our chat with Lisa, we talk more about how we learn gratitude and embrace forgiveness:

• The lessons you learn about your life and who you are, when you begin to understand what forgiveness means to you, and how it relates to your journey.
• The differences in all types of personal and professional relationships before you learn forgiveness and after.
• How you begin to practice gratitude; the first initial steps and the progression of taking it to deeper and higher levels in your life.
• The challenge of regrouping when you're knocked down, and how gratitude and forgiveness can help.
• Learning how acceptance is key to both forgiveness and gratitude.
• How you can recognize which patterns in your life need to be addressed in order to change how you approach relationships.
• How gratitude can be a game-changer in not only healing from trauma but all aspects of life.

If you’d like to learn more about working with Lisa, her programs, upcoming new book, and her speaking engagements, just head over to LifeLikeYouMeanIt.com…and be sure and tell her, “Beyond Your Past, sent you”.  😉

You can follow her on Twitter: @LisaCybaniak , Facebook.com/lifelikeyoumeanit, and Instagram: @Life_Like_You_Mean_It

If you enjoy these podcasts would you consider doing 3 easy things for us?

1. Share it with someone who might find it helpful.
2. Leave a review on your favorite podcasting app.
3. Subscribe so you never miss an episode.

That’s it…Super Easy and it would mean the world to us.

If you want to go a step further, we have a special Thank You just for You!

All conversation and information exchanged during participation on the Beyond Your Past Podcast, on BeyondYourPast.com, and BeyondYourPastRadio.com is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Nothing on these podcasts or posted on the above-mentioned websites are supplements for or supersedes the relationship and direction

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Childhood trauma is going to affect you into adulthood, and even with doing the hard work of healing, there will still be times of struggle. The difference is, the understanding, awareness, and skills you learn with the help of a trauma-informed professional can make all the difference in coping during those ongoing tough times.

Our chat on this episode of the podcast is with Miranda Pacchiana, MSW: I am a writer, social worker, and survivor of childhood sexual abuse. When I first disclosed to my family that my brother had abused me as a child, I thought my whole world would change. I assumed my family members would share my desire to examine what had gone wrong in our home and pursue a path toward healing together. I was sadly mistaken. In fact, their behaviors left me feeling as though the abuse didn’t really matter. Yes, they believed me–but my family members still seemed determined to brush my trauma under the rug. Over time, I came to realize they viewed me as the problem for focusing on the abuse. Not the brother who had abused me or whatever damaging experiences he had undergone as a child.

During our chat, we discuss the challenges of confronting family members who your childhood trauma, in particular:

• What is "the second wound" for trauma survivors?
• It's one thing to come to terms with a traumatic past, and as difficult as that is, revealing the details of the abuse to family members adds a whole new layer of fear, anxiety, and shame.
• The dynamic of a family who intentionally is covering up the abuse in order to hide a secret and keep the family name from being tarnished, vs the dynamic of telling family members who have no idea anything ever happened, and the risk of invalidation or minimization.
• The importance of a multi-faceted support system, and how to go about building up the support when you first begin to end your silence.
• Challenging the family's desire to keep everything a secret, and finding the courage to talk about it and not live in silence.
• Second-guessing yourself before and after you share your story.

Be sure and follow Miranda on Twitter and Facebook: @SecondWound, and on Instagram: @TheSecondWound. Learn more about her coaching, clinical work, and her story at SecondWound.com as well as her podcast "Truth and Consequences, Navigating the Aftermath of Trauma."

If you enjoy these podcasts would you consider doing 3 easy things for us?

1. Share it with one person who might find it helpful.
2. Leave a review on your favorite podcast app.
3. Follow the podcast on that same app, so you never miss an episode.

That’s it…Super Easy and it would mean the world to us.

If you want to go a step further, we have a special Thank You just for You!

All conversations and information exchanged during participation on the podcast and BeyondYourPastRadio.com are intended for educational and informational purposes only. Nothing on the podcast or posted on the above-mentioned website are supplements for or supersedes the relationship and direction of your medical or mental health providers.

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Our guest on this episode of the podcast is well known in the narcissistic abuse recovery circles and has dedicated her life to exposing the tactics of narcissistic individuals and helping people break free from the grasp of a narcissist. I like to say that Kim Saeed is a narcissist's worst nightmare, because she's got the knowledge, skills, and lived experience to expose them for what they are trying to do in the lives of their victims.

Her website, KimSaeed.com is the hub of all of her books, coaching programs, videos, blog posts, and materials...."I created this collective space after visiting seven different therapists, which not only failed to offer relief from my symptoms of narcissistic abuse, I felt further invalidated and more confused than ever. Most of the modalities and self-help out there simply don’t provide the solution for lasting relief.

During our chat on the podcast, we dive into some specific aspects of narcissistic abuse and the tactics that a narcissist will use, including Cognitive Dissonance, Gaslighting, and Brainwashing. Kim explains each of these terms and how a skilled narcissist uses these manipulations in such a way that you don't even know something is happening until they've already got a grip on you.

We talk about how to recognize when you're in an unsafe relationship and ways you can begin to pull yourself out of it when you're ready to take that step. As Kim mentions, they won't just go quietly into the night, they will step up their game to keep you in their grasp and believing their lies.

Kim talks about the importance of paying attention to patterns, not words, in order to see a narcissist for who they truly are rather than what they've led you to believe.  In addition, you'll learn how a narcissist can even use a therapy environment to their advantage, where you believe they are honestly trying to change, but in reality, their agenda is still the primary goal.

Be sure and check out Kim Saeed on her website, KimSaeed.com for information on her courses, The Essential Break Free Bootcamp, and Beyond No Contact. You definitely don't want to miss her blog posts and her YouTube videos, all done in a way that is both educating and validating.

If you enjoy these podcasts would you consider doing 3 easy things for us?

1. Share it with one person who might find it helpful.
2. Leave a review on your favorite podcast app.
3. Follow the podcast on that same app, so you never miss an episode.

That’s it…Super Easy and it would mean the world to us.

If you want to go a step further, we have a special Thank You just for You!

All conversations and information exchanged during participation on the podcast and BeyondYourPastRadio.com are intended for educational and informational purposes only. Nothing on the podcast or posted on the above-mentioned website are supplements for or supersedes the relationship and direction of your medical or mental health providers.

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Recovery and addiction sadly often go hand in hand. What is modeled for us as a child, or not modeled for us, along the trauma of any type of abuse can lead to struggles with addictions of drugs and alcohol.

Our guest today, Lisa Boucher, joins us to talk about her life which started out with abuse early on in the home, and a mother who was an alcoholic, and how those events and circumstances paved the way for her own struggles with alcohol.

Lisa Boucher is the author of Raising the Bottom: Making Mindful Choices in a Drinking Culture, an award-winning book that won the 2017 Best Book Awards in the category of women’s health and placed as a finalist in the category of addiction/recovery. She is also a speaker.

After short stints where she trained polo horses, worked as a flight attendant, hairdresser, and bartender, she realized that the time to implement serious change had arrived. She gave up drinking, revamped her life and settled in as a registered nurse where living a life in recovery became her way.

For the past twenty-eight years, Lisa has worked with hundreds of women to overcome alcoholism, live better lives and become better parents. She was prompted to write Raising the Bottom when after twenty-four years of working in hospitals, she realized that doctors and traditional health care offer few solutions to women with addiction issues. She is dedicated to not only help women recover from alcoholism, but has extended her reach to educate and help corporations deal with the growing addiction problem that has permeated every sphere of American life. An author of five books, she holds a BA in English, and is the mother of twin sons. She currently resides in Ohio with her husband.

During our chat with Lisa, she tells us more about her childhood and the circumstances that lead to her struggles with alcohol, and the events that transpired which help her begin the healing process from not only her trauma but also overcoming her addiction, and leading to her to a life of advocacy and helping others who struggle.

We discuss the link between childhood trauma and addiction, as it relates to the ACES Study. WE also talk about how society today glorifies alcohol as the primary means of having fun, unwinding, and enjoying times with friends and family; that glorification can have a dramatic impact on a growing childhood and young adult.

There's so much more to our chat with Lisa Boucher, that I hope will inspire you and encourage you that regardless of your childhood and regardless of the circumstances you are currently in, there is hope in healing, and there is no shame in recovery.

Learn more about Lisa Boucher on her website, RaisingtheBottom.com and find her book on Amazon or your favorite book store.

You can also follow her on Facebook , Twitter, and Instagram

If you enjoy these podcasts would you consider doing 3 easy things for us?

1. Share it with one person who might find it helpful.
2. Leave a review on your favorite podcast app.
3. Follow the podcast on that same app, so you never miss an episode.

That’s it…Super Easy and it would mean the world to us.

If you want to go a step further, we have a special Thank You just for You!

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How do you figure out what a trauma narrative is, how do you even know if what you went through was indeed trauma? What steps can you take to make sense of all the struggles you've endured throughout life, and how can they be traced back to that trauma you may have experienced?

These types of questions are what our guest on the podcast helps you begin to figure out. Dorothy Pierre-Joseph talks about the movement she is starting,  "The Trauma Tour", where you can come and experience a safe place of learning about trauma and how to not only tell your story but also embrace the progress you make as you begin to heal.

As Dorothy Pierre-Joseph outlines on her website: Born to immigrant parents from Haiti, I can tell you from experience that life can be challenging. I was a product of a very abusive relationship and a victim of sexual abuse as a child. Much of my life was spent in anger and darkness. My decisions were heavily influenced by my brokenness. However, I always had a passion for learning and helping. I just did not realize that in order to fully help others I had to get healing myself. After a tumultuous period in my life, I attempted suicide and that was the turning point in my life.

During our chat, Dorothy begins by sharing her background, which is in Psychiatric Nursing, and the circumstances that lead her to change her career direction from seeking to become a doctor, to become a nurse.

We discuss what a trauma narrative is, and how when we begin to first tell our story, it's often from the perspective of being a victim because that's all we know. She shares how we learn to tell our story as we heal and not make the victim side of the story, the only side of the story. As Dorothy mentions, "Learning to Command Your Story, not Your Story Command You".

She shares how as you begin to heal, not only does your story change but you change. You become more confident, more empowered, and able to release the shame of what you experienced...to not be bound by those experiences in life.

We also discuss more about the Trauma Tour that she created, how to inform and educate your childeren about your struggles as you navigate your own healing while being a parent, and much more.

If you'd like to learn more about Dorothy Pierre-Joseph and the Trauma Tour, check out her website, HeartBreak2BreakThrough.com.

If you enjoy these podcasts would you consider doing 3 easy things for us?

1. Share it with one person who might find it helpful.
2. Leave a review on your favorite podcast app.
3. Follow the podcast on that same app, so you never miss an episode.

That’s it…Super Easy and it would mean the world to us.

If you want to go a step further, we have a special Thank You just for You!

All conversations and information exchanged during participation on the podcast and BeyondYourPastRadio.com are intended for educational and informational purposes only. Nothing on the podcast or posted on the above-mentioned website are supplements for or supersedes the relationship and direction of your medical or mental health providers.

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Friend of the podcast, author, artist, and survivor, Larry Ruhl, joins us to talk about what life has been like since he released his book, "Breaking the Ruhls", and the new challenges that daily life brings after his openly wrote about his experiences.

Larry joined the podcast previously, back in episode 72, where he talked about the experience of writing his book, why he did it, and the message he wants to share through his writing.

Larry Ruhl serves as a board member for Taking Back Ourselves, which facilitates weekends of recovery for female survivors of sexual abuse, and is a registered speaker with the RAINN network (Rape Abuse Incest National Network). He previously served as a board member at Male Survivor. He also spoke at colleges and retreats to increase awareness of sexual abuse against men and boys. Today he shares his story publicly to spread awareness and to help others shed the shame and stigma associated with sexual abuse. He graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), with a degree in Display & Exhibit Design, and worked as a creative director at a textile firm for ten years until opening his own home furnishings/interior design business in 2004. He works as an artist and designer in the Hudson Valley. You can learn more about Larry on his websites, www.BreakingTheRuhls.com and LarryRuhl.com.

During my chat with Larry, he gives us a recap on what's been happening in his life since his book has been published, including new speaking opportunities at conferences and some travel he's been able to do in support of his art.

• We also dive more deeply into the challenges and rewards that come with writing a book about your experiences.
• Larry shares about dealing with the personal struggle of some family members who may support you but choose to keep the struggles you share at a distance.
• We talk about navigating daily life after sharing your story openly, and the struggles of keeping up with self-care, along with the challenge of handling triggers, especially new ones that may come up.
• We discuss the importance of being open to exploring new coping strategies in ongoing healing, even if you have a solid arsenal of go-to skills.
• Being fully present in your body and being open to exploring new memories, personal struggles, or other challenges with your therapist, even if you feel like you've already done extensive healing.

If you enjoy these podcasts would you consider doing 3 easy things for us?

1. Share it with one person who might find it helpful.
2. Leave a review on your favorite podcast app.
3. Follow the podcast on that same app, so you never miss an episode.

That’s it…Super Easy and it would mean the world to us.

If you want to go a step further, we have a special Thank You just for You!

All conversation and information exchanged during participation on the podcast and BeyondYourPastRadio.com are intended for educational and informational purposes only. Nothing on the podcast or posted on the above-mentioned website are supplements for or supersedes the relationship and direction of your medical or mental health providers.

Support the show