Ep 137 The Science of Trauma & Healing with Dr. Amy Hoyt

The Illuminated Woman

I've wanted to have a conversation around the science of trauma and healing, and I found the perfect guest for it! Dr. Amy Hoyt experienced trauma at a very young age. She built a career around the study and research of trauma, forgiveness and agency. We packed a lot in this fascinating conversation,!

• The experience she had at 8 years old that changed the trajectory of her entire life
• How one form of abuse led to another
• The path that took her to studying forgiveness from a spiritual, religious and trauma perspective in Rwanda and South Africa
• What she learned about forgiveness by looking at it through the lens of neuroscience
• What studies show happens when we experience trauma, and what we lose when we experience trauma
• The meaning of “agency”
• The question she pondered related to wanting to have agency in life after experiencing a major trauma, and also wanting to forgive the perpetrator(s) of the trauma
• Why trauma encompasses more than what we think of as horrific events such as genocide and apartheid
• The real definition of trauma - and how it changes our view of ourselves and the world
• How trauma can result from subtle experiences
• The question to ask to determine if you experienced trauma from an experience
• The first step on the path to forgiveness
• Some of the emotions Amy experienced along the path to forgiveness
• What Amy acknowledged in our conversation that she’s never articulated before (this was a huge moment to witness!)
• The difference between an anxiety attack and a panic attack
• A few simple tools to use when you experience an anxiety or panic attack
• Examples of trauma we often don’t look at as being traumatic
• Some of the physical expressions of trauma
• How our past life experiences can inform our trauma experiences in this life
• How trauma shows up in our DNA
• What trauma does to our neural pathways
• How self-empowerment can assist you in healing trauma
• The choice you have to make after trauma or loss
• The first question you must ask yourself to move toward healing
• How curiosity can help us in healing
• The body of work she and her sisters created called “Mending Trauma”
• How they blend physical, emotional and spiritual work in healing
• Why they focus on symptom reduction in their work
• Why Amy is grateful for the abuse she experienced as a young child
  

You can take the quiz Amy and her sisters created here. Their website is Mending Trauma. Be sure to follow Amy on Instagram.

Do you have your copy of my free guide, 4 Steps to Connect with Your Higher Self? If not, get yours here!