Trust us, you want to listen to this episode - it is so, so good! Erica Bonham is a badass therapist, healer, business owner, author, mama, and queer-identified person. Erica Bonham, LPC, LAC, joins Hannah and Jane to discuss all things trauma.

Trauma is a big topic right now, and unfortunately, a lot of the pop psychology around PTSD, nervous system healing, and intergenerational trauma is missing the mark. Join trauma expert Erica Bonham to learn about the impact of trauma on our thinking patterns, our nervous system, and our greater collective.

Erica explains what it *really* means to heal the nervous system, and why you can’t “self-affirmation” yourself out of your trauma history. Erica normalizes some of the things you may judge or want to change, and lets us know that often, these are the body’s normal responses to trauma. Erica and the hosts discuss the physical impacts of trauma on the body, and the challenges around the intersection of trauma with spirituality, and religion.

We also talk about:

-psychedelic healing

-intergenerational trauma

-the human need for certainty + belonging

-spiritual bypassing

-urgency culture, inattention, + the productivity myth

-the interplay between creativity and perfectionism

Resources:

IG:@avoscounseling

FB: https://www.facebook.com/avoscounseling/

Erica’s Practice Website/To book Erica for a Keynote or Workshop: www.avoscounseling.com

Erica's Cultivate Your Inner Badass Online Course: www.cultivateyourinnerbadass.com

Erica’s Free Resources:

Download my free 11 Polyvagal Toning Exercises That Will Get You Out of Overwhelm and Into an Empowered, Badass Life https://courses.avoscounseling.com/freebie

Free "Cultivate Your Badass Nervous System"Webinar:

https://courses.avoscounseling.com/cultivating-a-badass-nervous-system

Learn More:arewehappyyetpodcast.com

alchemytherapyandwellness.com

Grittherapy.com

Join us for this enlightening episode as we talk with Joy Roulier Sawyer, retired clinical poetry and private practice therapist, writer, artist, teacher, and retreat facilitator, all about the importance of creativity as a healing modality. Joy shares her story of becoming a poetry therapist, and how she has seen the power of creativity in helping people overcome mental health struggles, and live more authentic, healthy lives.

We talk to Joy about what creativity actually IS and what it means to live a creative life. (Spoiler alert : yes, it is available to all of us). We discuss creativity and play being an innate human need, not just a catalyst for healing or self-care.

We also talk about:

-How creativity changes the brain and changes “black or white” thinking patterns

-How writing and creativity helps build confidence and self esteem

-The importance of integrating different identities

-How creativity helps us tap into our sensory experiences and why that's important

-The interplay between perfectionism and creativity

-The importance of play

Learn more about Joy: https://www.joyrouliersawyer.com/

Join one of Joy + Jane’s retreats - https://www.createandreplenish.com

Art of Facilitation: www.artoffacilitation.net

Point of Hue Arts on Etsy (for Joy's amazing earrings!): www.etsy.com/shop/PointofHueArts

Lighthouse Writers Workshop - https://lighthousewriters.org

Grit Therapy list of journal prompts - https://www.grittherapy.com/post/writing-prompts-for-perseverance-and-resilience

Deep Play by Diane Ackerman - https://www.dianeackerman.com/deep-play

Learn More:

arewehappyyetpodcast.com

alchemytherapyandwellness.com

Grittherapy.com

Join Hannah and Jane for some laughs as they explore the why behind their new podcast! They recount the birth of the new, Are We Happy Yet? Podcast, as well as their intentions and hopes in creating change for individuals, communities, and the greater collective through conversations with all types of interesting humans. Two Leo friends - Hannah Buzzo and Jane Thatcher Hahn, have been working for years as therapists and entrepreneurs. They watched as their clients, friends, and family worked hard to improve their mental health, change their relationships, heal from trauma, and change the amount of stress they were under. While these folks did incredible work and saw improvements, Jane and Hannah started to get curious about why so many of them continued to report feeling anxious, depressed, discontent, stressed, and unhappy, despite the individual changes they were making. As the statistics backed up what Jane and Hannah were noticing (more Americans are reporting feeling less life satisfaction and happiness with each passing year), they started to get curious about this trend. Through their conversations they began to uncover the true impact of larger factors - things like creativity, politics, technology, food, culture, work, and spirituality on mental health, relationships and wellbeing. In true Leo fashion, they decided they should start a podcast together and bring you all along! Jane and Hannah are passionate about bringing nuanced, real, and humorous conversations about these topics to more people, for free. They are dedicated to expanding open and relatable dialogue around mental health and wellbeing so more people can access this information without buying another supplement, book, course, or going on an expensive week long retreat. Or worse, blaming themselves for things that are out of their control. With this podcast, the hope is that people will feel less alone, and *just maybe* we can all feel a little bit better, together.

Learn More:

arewehappyyetpodcast.com

alchemytherapyandwellness.com

Grittherapy.com