What happens when a vocalist trained in the art of performance discovers that the deepest music she could ever make begins with learning how to stop performing? For Elizabeth Remic Simonian, the journey from conservatory-trained singer to integrative and somatic therapist was not a departure from music but a homecoming to something she had been reaching toward her entire life. Her story illuminates a truth that therapists, educators, and healers of all kinds are hungry to hear: that the most profound shift in how we meet another human being has little to do with acquiring better tools, and everything to do with how willing we are to show up as ourselves.

On this episode of Transforming Trauma, host Emily Ruth welcomes Elizabeth Remic Simonian for an intimate conversation about therapy not as something we do, but how we live.. Together, they explore how Elizabeth’s path from teaching voice at a conservatory to working with survivors of sexual abuse and complex trauma revealed a through-line she had always sensed but could never quite name. That through-line is presence, and it changes everything – from music to therapy.

Elizabeth is an integrative and somatic therapist based in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Born in Cyprus to Swedish and Armenian parents, she spent her formative years moving between cultures before settling in the Netherlands in 2003. She is a Somatic Experiencing practitioner, Soma Embodiment practitioner, and has completed her NARM® Master Therapist certificate alongside advanced training in somatic sexuality healing. Her earlier career as a jazz vocalist and conservatory voice teacher profoundly shapes the embodied, heartful quality she brings to her clinical work.

“Nobody had ever started a session with asking me what I would like,” Elizabeth recalls of her first experience as a client in the NeuroAffective Relational Model®. Having spent many years in therapy, she had become expert at being the easy, accommodating client, reading what practitioners needed and delivering it. When a NARM therapist simply asked what she wanted for herself, the ground shifted. That single, consent-based question disrupted a lifetime of adaptive strategies and opened a door she did not know was closed. It is a moment she returns to throughout the conversation as foundational, not only for her own healing, but for how she now meets every person who walks into her practice.

Elizabeth traces her interest in NARM back to watching a demonstration where something subtle but unmistakable caught her attention. It was the way the practitioner respected the space the client needed, the quality of consent present in every exchange. She contrasts this with a moment in another training where an instructor encouraged therapists who felt stuck to reach into a “box of interventions” for something to fix the situation. “Everything in my body just went no, no, no,” she says. That visceral rejection of the fix-it model became a compass pointing her toward NARM, where she found what she describes as coming home.

One of the most striking threads in the conversation is Elizabeth’s exploration of efforting, a concept central to NARM that invites practitioners to notice where their own adaptive strategies are running the show. “If I’m efforting, the connection isn’t there in the same way,” she reflects. “And if the connection isn’t there, then what are we doing? Because isn’t that what most people have been lacking and are hoping to find?”

Perhaps the most compelling dimension of the conversation is how Elizabeth describes NARM’s influence rippling far beyond the therapy room and into her years of teaching voice at a Dutch conservatory. As her own NARM process deepened, she began bringing that quality of relational presence into her music lessons, not as a therapeutic intervention, but as a natural extension of who she was becoming. The results were unmistakable. Students became more comfortable, more open, more willing to break down in lessons and find genuine strength. More and more students asked to transfer into her classes. She found this remarkable precisely because she was not investing in new vocal techniques or performance skills. She was investing in her own embodiment. “I’m currently not busy with more technique,” she says. “I’m busy with something completely different. And this is translating into music.”

Elizabeth’s reflection on her own voice carries a quiet power. She describes how, as a conservatory student, her voice would shut down during exams even though performing on stage felt entirely different. That pattern, she now understands, was never simply a technical problem. It was a somatic expression of something much deeper. She wonders aloud what might have been different if a teacher had met that moment with sensitivity and curiosity rather than treating it as a deficit to correct. It is this wondering that fuels her interest in bringing NARM-informed awareness to educators, particularly within the arts, where competition and the pressure to prove oneself can intensify the very strategies that constrict creativity and voice.

The conversation arrives at a beautiful paradox. Elizabeth describes singing with less technical practice but far more embodiment, less shame, and more authenticity than she has ever experienced. “I cannot tell you what a difference it makes to sing with more embodiment and less shame and more authenticity,” she says. “I have never loved to sing more than I do now.” It is a living demonstration that when we reduce the efforting and inhabit ourselves more fully, something opens that no amount of technique alone can produce. The voice, both literal and metaphorical, finds its ground.

What emerges from this episode is not a list of strategies for better therapy or better teaching, but an invitation to consider what becomes possible when we stop efforting and start inhabiting ourselves more fully. Elizabeth’s story suggests that the practitioner’s internal state is not a footnote to the work. It is the work. And its effects reach far beyond the consulting room, into classrooms, onto stages, and into every relationship where one human being dares to show up, fully present, with another.

Transforming Trauma is deeply grateful to Elizabeth for the generosity and openheartedness she brings to this conversation. Her willingness to share the sacred, pivotal moments of her journey reminds us that healing unfolds not through perfecting our interventions, but through the ongoing, courageous act of coming home to ourselves.

The reality of trauma in refugee and immigrant communities is anything but simple. In this moving conversation, Yukako Sortino invites us to consider what healing can truly look like when “trauma is not just clinical diagnosis or struggle, it’s relational, systemic,” and woven through stories of both oppression and resilience. The urgency of this work is palpable: refugees and immigrants don’t just carry the wounds of the past, but are navigating the pressures of resettlement, systemic racism, and continual displacement in real time. Listeners are called not just to empathy but to “a deeper, deeper reverence for the complexity of healing in these communities.”

On this episode of Transforming Trauma, host Emily Ruth sits down with Yukako Sortino, trauma-informed psychotherapist and Manager of the Refugee Behavioral Wellness Program in Chicago. Together they explore the nuanced realities of trauma shaped by a “triple trauma paradigm”—pre-migration, migration, and post-migration stress—and why healing must be seen as both a personal and collective act. Yukako details how her integration of the NeuroAffective Relational Model® (NARM®) becomes less about symptom reduction and more about relational presence: “Curiosity instead of interpretation, co-regulation before self-regulation,” and honoring survival strategies not as pathology, but as wisdom that helped people endure.

Yukako Sortino, LCSW, leads the Refugee Behavioral Wellness Program at Heartland Alliance Health, supporting refugees, asylum seekers, and undocumented immigrants through culturally responsive, trauma-informed care. Drawing from her lived experience across multiple countries and decades in community development, she integrates modalities like NARM, CBT, ACT, and trauma-sensitive yoga to meet people where they are. In addition to her leadership and clinical practice, she mentors graduate students, serves as a consultant globally, and remains deeply rooted as a published writer and advocate prioritizing holistic, non-pathologizing support for communities in transition.

Throughout the conversation, Yukako returns to the heart of trauma care: honoring the full dignity and humanity of each person. She speaks candidly about the challenges—balancing Western clinical frameworks with ancestral healing, contending with funding limitations and staff burnout, and witnessing the effects of ongoing injustice. “Healing is deeply relational, cultural, and it’s a political act. It’s about returning to ourselves.” She describes moments where micro-interventions—“Hey, I’m here. We can slow down. You don’t have to explain your pain to me”—can be radical pivots toward safety and liberation. A case example underscores how reclaiming agency, voice, and the right to feel is both a somatic and political process, one often ignited in the presence of simple attunement or cultural rituals, far beyond the therapy room.

If there is a central takeaway, it is the imperative for providers and communities to “interrupt harm,” create spaces where healing can unfold at its own pace, and recognize that “rest, sustainability, and community care—not luxuries, they’re the ethical responsibilities.” Yukako reminds us that, without resisting the conditions that produce burnout and disconnection, cycles of trauma are unwittingly replicated. Community care, collective practice, and the integration of culturally grounded approaches become the bedrock not just of individual recovery, but of collective liberation.

Listeners will leave this episode with a renewed sense of reverence for trauma healing as an act of resistance, shaped by collective care and the courage to slow down, both with others and within ourselves. The conversation stands as both a compassionate invitation and a call to action for authentic, culturally attuned presence in the work of transforming trauma.

Each year brings a chance to pause and reflect, and this episode offers a unique window into the evolving landscape of trauma therapy grounded in community and relationship. Instead of fixating on clinical perfection, this conversation circles back to being fully present—both for clients and one another in the CTTC professional community. As the hosts exchange highlights, memorable insights, and personal connections, a deeper picture emerges of healing as a collective, ever-adaptable journey.

On this episode of Transforming Trauma, Emily Ruth sits down with Brad Kammer, psychotherapist and Training Director at the Complex Trauma Training Center, for a dynamic, wide-ranging year-end recap of the Transforming Trauma podcast. Together, they revisit powerful episodes and candidly unpack what stood out, from the practical wisdom shared by colleagues to the creativity and courage driving trauma work forward in diverse communities. The conversation touches on the different trainings and programs that CTTC offers, the influence of faculty origin stories, the cross-pollination of spiritual traditions, and the essential role of relational presence, inviting listeners to join in the ongoing evolution of the trauma field.

Brad Kammer, LMFT, LPCC, serves as Training Director and Senior Trainer at CTTC, where he oversees professional development and mentorship for clinicians working with complex trauma. He’s the co-author of “The Practical Guide for Healing Developmental Trauma” and the newly released “Workbook for Healing Developmental Trauma”, the creator of the SPACE Inner Development Program for Therapists, a senior trainer in the NeuroAffective Relational Model® (NARM®), and the executive producer behind Transforming Trauma.

One theme running throughout is the how therapists can embody and model compassionate presence. As Emily recalls, “Therapists don’t heal through perfection. We heal through presence.” Brad echoes the impact of these words, describing how role models and origin stories within the therapist community underscore the value of transparency and shared humanity. The guests also celebrate creativity in applying trauma frameworks: “It’s fun to hear about how people are taking this clinical framework and applying it in different ways,” Brad says, from school settings to the criminal justice system. The dialogue highlights how diverse practitioners, whether coming from spiritual or depth psychological backgrounds, are challenging old paradigms and building more inclusive, adaptive communities of healing. As Emily Ruth notes, “This work is for all of us. It doesn’t matter what model we’re using.”

The discussion moves seamlessly from honoring those who pioneered the field, such as Dr. Judith Herman, to spotlighting therapists active in schools, correctional systems, and social justice initiatives. Whether revisiting formative early career experiences or uplifting marginalized voices, the episode reinforces the central idea that “we heal through presence.”

Deep gratitude for those who have contributed their stories, vulnerability, and mentorship on the podcast in 2025—not just as experts, but as fellow travelers. Emily Ruth and Brad close with appreciation for the production team and an open invitation to the community to keep shaping the podcast as a free, dynamic resource. The spirit of collaboration and curiosity feels stronger than ever, carrying forward the podcast’s mission to make trauma healing accessible and deeply relational to all who need it.

What does it mean to recognize religious trauma as a form of complex trauma? This episode of Transforming Trauma opens up a fresh conversation around a subject that’s often minimized or misunderstood, challenging listeners to consider the embodied impact of adverse experiences within high-control religious systems. Dr. Laura Anderson joins host Emily Ruth to explore how complex and unique these wounds can be, and why the path toward healing must honor each individual’s experience.

On this episode, Emily Ruth invites Dr. Anderson to unpack not only her professional focus on religious trauma but also how her personal journey as a “full-time [religious] camp kid” shaped her work. Dr. Anderson speaks to the subjective and individualized nature of trauma, noting that experiences are never one-size-fits-all—even among siblings raised in identical environments. She also reflects on founding the Religious Trauma Institute and crafting a definition that “leaves all this spaciousness for people to have different experiences,” fostering inclusivity and validation for those who may not resonate with traditional abuse or trauma frameworks.

Dr. Laura Anderson brings a rare blend of clinical expertise and lived experience to her work. As a therapist, author, and co-founder of the Religious Trauma Institute, she specializes in helping clients navigate the lingering effects of religious and spiritual harm. Laura’s professional approach is deeply informed by her own upbringing within evangelical Christianity and her eventual journey through and beyond its boundaries. In addition to her clinical practice, she leads the Center for Trauma Resolution and Recovery and has written the book *When Religion Hurts You*. Her advocacy centers on giving clients language and agency in their healing, always prioritizing choice and spaciousness over prescriptive solutions.

In this conversation, key themes include the impact of high-control religious environments as complex trauma, the process of reclaiming autonomy and agency, and the necessity of giving clients language that matches their experience. As Laura points out, her approach is not to “vilify religion or to try to get people to become atheists as away from healing from a high control religion, but rather to say we need to look at the person’s body, the person’s physiology and start to understand, um, how trauma is living inside of them.”

Dr. Anderson introduces the term “adverse religious experiences” as a way to make room for nuance, observing, “Just because something was adverse for me doesn’t necessarily mean that it was adverse for you.”  Both Emily Ruth and Laura highlight the importance of walking clients through gradual, embodied healing, focusing on integration rather than chasing an endpoint. They also reinforce that “healing is a living ongoing process,” not a finite state, and celebrate those moments where clients realize they have more choices and self-compassion than before.

Dr. Anderson’s candid reflections and open-hearted wisdom illuminate a path for anyone seeking to navigate or support healing from religious trauma. Transforming Trauma extends deep gratitude to Laura for her clarity, warmth, and dedication to creating space for every client’s voice. Her commitment to trauma-informed, client-centered care offers hope and guidance to clinicians, survivors, and those still searching for language to name their experiences.

What if trauma wasn’t just a wound to be managed, but a powerful gateway to transformation? This episode of Transforming Trauma delves into that important idea, unpacking how implicit memory and the biology of healing can reshape our lives from the inside out. The conversation moves beyond theory and into the lived experiences, practical strategies, and emerging research that illuminate the path from survival to embodied selfhood.

On this episode, host Emily Ruth sits down with internationally recognized trauma expert Dr. Abi Blakeslee, founder of Implicit Psychotherapy and a leader in somatic psychology. Together they explore how trauma is stored, how implicit memory shapes our reactions and healing, and what it truly means to transform trauma rather than stay captive to it. Dr. Blakeslee guides listeners through the different branches of implicit memory, explains how somatic therapies engage these unconscious networks, and shares actionable strategies for helping clients encode new, empowering experiences in their nervous systems.

Dr. Abi Blakeslee is known for her integrative approach, weaving together Somatic Experiencing, psychodynamic therapy, attachment principles, and cutting-edge clinical research. With advanced training under Dr. Peter Levine and original research with mentors like Dr. Daniel Siegel, Dr. Blakeslee specializes in implicit memory’s role in trauma recovery. As a teacher and consultant, she brings a compassionate, curious lens to the complexities of trauma, working with individuals and therapists around the globe.

One of Dr. Blakeslee’s core messages is that “trauma can be a gateway for transformation.” She explains that implicit memories—“non-consciously encoded memory, and you don’t realize you’re remembering it when you’re recalling it”—are the hidden drivers of trauma responses and healing alike. Drawing from her research and clinical experience, she describes procedural and associative memory at work in habitual movements, and how the process of new learning can be harnessed to give the nervous system a new autonomic template. She highlights interoception as a pathway for reconnecting with bodily sensation, how individuals can get into “contact with the shifting landscape of your sensory world.”

Throughout the discussion, Dr. Blakeslee offers rich insights into how therapists can help clients safely access and transform implicit memories, especially by working with anticipation and fear arousal states. She grounds these neuroscience concepts in real-life examples, whether it’s facilitating new boundary experiences in the present or guiding clients toward their “essential self.” Dr. Blakeslee emphasizes that “the connection to [self] is more diminished” when survival patterns take over, but with patient, embodied attention, the wellspring of agency and selfhood opens from within.

Listeners will walk away with a renewed understanding of how implicit memory and somatic practices can foster profound change, and a reminder that transformation is as much about expanding into our essential nature as it is about resolving the past. Dr. Blakeslee’s approach is deeply integrative way of seeing, feeling, and relating that therapists and clients alike can adapt.

Transforming Trauma is grateful to Dr. Abi Blakeslee for sharing her depth of research, practical wisdom, and contagious passion for trauma recovery. Her commitment to healing reminds us that new possibilities are always within reach—both in our bodies and our lives.