Join us for an enlightening conversation on Minding Your Amygdala: A Brain, Body, Behavior Podcast! 

This season we'll approach the podcast with mental health in the context of current events.  We'll reflect on the powerful cultural money of the Bad Bunny Bowl, and how it highlighted how traumatic perceptions influence the way we each experienced it. 

Then, we continue our conversation about mental illness through examining Kanye's recent full page apology to the Black and Jewish communities, where he shared more detail about his brain injury and bipolar diagnosis over the years.  While we don't have to accept his apology, we can destigmatize mental health by increasing our understanding of the brain, body and biology of the human brain.

Feeling inspired by our content? Please consider donating to support MYA's costs and keep these important conversations coming your way. Donations can be made through our podcast platform, or by visiting our website www.DA-TRI.org.

Want to dive even deeper into healing and transformation? Check out The Trauma CURE—your opportunity to learn more about a Skills Over Pills approach to trauma recovery, connect with an empathy-centered community, and gain tools that pave the way toward wellness.  Thank you for listening and for supporting our mission to make mental health education accessible to all. 

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Join us for an enlightening conversation on Minding Your Amygdala: A Brain, Body, Behavior Podcast! In this episode, we take a closer look at what Bipolar Disorder can look like through the lens of Kanye West’s publicly shared experiences. Remember, this is for educational purposes only—but it can help spark a deeper understanding of mood disorders.

We’ll walk through the DSM-5 criteria for Bipolar Disorder, exploring the highs (mania) and lows (depression), and wrap up by discussing a range of effective interventions and treatments. If you or someone you love resonates with these descriptions, know that help is available—people can and do lead fulfilling lives with the right support and resources.

Feeling inspired by our content? Please consider donating to support MYA's costs and keep these important conversations coming your way. Donations can be made through our podcast platform, or by visiting our website www.DA-TRI.org.

Want to dive even deeper into healing and transformation? Check out The Trauma CURE—your opportunity to learn more about a Skills Over Pills approach to trauma recovery, connect with an empathy-centered community, and gain tools that pave the way toward wellness.  Thank you for listening and for supporting our mission to make mental health education accessible to all. 

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In this powerful episode of Minding Your Amygdala, we confront the last great frontier of human health: mental well-being. Despite monumental progress in social justice—challenging racism, gender inequality, and systemic abuse—mental health remains stigmatized, hidden behind layers of cultural, religious, and societal resistance. But why??!

Join us as we explore the numbers behind the mental health crisis, revealing its global impact and the economic toll of untreated conditions. Then, we dive into the primitive tribal mind, uncovering how human history—from ancient survival instincts to modern-day polarization—has shaped our understanding of mental illness. We also examine the lingering psychological legacies of slavery and social dominance, shedding light on how historical "ownership" manifests in today’s relationships and behaviors.

Through neuroscience, therapy, and self-awareness, we unlock the path to mental liberation, empowering listeners to break free from inherited biases and reclaim their emotional well-being. Mental health isn’t just personal—it’s revolutionary.

Tune in for an eye-opening conversation that challenges the status quo and calls us all to action. Your journey to mental freedom starts here.

🎧 Listen now and join the conversation! Don't forget to rate and review!

Want to learn more? Join Dr. Alauna at The Trauma C.U.R.E. : Creators Using Radical Empathy to continue your journey toward healing and empowerment. Visit TheTraumaCURE.com to dive deeper. 

#MindingYourAmygdala #MentalHealthMatters #TraumaHurts #EmpathyHeals

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In this episode, Dr. Alauna discusses the mission of DA-TRI.org to offer mental health education and trauma recovery in the form of a Skills Over Pills approach to self healing AND why your support is so important!  For Giving Tuesday 2024 (and beyond), we offer the gift of mental health!  

Today, we explore the new Trauma Toolbox: 7 Proven Tools for Coping with Trauma E-Book!  So often, we've been shown negative coping skills like drinking, smoking, shopping, eating and um, doing other things (LOL) LONG before we are introduced to healthier coping tools, like meditation, mindfulness skills, deep breathing and other tactics.  As we awaken to the idea that MENTAL HEALTH IS FOR EVERYONE (psst... if you have an amygdala, you have emotions), we can learn and practice NEW (actually ancient, but new to us) self-regulation skills that help us reset after - or during - traumatic, triggering experiences.

Support more content like this with your donation at www.DA-TRI.org! Like, Follow and Share this mental health gospel!!!  It's time to evolve!

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In this episode, Dr. Alauna reflects on America's most recent Presidential Debate between Former President Donald Trump and Current President Joe Biden on June 27, 2024.  The stakes for our country are extremely high, and watching this as a trauma psychiatrist, I realized that we HAVE to talk about the aging brain!  Both candidates have clearly observable challenges, but without mental health awareness and education, these concerning symptoms may not be obvious.  Over the next few episodes, we will explore the various presentations of the aging brain, including addressing different types of dementias, personality disorders, and other mental health factors that America's voters need to consider when choosing our next leader.  Stay tuned for more Minding Your Amygdala Podcast!

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Have you noticed that society seems more divided than ever?  How can so many people be living in the same world, yet experiencing such different realities?  Enter our brain and biology!  While some have become aware of the importance of understanding implicit and explicit bias, I believe the strongest human bias is confirmation bias, the tendency to believe in our own "rightness" and therefore our brain gives greater weight to information that reinforces our own perspective and downgrades evidence to the contrary (even if it is more grounded in evidence or accurate.)  

The advancement of technologies such as the internet, graphic design and social media have ensured that finding someone to agree with us is easier than ever, yet this can result in "silos of psychosis," where enough people in agreement can create deeply shared false beliefs.  In this episode of Minding Your Amygdala, you'll learn more about confirmation bias, and how to use empathy to combat this feature of human biology!

Get your Early Bird Ticket to The Trauma C.U.R.E. : Creators Using Radical Empathy at https://thetraumacure.com!

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We are absorbing an INCREDIBLE amount of trauma lately.  From the very public medical emergency of Damar Hamlin, to the release of brutal footage of police beating Tyre Nichols, we find ourselves in the space to again, be a witness.  According to dictionary.com, to be a witness is to "be present, personally see or perceive a thing; a beholder, spectator, or eyewitness."

This episode of MYA is centered on the importance of building our individual trauma resilience skills.  There is no "right" or "wrong" way to feel about these events; the key is to identify effective actions that help create healthy change.  Dr. A shares her 3As of Coping with Secondary Trauma: Acknowledgment, Awareness, & Action!  It's important to understand how "indirect trauma" still can directly impact our brain, causing "programming changes." 

Learn more about your brain, body and behavior with Dr. Alauna on March 9-11, 2023 at https://thetraumacure.com.  Join us for The Trauma C.U.R.E. : Creators Using Radical Empathy, for 3 days of fun and informative education, coaching and skill building!  It's the most fun you'll ever have talking and thinking about trauma!  

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We are seeing the numbers of children struggling with emotions skyrocketing, and as a trauma psychiatrist, it makes sense to me.  Traumas create predictable patterns in our psychological and biological health.  The pandemic was/IS a shared, global trauma that all humans experienced, and if a large number of "adults" are struggling with "post-" traumatic mental health effects, then of course, the children are suffering, too.  In this episode, we will dive into 3 common challenges for children who have experienced ACES: Tantrums, Trouble-making and Trust-issues, and address how Empathy (LOVE) can help them heal.

ACEs (Adverse Childhood Events) are surprisingly common in the US. About 61% of adults surveyed across 25 states reported they had experienced at least one type of ACE before age 18, and nearly 1 in 6 reported they had experienced four or more types of ACEs.

• experiencing violence, abuse, or neglect
• witnessing violence in the home or community
• having a family member attempt or die by suicide

Also included are aspects of the child’s environment that can undermine their sense of safety, stability, and bonding, such as growing up in a household with:

• substance use problems
• mental health problems
• instability due to parental separation or household members being in jail or prison

Preventing ACEs could potentially reduce many health conditions. For example, by preventing ACEs, up to 1.9 million heart disease cases and 21 million depression cases could have been potentially avoided.

https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/index.html

Be aware of the power of words and the way the amygdala can pull even adults into saying things in a heated emotional state that we cannot “erase” even when We retract.  Having empathy for the Child’s internal experience. See Your Self as they might experience you.  Become a corrective experience.

Look with Suspended Judgment
Observe the emotions in all parties involved
Validate the differing yet EQUAL experience of the Other
Express Your Self SKILLFULLY, Creator!

To learn more how to AIM for better Mental Health and self-heal from trauma in 2023, Join me for The Trauma CURE : Creators Using Radical Empathy 3 Day Live Virtual event on March 9 - 11, 2023 from 10 - 4 pm CST.  

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Why does it seem like humanity is gang-banging right now? How we achieve Unity in such a Divided Society?  We're called the "United States" but it seems we are more divided than ever.  I haven't heard anyone say that they think humans are doing OK. "Mass global mental health crisis" is a term we hear more and more. There aren't even enough mental health practitioners, especially who are FULLY trauma trained to even manage the number of people struggling emotionally. 

What do we need?  Mass education. A huge RESET in how we think of mental health, in general. Mental health is for everyone. We all have a brain. It's doing shit. We need to understand what it's doing to our decision making, and how operating in primitive FEAR mode, grouping, stereotyping and dehumanizing others sets us up for a state of perpetual "Us" vs. "Them."

Tribalism is in our biology. We biologically tend to group with similar and prefer  "same." There nothing we despise more than fear and pain.  When something is unknown, it creates a sense of danger.  To our brain, predictable means "safer."  Our Amygdalas are running the show when we operate in fear. This is the effect of terrorism and we are allowing it to work on us. Fear begets suspicion, distrust, disgust then dismissal and dehumanization. It is what allows us to ignore others emotions AND try to ignore our own. We have been told emotions are bad or that they don't exist when they are IN FACT. The. Most. Important. Things. We. Can. Pay. Attention. To. Right. Now!

Who do you dehumanize? Where are you being tribal?

Are you ready to learn more about how to heal trauma through empathy? Catch the Early-Bird special for the next Trauma C.U.R.E. : Creators Using Radical Empathy 3 Day Live Virtual Event, March 9-11, 2023! (Expires Jan 9, 2023)

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In October, we observed Mental Illness Awareness Week.  In that time I asked myself, as a society, Are we TRULY AWARE of mental illness? (Spoiler: NOOOOooo!)

This month, we take the time to acknowledge and raise awareness of many different conditions we call “mental illness” like Depression, Schizophrenia, ADHD, PTSD, Dementia, Bipolar Disorder and more.  However, as I listen to society debate the many pressing issues of our current society, the widespread violence and chaos, or hypothesizing about “what’s wrong with Ye?” it strikes me that we do not even have the BASIC language to fully appreciate most mental illnesses.  Every day, I hear people use language like "crazy" or "weird" to describe people who are experiencing mental health crises.  I hear misuse of words like "bipolar" to describe erratic weather, and a host of other frankly ignorant statements about emotional and mental health.   Our culture has long downplayed attention to emotions, despite them being ever-present, resulting in widespread mental health struggles that have yet to even be "named" and identified.  Our current system is woefully inadequate to address the realities of how many people need mental health support and treatment.

In this episode of MYA, Dr. Alauna breaks down why a Brain, Body, Behavior anatomy lesson is KEY to truly becoming Mental Health Aware!  

Learn more from be at www.dralauna.com and Follow Dr. Alauna on social media!  Donate to support DA-TRI at www.da-tri.org.

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Suicide, or intentionally taking one’s own life, is complex; it involves psychological, social, biological, cultural, and environmental factors.  Join us this week for an important conversation about one of the most preventable public health emergencies in our society today: suicide.  Talking about it can save a life.

Some statistics about suicide:

• Globally, there is one suicide about every 40 seconds. 
• In the U.S., there is a suicide every 13.7 minutes. 
• Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death for Americans. 
• Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for Americans ages 10-34. 
• Males die by suicide four times as often as females.

It's time to change the stigma surrounding suicide!  When someone is at the point where they are wishing they were dead, questioning their will to live, or actively in a space where they want to end their lives, these struggles have a downwind effect on every aspect of the community.  Join Dr. Alauna in this episode as she looks at suicide from all sides, and gives a brain, biology and behavioral explanation of what it is to experience suicidal crisis.

Learn more from Dr. Alauna; Register for The Trauma C.U.R.E. at https://thetraumacure.com

References:

1 CDC, Suicide Vital Signs

2 WHO, Suicide Prevention Fact Sheet

3 Suicidology, Fact Sheet

4 CDC, Fact Sheet

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New Season Alert!!!  Minding Your Amygdala : A Brain, Body & Behavior Podcast is Back!

Sex!  What a loaded word!  It can mean so many different things to so many people, yet it is one of the hardest things to talk about!  Which means our amygdalas have a LOT to do with the human experience of SEX!

In this episode of Minding Your Amygdala, we will dive into some key elements of sex: why it's so difficult to discuss in a healthy way, why there is so much disagreement and dissatisfaction when it comes to sex, AND Dr. Alauna will offer a roadmap to a healthier relationship with sex and sexuality in America.

Learn more with Dr. Alauna at The Trauma CURE - 3 Day Live Virtual Educational Event.

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Dear friend, I'm sorry to have to tell you, but we, human beings, allaus, unfortunately, are struggling with an addiction to violence.  It's not your fault, because of the way our global society has evolved,  now in 2022, we are all caught up in a devastating cycle of trauma and addiction, fueled by one important, powerful (but short lasting) pleasure chemical, Dopamine.  American society is uniquely addicted to violence, because aggression and force has been a core principle that defined power and "right", through the entire history of our country, from before 1776 to present.

In this episode of Minding Your Amygdala, Dr. Alauna breaks down why it is not only TOXIC, but dangerous for America to continue to ignore this critical public health issue, our collective addiction to violence.  We are steeped in images that depict violence: our history books, cartoons, TV shows, film, sports, comedy, politics and news have accepted and rewarded violent, dopamine-inducing words, thoughts and culture.  As we begin to accept that we have a problem, we can begin creating effective, multi-layered solutions to address our gun and violence crisis.  We no longer need to wonder what's wrong... the answer is, we are primitive and addicted to our biological impulses.  Yet, there is a way to heal...

Let's all do our individual healing work to break the trauma cycle.  Learn more with Dr. Alauna at The Trauma C.U.R.E. - Creators using Radical Empathy, June 22-24th!

#ChooseLOVE #ChoosePeace #MakeEmpathyGoViral

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Y'all...  I'm tired.  Are you tired?  I'm angry, hurt, frustrated and SICK of us ignoring the obvious impact of 2 core human issues:  Hate and Racism. 

In this episode, I'm going to explain why racism is a delusional condition and hate absolutely IS a state of mind that should be classified as mental illness!  The sooner we begin to understand the underlying mental illness that all humans are experiencing, the faster we can evolve society to address these issues.  One cannot solve a problem we have not named.

All humans are one race, so any concept that there are multiple races is a delusional product of primitive human interpretations of one another.  Until we acknowledge this and change our mental, verbal and official language about this, we will continue to fester in the imaginary impact of racism. 

Hate is a toxic mix of FEAR and dysfunctional LOVE.  It is an addictive sensation, driven by our pleasure chemical DOPAMINE, and it is fueling the hellscape that Earth has become.  We must understand our brain, biology and behavior in order to survive.  This is an urgent SOS to humanity.  PAUSE and address your own mental health.

Learn about your Primitive Brain Systems in the Trauma Recovery Academy.

Get your tickets to the Trauma C.U.R.E. : Creators Using Radical Empathy TODAY!

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"Trauma hurts. Empathy heals." 

Have you wondered lately, WTF is wrong with humans?  Everywhere you look, there are traumatic events and painful reminders that we are going through an emotional, spiritual and psychological crisis.  We want answers for how to stop mass killings, political division, addiction crises and beyond, yet those answers seem slow in arriving, as we witness more and more chaos.  Yet, I do believe that there is a cure for what ails humanity, and it's available to all of us through a simple, yet profound, built in biological tool: Empathy.

In this episode, Dr. Alauna makes the case for why Empathy is the key to mental health healing and explains how LOVE can heal us all!

Submit questions and comments to askdralauna@gmail.com

Get your Trauma C.U.R.E. : Creators Using Radical Empathy Live Virtual Event tickets HERE!!! 

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What is psychological trauma?  How do you know if you have experienced trauma?  What can you do about the traumas in your life?  In this episode, I break down my motto "Trauma hurts.  Empathy heals" and explain why I chose to lead with that statement. 

As society begins to realize trauma as a core experience that all people share, it will help us to expand and update the way we think about psychological trauma.  MANY events cause psychological trauma, and we will take a deeper look and name some of the experiences that cause trauma.  Traumatic experiences include climate disasters, racism, sexism, medical illness, grief and loss, name calling and bullying, vehicle accidents, physical, sexual assault and beyond.  These are just a few examples of traumas, yet the good news is, trauma is treatable!

Dr. Alauna also breaks down why is important to understand trauma in order to heal your own mental health, no matter what your "diagnosis" is or whether you've been "diagnosed" at all.  Trauma is an experience that affects us all. 

On the next episode of the MYA podcast, Dr. A makes the case for why Empathy is the C.U.R.E. and how we can #MakeEmpathyGoViral!  Trauma hurts. Empathy heals!

Learn more about the Trauma C.U.R.E. : Creators Using Radical Empathy at www.thetraumacure.com.

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Have you ever considered the anatomy of words? What are "words?"  How do these fragile yet impactful sounds affect the way we think, feel and act?  Can words be "violent?"

Miscommunication is inherent in the human experience, and our current world is full of the trauma that comes from our careless use of words.  Whoever said, sticks and stones may break your bones but words will never hurt you, clearly did not know about the Somatosensory Cortex, the part of the brain that registers physical AND psychological pain! 

In this episode, Dr. Alauna breaks down the power of our words, and the importance of updating your understanding of the biological process that connect us all.  And WORDS are the primary vehicle we use to interact, and our impact is certainly not matching our intent.

Learn more about how empathy can heal trauma!  Join Dr. Alauna at The Trauma C.U.R.E. : Creators Using Radical Empathy, a 3 day immersive educational event.

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In this episode, Dr. Alauna breaks down the anatomy of the primitive brain, and the 7 parts of your brain that are critical to understanding your mental health. 

Have you ever heard of your amygdala?  Did you know it does more than create FEAR responses?  When is the last time you thought about your Brain Reward System?  Did you know dopamine drives all addiction processes?  Do you know how to activate your prefrontal cortex?  Did you even know you have a PFC???

We have learned to blame everybody, God and the Devil for our feelings, while the actual culprit is sitting right there inside of Your Brain! It's time to learn to wrestle your own anatomy!  https://www.traumarecoveryacademy.com/courses/primitive-brain-systems-crash-course

Learn more from Dr. Alauna at The Trauma C.U.R.E. - Creators Using Radical Empathy Live Virtual Event, a 3 day live immersive educational experience.  

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It's time for Trauma Mythbusters!!!!  Now that we have explored the real world trauma of "The Slap," it's time to dive into the many myths and falsehoods we have been taught about mental health and psychological trauma. 

"Only military people who go through combat and get injured have trauma." - NOPE, Errbody has experienced trauma.  Every human being on Earth has experienced trauma in their past, present and will in their future as well.

"Trauma has to be horrific and obviously violent to 'qualify' as traumatic." - NOPE!  The invisible impact of psychological trauma is pervasive and often, unnoticed in real time, in part because we are desensitized to trauma as the norm.

Discover these emotional and mental health myths and more in this episode of Minding Your Amygdala: A Brain, Body, Behavior Podcast with Dr. Alauna, Trauma Psychiatrist.  Become a member of the Trauma Recovery Academy to learn more from Dr. Alauna!

Please rate, review and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform!! 

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"Oh $h!ggidy! Did you see that?!" was the common refrain from the night of the Oscars 2022.  So many of us worldwide watched in shock as Will Smith, one of the main honorees of the event, slapped Chris Rock in response to a joke told about Jada Pinkett Smith's bald head, which is due to autoimmune alopecia.  This is just one of MANY examples that we have had lately of humans behaving badly.  From airplane conduct, to road rage, to gun violence, political violence and even war, it is not your imagination that you are seeing more people act out aggressively towards others, often in responses that seem to be extreme relative to the triggers.  You may be wondering, what the heck is wrong with humans???!

Dr. Alauna's answer:  We are primitive.  Humans currently run primarily on input and impulses from our most animalistic, primitive brain systems, and because we have such a poor understanding of our invisible anatomy, we have been taught to blame others, God OR the Devil (sometimes all 3!) when our emotions become intense and we act on them.  The widespread myths about emotions and ignorance about how the human brain calculates information and makes decisions is resulting in widespread chaos, and of course, major disagreements about how we view things.  In this episode of Minding Your Amygdala, Dr. Alauna breaks down The Slap with an empathetic perspective on how trauma and biology played a role in THAT situation, and how to recognize when your amygdala may be taking you down a primitive path that you don't want to experience.

Learn more about Dr. Alauna at www.dralauna.com.
Sign up for the Trauma Recovery Academy at www.traumarecoveryacademy.com
Submit questions to askdralauna@gmail.com

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Welcome to Minding Your Amygdala! In this first episode, Dr. Alauna breaks down her journey through traditional psychiatry, her crash course in trauma as she navigated her own personal and professional life, and how this led to the creation of Empathy Skills Practice™ for Traumatized Humans.  

We're all humans. We all have amygdalas, and we all have emotions. There is no shame in having traumatic experiences—We all have them. Tune in each week as Dr. Alauna offers answers to mental health questions, trauma recovery, and much more so we can all heal together. 

Learn more from Dr. Alauna at The Trauma C.U.R.E. - Creators Using Radical Empathy Live Virtual Event, a 3-day live immersive educational experience.  

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