Gillian O’Shea Brown is a trauma therapist whose work with people helps them grow, realize their potential in relationships, and overcome traumas in their past or present. She is a psychotherapist who has training and education to help people work through their complex trauma, as she’s done with many patients. A psychotherapist is often mistaken with a psychiatrist, though the two can be used interchangeably. The major technical difference is that psychiatrists can prescribe medications and psychotherapy is talk therapy and the patient can also be taking medications. A psychologist is a specialist who helps people with specific elements of their personal or interpersonal skills. Psychiatrists sometimes offer services similar to a psychologist in addition to medication.
The Fathers of Modern Psychology
The two fathers of modern psychotherapy were Freud and Carl Jung. Carl Jung was a student of Freud’s. While both Freud and Jung believed the unconscious played an important part in people’s lives. Freud believed that our unconscious was simply a place for repressed and forgotten, thoughts, and desires. Jung believed that the unconscious comprised much more than that. We even encounter theories of spirituality in his work. For these reasons, much of Gillean’s work includes an amalgamation of Freud’s and Jung’s work which is similar to many of her counterparts. If your interested in finding out more about Gillian and her work, she has a website and instagram channel linked below.
Trauma is not what happens to you it is what you carry on the inside in the absence of a compassionate witness
Complex Trauma
The idea that trauma is hard for most people to deal with is not agreed upon. It can depend on the nature of the trauma or the person’s mental state when the trauma occurred. That said, some people can work through trauma on their own, but some people come to a point in their lives where they need to address their trauma with a guide like Gillian. The goal of her work is to address the trauma with the patient, help them communicate their feelings surrounding the trauma, and eventually come to a place where they can find healthy ways to understand and process their trauma. Leading to feelings of safety as opposed to turmoil.
How Do You Say EMDR Again?
We discuss some specific modalities of work that can help someone through trauma. One is (EMDR) Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. An eye movement therapy that helps people deal with specific memories and traumas. The goal is to reduce the stress related to traumatic memories. Francine Shapiro, PhD, developed it. EMDR is well-known but also controversial. In my opinion, any way of treating mental health issues is controversial because it will always work for some and not work for others.
Get it out of the way
Trauma can numb someone’s emotions, and many people wish to get back into connection with themselves and their emotions. For that reason, this episode goes through the paces with the belief that it is worth treating trauma when it is called for and with the right treatment.
