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I don't think I've ever had a conversation on this podcast quite like this one. Today I'm sitting down with Dr. Gillian O'Shea Brown, a psychotherapist, trauma specialist, and author who has found the most fascinating way to make trauma and grief work accessible: through Greek mythology.

Gillian grew up in Ireland where emotions were something to be feared, not felt (hello, banshee folklore). That background shaped her belief that "the opposite of depression is expression", and it's part of why she wrote Psyche's Awakening: A Guide to Emotional and Somatic Healing Through the Wisdom of Greek Myth, using figures like Narcissus, Sisyphus, Medea, and Chiron as allegories for the healing principles she's used with trauma survivors for over 15 years.

In this episode, we talk about:
✨ How Gillian bridges complex trauma and Greek mythology
✨ Why "the opposite of depression is expression," and what happens when we suppress our emotions instead of processing them
✨ What trauma actually is: when the past intrudes on the present
✨ A simple, real explanation of EMDR
✨ How the body holds onto memories we don't consciously remember and how to start noticing the clues
✨ Ego state work
✨ Complex PTSD vs. PTSD, and why relational trauma is often the death by a thousand cuts
✨ Repetition compulsion, and why we're wired to keep reliving familiar pain
✨ The archetypal emotional map journaling exercise Gillian uses to help people spot patterns across their relationships
✨ Why rediscovering playfulness and creativity might be one of the final steps of true healing
✨ An inside look at Gillian's book, Psyche's Awakening, and the archetypes she uses to map the healing journey

If you've ever wondered why you keep attracting the same dynamics, why certain sensations show up in your body when you're triggered, or how to start doing this healing work even if therapy isn't accessible to you right now, this episode is going to open a lot of doors.

Connect with Gillian:

• https://www.drgillianosheabrown.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/dr.gillianosheabrown

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