Sonya Black is a psychotherapist and CBT specialist whose work focuses on trauma, anxiety, depression and helping people understand what happens when the brain’s alarm system gets switched on.

In this episode of Life by Misadventure, Sonya explains why trauma is not always about the event itself, but how the brain and body process what happened afterwards. She talks about safety, powerlessness, flashbacks, rumination, shame, post-traumatic growth and why some memories feel as if they are still happening now.

Sonya also shares practical insight into how people can support someone after a difficult experience. Sometimes the most useful thing is not trying to fix anything. It is asking, “How can I show up for you right now?” and giving someone space, safety and time to make sense of what happened.

About the Show

Life by Misadventure is hosted by David Brown and features honest, engaging conversations with interesting people about life, loss, resilience, ideas, and the experiences that shape us.

Connect with David on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/4dmbrown/

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lifebymisadventurepod/

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/life-by-misadventure/id1782077287

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Z1MszCU19QglChFb11Pw2?si=98ab1a34db074b3d