Have you ever felt like there are different versions of yourself — one that functions, gets things done, keeps moving, and something else underneath that occasionally breaks through?

This episode looks at structural dissociation: how the brain's natural left/right split gets used, under chronic childhood trauma, to help a child survive. One part carries on — the "apparently normal" part. The other parts hold what was too much to process at the time, and get activated when something in the present touches the past. I talk through how this played out in my own recovery, including during my mother's dying process, and why normal and healthy aren't the same thing.

If you recognize these patterns but can't quite explain where they came from — my free guide explores the connection between what you're living with now and what happened in childhood.
Free guide: https://bit.ly/4xjJfmq

Signs of Childhood Trauma: Why Your Inner World Feels Fragmented: https://bit.ly/4xoKqB0

Ready to work on this directly? Childhood Trauma Coaching for Adults: https://bit.ly/4hCZNS3

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/GWV5IjRIO2Y

Natalie Jovanic is a trauma counsellor and complex trauma coach with lived experience in trauma recovery, working with adults online internationally.

If you’d like to explore more, here are some ways to connect:

• Discover more about my work: https://brighthorizontherapies.com/
• Follow along on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brighthorizontherapies/
• Send me a message: nat@brighthorizontherapies.com

Trauma Demystified is not intended to replace professional guidance, support, medical treatment, or therapy. Please feel free to consult your physician or a mental health professional for any questions about mental health symptoms.

Bright Horizon Therapies is located in the Treaty 7 region in Southern Alberta, which includes the Blackfoot Confederacy, the Tsuut’ina First Nation, and the Stoney Nakoda. This land is also home to Métis Nation of Alberta, Region III. I acknowledge the traditional caregivers of the land and the importance of a commitment to the continued decolonization of my work.