Epione Blogcast: Recent Episodes
Epione
A blogcast to support the Epione SeeMeHearMe series dedicated to creating a safe space to amplify authentic voices of lived experience and share stories of healing & recovery. It may even create a platform to explore, challenge & guide trauma-informed practice and leadership.The remarkable stories shared have been written by various people who have overcome, are in the process of recovering from, or have learned to cope with various traumatic experiences. There is no right or wrong or one size fits all. As the journey of coping with trauma can often be a daily challenge, it’s fair to say that for some of our blogcasts, the process of recovery is still very much ongoing. Epione would like to thank our amazing and incredibly generous contributors for taking the time and having the courage to share with us ‘what works’ for them and confident that learning will occur for the listeners. As we know the change process is highly individualised and often a messy one. We simply ask you to listen and give our bloggers the sense of being SEEN and HEARD that each and every single one of them genuinely deserves. If you’d like to share how you’ve overcome trauma and how you’ve been recovering, please get in touch with us at enquiries@epione-training.com - we look forward to hearing and seeing you. Finally, we believe this quote from Porporino (2008) epitomises our hopes and vision. The trauma-informed "paradigm suggests that we might be better off if we allowed the people we serve to guide us, listen to what they think might best fit, rather than continue to insist that our solutions are their salvation"
This anonymous blogger tells us her remarkable story of experiencing and overcoming tremendous adversity and trauma to eventually achieve the most priceless states of being: true hope and happiness!
Delighted our SeeMe Hear Me second series commences with Fiona Larkin.
Fiona is part of Anam Alba Coaching who offers flexible coaching sessions combining a variety of talking and body-based techniques including compassionate inquiry, QEC, and cranio-sacral therapy.
Fiona is a hugely talented and compassionate human with a specialism in cranio-sacral therapy. As you will hear, she is particularly interested in how patterns of trauma are held in the body and where we discover health within that. She is passionate about the importance of relationships and connections from conception to death.
This week's blogcast comes from Kelly Breakspear (Missus of a Reformed Man) who writes light-hearted blogs to inform, influence, and inspire anyone with a loved one in prison and anyone with challenging mental health.
Kells draws from her own experience of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and living with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).
She often points out that Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are often the first step on the school to prison pipeline and can cause significant problems with challenging mental health. It’s a sad fact that the vast majority of people in our prisons have unresolved trauma and are diagnosable with a 'personality disorder'.
In 1987 her younger brother joined the school to prison pipeline and served his first custodial sentence. Since then, Kelly has served a number of prison sentences over the past four decades, but only on this side of the wall.
Kelly uses her knowledge and experience to give a better understanding of the reality of serving prison sentences on this side of the wall.
In this episode, we hear from Shannon Brigid who is a somatic therapist, having trained extensively in somatic and movement based therapies, and running a private practice for many years. Shannons specialization at that time was in assisting people who live with disabilities to reach a greater sense of comfort and ease in their bodies, and she ran a hospital-based yoga program for people living with MS- one of the first of its kind in the country.
Shannon has transitioned her practice to writing about how trauma resides in the spaces between mind and body, how the body holds trauma, and how people can heal from trauma in a way that integrates psyche, body, and spirit.
Here she shares her own experience of clergy abuse and healing as a trauma survivor.
Today's blogcast comes from a friend, colleague, and author Felicity Douglas. In her book, A Tale of Two Dogs and a Bear, Felicity charts her journey of recovery from childhood sexual abuse.
In this blogcast, Felicity touches upon the heavy burden of shame, guilt, and self-loathing almost destroyed her - and provides a unique insight into trauma and her insightful reflections on shame and recovery.
Maggie shares her experience of her family in trauma. Her organization was set up by Maggie and her husband after they found themselves dealing with a traumatic family situation, but with little experience of how to handle it, and without knowing where to turn for support. Maggie found herself shocked to find how difficult it can be to access services or support at exactly the time it was needed. She also knew that when trauma strikes, it can leave individuals and families feeling isolated, even from their family and friends, as they struggle to come to terms with the experience. Although professionals offer assistance, this can often be met with resistance due to this being seen as an "academic" experience, as they may not have personally experienced anything of this sort themselves.
Maggie now dedicates her time to support families dealing with trauma and who are struggling to make sense of their experiences and trying to navigate a very difficult path.
In our 10th #SeeMeHearMe blog, Robert McCahill shares his battle against poverty, parental violence, desperation, and drugs.
Following years of incarceration and revolving door, he finally made a connection that altered his life course.
Listen to Roberts's powerful and unwavering narration as he talks about what worked for him on his journey to heal his trauma and become a mentor, student, actor & 2020 SQA award winner.
In this SeeMeHearMe episode, Daniel Wolstencroft talks about the pain of his unseen sexual abuse and asks you to walk with him; spend a little time in an uncomfortable pair of shoes as he seeks to weaponise your empathy and professional curiosity and shine a light of hope for those who are just like me.
He is the co-founder of 'Empower the Invisible' and shares his lived experience of childhood sexual abuse, addiction, and punishment. He and Rose set up 'Empower the Invisible' because of the lack of support and also the lack of understanding from some professionals about how trauma in childhood in particular childhood sexual abuse impacts the lives of those affected.
Today they have an outreach team that works with young people at risk of sexual exploitation, grooming, gangs and county lines, and other violent crime, and a service for male and female adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse.
Danial was told by teachers that he would end up in prison and never amount to anything – they got the first part right, but not the second!
“As a schoolboy already caught up in addiction, I stood outside of a Mcdonald's waiting for a man I thought was my friend. A friend I met online. It would change my life forever. I was a streetwise kid growing up in a tough housing scheme. But the Internet was a new phenomenon. This blogcast touches upon details including my recovery from extreme trauma and addiction. As a Scottish working-class lad who grew up in a new town—Livingston—I also survived brutal experiences with suicide, violence, and severe mental health issues.
Today I live with my fiancé and a proud father of two beautiful children. I currently work as a mental health and addictions worker in Scotland as well as studying social work at master’s degree level.
Aiden Martin
In an "Interesting Paradox,' Thomas Delaney reflects upon his life story and remarkable recovery following his decision not to die at the hands of addiction.
There has been much work and research to understand “What causes addiction?” While addiction is complex and includes a number of vulnerabilities, Thomas's personal account helps us understand the research which shows that there is a strong link between childhood trauma and turning to substances and developing addiction as a way of coping and surviving.
Since leaving treatment in February 2020, Thomas has become a public speaker sharing his story with millions of people around the globe, having important conversations on the serious dangers of trauma, adversity and addiction.
His mission aligns with Epione as he wishes to empower the next generation with hope, knowledge, and inspiration to challenge the STIMGA that surrounds addiction & mental health.
Our third SeeMeHearMe blogcast episode is from Dave Sharpe, child abuse survivor and campaigner. He is the founder of Seek And Find Everyone (S.A.F.E) abused in childhood, Scotland.
In our final blogcast for 2020, Dave shares his remarkably powerful and hugely emotive life story about deep pain, drug addiction and loss before finding recovery and becoming a national voice and passionate campaigner. Dave reminds us that recovery is always possible.
He is a strong and passionate advocate that from a preventative perspective we need to do more to stop child abuse from occurring. He reminds listeners of the importance of the survivor's voice and his call to action is about inclusiveness and that we unite and work together to end CSA.
Christmas can be a special and magical time but also a very difficult time for many survivors.
Dan's story offers a unique insight into working in the field as a 'professional' in mental health services while shedding his own cloak of trauma in search of recovery, healing, and wholeness💜
The podcast was created with colleagues with lived experience, and the purpose is to create a safe space to amplify authentic voices of lived experience and share stories of healing & recovery. It may even create a platform to explore, challenge & guide trauma-informed practice and leadership.
In this episode, Lisa shares part of her life story which reveals a challenging, gritty, and remarkable story of healing and recovery. Of all places, the journey begins in KwaZulu Natal & and illustrates the battle against a tide of trauma, medicalisation & labeling to recover one day at a time.