Clinically Speaking – A Spoken Word Poem on Trauma, Silence, and Survival

In this powerful episode, Kate shares her original spoken word poem, Clinically Speaking—a raw, unflinching exploration of trauma, dissociation, and the silences that exist within the clinical world. As a pediatric nurse practitioner and survivor of childhood sexual abuse, Kate weaves her personal experience with professional insight, illuminating the painful intersection between healthcare, PTSD, and identity.Clinically Speaking gives voice to what’s often left unsaid in trauma narratives: the coded language, the sanitized histories, and the invisible weight of shame that impacts both the body and the mind. This piece explores the struggle of living with dissociative identity disorder (DID) and the cost of minimizing your own pain to make it easier for others to bear.Through evocative imagery and clinical language, Kate highlights the devastating consequences of silence, from chronic illness to emotional isolation. This poem is a call for recognition—for survivors to be seen, heard, and believed.If you’ve ever felt invisible inside the healthcare system or struggled to name your own pain, this spoken word piece will resonate deeply.