12. The Stigma of Trauma

Embracing all parts of oneself, including those considered shameful or embarrassing, is crucial for healing and living authentically. In this Soul Wide Open podcast episode, Michelle Renee shares her personal journey of concealing parts of herself due to trauma and shame. She explains how she used to hide behind her career, workaholism, and Michelle highlights the transformative power of acknowledging triggers and responding with compassion and understanding towards the wounded inner child. Join Michelle as she opens up about vulnerability and the power of addressing trauma on the Soul Wide Open podcast. Talking Points: 00:00:01 - Introduction to Personal Trauma 00:01:21 - Discussing Stigma Around Trauma 00:03:18 - Hiding Behind Professional Success 00:05:58 - Healing and Self-Discovery 00:06:10 - Road Trip to Alaska and Self-Realization 00:07:16 - Embracing Multidimensional Self 00:09:04 - Rejecting Stigma and Embracing All Parts of Self 00:11:01 - Liberating Experience at the Lake 00:12:15 - Continuous Self-Understanding and Healing 00:14:24 - Rejecting Labels and Embracing Past 00:16:04 - Importance of Vulnerability in Healing 00:18:03 - Addressing Internal Triggers 00:19:09 - Encouragement to Share Trauma 00:21:49 - Conclusion and Call to Action   Quotes: "I believe that my success was tied to my hiding behind my suit that I put on every day to go to work." "Hiding pieces of yourself, what you think is shameful and embarrassing, you also learn to hide the other parts of yourself that are really, really amazing." "I completely abandoned huge parts of myself because I was so embarrassed and in fear that I would be judged and that no one would be proud of me." "I am not going to allow this stigma of my trauma and the conditioning of my trauma and the behaviors that I adopted because of my childhood trauma and because of the violent crime that I survived, the kidnapping and hostage situation, to define me negatively the rest of my life." "You've got to be really honest and really vulnerable."   Connect with Michelle: Website:  https://michelle-renee.com Order Nine Days on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4acIkt1 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_michellerenee_ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@themichellerenee Soul Wide Open Podcast On Spotify: https://spoti.fi/49lrveA   #trauma #traumahealing #selfimprovement