Healing Against the Culture: Trauma, Time & Whole-Person Medicine with Dr. María Colón-González

Healing Takes Time: Trauma-Informed Medicine, Cultural Identity &amp; Rewriting the Health Story with Dr. María Colón-GonzálezShow NotesIn this week’s episode of Routes of Healing, Dr. Siri Chand Khalsa sits down with Dr. María Colón-González, founder of saludRevisited, an Integrative and Lifestyle Medicine practice in Texas. Dr. María shares the personal and professional turning points that shaped her approach to care, including growing up in Puerto Rico with complex childhood health challenges, witnessing the legacy of medical service in her family, and confronting the limitations of conventional, volume-driven healthcare.Together, they explore why many patients do not change simply because they have information, and how healing often requires a deeper sense of safety, agency, and nervous system regulation. Dr. María describes how trauma-informed therapy, somatic work, yoga training, and lifestyle medicine helped her understand the body’s “story,” and how identity and culture can subtly shift under the pressure to “fit in” within medical training.This conversation is for clinicians and patients alike who feel the gap between what medicine can measure and what it takes to truly heal. It is also for anyone questioning the pace of modern life, the burnout of medical culture, and the possibility of practicing in a way that restores dignity, time, and relationship. As Dr. María reminds us: your body is not a microwave, and healing is not meant to be rushed.If you’re inspired by our exploration on Routes of Healing, a physician-led podcast uplifting the wisdom and lived experience of integrative &amp; lifestyle medicine doctors, subscribe to receive new episodes weekly.🔑 Key Topics &amp; TakeawaysFrom public health to medicine: Why Dr. María shifted from population health education into the power of the physician role.A family legacy in Puerto Rico: The story of her grandfather, the only physician in his town, and a lineage of resilience.Personal illness as initiation: How childhood asthma, allergies, type 2 diabetes, and chronic back pain shaped her healing lens.“This relationship is not healthy”: Viewing conventional medical culture as an unhealthy system clinicians may need to leave.The hidden losses of training: How identity and culture can be muted in the pursuit of “professionalism.”Trauma as physiology: Why trauma is not simply “stress,” and how it impacts behavior change, motivation, and healing capacity.Somatics + safety: How EMDR, trauma-informed yoga, journaling, and nervous system awareness support transformation.The clinician affects the patient: Why the state of the healer shapes the therapeutic relationship and the patient’s response.Healing against the culture: Why healing often requires resisting speed, convenience, and chronic overstimulation.A different model of care: What it looks like to practice with time, access, touch, acupuncture, and relationship at the center.Agency over compliance: How offering choices restores power and creates sustainable change.✨ Episode Highlights (5 Quotes)“There’s a very fine line between having the right environment and actually having the mindset to choose health.”“Even if you want to help your patients, you can’t, not in a system that is fast, volume-based, and checkbox-driven.”“My body grew up in tension, adrenaline… and I realized staying in medicine the way medicine was, was detrimental for my body.”“If I’m rushed and my adrenaline is up, it’s going to kick in for them too. The healing relationship becomes unhealthy.”“Your body is not a microwave. Be gentle, be compassionate, and allow time for healing and transformation.”⏱ Chapters00:00 — From Public Health to the Power of the White Coat01:00 — Welcome to Routes of Healing + Disclaimer02:00 — Introducing Dr. María Colón-González + saludRevisited03:38 — Puerto Rico Roots: A Grandfather’s Legacy in Medicine04:20 — Chronic Illness, Back Pain, and Finding Holistic Healing06:42 — Family Culture, Resilience, and Women in Medicine Lineage10:22 — The “Eureka” Shift: Why She Chose Medicine13:59 — Training Shock: When the System Doesn’t Hold What Matters16:41 — The Corporate Model and the Loss of Humanity in Care23:09 — Lifestyle Medicine, Integrative Fellowship, and Right-Fit Systems26:35 — Trauma Work, Identity, and the “Turtle” Metaphor for Safety33:32 — The Healer’s State Shapes the Treatment37:04 — Healing Against Culture: Speed, Stress, and Modern Overload41:43 — Yoga Training, Trauma Yoga, and Polyvagal-Informed Care46:55 — ACE Scores, Trauma Physiology, and Why Change Can Stall51:56 — What a Visit Looks Like in Her Practice56:29 — Genomic Testing as a Foundation for Lifestyle Precision58:07 — Boost Your Health Assessment for Texas Listeners1:01:56 — Where to Find Dr. María + Podcast + Book1:05:40 — Closing: “Your Body Is Not a Microwave”About Today’s GuestDr. María founded saludRevisited, an Integrative and Lifestyle Medicine practice in Texas. While in residency, Dr. María realized the many missing links in the care she provided to her patients. She noticed patients would visit the office for medication refills but not necessarily live healthier. After four years in practice, she completed her training in Lifestyle Medicine; then she retrained as a yoga instructor. She is also trained in culinary medicine and plant-based nutrition.In 2021, she started her Integrative Medicine fellowship since she believes patients deserve holistic care. She is a trauma-informed physician, recognizing that the events of harm to one's life have affected the body, mind, and spirit. Her approach to care is "your body tells a story, and you can rewrite the narrative."" She is the author of Healing the Wounds of Medicine: Stories and Journaling for Physicians.🌐 Find Dr. María Colón-GonzálezWebsitewww.saludRevisited.comFollow YouTube, FB, and IG@saludRevisitedPodcastBeyond Medicine: Humanized Care for Women of InfluenceApple Link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-medicine-humanized-care-for-women-of-influence/id1774335905BookHealing the Wounds of Medicine: Stories and Journaling for Physicianshttps://www.amazon.com/Healing-Wounds-Medicine-Journaling-Physicians/dp/B0BPGQ6YGQFor listeners in TexasFree Boost Your Health Assessment: https://l.bttr.to/pm3Ey🌐 Connect with Your HostDr. Siri Chand Khalsa, MD MSLifestyle &amp; Integrative Medicine Physician • Culinary Medicine • AyurvedaWebsite: drsirichand.comInstagram: Instagram: @doctorsirichandCulinary Medicine Blog: drsirichand.com/blogCommunity: <a href="https://vishuddha.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer"...