Lauren - When Presence is the Medicine

Start with a breath, stay for the truth. Valerie sits down with Lauren, a licensed professional counselor and former child life specialist, to unpack what it really means to be a sacred witness—how to show up for survivors without losing yourself to vicarious trauma. From emergency rooms and SANE exams to therapy rooms and courtrooms, we trace how the body stores stress, why memories fragment under threat, and how fight, flight, freeze, and fawn actually protect us in the moment.Lauren shares the signs helpers often miss—intrusive thoughts, numbness, headaches, sleep swings, quiet rage—and offers clear ways to notice when the weight you’re carrying isn’t yours. We explore prevention that goes beyond posters: peer debriefing, boundaries that stick, flexible self-care rituals, and leadership that treats mental health as readiness. You’ll hear simple scripts for hard moments: what to say (and not say) to someone in pain, how to set kind limits when you can’t hold more, and how to widen the net so no one becomes the only lifeline.For first responders, clinicians, and caregivers navigating stigma and policy, we talk candidly about confidentiality, reassignment, and finding safe spaces to release the day—prayer in the car, a walk in the sun, music that lets you cry, a quiet night with a book, even throwing ice in the backyard. The heart of it is presence: immediate debriefing when shock is fresh, deeper processing when the body is ready, and everyday rituals to let go of what doesn’t belong to you.If you’ve ever taken someone’s story home in your shoulders, this conversation offers language, tools, and hope. Subscribe, share with a teammate who needs it, and leave a review with your favorite grounding practice so others can try it too.Lauren Hollis is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor who owns her own private practice in The Woodlands, Texas. She works with children, adolescents, couples and adult individuals. When she is not working, she is passionate about her faith in God, children and spending time with family. Lauren Hollis, MA, CCLS, RPT, LPC-SLicensed Professional Counselor- SupervisorRegistered Play TherapistSacred Connectionswww.laurenhollis.com832-299-4830Contact Valerie Support the showRemember YOU are loved and worthy of being witnessed!If today’s episode stirred heavy feelings, you are not alone. Please reach out to a trusted friend or a professional if you need support:National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) | rainn.orgSAMHSA Mental Health/Substance Use: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)988 LIFELINE: Call, Text or Chat https://988lifeline.orgVeterans Crisis Line: Dial or text 988, then press 1Help for Veterans suffering with CPTSD https://saveawarrior.org/https://www.scarsfoundation.org/*This podcast is not therapy. If you’re in immediate danger, please call 911 or your local emergency number.Want to tell your story? Send a DM or an emailFind us on IG @defiance_of_silence_podcast    [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/defiance_of_silence_podcast?igsh=MWVxMHI3OXY1cm1paA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr