Mental Health and Endometriosis | A Therapist’s Perspective on Chronic Illness, Trauma, and Healing

For the first time, we’re welcoming a mental health professional onto the podcast, someone who doesn’t just understand chronic illness clinically, but works closely with patients living with endometriosis and other long-term conditions.I sit down with Danielle Sampson, trauma therapist and founder of Aligned Connections, to talk about the emotional and psychological reality of living with chronic illness, and why this part of the experience is so often overlooked.We get into the gap that exists in both healthcare and mental health spaces when it comes to truly understanding chronic illness, and how little formal training many professionals actually receive in this area.We talk about the connection between chronic pain and anxiety, the emotional toll of navigating a body that feels unpredictable, and the importance of validating experiences that are so often minimized or dismissed.One of the most powerful parts of this conversation is the reminder that while chronic illness may be ongoing, the mental health impact does not have to be something you carry alone or without support. We discuss the impacts and importance of taking care of your mental health, and how it’s not separate from your physical health, it is essential to it.This episode is exactly why FLARE exists: to open up conversations that are not happening enough, and to bring in perspectives that help people feel seen, understood, and supported in a deeper way.I’m excited to share this conversation with you, and hope it gives you language, validation, and a sense of connection if you’ve ever felt like this part of your experience wasn’t being acknowledged. You’re not alone in this. Keep creating, Keep Healing💛-PriscillaShow Notes:* Danielle’s Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/alignedconnectionspllc ⁠* Danielle’s website: ⁠⁠https://www.traumatherapybuffalo.com* cPTSD: ⁠Cleveland Clinic⁠: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24881-cptsd-complex-ptsd* ⁠Link between chronic stress/chronic illness and inflammation⁠: https://spondylitis.org/spondylitis-plus/the-link-between-stress-and-chronic-illness-tools-for-stress-management/* History of American gynecology: ⁠Medical Bondage by Deirdre Cooper Owens⁠: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34689315-medical-bondage* Directory of therapists trained in perinatal mental health: ⁠Postpartum Support International⁠: https://postpartum.net/get-help/provider-directory/* Directory of therapists that do EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing): ⁠EMDRIA⁠: https://www.emdria.org/find-an-emdr-therapist/ Get full access to FLARE Journal at flareendo.substack.com/subscribe