Trauma and Self-Injury, with Dr. Rachel Zelkowitz episode artwork

EPISODE · Oct 31, 2025 · 50 MIN

Trauma and Self-Injury, with Dr. Rachel Zelkowitz

from The Psychology of Self-Injury: Exploring Self-Harm & Mental Health · host Rachel Zelkowitz PhD

In this episode, Dr. Rachel Zelkowitz defines trauma and its prevalence among individuals who self-injure, delineates posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from complex PTSD (C-PTSD), and discusses common treatments for addressing trauma, including Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Prolonged Exposure (PE). With interest in treating military veterans and active duty service members, Dr. Zelkowitz provides insights into nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), self-harm, and trauma among military members.Learn more about Dr. Zelkowitz and her work here, and learn more about common treatments for trauma at the National Center for PTSD at www.ptsd.va.gov. Below are links to some of the research referenced in today's episode:Gromatsky, M., Halverson, T. F., Dillon, K. H., Wilson, L. C., LoSavio, S. T., Walsh, S., Mellows, C., Mann, A. J., Goodman, M., & Kimbrel, N. A. (2023). The prevalence of nonsuicidal self-injury in military personnel: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Trauma Violence Abuse, 24(5), 2936-2952.Liu, R. T., Scopelliti, K. M., Pittman, S. K., & Zamora, A. S. (2018). Childhood maltreatment and non-suicidal self- injury: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Psychiatry, 5(1), 51–64.Harned, M. S., Korslund, K. E., Foa, E. B., & Linehan, M. M. (2012). Treating PTSD in suicidal and self-injuring women with borderline personality disorder: Development and preliminary evaluation of a Dialectical Behavior Therapy Prolonged Exposure Protocol. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 50(6), 381-6.Harned, M. S., Schmidt, S. C., Korslund, K. E., & Gallop, R. J.(2021). Does adding the Dialectical Behavior Therapy Prolonged Exposure (DBT PE) protocol for PTSD to DBT improve outcomes in public mental health settings? A pilot nonrandomized effectiveness trial with benchmarking. Behavior Therapy, 52(3), 639-655.Follow Dr. Westers on Instagram and Twitter/X (@DocWesters). To join ISSS, visit itriples.org and follow ISSS on Facebook and Twitter/X (@ITripleS).The Psychology of Self-Injury podcast has been rated as one of the "10 Best Self Harm Podcasts" and "20 Best Clinical Psychology Podcasts" by Feedspot  and one of the Top 100 Psychology Podcasts by Goodpods. It has also been featured in Audible's "Best Mental Health Podcasts to Defy Stigma and Begin to Heal."

Rachel Zelkowitz, PhD, from the VA Boston Healthcare System and the National Center for PTSD defines "trauma," shares what treatments exist for treating trauma, and discusses the prevalence of self-injury and self-harm among those who have experienced trauma, particularly within military veterans.

NOW PLAYING

Trauma and Self-Injury, with Dr. Rachel Zelkowitz

0:00 50:13

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of The Psychology of Self-Injury: Exploring Self-Harm & Mental Health?

This episode is 50 minutes long.

When was this The Psychology of Self-Injury: Exploring Self-Harm & Mental Health episode published?

This episode was published on October 31, 2025.

What is this episode about?

In this episode, Dr. Rachel Zelkowitz defines trauma and its prevalence among individuals who self-injure, delineates posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from complex PTSD (C-PTSD), and discusses common treatments for addressing trauma, including...

Can I download this The Psychology of Self-Injury: Exploring Self-Harm & Mental Health episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!