EPISODE · Apr 24, 2026 · 1H 21M
What's true and what's myth about trauma? (with George Bonnano)
from Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg · host Spencer Greenberg
Read the full transcript here. What should count as trauma, and what gets lost when the word expands to cover ordinary distress? Why do some frightening events leave lasting psychological injury while others fade into ordinary memory? Is trauma best understood as the event itself, or as the enduring failure of the mind to recover from it? What is the difference between being influenced by the past and being imprisoned by it? Can a society acknowledge real harm without teaching people that damage is inevitable? Does the body keep the score, or is the body better understood as a scorecard for what the brain is tracking? Why are metaphors about hidden trauma so compelling even when they may obscure how memory actually works? If severe trauma is usually remembered rather than repressed, why do myths of buried memories remain so powerful? What is the difference between avoiding a painful memory and being unable to recall it? How do fragmented memories help the brain preserve threat relevant details while losing the clean story of what happened? What would change if we saw resilience not as denial of harm, but as flexible, imperfect, learnable adaptation? Links: George's Latest Book: [The End of Trauma](The End of Trauma (book): https://www.amazon.com/End-Trauma-Science-Resilience-Changing/dp/B09CZJ2X38) George Bonanno is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at Columbia University's Teachers College and internationally recognized for his pioneering research on human resilience in the face of loss and potential trauma. He is recognized by the Web of Science as among the top one percent most cited scientists in the world, and has been honored with lifetime achievement awards from the Association for Psychological Science, the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, and the International Positive Psychology Association. Staff Spencer Greenberg — Host + Director Ryan Kessler — Producer + Technical Lead WeAmplify — Transcriptionists Igor Scaldini — Marketing Consultant Music Broke for Free Josh Woodward Lee Rosevere Quiet Music for Tiny Robots wowamusic zapsplat.com Affiliates Clearer Thinking GuidedTrack Mind Ease Positly UpLift [Read more]
What this episode covers
Read the full transcript here. • What should count as trauma, and what gets lost when the word expands to cover ordinary distress? Why do some frightening events leave lasting psychological injury while others fade into ordinary memory? Is trauma best understood as the event itself, or as the enduring failure of the mind to recover from it? What is the difference between being influenced by the past and being imprisoned by it? Can a society acknowledge real harm without teaching people that damage is inevitable? Does the body keep the score, or is the body better understood as a scorecard for what the brain is tracking? Why are metaphors about hidden trauma so compelling even when they may obscure how memory actually works? If severe trauma is usually remembered rather than repressed, why do myths of buried memories remain so powerful? What is the difference between avoiding a painful memory and being unable to recall it? How do fragmented memories help the brain preserve threat relevant details while losing the clean story of what happened? What would change if we saw resilience not as denial of harm, but as flexible, imperfect, learnable adaptation? • Links: • George's Latest Book: [ The End of Trauma ](The End of Trauma (book): https://www.amazon.com/End-Trauma-Science-Resilience-Changing/dp/B09CZJ2X38) • George Bonanno is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at Columbia University's Teachers College and internationally recognized for his pioneering research on human resilience in the face of loss and potential trauma. He is recognized by the Web of Science as among the top one percent most cited scientists in the world, and has been honored with lifetime achievement awards from the Association for Psychological Science, the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, and the International Positive Psychology Association. • Staff • Spencer Greenberg (https://www.spencergreenberg.com/) — Host + Director • Ryan Kessler (https://tone.support/) — Producer + Technical Lead • WeAmplify (https://www.weamplify.info/) — Transcriptionists • Igor Scaldini (https://www.linkedin.com/in/igorscaldini/) — Marketing Consultant • Music • Broke for Free (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Something_EP/Broke_For_Free_-_Something_EP_-_05_Something_Elated) • Josh Woodward (https://www.joshwoodward.com/song/AlreadyThere) • Lee Rosevere (https://archive.org/details/MusicForPodcasts04/Lee+Rosevere+-+Music+for+Podcasts+4+-+11+Keeping+Stuff+Together.flac) • Quiet Music for Tiny Robots (https://www.freemusicarchive.org/music/Quiet_Music_for_Tiny_Robots/The_February_Album/05_Tiny_Robot_Armies) • wowamusic (https://gamesounds.xyz/?dir=wowamusic) • zapsplat.com (https://www.zapsplat.com/music/summer-haze-slow-chill-out-house-track-with-a-modern-pop-feel-warm-piano-chords-underpin-the-track-with-warm-pads-and-a-repetitive-synth-arpeggio/) • Affiliates • Clearer Thinking (https://www.clearerthinking.org/) • GuidedTrack (https://guidedtrack.com/) • Mind Ease (https://mindease.io/) • Positly (https://positly.com/) • UpLift (https://www.uplift.app/)
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What's true and what's myth about trauma? (with George Bonnano)
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