Wednesdays With Watson: Faith & Trauma Amy Watson- PTSD Patient-Trauma Survivor

The Road to Healing: Remembering Our First Year

• Amy Watson: Trauma Survivor, Hope Carrier, Precious Daughter Of The Most High God • Season 6 • Episode 4

Share episode

Send us a text

Pull up a chair, and let's reflect on a journey that has taken us from the depths of PTSD to the heights of resilience. As your host, Amy Watson, I've had the privilege of guiding you through six season's of conversations and counsel digging into the depths of pain that comes through trauma along with the highs and lows of this condition, debunking the misconceptions, and highlighting the importance of community, church, counseling, and faith in overcoming this challenge. But this retrospection isn't just about the past. We're also looking at an exciting future. Join me and Dr. Thomas Pettit, as we revisit our conversation on trauma, the practical exercises that can curb fear and panic, and a sneak peek into the riveting content lined up for our second season.

This episode is a journey back to the end of season one and recaps some of the impactful moments in the season. 

You ARE:
SEEN KNOWN HEARD LOVED VALUED

Speaker 1:

Hey guys, you are listening to the Wednesdays with Watson Podcast. This is a special 2020 recap episode as well as a special trailer for the second season. My name is Amy Watson and I am your host. I hope that you will enjoy a few of these throwback, sticky statements and hang out until the end of this episode for a special announcement for a year-end giveaway. If you like what you hear, or maybe even if you don't, I would love to invite you to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you love to listen to podcasts. This helps with our mission and it also helps us shed this light on PTSD and all of its friends, none of which we like. But, guys, can you believe it? We actually recorded 18 episodes really, they're 20, but two are kind of republications and we did that in a consistent manner, which, in and of itself, is like this huge victory for a PTSD patient, because, you see, our lives are complicated and we have a difficult time honoring our original commitments, and sometimes something has to get the axe, the short end of the stick, because we don't have the energy to do it all, but I was determined not to let it be the podcast On the day, april 22nd 2020, that I climbed into my guest closet, surrounded by pillows, blankets, darkness and everything else that I could find that would absorb the sound.

Speaker 1:

I knew that I was stepping into a mission. I knew that I had four things that allowed me to sit behind that mic, take deep breaths and tell you my redeeming story. If you've listened to the podcast, you know what they are by now. There should be a test. The three C's, community, church counseling and, finally, the star of my story, jesus so important that his name is in the title of the first season of Wednesdays with Watson, ptsd, jesus and me.

Speaker 1:

I have to tell you, guys, though I had no idea the impact that this podcast both writing, recording it would have on me, but I was even more shocked at the amount of people that I both know and don't know who are suffering from either undiagnosed or diagnosed PTSD. But what shocked me even more is that the misunderstanding and the misconceptions that even diagnosed patients have about PTSD. The messages that flood into my inbox gives me a purpose and it's an honor to help, but it also helps me understand something. It helps me understand this clip that I want to share with you from my first guest, chrissy Lothridge how she shared what it is like to walk with, live with, do life with a PTSD patient.

Speaker 2:

Every day. I assumed you would not make it. I assumed that this was a gift, that I had a short term friendship with you and that the Lord had given me a moment, a moment, with you and that it would be very short lived. I did not think you would make it.

Speaker 1:

Now I am not that educated or at least I wasn't before now on PTSD. My recordings are basically my experiences, my story, and I certainly not meant to be I don't know a substitute for professional help. But I did learn some things navigating this podcast and navigating my own PTSD. But I didn't learn those by myself. I learned those in one of those CS counseling.

Speaker 1:

And one of the things that I learned in counseling is this cheetah analogy and that seemed to resonate with people so much See, because cheetahs are the fastest animal on the planet and they will run from danger and fear until they can't anymore, basically until they collapse. And when I started this podcast and after over 10 years of counseling, I thought, hey, I've retired the cheetah life. But then enter a global pandemic and on one of the episodes which I believe is the third episode, safe enough to fall apart, we get on audio the moment that I realize that I have not in fact retired the cheetah life. Chasing that seven year old Amy sent me back to the cheetah life. I was frustrated with that because I thought I retired that life.

Speaker 1:

As I mentioned already, I learned that analogy from my counselor who at the very beginning of the podcast I promised to bring on, and we did that in episodes 11 and 12. I asked Dr Pettit a series of questions, ones that I knew that you guys would want answers to. Questions like this what is the difference between a real and perceived threat? What is trauma? Let's listen to his answer to those again in episodes 11 and 12.

Speaker 3:

In my interview with Dr Thomas Pettit, and so trauma, probably the best way to view it is. It's any experience or experiences that we have, that any activating experience that takes us out of our window of tolerance. And so this window of tolerance is an imaginary window in which we experience things, but we help lead, process them or help to process them, and so it's work through or it's the needs are met, things are calm and then we move on. Well, when we experience things that are too intense that they take us out of the window of tolerance and or were not helped to bring back in there, that's trauma, wow.

Speaker 1:

Having him on those episodes was basically essentially as a free counseling session like you literally can hear me breathing on that podcast and we could not edit it out. I had no idea what he was going to say when he came on. He had some questions for him that you guys wanted, but he did something, and we don't have time in this podcast to give you the entire audio clip, but again and it's on episodes 10 and 11, but he walked me through some cutting edge counseling therapies and how to deal with fear, panic and PTSD issues. I didn't want to go catch those or that little clip about a three minute clip on episode. I believe it's probably on episode 11, the second episode with Dr Thomas Pettit, but he provides a really practical, mindful exercise to help PTSD patients in times of activation.

Speaker 1:

As 2020 did what it did, another old friend popped his head in and I got behind the mic again to tell you of my struggles with an eating disorder. You can find that in the first season as well PTSD, jesus and me, eating disorders. That clip, this clip that we're getting ready to play for you, is raw, but the whole season was. I'm glad I have this on audio, though, because, again, when I get behind this microphone, often times I will say things that I won't normally say. So listen to this clip on the eating disorders episode that we did in season one, and so I can ignore the trauma when I'm focused on that jumping up and down in front of me. So currently, as of today again real-time healing my body is in panic mode and my body is keeping the score and it keeps the score by giving me that full feeling like I just ate Thanksgiving dinner and it's very difficult to get food and calories in. As we move through the podcast season and I continue to heal too.

Speaker 1:

We talked a lot about this issue of fight or flight. It's a hallmark of trauma hallmark or PTSD. I told you guys a story about a snake of that was on my back porch. This was a little black snake and at first how I panicked and ran across the porch and jumped up into a chair and text my next door neighbor to come help me. I talked about that in episode 16, processing Fear, and we're going to show you, let you listen to that clip here in a second.

Speaker 1:

But that was a time where fear ruled me temporarily, but I had the tools. Because of counseling, because of one of those Cs to walk myself back from it. This was actually published in episode 16, processing Fear, which was an unscheduled episode. It is about as raw and real as it gets and every time I look at it I want to unpublish it. But I'm glad I had a clip of this moment where I talked to you about that time when I was able to walk back the snake episode, and then I want to follow it by talking about, in that same podcast episode, processing Fear, how fear steals one of the most valuable things we have and it's important for you to know what it is that it steals from us. And you can probably guess, but I talk about it on this unscheduled, unfiltered episode called Processing Fear.

Speaker 1:

But that day when my body said my brain said, hey, that's dangerous, I froze first and then I literally ran across the room and then, you know, had there been a battle to fight, like I had a shovel or something I could have also fought. But I do know that fear right now is just stealing my peace and it's killing my desire to matter in this world and, frankly, it's destroying my body. It's basically what the Bible describes as what the author of all confusion will do, and I know, and I hope that you know, that the star of my story and the star of yours is just simply not the author of confusion. There is such hope in all of my story and all of what Season 1 was all about. I wanted to know what we could do to help others with PTSD, because somehow sitting behind a microphone in a closet and answering some messages that come into my inboxes doesn't seem enough. So I asked Dr Pettit and I think I framed it like this After this pandemic we will probably have an epidemic, if we haven't already had it a PTSD.

Speaker 1:

What can we do? And in a rewarding moment, listen to what his answer was. Finally, in that episode with Dr Pettit again episodes 10 and 11 in the first season I wanted to know what it was like for him to be on his side of the desk and watch the healing that has happened in my life. And I wanted you to hear his answer too, because I have experienced some of this already with some of you who I've been able to mentor and pray for and have the honor to walk with some things. I want you to hear this because this is how rewarding doing this podcast season has been. Dr Pettit's words are way better than I ever ever could have said. Listen to this clip from him on what it's like to watch somebody heal from PTSD.

Speaker 3:

It is unimaginably rewarding. It is an awesome experience to witness and participate in the healing, restorative work that the Spirit of God is always doing. It has nourished my faith. It's strengthened my hope. It's purified my love.

Speaker 1:

And so here we go, the big reveal, season two, because watching you heal is life giving. We're going to march on. Season two is coming in two weeks PTSD, jesus and you. This will be the place where all of my favorites hang out Faith, love, hope and all of its cousins, but, more importantly, you, the people. This season will feature stories of hope and healing, but it will chronicle the crooked, crooked roads that got our guests slash my friends from depths of despair to, at the very least, getting their head above water and joining a community of people who love them, going to a church of people who will disciple them, seeking out counseling. We will still focus on all those three C's and all of, and all of them in some way probably got our guests from despair to healing. I don't know that yet. All the interviews aren't done yet, but we will, of course, talk about the star of my story and we will find out if he makes starring appearances in other people's stories too. We know that trauma is no respect to a person and we are here to provide help and information and prayers and support and accountability. And I already set up, but I'm going to say it again and it's in all capital letters on my script here hope so. We will see you here in two weeks with a season premiere of PTSD Jesus and you, I can promise. My first guest has a story that none of us saw coming and we are still walking with her and her trauma and, as much as I hate her story, I can't wait for her to tell it to you. Until then, guys, happy holidays, merry Christmas, happy New Year. We will see you right here on January 6th with a brand new season of Wednesdays with Watson, ptsd Jesus and you and you know what. Until then, remember you matter and let the healing continue as you let the healing continue. I do want to thank you so much for listening to the Wednesdays with Watson podcast. I am so excited about season two, and the other thing that we are going to do, because it was so helpful to other people, is bring on third-party perspectives for walking with people with PTSD.

Speaker 1:

And then it occurred to me that I forgot that announcement. So if you would like to be entered into a $100 Amazon gift card giveaway, all you need to do is go to amywatsonauthorcom backslash contact. This is building an email list for our platform. We promise not to bug you with emails and only to get interesting information to you, and not very often at that. We will be making that live drawing on December the 31st on my Facebook author page facebookcom backslash Amy Watson author. While you're at it, follow me on Twitter Amy Watson author. Instagram author. Amy Watson. Hit like smash all those subscribe bell buttons. You know the thing, do all the things and we will see you on January 6th you.

People on this episode

Head Shot

Amy Watson

Host