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

Breaking the Cycle: Healing Trauma for Future Generations

• Amy Watson: Trauma Survivor, Hope Carrier, Precious Daughter Of The Most High God • Season 7 • Episode 1

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What if breaking the cycle of trauma could change not just your life but the lives of future generations? Join us on this profound journey as we kick off season seven of Wednesdays with Watson, marking four years of commitment to confronting trauma and supporting those affected. We celebrate our achievements, including over 130 episodes that have made a tangible difference, from aiding families impacted by domestic violence to providing scholarships for counseling. This season pays tribute to the wisdom of Mama Bootsy and underscores God's unwavering faithfulness in our darkest times. I also share my quest for a doctorate to deepen our impact and introduce you to the courageous cycle breakers determined to end the cycle of trauma.

Dive into the harrowing reality of trauma's prevalence and its long-term impact on mental health. We'll discuss the gut-wrenching statistics and personal stories of child abuse, domestic violence, and sexual assault, shedding light on the underreporting of abuse, especially among men, and the crippling role of shame. Discover the alarming correlation between early trauma and later substance abuse, and learn why comprehensive support systems are crucial for healing. Through diverse perspectives, including voices from the LGBTQ+ community, we aim to foster understanding, hope, and healing for all. And as always, we reflect on the continuous need for divine support, celebrating God's steadfast presence as our fortress and comforter in times of need.

"Every Hour" by Josh Baldwin used by permission

Wednesdays With Watson-Season 7 Trailer 

Wednesdays With Watson Wednesdays With Watson 

"Every Hour" by Josh Baldwin (4:19) 

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Included September 6, 2024 

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Speaker 1:

It's every hour, every day. Oh, I need you, lord, and that will never change. Faithful is he who calls you who will also do it. 1 Thessalonians 5.9. Hey everyone, and welcome back. I don't know about you, but I have missed interacting with you online over the last couple months as we have put the podcast on hiatus. As you will learn today, I've got a bunch going on, but welcome back to the Wednesdays with Watson podcast.

Speaker 1:

This is season seven, which is really hard for me to believe, if I'm being honest with you when I think about the last four years and what we've been able to accomplish and by we I mean Jesus using me and this microphone, and those of you who have walked alongside with me. Just a little step back, just for a second, before we begin this new season. Over the last four years, we have been on a mission to confront trauma. We've been on a mission to help people understand it Lots of you walking around with trauma and comparing your trauma with other people and not understanding why you feel the way you do, and so we spend time talking about it so that we can understand trauma. We also spend time talking about it so that we can live with people who have experienced trauma and help them in their walk. Over the last four years, guys, we have published over 130 podcast episodes. More importantly, we have helped four families and won each of those four years at Christmas time and, as a matter of fact, I lost my personal Facebook page over the last one Because Facebook thought that we were doing something bad, but either way, we were able to support that family. So we have been able to support four families with your support at Christmas time, particularly those families that have been affected by domestic violence. We have distributed thousands of dollars in scholarship money to people who cannot afford counseling, but none of this would be possible without your support and your engagement. Even listening to this podcast just keeps me encouraged and helps us on our mission. Your role on this mission is crucial and we're grateful for your continued listenership and participation.

Speaker 1:

I will provide the Patreon link in the show notes if you wish to support this mission. I am so thankful for my supporters and I want everyone to know that money donated through the Patreon is not invested into the podcast cost, but rather the show's mission, which is to help people heal and thrive, and that is awarding these scholarships to people who are motivated for help and can't afford counseling. I am filled with gratitude because tens of thousands of people from all over the world have listened over the last four years, and I am humbled because I realized and I surrender to the responsibility of this microphone and I remain tethered to that verse that I love so much in Psalm 45.1. My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite verses for my king. My tongue is the pen of a skillful writer. May it continue to be that people find hope and help here as we continue our mission, because the father of lies has many of us caught up in his game, since seduction and deception are two of his greatest tools. We desire that you learn how to resist the devil by learning his game and walking with Jesus, the star of all of our stories. And if you don't believe in Jesus, that's okay, hang around, because this podcast is for everyone. The fact of the matter is is that all of my life he has been faithful, and it would be impossible for me to talk about how trauma has impacted over time without highlighting the faithfulness of God and how he hasn't missed any of it, and how he hasn't missed any of it.

Speaker 1:

As many of you know, mama Bootsy passed away in January of this year and for those of you who don't know who that is, that is someone who just came into my life, in my mid 30s, who said I will be what you never had. And she passed away in January and we're still very much grieving that. But she used to say something that I want to pass along to you when we would talk to her about things that were difficult and sufferings that we were going through, she would tell us God is not up there wringing his hands up in heaven over this. He knows what's going on. I love, love, love that statement by her and I think about it often. But for many of you and for me sometimes, this is why your heart is broken, because you don't understand God and you don't understand how he could allow things to happen.

Speaker 1:

I hope this season of the podcast helps you with that, because none of us understand all of the things. But one thing is for sure is that suffering that we experience in this life was promised by Jesus. We see that in all four Gospels, but particularly in John 16, 33. And our suffering in light of eternity is found in 2 Corinthians, 4, 17 and 18 is but a momentary light of affliction. I love the Shane and Shane song, where John Piper comes in and says it wasn't meaningless. Your suffering is not meaningless Because you guys, you see, god is always here. And so, as we walk through this season, I want to continue that, even though your life may not look perfect and you may have suffered some pain all of our lives, he has been faithful.

Speaker 1:

During these last four years, and particularly in the last year, I began pursuing a doctorate degree, and that is in large part because of this podcast. I realized that, my voice being heard across this world, on six continents, that it was vitally important that I provide the richest experience with usable knowledge that I can pass on to you. I'm at the end of that journey, and by that I mean I have to start. I have to write the dissertation, and so during this podcast season, you will be walking with me as I research and complete that dissertation. So I hope that you will come along for the ride, if for no other reason, for that, as I'm sure some episodes will be influenced by it.

Speaker 1:

During this season we will talk about cycle breakers. Those are people who stand up to say the trauma stops with me. We started this podcast and we named that first season PTSD Jesus and me. I began telling parts of my story and if you haven't heard that season, look in the show notes for easy access to that entire season. But you see, I never set out to break cycles, but that is what God equipped me to do and that's what made me think of that verse that I opened the podcast with faithful is he who calls you who will also do it. And so I stand strong and I shout to the one who wants to steal from me, who wants to kill and who wants to destroy an enemy that is bound by Jesus, and who wants to destroy an enemy that is bound by Jesus he has already won that war. And I scream to the top of my lungs. The trauma stops with me. I will spend the rest of my life breaking cycles and teaching others to do the same, primarily by highlighting the star of the story, who is Jesus, the first, the last, the all-powerful king who will one day make, as CS Lewis says, all of the sad things untrue. He will make all things new. We see that in the book of Revelation.

Speaker 1:

This season, we will focus on micro-segments of the population and how they experience trauma. We will focus on different trauma and recovery treatments specific to each population. We will talk about significant global events that happened in their lifetime and so, as you've come to expect, there will be experts as well and we'll implement some of what I have learned in my doctoral pursuit. As I mentioned, we will highlight generational trauma as part of that cycle breaker series. We will speak to members of each generation before we begin the cycle breaker series the silent generation, which is the oldest living generation, except for a small representation of the greatest generation, and unfortunately I've not been able to find a guest for that. I would love, love, love to have a generation, the greatest generation. But I do have representations from the silent generation, the baby boomers, generation X, millennials, gen Z and, yes, even Generation Alpha, and we're going to watch how trauma has been viewed and over the years and how we have gotten better, or have we? We will see.

Speaker 1:

I want to know what significant global events happened during their lifetime. How did it affect their household? Where were they Like, for example, for the silent generation, when we dropped the atomic bomb on Japan? Or how did they experience the depression? Generation X probably has the most experience across technological spectrums and so on, and so with some of these progressive things that came through the generations came an increase of potency for trauma. But we know trauma is not new, and so it's going to be really cool to examine and investigate, starting with someone born in 1933, all the way up to someone born like the 2015-16 type error. And so how was mental health viewed through these generations? I will do some research about that, as well as interviews, and inform you about mental health treatment during those times, and we'll talk about how, or if there is a difference between generations and what, if anything, needs to change. I think that we will identify trends as we move through the generations and we will land where we are now as a society and we will park there as we examine how we can do better as people that are suffering the ills of some trauma, and literally everyone on the planet was traumatized by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaker 1:

I will continue this podcast because, if statistics tell us anything, here are some statistics for you on some of the most known traumas. Now, some of you have traumas that I will not mention here, and I am not belittling those traumas. These are the main ones Child abuse, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services, in 2021, approximately one in seven children experienced child abuse and neglect. The National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System reported over 600,000 children were victims of abuse and neglect in 2021. Those children are going to become adults and if we don't intervene that now and helping children who are experiencing child abuse and I'm looking at you, church leaders, I'm looking at you, teachers, I'm looking at anyone who has access to children outside of their home where they may be getting hurt one out of every seven children that's that's about 15% of children in this country are experiencing some sort of child abuse and or neglect in the preceding 12 months. That is why we will continue this podcast. Some of you were that child, I was that child, and if we don't pay attention to child abuse and all that it does to us, it will affect us later in life, as it did me.

Speaker 1:

The statistics also prove that those who've experienced child abuse are more likely to go on and experience domestic violence, which was my story. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence estimates that about one in four women and one in nine men have been severely or physically abused by an intimate partner. I would argue that that statistic about men is probably higher because men are less likely to report intimate partner abuse. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that approximately one in three women and one in four men have some form of physical violence, and so those two organizations are a little bit different, and I think that one in four men have experienced some sort of physical violence by an intimate partner is important. In a 2021 survey of the Centers for Disease Control, around 10% of adults reported experiencing physical violence, including hitting, beating or pushing by an intimate partner in their lifetime, or pushing by an intimate partner in their lifetime. And so we talk about child abuse, we talk about domestic violence. These numbers are not going down as we have gotten quote better about paying attention to them, and so that is why I will continue to get behind this microphone.

Speaker 1:

Those who have experienced child abuse also are more likely to go on and experience sexual assault. According to the National Sexual Assault Research Center, approximately one in five women and one in 75 men in the United States have been raped at some point in their lives, and I would again argue that the one in 71 men is probably inaccurate, because men are less likely to report because of the shame. And I'll park there for a second because, remember, shame threatens to steal everything from us. Shame makes us think that we are defined by the event, that we're defined by the mistake, if you will, and of course, a rape survivor has not made a mistake, but shame still exists. Shame says I am the event, not that the event happened to me, right, and so we will stay on this microphone. Because of the sexual assault prevalence in this country, the Rape and Abuse and Incest Network reports that every 68 seconds, so this podcast will probably be about 30 minutes long. 30, approximately 30 people in America will have been sexually assaulted just while you're listening to this podcast.

Speaker 1:

Many instances of sexual assault go unreported. As I just mentioned, the Bureau of Justice and Statistics indicates that only about 25% of sexual assaults are reported to the police. Factors influencing underreporting include fear of not being believed, concerns of privacy and fear of retaliation. Sexual assault affects people across all demographics, but certain groups are at higher risk. For instance, young adults 18 to 24 are at higher risk, with a significant number of these assaults occurring in college settings. The LBGTQ plus community and individuals with disabilities also face elevated risk of sexual violence and, by the way, it will be my goal to get a member of the LGBTQ plus community on the podcast this this season to talk about how they experienced trauma, because, while most of my guests will believe in the star of the story of Jesus and maybe I'll get an LGBTQ plus guest on here who believes in the star of the story, which will be confusing to a lot of us but I want their perspective, and so that's what this season is going to look like. This is not going to be preaching to the same choir, preaching in the same room. We want to get other voices talking about some of these things. Another thing that we face a lot when trauma is present is depression and anxiety, and that is why I will continue to stay behind this microphone.

Speaker 1:

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, in 2021, approximately 8.4% of adults in the United States experience a major depressive episode in the past year. And let me describe a major depressive episode and this is where the budding Dr Watson comes in. This is people who stay in bed 23 hours a day. They isolate, they don't take care of their daily living activities, they don't take care of themselves. Major depressive episodes 8.4% and I believe that this is probably going to continue to be higher, as we see what COVID did to us. The National Center for Health Statistics reported that approximately 17% of adults experience symptoms of depression at some point in their life and, of course, this ranges by gender and ethnicity. Women are generally more likely to experience depression than men. For example, in 2021, about 10.5% of women and 6.2% of men reported having a major depressive episode. Younger adults right now have the higher rates of depression compared to older age groups, and about 15.5% of them experience a major depressive episode in 2021. So we have our work cut out for us.

Speaker 1:

This is why I will stay behind this microphone is because these things continue to be a problem and people continue to need tools to live through them by way of stories, by way of focusing on microcosms of the entire population, as we're going to do this entire season, starting with generational trauma and how trauma is experienced by different people in different generations, but we are going to poke our head in different populations all over the place, so that there is something this season for everyone, even if you don't believe in the start of the story. The last thing is anxiety that I want to talk about and the reason why I will stay behind this microphone because anxiety is a thing and those of you who experience it. I want to give you tools by way of story, by way of hope, by way of education of how to handle anxiety. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that approximately 19.1 percent of adults in the United States experience an anxiety disorder in the past year, and this figure holds various types of anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder and other specific phobias. Finally, I will stay behind this microphone because of the prevalence of substance abuse, and we know I talk to people at work all the time. When they come for help, and particularly when they come for detox help, I look at them in the eye and, if they're able, I asked them pretty much, what happened to you? Because we don't see substance abuse without trauma and if we do, it's very, very, very, very small portion of the population of people who have substance abuse. They are trying to to numb something and we'll talk about that. We'll talk to people who are abused to drugs and alcohol, or who were and who are, and how trauma has, how they experienced trauma, but according to the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use, approximately 16.5% of Americans aged get this, guys. 12 and older 12 and older Pause there for a second had a substance disorder in the past year.

Speaker 1:

The opioid crisis, of course, the epidemic has been a major concern. In 2021, the CDC reported nearly 107,000 drug overdoses that occurred in the United States, with opioids being responsible for 75% of that, and so the misuse of prescription opioids, heroin, synthetic opioids like fentanyl has driven a major overdose death. Fentanyl, in particular, has been a major factor due to the potency and increasing presence in the drug supply, and every day when I go to work, guys, I am seeing fentanyl destroy lives, and so that is why we will stay behind this microphone. That is why we will speak to people who suffer substance abuse disorder and how they experience trauma, and both sides of that. People who are currently using, the people who are in recovery. Finally, and probably most importantly, I want to talk to you about that I will stay behind this microphone and highlight different microcosms of the population.

Speaker 1:

Because of suicide rates. This makes my heart the saddest. As a survivor of a suicide attempt, I remember being that desperate to simply not want to be on this planet. I think that the COVID-19 pandemic has probably made it even more difficult for us to get out in front of suicidal ideations, particularly suicidal ideations with a plan, and then, of course, those people are dying by suicide. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2021,. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2021, the age-adjusted suicide rate in the United States was approximately 14 per 100,000 individuals, which is 1.4% and represents a slight increase from previous years, reflecting an ongoing concern.

Speaker 1:

Suicide is the leading cause of death in the United States, ranking 12th. Okay, I want to stop there for a second. Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States, ranking 12th overall. It is the second leading cause of death in those 10 to 34, 10 years old guys 10 years old and so these are reasons why I'm going to stay behind this microphone. These are, these are our environments and people that I'm going to highlight, and how they experience trauma and how their story might be able to help somebody else on the other side of this microphone or that microphone walk through their trauma, and so it's going to be a fun season. By the end of the season, hopefully, you all will be calling me Dr Watson, I presume. Of course, we have to add there, but these are just a few targets for our season. As is customary with this show, the season will evolve because we will remain open-minded about the populations of interest. As I mentioned, we will have someone from the LBGTQ plus community here, as well as other people like that who don't believe in Jesus but can help us understand how they experience trauma and, more importantly, how they live with trauma. This is going to be a fun ride and it all starts in two weeks.

Speaker 1:

Remember to like, follow or subscribe the podcast. Wherever you listen to podcasts or at WednesdaysWithWatsoncom, you can follow me on Instagram and you'll also get content there. We are so excited about this new season. If you want us to focus on a particular population, I would love to hear from you. Use that feature in the show notes and send us a text message. That message only comes to me, so it will be held confidential.

Speaker 1:

Here's the thing, guys. God is faithful, just like I opened up the podcast with. He is not up in heaven wringing his hands over our pain. He can be trusted with our deepest pain, deepest pain, and he stands ready to walk with you through it or sit in it. If that's the season you find yourself Every single hour. He is faithful and that will never change. Everyone under the sound of my voice is an image bearer, and regardless of how you choose to live your life, nothing changes that promise. He stands ready to help us with our pain. He stands ready to answer our indicting questions. He stands ready to be the Lord and Savior of our broken, broken lives.

Speaker 1:

And so I am excited to bring this season to you, as we just continue to punch trauma in the mouth and say not today, not me, not my life. It stops with me. And I am going to go on and tell people about how faithful God has been All of my life. And you have access to that same God. And if you do not know him and you want to know him, use that same feature, that text messaging feature or Instagram DM, and I would love to introduce you to the star of the story. So we will be back in two weeks with our first episode, which should be an episode with Mom McGowan representing the silent generation. It's going to be a ride, and I'm so glad that you have joined me for it, and so until next time, you know what I'm going to say. You are seen, you are known, you are heard, you are loved and you are so, so valued. See you guys in two weeks.

Speaker 1:

In every way, oh, I need you, lord, and that will never change. Oh, that will never change. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, you're a fortress, you're my hiding place, you're the shelter where I am safe. You have freed me, you have called me by name, my redeemer, my saving grace. Every hour of every day, oh, I need you, lord, and that will never change. I need you Lord, and that will never change. Every moment, in every way, oh, I need you, lord, and that will never change. Faithful, that's who you are More than able to care for my heart. Father and friend, there till the end. You are faithful, oh, god, oh, and faithful, that's who you are More than able to care for my heart. Father and friend, there to the end. You are faithful, oh God, and every hour and every day, oh, I need you Lord, and that will never change. Every moment, in every way, oh, I need you, lord, and that will never change. Oh, that will never change. Oh, that will never change. Yeah, that will never change. Oh, that will never change. Thank you.

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Amy Watson

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