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Bear Psychology Podcast

Dr. Anna Baranowsky is a Canadian Clinical Psychologist, CEO of the Traumatology Institute, Founder and President of the Board at Trauma Practice. She is the author of two books on trauma, numerous courses to help train professionals in trauma mental health and the developer of the Trauma Recovery Program for Self-Guided trauma care. She works with trauma survivors and those with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) on post-traumatic growth and recovery.

Through her work she believes that when we share, dialogue and feel supported, it provides a powerful foundation for forward movement in our understanding and the care needed. In her own words "I have found that the most profound changes occur when a person truly feels heard and understood - I like to think of it as deeply BEARING WITNESS to life evolving. We can feel incredibly stuck when we live with our fears, stressors and troubles in isolation."

Dr.Baranowsky is the host of the Bear Psychology Show, focusing on bearing witness to Evolving Mood, Mind, Health. Her talks revolve around recovery, relationships, work and life adventures.

She is dedicated to assisting organizations and health professionals who help trauma survivors to ensure a trauma informed lens of care can grow in community health networks. With that vision in 1998, the Traumatology Institute Canada (TIC) was established. TIC has trained thousands of individuals nationally and internationally.

Dr. Baranowsky serves on the board of directors of the Academy of Traumatology and is a Board Certified Expert in Traumatic Stress through the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress and is recognized by The National Center for Crisis Management. She has published in the area of Post-Traumatic Stress, Compassion Fatigue, and therapeutic relationships (the Silencing Response).

Copyright:  Dr. Anna Baranowsky, 2020

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  2. Wellness through Mindfulness Practices

Wellness through Mindfulness Practices

Nov 30, 2022

Are you interested in adding mindfulness, meditation or contemplative exercises into your life to help you manage the demands of daily living or better manage stress and anxiety?  If your answer is yes, then this show will prove to be a perfect fit.  I am excited myself.  I have been a bit lazy with my meditation practice lately and looking forward to getting some guidance myself!

Carla is a lawyer by training but she made a big pivot to wellness and mindfulness teaching.  In her mindfulness work, she brings her focused and precise mind to a creative and healing modality using a trauma-informed lens. In her teaching she integrates an awareness of science and neurobiology to help explain why what she is doing works so well.

Listen to our conversation with the remarkable Carla Weinstein (meditation and contemplative practice guide) as we explore with her meaningful work in delivering Trauma Informed Mindfulness practices.

Building on Carla’s extensive training in yoga, meditation and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, she has been offering programs through the TraumaPractice.org charity for community-based groups since 2020.  Her group programs are the most highly ranked and attended among the charity’s participants.  We follow up with her today to ask, what has made her approach to trauma informed meditation so useful for those attending her programs?

Carla will broadly cover some of the topics addressed in her course, to help us better understand her approach:

  • The Power of Mindfulness: Awareness
  • The Impact of Trauma and the Brain and Body + Meditation Through the Trauma Lens
  • The Neuroscience of Meditation + The Power of Attention
  • Emotional Awareness + Turning Toward
  • Aversion, Avoidance, Resistance + The Suffering Equation
  • Developing a Healing Attention
  • Cognitive Hindrances, Mental Chatter, and Values
  • Self Compassion, Resilience and Equanimity

Weinstein shares lessons on how we can each enrich our lives by building a meditation/contemplative practice and what she has learned herself from the work she provides through TraumaPractice.org

Links & Resources:

Materials to Reference:

  • Trauma Informed Meditation practices explained. Brother Phap Linh shares how to recognize trauma in ourselves and those around us (plum village): youtu.be/TOutCopkf3E
  • Dr. Jeff Terrant, psychologist discusses trauma informed meditation practices and what it means to be trauma informed: youtu.be/qTYTciz3bM4
  • Yoga with Adrienne provides a yoga practice for PTSD: youtu.be/TqVSwY8y3UY
  • Dr. Bessel van der Kolk discusses 6 approaches to heal from trauma without medication:  youtu.be/ZoZT8-HqI64