Trauma Demystified
Welcome to Trauma Demystified by Bright Horizon Therapies, hosted by Natalie Jovanic, a Complex Trauma Coach and Trauma Counsellor with over 15 years of experience supporting adults healing from complex trauma, childhood trauma, and relational trauma.
If you function well on the outside but internally feel stuck in patterns of freeze, overthinking, people-pleasing, or relational confusion, this podcast is for you.
With lived experience and 15 years of clinical practice, Natalie explores what healing from complex trauma actually looks like — beyond symptom management and beyond surface-level advice.
Drawing from the Integrative Trauma Recovery Model™, you'll learn why your nervous system reacts the way it does, how trauma fragments parts of the self, and what structured, integrative recovery can involve.
These conversations are honest, nuanced, and grounded in real therapeutic practice. Because healing isn't about avoiding triggers — it's about building capacity, restoring self-trust, and learning how to live differently.
If you're ready to move from insight to integration, you're in the right place.
Trauma Demystified
Five Powerful Trauma Counselling Tools for Everyday Healing
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What if you could create an inner safe space, contain overwhelming memories, and rewire your brain's response to trauma—all through practical, accessible techniques? In this episode, I share five trauma counselling techniques I regularly use with clients that leverage neuroplasticity to support real, lasting healing.
What You'll Learn
- How to create an inner safe space that you can return to whenever you feel anxious or overwhelmed
- A powerful technique for containing painful memories so you can process them when you're ready—without suppressing your emotions
- How to work with activated parts (heightened emotions like anxiety, fear, or anger) using breath and body awareness
- Why finding "antidotes" to horror images helps rebalance your brain and create new neural pathways toward joy and calm
- How to identify activities that connect you with safety and connection—and why they're essential for regulating your nervous system
- The science of neuroplasticity and neurogenesis: how your brain can reshape itself through consistent practice
- Why these techniques work across different trauma recovery modalities—whether you're doing parts work, EMDR, or somatic approaches
Who This Is For
This episode is for adults healing from trauma who want practical, experiential tools they can use right now to support their recovery. It's for anyone who feels haunted by painful memories, struggles with anxiety or overwhelming emotions, or wants to build a stronger foundation for healing by connecting with their body and nervous system.
Additional Episodes Mentioned:
- "Polyvagal Theory and Trauma" – Learn how understanding the science behind our nervous system can aid trauma recovery.
- "Understanding the Window of Tolerance" – A closer look at how we can regulate emotional intensity for better recovery.
- "Parts Work Therapy: How It Can Help You Heal From Trauma" – Explore how working with different parts of yourself aids in trauma healing.
- "EMDR: What to Expect" – Discover how EMDR therapy can help resolve trauma and bring about lasting change.
If you’d like to explore more, here are some ways to connect:
- Discover more about my work: https://brighthorizontherapies.com/
- Follow along on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brighthorizontherapies/
- Send me a message: nat@brighthorizontherapies.com
Trauma Demystified is not intended to replace professional guidance, support, medical treatment, or therapy. Please feel free to consult your physician or a mental health professional for any questions about mental health symptoms.
Bright Horizon Therapies is located in the Treaty 7 region in Southern Alberta, which includes the Blackfoot Confederacy, the Tsuut’ina First Nation, and the Stoney Nakoda. This land is also home to Métis Nation of Alberta, Region III. I acknowledge the traditional caregivers of the land and the importance of a commitment to the continued decolonization of my work.
