Understanding Trauma and PTSD

On this episode of A Healthy Conversation, co-hosts Dr. Lisa Belisle and Dr. Jeff Barkin turn their attention to trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder. Barkin, a psychiatrist, and Belisle, a family physician with integrative training, describe how trauma exists along a spectrum, from severe events to the quieter strains of childhood adversity, medical experiences, and loss. They explain how a stress response can settle into the nervous system, and why screening, including questions about adverse childhood experiences, can open a door toward understanding and healing.

The conversation follows trauma through the whole person. The co-hosts discuss how unaddressed stress can show up as sleep difficulty, chronic pain, digestive symptoms, fatigue, and cardiovascular risk, linking the brain, the gut, and the body's stress hormones. They consider why some people recover while others continue to struggle, touching on genetics, epigenetics, and the protective role of resilience built in childhood and supported by steady relationships throughout life.

Belisle and Barkin also look at care itself. They review evidence-based treatments such as trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy and EMDR, the limits of medication, and emerging research, while underscoring that effective help exists and that no one should face these questions alone. They close by reflecting on trauma-informed care and the importance of meeting people, in medicine and beyond, with patience and dignity. This conversation offers education, not medical advice; listeners are encouraged to speak with a trusted clinician.