134: HSPs & Complex Trauma Series: Where Does Your Anxiety Come From?

In this episode of Women In-Depth, Lourdes Viado & Carmen Schmidt Benedetti continue their podcast series on Complex Trauma and Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs). Today they discuss where our anxiety comes from and why it matters.

Dr. Lourdes Viado is a psychotherapist for anxious and overwhelmed highly sensitive women in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is a Myers-Briggs Typology Indicator (MBTI) Certified Practitioner and integrates Jungian psychology, mindfulness, neuroscience, and astrology into her work with clients. She is also the host of the Women In-Depth Podcast: Conversations about the Inner Lives of Women, which has been downloaded over 350,000x in 96 countries.

Carmen Schmidt Benedetti is a psychotherapist for highly sensitive womxn in Sonoma County, California. She helps them to heal layers of unrecognized childhood trauma and create calm, balance and stability in their life. As a Certified EMDR therapist, Carmen guides adults in reframing their past from an empowered perspective, coming to believe they are ‘good enough’ and their needs and feelings matter

Topics discussed in this episode:
The relationship between anxiety and trauma and the HSP trait (1:45) The importance of understanding the different types of anxiety and the brain in order to reduce anxiety (4:38) Cortex-based anxiety (5:49) Some times for reducing cortex-cased anxiety (9:23) Amygdala-based anxiety (10:49) Differences between amygdala-based and cortex-based anxiety (20:56) Some tips for reducing amygdala-based anxiety (25:52) Treating the root of anxiety versus treating the symptoms of anxiety (30:04) How the HSP trait impacts understanding and healing from anxiety and trauma (33:14)
Resources:
Carmen’s website: carmenschmidtmft.com/
“Rewire Your Anxious Brain: How to Use the Neuroscience of Fear to End Anxiety, Panic, and Worry” is available on Amazon or your favorite independent bookseller

Related Episodes:
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[@LourdesViadoPhDMFT]

Survey Invitation for HSPS who have experienced Trauma We're in the process of creating resources that are beneficial for Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs) who have experienced trauma. We’ve developed a questionnaire in order to best understand what’s most helpful. If this applies to you, and you’re interested in learning more about this topic, we would love to have you participate in this survey. Your responses are anonymous unless you choose to provide that information. Please feel free to share the link with others! Link to survey: forms.gle/bmWQrDNFJ8frXT6W9 Lourdes Viado, PhD, LMFT and Carmen Schmidt Benedetti, LMFT

[@mariahshepherd2609]

Just found your youtube channel randomly and I feel seen! Thank you!

[@sandyjones-mcclintic65]

40:07 Love your presentation on this powerful topic. Thank you! ❤ And your logo is fabulous!

[@empath2freedom550]

Thank you so much for this! This podcast was life changing for me and I am super excited to read the book you mentioned. I am looking forward to the next podcast. Much love and appreciation ❤️🙏🏾❤️

[@LourdesViadoPhDMFT]

Thank you for listening!

[@beth5763]

Hello! I've been enjoying your podcasts on HSP. It really helps me understand myself better and sheds light on why I've had so many intense fight or flight responses to situations at work. I'd like to ask if you can share any research on HSP's and exercise. I am a pretty active person, but whenever i add intensive exercise on top of my stressful workweek, i find i physically crash hard. I want to stay healthy, but I'm not sure how to get a good workout without the burnout that comes afterward. I am 33 years old, drink lots of water, get my protein, stretch, and get lots of sleep, yet i am still not recovering well after working out. Do you have any clients discussing exercise with you and how it affects them? I'd love to hear this topic in a podcast! Thank you

[@LourdesViadoPhDMFT]

Thanks for sharing your experience Bethany. This is something I've seen in other HSPs. At the end of a stressful work week, your nervous system has already been pushed hard and has not had the chance to recoverand restore itself. The depth of processing, overstimulation, and sensory input from the stressful work week have already depleted you. To do intensive exercise on top of that can be too much for your overwhelmed nervous system. I wonder if you can plan intensive workouts for when you are fully rested? Or when the work week has not been so stressful? Maybe do less intense exercise after a stressful week? This is a topic I will address in more depth in future content. Thank you for listening!

[@CarmenMartinez-cv5yi]

Hey my name is Carmen 😊

[@Kelli5555]

Thank you so much for these series. Do you know any good therapist in Vermont? I’ve been looking for a therapist that is aligned with this information and practices with the understanding of HSP/sensory disorders & trauma. Thank you.

[@LourdesViadoPhDMFT]

Thank you for listening Kelli! I hope you have been able to find the support you need. Unfortunately, I do not know of any therapists to refer you to in Vermont.

[@CanadianBear47]

Man come here too.

[@brooklyn5756]

Can it be a combination of being an HSP, anxiety and a trauma response? I'm an HSP who went through trauma as a kid/teenager so I'm identifying with a combination of things here. How do you tell the difference?

[@janvanoordt1246]

This podcast was very interesting but the vocal fry was difficult to endure

[@SarahDale111]

Oof...indeed 😖

[@ashleyneville]

🤣🤐