Why do we keep reliving the same painful patterns, even when we can see them coming? In this episode, psychotherapist and complex trauma expert Dr. Gillian O’Shea Brown joins me to explore how Greek myths can help us make sense of complex trauma, CPTSD, and the relational wounds we carry from childhood.
Gillian is SUCH a good storyteller, and she walks us through four myths that might feel a little too familiar.
In this episode, we talk about
- Why stories can reach us in ways facts and diagnoses sometimes can’t
- Sisyphus and “the bite that fits the wound,” or why we keep reenacting old pain in our relationships
- The erotic emotional map, a tool for spotting the patterns in who you’re drawn to
- Medea and the parent wound, and what happens when the person you need for safety is also the person who scares you
- How defense mechanisms that helped you survive childhood can work against you as an adult
- Medusa’s story retold as a story of survival, and why survivors who speak up so often get cast as the problem
- Chiron, the wounded healer, and how people make meaning out of pain
Content note: Around the 16 minute mark, Gillian tells Medusa’s story, which includes sexual assault. Please take care of yourself while you listen.
About Dr. Gillian O’Shea Brown
Dr. Gillian O’Shea Brown is an Irish-born, New York based psychotherapist, adjunct professor at NYU, and EMDRIA approved consultant passionate about whole living for all people. Her work on the treatment and healing of complex trauma has been featured in Vogue, Forbes, Marie Claire, HuffPost, and more. Her new book is Psyche’s Awakening: A Guide to Emotional and Somatic Healing Through the Wisdom of Greek Myth (HarperOne).
Connect with Gillian
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This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or nutritional advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Remember, I'm a therapist, but I'm not your therapist. Nothing in this podcast is meant to replace actual therapy or treatment. If you're in crisis or things feel really unsafe right now, please reach out to someone. You can call 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, text them, or head to your nearest ER.
The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organizations or institutions. Reliance on any information provided by this podcast is solely at your own risk.
