In this episode of Finding Family DNA, filmmaker Rebecca Autumn Sansom joins Jay to share the story behind her acclaimed documentary, Reckoning with the Primal Wound, and the winding path that led her back to both of her birth parents. Rebecca opens up about the years-long process of earning renowned author Nancy Verrier's trust for the film, the emotional risk of reconnecting with her birth father after a chance discovery sent her searching, and the complicated, sometimes fragile nature of reunion relationships. She also shares an early look at her upcoming sequel, Reckoning with the Paternal Wound, and the real-life tension around what to include when someone else's story becomes part of yours. The conversation turns candid as Rebecca and Jay dig into the recent Hulu documentary My Grandfather Charles Manson, weighing what belongs in a documentary and what doesn't. Along the way, Jay shares a moving pro bono case that reveals just how personal the choice to reconnect with a birth parent can be.
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Watch this podcast right now on YouTube!
https://youtu.be/fj5oQcp9WxM
00:00 Intro
00:38 Welcoming Rebecca Autumn Sansom
02:06 Why base the film on The Primal Wound
04:25 Reconnecting with her birth mother
06:12 Earning Nancy Verrier's trust
09:14 Her relationship with her birth mother today
11:02 Birth mom vs. "first mother"
15:36 Documentary trailer
16:47 Deciding to search for her birth father
19:28 The obituary that sparked urgency
20:50 The KTLA clip: finding Perry
23:14 Waiting to hear back from Perry
24:07 Her relationship with Perry now
26:36 Reunion success rates
28:12 A pro bono case and a hard recommendation
30:27 Segue to the Charles Manson documentary
31:47 Rebecca's take on My Grandfather Charles Manson
37:08 The father's untold story
37:34 The Manson estate lawsuit twist
40:27 What belongs in a family documentary
41:44 Announcing the sequel's title
43:30 Where the pushback is coming from
44:12 Where to watch the documentary
45:48 Wrap-up
🎬 Rebecca's documentary — Reckoning with the Primal Wound
Official site: https://www.reckoningwiththeprimalwound.com/
Watch on YouTube (official channel): https://www.youtube.com/@RWTPW/videos
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https://www.instagram.com/birthparentfinder/
Are you looking to find your birth parents? Get in touch with Jay and his team!
https://www.birthparentfinder.com
https://www.instagram.com/birthparentfinder
This podcast was edited using PodShuttle, the fully-remote podcast editing and management service owned and operated by CHOBO Studios. For more info, visit podshuttle.io and follow us on Instagram to see more shows we've helped bring to life.
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Adoption Reunion, Birth Father Search, Adoptee Story, Primal Wound, DNA Genealogy, Finding Birth Family, Adoption Podcast, Documentary Filmmaker, BirthParentFinder, Family Discovery
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