Healing Complex Trauma and Intergenerational Wounds

Welcome to the Inclusive Minds Podcast! In this episode, Dr. Carolyn Coker Ross is joined by Tiffany Benford, a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) and a co-author of "Antiblackness and the Stories of Authentic Allies: Lived Experiences in the Fight Against Institutionalized Racism."

Tiffany, an expert in trauma-informed care with 20 years of personal experience in self-healing from Complex PTSD (C-PTSD), dedicates her 15-year clinical career to understanding resilience and the lasting impact of trauma on the body and mind. Her work deeply explores how identity, intersectionality, and social factors shape our human experiences.

In this episode, you'll gain powerful insights as we discuss:

• A Mother's Journey and Trauma: Dive into Tiffany's mother's harrowing experience during the Cuban Revolution, including separation from family, time in detention camps, and the challenges of forced resettlement, revealing the roots of their intergenerational trauma.
• The Weight of Mixed Messages: Explore the implicit and explicit messages passed down through generations—from the pressure to assimilate and conform to specific beauty standards (like hair and skin color in Latinx and other communities of color) to the suppression of emotions and the impact of parental emotional dysregulation.
• Breaking the Cycle: Discover practical strategies and Tiffany's unique approach to helping clients break the cycle of intergenerational trauma. Learn about her "three grounding questions" to reconnect with the body, the power of somatic therapy in addressing trauma in the body, and the importance of challenging negative narratives through an abundance mindset.