Rising Above: Trauma, Addiction, and American Culture
In this podcast Michael and Jim will discuss personal experiences with trauma and what they’ve done and are doing to overcome its lasting negative effects. They will refer to a book titled Freedom and Dysfunction in an All-American Family which is about Jim’s experience of abuse and neglect. The podcast will range from the nitty gritty of experienced violence and deprivation to more intellectual discussions of a writer’s choice to fictionalize trauma accounts to better convey the spirit of the experience. American culture will also play a role in terms of its ability to both add to and address the problems of abuse and neglect in American families. Both podcasters are in 12-step recovery, so they will also share experience, strength, and hope around what they’ve done to overcome their dysfunctional youth. Michael is the best selling author of January First: A Child’s Descent into Madness and Her Father’s Struggle to Save Her.
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Episodes
Wednesday Feb 05, 2025
Wednesday Feb 05, 2025
Welcome to episode 6 of Rising Above: Trauma, Addiction, and Culture in a Crazy World. I’m Michael And I'm Jim. In this episode we will examine how our complex PTSD symptoms and other dysfunctional behaviors learned during our traumatic childhoods have pushed us toward addiction.
Saturday Jan 18, 2025
Saturday Jan 18, 2025
In this episode “Violence and Trauma Continued” we will conclude our exploration of trauma and violence by sharing specific violent political threats and relating our reaction to them at the time. We will also discuss more positive ways to process these threats
Friday Jan 10, 2025
Friday Jan 10, 2025
In this podcast of Rising Above: Trauma, Addiction, and Culture in a Crazy World I will interview bestselling author Michael about his new book on childhood trauma. We'll discuss research and personal experiences with trauma, memory, and memoir writing. Michael will read an excerpt from his book.
Friday Jan 03, 2025
Friday Jan 03, 2025
This is our episode 1, “‘Truth’ and Trauma.” We will be reading a scene called “The Shining” from Jim’s book. We will discuss why he chose to write a semi fictional opening to his trauma memoir.
Wednesday Jan 01, 2025
Wednesday Jan 01, 2025
In this episode we will explore how trauma shapes our perception of violent, political threats. We'll consider ideological and cultural causes of our current scary and crazy American culture. How do threats of political violence impact mental health, especially from the standpoint of a left-leaning trauma survivor?
A link to Jim's book mentioned in the podcast: https://a.co/d/dtE5iu0
Tuesday Dec 17, 2024
Tuesday Dec 17, 2024
Welcome to episode 3 of Rising Above: Trauma, Addiction, and Culture in a Crazy World. In this episode we will explore what trauma does to your brain. We’ll hear from some experts in the field of trauma and discuss their insights. We will also examine how trauma has impacted our own lives. WqMs4LJNuWffJ5oPKeZM