Transforming Trauma: Elyssa Smith on Rewiring the Brain for Healing

In this episode, I am joined by Elyssa Smith, a trauma-informed life strategist known for her profound insights into the nature and impact of trauma. Together, they embark on a deep and enlightening conversation about the various forms of trauma—Big T, Little t, and the newly coined Tiny t trauma—shedding light on how even the subtlest experiences can shape our self-worth and mental health.

Understanding Trauma

Elyssa offers a crucial differentiation between types of trauma:

• Big T Trauma: Severe experiences like accidents, wars, or significant losses leading to PTSD.
• Little t Trauma: Non-violent yet profoundly impactful events such as bullying or prolonged stress.
• Tiny t Trauma: Subtle, often overlooked experiences like witnessing a parent’s relentless work ethic, which can still significantly affect one’s emotional and mental landscape.

Elyssa’s personal journey is a testament to the transformative power of understanding and healing from trauma. Growing up with a performance-based validation background, she struggled with feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt, which only amplified after college when she found herself without the constant achieving she was used to. This led her to understand the roots of her coping mechanisms and eventually heal from decades of ingrained behaviors.

Coping Mechanisms and Healing

A major takeaway from this episode is how deeply ingrained coping mechanisms can manifest as perfectionism, people-pleasing, procrastination, and survival responses like fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. Elyssa stresses the importance of recognizing these patterns and approaching them with compassion. Her own experience with therapy and self-reflection allowed her to rewire her brain, a process she now helps her clients with.

Elyssa highlights that changing brain patterns and healing from trauma can be faster than traditionally believed. By taking small, gentle steps and approaching self-sabotaging behaviors with compassion, we can begin to rewire our neural pathways and develop healthier coping strategies.

Redefining Success

In a society that often equates success with nonstop busyness, Elyssa’s perspective is refreshingly different. She emphasizes the importance of inner peace and being present in everyday moments over financial status or material possessions. Her journey through financial highs and lows taught her that true success comes from within.

Priya and Elyssa also discuss the concept of self-sabotage, which often stems from unaddressed childhood needs. Recognizing and nurturing these wounds through methods like inner child reparenting can lead to significant personal growth and liberation from the crippling effects of self-doubt and overachievement.

Engage and Connect

Elyssa’s passion for helping others is evident as she shares ways to connect with her through social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Her free Facebook community, the Stress Less Lounge, is a space where she engages with followers weekly, offering support and guidance.

This episode is a heartfelt and empowering discussion that promises to leave listeners with valuable insights into understanding trauma, coping mechanisms, and redefining success. As Priya provided a platform for Elyssa’s transformative message, it’s clear that both hosts and guests are dedicated to helping others achieve mental and emotional well-being.

Don’t miss Elyssa’s TED talk!