When past experiences leave you feeling constantly on alert, it can be difficult to feel safe, trust yourself, or move through everyday life with confidence. Even when circumstances have changed, familiar fears and emotional responses may continue to shape how you experience the world.
Sandra Lee welcomes Joanne Williams, a therapist specializing in anxiety and PTSD, whose own experiences of childhood adversity inspired her to help others find new ways forward.
Together, they explore how trauma may influence our sense of safety, the connection between our thoughts and physical responses, and the importance of feeling understood rather than judged.
Joanne shares her personal journey with anxiety and an unexpected source of reassurance: her dog. Their conversation opens the door to considering how dogs, breathing, body awareness, and compassionate professional support may help people reconnect with themselves and begin rebuilding trust in their own experiences.
What might change if, instead of judging your reactions or trying to push through them, you became curious about what helps you feel safe, supported, and more connected to yourself?
What You Are Invited to Discover:
- The ways early experiences may influence your sense of safety, even when life circumstances have changed.
- An unexpected role dogs can play in helping some people navigate anxiety and everyday uncertainty.
- The connection between breathing, body awareness, and the possibility of reconnecting with your inner sense of direction.
- Where shame, self-blame, or familiar patterns of avoidance may be making an already difficult experience feel heavier.
- A different perspective on rebuilding self-trust and finding support without needing to navigate everything alone.
Free Gift:
Healing Through Life’s Hurts - Why “Moving On” Hasn’t Worked and What Does Work.
Steps to Heal - Life’s Hurts-Abandonment Workbook
https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:b6f52f50-f9cb-4549-9e19-cf6c2b6e6f25
About the Guest:
Joanne is a trauma therapist. This is part of the series of episodes about approaches to healing from trauma and brain injuries.
Joanne Williams, LCSW As someone who came from a family with anxiety and narcissism. She became a therapist specializing in anxiety reduction and PTSD recovery. She offers 1-1 sessions to empower individuals and families with tools and strategies, and personally and professionally specializes in how to use your own dog as a Psychiatric Service Dog to reduce anxiety.
Contact:
Website: https://servicedogpro.com/
https://linktr.ee/joannewilliamslcsw#402187459
Resources:
Share your Story with Sandra. Schedule a 10 minute call to share about your head injury, and how it has impacted your life - https://shinewithsandra.com/brainstory
Sandra Live on Facebook for Better Brain Briefs every Thursday at 8:00 a.m. Pacific, ask questions and catch the replay for a limited time: https://www.facebook.com/SandraLeeInspiration/
Download your Free Audio Gift, Imagine What’s Possible, at https://shinewithsandra.com
Brain Health & Healing Private Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/brainhealthhealing
About the Host:
Sandra Lee has spent almost 40 years helping people feel and function better by addressing what standard treatment often misses: unresolved trauma and emotional patterns stored in the body. She is the creator of The Spectrum of Anger™ and The Witnessed Body™, integrating Intuitive Sound Healing and Combat Brain Training to support brain injury recovery, brain health, and dementia. Her work is grounded in the belief that symptoms are messages, not malfunctions.
Website -https://miracleinspirations.com
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-lee-701662250/
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@sandralee1miracleinspirations
Original theme music by Bradford Tilden.
Disclaimer: Everything you hear on this show is for educational and informational purposes only. It's not medical advice, and it doesn't diagnose or treat any condition. Please consult your medical practitioner before making health decisions.
#BrainHealth&Healing #JoanneWilliams #ptsdawareness #servicedogs #anxietysupport #traumarecovery #brainhealth #selftrust #nervoussystemregulation