23. Trauma & Mental Health with Marsha Morgan

Marsha Morgan – Resilience Builders Marsha Morgan has a passion for providing care for people who have experienced trauma, live with a mental illness, or struggle with substance use disorders. When she retired after a long, successful career as a mental health professional, she turned her passion and compassion into a consulting firm, Resilience Builders. Here’s what she says on her website. “In 2009, after working in the mental health and substance use field for more than thirty-five years, I was presented with information about trauma and our therapeutic responses to trauma. This caused me to passionately pursue everything I could about the impact of trauma, trauma-informed personal practices, what organizations needed to do to create trauma-informed policies, and the meaning of resilience.” Marsha’s website – Resilience Builders Trauma-Informed Care and Mental Illness In this episode, Marsha shares great information about trauma and how it may be connected to mental illness. She emphasizes that brain development could be a key to understanding how to treat individuals. Marsha suggested two important activities that could bring a greater understanding of what is going on in a person’s life. Sleep study – Healthy sleep is crucial to be well in mind and body Brain scan – Brain scans can now reveal healthy and unhealthy portions of the brain that can help target treatment trauma or mental illness Tips for Reducing Stress or Symptoms of Trauma or Mental Health Challenges Near the end of the episode, Marsha shares these 5 tips to bring a sense of release from stress, exaggerated emotions, and symptoms related to mental illness. Journal – get your thoughts out of your head Talk to someone – share what’s going on in your life with someone you trust Take a walk – physical activity is proven to help improve mental health Meditate or pray – find a sense of peace and calmness Have a good cry – healthy expressions of emotions are an important part of good mental health Questions? Please send your questions, comments, and suggestions to Caroline at [e-mail]. Crisis Lines Nationwide (USA) Suicide Prevention and Crisis Lifeline: Call Or Text:  988 SAMHSA’s National Helpline: (800)-662-HELP [4357] National Child Abuse Hotline: [phone] National Child Trafficking Hotline: [phone] National Domestic Violence Hotline: [phone] National Veterans Crisis Line: 800-273-8255 or Text to 838255 National LGBT Help Line: 888-843-4564 CONNECT WITH CAROLINE Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn