United States of PTSD
Season One: Mental health concerns are on the rise in the United States. This podcast will look at the influencing factors contributing to the decline of our culture. With the rise of school shootings, political divisiveness, increasing levels of hate, and a chronic war of peoples' rights, we have entered a domestic war that never ends. Our podcast will look at whether this is done by design or is it an abject failure. We will discuss it from a clinical and common-sense perspective. Secondarily we will discuss ways to protect yourself from being further traumatized. Hosted by Matthew Boucher LICSW LCDP (licensed in RI) who has over 20 years of experience working with people who have addictions and trauma with a specialty of pregnant/postpartum women. Co-host Wendy Picard is a Learning and Development consultant with 15 years of experience, lifelong observer of the human condition, and diagnosed with PTSD in 1994. Season Two: Is joined by Donna Gaudette and Julia Kirkpatrick BSW. Julia is currently working on obtaining her MSW and her LCSW. She is a welcome addition to the podcast. Season Three: Cora Lee Kennedy provided research and worked as a temporary co-host. Dr. Erika Lin-Hendel joins as a co-host for season 3.
Episodes
Happy Holidays everyone. See you in 2026 and thank you for all the support.
Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/hartzmann/no-time-to-die
License code: S4CEQWLNQXVZUMU4
Artwork and logo design by Misty Rae.
Special thanks to Joanna Roux for editing help.
Special thanks to the listeners and all the wonderful people who helped listen to and provide fee...
Wendy returns for reunion episode. Per listener request Matt shares some of his own personal trauma and how it impacted his relationships before and after his resolution.
Below is the poem I wrote when I was 33. This is how raw the feelings were back then. Thankfully the pain has been healed.
I am a bastard, thanks to you.
I bet 33 years ago you never imagined,
your polluted seed would create
the man that stand...
Starvation isn’t a metaphor—it’s policy made real. Erika and I sit down on Halloween. A holiday that is ironically about asking for snacks from strangers. We map how a government shutdown can remove the barely sustainable payment rails for SNAP, why many families get far less than a livable food budget, and how the benefits cliff punishes a $1 raise with thousands lost in childcare, healthcare, and food suppor...
We share Lila’s frontline account from Gaza and the mutual aid network she helps lead for children and orphans, weaving her poetry with hard facts about blockade, targeted healthcare, and the human cost of deliberate deprivation. We explain how to get funds and attention to people on the ground and how to build people power where you live.
• bonus context for Lila’s interview and work
• mutual aid logist...
We unpack reactions to the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the messy truths of trauma responses, and why some grief gets megaphones while other suffering stays invisible. Trauma reactions come in many forms. But what is it that makes such a tidal wave of reactions when the targets are high profile white men, but a resounding silence when it is from other groups.
• setting intentions, limits, and non‑violenc...
Amy returns to United States of PTSD to complete her powerful story of surviving clergy sexual abuse and the long, winding path to healing through religious deconstruction.
Following her abuse at age 15, Amy faced institutional gaslighting from the Catholic Church. Officials questioned what she "did to seduce" the priest and sent her parents a deliberately vague letter with double negatives that abs...
Every survivor has a story that deserves to be heard. In this powerful conversation, we're joined by Amy, a social work student and survivor of religious trauma who shares her journey through high-control Catholicism and the devastating abuse she experienced, at the hands of a trusted priest.
Amy takes us through her childhood immersed in religious fear – developing religious OCD as she performed rituals...
Please welcome guest speaker Julie Botom-Richny Chhay. Julie shares her family's experience during the Cambodian genocide, drawing parallels to current genocide in Gaza and how generational trauma continues to impact survivors and their descendants.
• Cambodia's genocide under Pol Pot's regime killed nearly 2 million people between 1975-1979
• The Khmer Rouge specifically targeted educated...
Dog training experts Zak George and Bree join us to explore the dark side of animal training and how the weaponization of the human-animal bond perpetuates systems of oppression. We examine how our treatment of animals reflects deeper societal values about power, control, and our approach to both animal and human behavior.
• Traditional dog training methods often rely on pain and fear, including shock collars...
John Demarjain shares his emotional journey of coming out as a gay Palestinian American, revealing the complex intersection of cultural identity, family values, and personal authenticity in Western and Middle Eastern contexts.
• Western culture emphasizes (by design) individualism and independence, at the cost of community while Middle Eastern culture prioritizes family and religion
• The concept of ...
A foreshadowing of the national impending healthcare collapse as we see the beginnings of it in Rhode Island. As mental health workers face increasing dangers from understaffing, violence, and corporate retaliation against unionization efforts. Matt shares his terrifying classroom experience with possible gunfire, highlighting educators' vulnerability in America's gun violence epidemic, while Erika exposes ...
In this raw, unedited conversation, we process our emotional responses to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran while exploring how intergenerational trauma shapes our understanding of war.
• Processing our emotional reactions to Israel's "preemptive strike" otherwise know as a declaration of war against Iran
• Examining how media messaging manipulates public perception of conflict t...
Matt and Erika explore how people in compassion-based professions navigate feelings of helplessness when confronted with systemic barriers and limitations beyond their control.
• The challenges of working in compassion-based professions (healthcare, teaching, social work, veterinary medicine) within systems that often prioritize profit over people
• America's dysfunctional relationship with grief and...
Immigration rights are under severe threat as communities across America face increasing persecution and detention without due process, with Kim DeLeon sharing her family's journey through the US immigration system and the fears they still face despite her husband's citizenship. We discuss how the immigration process is far more complex, expensive, and uncertain than most people realize, with many families s...
PS: Congress is trying to pass a bill that would prohibit the boycott of the genocidal state of Israel's products. Please contact your rep to tell them to vote against the bill and stop the madness.
H.R.867 - 119th Congress (2025-2026): IGO Anti-Boycott Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress
Field veterinarian Dr. Kathryn Cehrs shares her experience responding to avian influenza outbreaks and the devastat...
Kate, a Ukrainian immigrant living in the US for 25 years, shares her journey navigating American systems while maintaining deep connections to her homeland during Russia's ongoing invasion.
• Describes how Russian cultural dominance and systematic erasure of Ukrainian identity extends back centuries, not just since 2014
• Explains coming to America as a young widow seeking opportunities for her chil...
Pet grief cuts deeper than many realize. When my beloved cat Hermes passed away recently after 16 incredible years together, I found myself grappling with a profound sense of loss that inspired this raw, emotional episode.
The story of Hermes begins in 2009, during a period of personal turmoil when this playful kitten literally ran into my life. Named after the fleet-footed Greek messenger god, Hermes was qui...
Matt and Mike explore cognitive dissonance in political values, examining how party loyalty often overrides moral consistency, particularly regarding responses to global genocides versus performative corporate boycotts.
• Discussion of selective outrage: boycotting companies for one day while ignoring ongoing genocides
• Examination of how political tribalism leads to moral inconsistencies
• Analysis ...
The episode delves into the concepts of cognitive dissonance and selective outrage, exploring how they shape our political identities and conversations. The hosts discuss the implications of a polarized political landscape and emphasize the importance of understanding differing perspectives as a path to unity and constructive change.
• Examining the impact of selective outrage
• Understanding cognitive d...
Chad Kennedy's journey from trauma to transformation sheds light on mental health challenges faced by first responders and veterans. Through his Sea to Sea for PTSD initiative, he shares insights into finding the right therapy, the importance of connection, and the power of community in navigating mental health struggles.
• Chad shares his background and battle with PTSD
• The necessity of trauma-in...
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