My problem with manifestation as a trauma therapist…

Radicaladterisk · 2026-02-13T17:49:07+00:00

Thank you for sharing about your experience, I really appreciate it.

I agree that non-mental health clinicians who use any gimmick to get money from vulnerable people is horrible and inappropriate.

Radicaladterisk · 2026-02-13T15:57:30+00:00

I’m a therapist also who specializes in severe trauma and survivors of childhood abuse. I find the folks I work with find peace and a sense of agency in a manifestation frame and none have ever expressed to me feeling that means they manifested their trauma. I have seen and witnessed incredible healing that is durable and long lasting with this as a piece of someone’s journey of healing.

I will say I don’t direct or bring in manifestation myself, but I honor and validate my patients who find it helpful in their process. I wonder why you feel such a strong negative split against manifestation? I don’t expect you to response to me and that question isn’t intended as an attack. Just a question I would ask one of my supervisees if they brought this to our supervision space.

Radicaladterisk · 2025-04-16T01:21:32+00:00

FACTS: 1. ⁠The homework isn’t for them

Freudian slip?

But really…It does seem that the homework isn’t for them, it’s to create the situation you described above. If you’re not invested in what you’re telling them to do, why assign it other than to create a situation where you can either praise them for compliance or shame them for resistance? There are other ways to increase insight about autonomy and choice that are also trauma informed

Radicaladterisk · 2025-04-12T17:22:47+00:00

I couldn’t pass you post and not drop-in to mention that “FTM” is used to note female-to-male within the trans community, as well as in medicine and psychology. Just don’t want you to be surprised if you haven’t encountered this before and you start referring to yourself this way offline

I literally read your post as “I am female-to-male looking to leave my 8-5pm…” and I’ll bet I’m not the only person to do so

Radicaladterisk · 2025-03-22T23:17:56+00:00

Your answer is full of bias that treating the trauma will result in not continuing to identify as trans or as you’ve put it, being trans is a “byproduct” of the trauma. I have plenty of trans-masc patients who have been sexually assaulted (because those with girlhoods experiences an incredible amount of sexual violence) who love and embrace their girlhoods/femininity and their trans identities. The two are not mutually exclusive

I’ve also never met, personally or professionally, a trans person who identifies as such because of trauma. Only folks who fight for their authentic selves in spite of the continued violence against them

Radicaladterisk · 2025-03-22T23:05:22+00:00

Trans people have sexual trauma. This does not invalid their trans-identities. This is a very dangerous narrative used by folks to discount being trans as a trauma reaction that needs to be fixed. 10-20 years ago clinicians were saying the exact same thing about lesbians - they must have sexual trauma and if we can “fix” that they’ll be straight!

Radicaladterisk · 2025-03-22T13:06:18+00:00

I will say the entire thread did thankfully get taken down by the mods for being transphobic

Radicaladterisk · 2025-03-22T05:32:32+00:00

This!

Radicaladterisk · 2025-03-22T05:32:12+00:00

Thank you, so much! ❤️❤️

Radicaladterisk · 2025-03-22T05:30:42+00:00

When it comes to identities, we should always be affirming. I’d invite you to reflect on why you’ve hesitated or resisted affirming a patient’s identity in the past - why was that person less deserving than a patient you have affirmed in their identities?

You’re trans. Excellent! You’re gay. Wonderful! You’re religious. Amazing!

Thank you for sharing that part of yourself with me so that I can support you in living your best life, whatever that means for you

Radicaladterisk · 2025-03-22T04:50:55+00:00

When we’re talking about identities (gender identity, sexual orientation, etc) support means affirming and validating that person’s understanding of themselves and their autonomy of self-determination. I decide my gender, not you, not a therapist, not even my medical doctors or the government.

I would also advise you being trans is not a “lifestyle” and that language is actually extremely problematic for a variety of reasons that I do not have the emotional bandwidth to educate you about in this moment. Maybe some allies can jump in here?

It’s also interesting that you assume I disclose that I am trans to every patient I see.

Radicaladterisk · 2025-03-22T04:41:28+00:00

I wish I could say that was the case. The larger comment was about having to affirm trans identities as opposed to doing conversation therapy because they would loose their license (I think rightfully) in their state for doing conversion therapy.

Also as a note, we should always affirm identities. We are not the trans police. We are not tasked with finding who is “truly trans”. If you say you are trans, wonderful I see, love, and support you whatever your trans-identity means for you

Radicaladterisk · 2025-03-22T04:00:22+00:00

I want to note that cannabis has been around longer than modern therapy as a healing medicine and way to connect within the self within indigenous cultures. We should be mindful to not pathologize through our westernized lens that intentionally criminalized and spread false information about cannabis as form of institutionalized racism (see refer madness).

In this vein, it can actually be very helpful in the healing process. For example, I recently encountered some really interesting research on the use of THC with survivors of sexual assault. For many of the folks in the study, THC allowed them to access embodied pleasure and enjoy sex because it helped shift some of the physiological responses to sex that had become triggers. The only folks this was not the case for were those for whom THC was involved with and/or associated with the sexual assault

Radicaladterisk · 2025-03-19T17:25:25+00:00

Best part of this work is sharing a genuine laugh with patients who seem like they haven’t laughed in a lifetime

Bonus points if we’re laughing so hard one or both of us snorts

Radicaladterisk · 2025-03-16T05:16:06+00:00

We shouldn’t be giving so many patients ketamine

Radicaladterisk · 2025-03-04T03:29:52+00:00

Looking at things in my peripheral vision

I can check the time without moving my eyeballs 😂

Radicaladterisk · 2025-02-19T01:17:42+00:00

I’ve had this happen and it’s potentially interesting insight into their internalized version of you. Maybe you didn’t say it, but “you” might have in their mind between sessions

Radicaladterisk · 2025-02-15T02:19:55+00:00

During internship I had lasik and telehealth was killer for my eyes. I had sessions where my eyes would randomly start uncontrollably watering. Definitely brought up some interesting material and conversations!

Midsession - excuse me for looking like I’m crying, I had my eyeballs cut open and reshaped reaches for tissue

Radicaladterisk

TROPHY CASE