402: Trauma with Dr. Melissa Hankins - Part II

Doctor Me First with Errin Weisman DO

We’re back for round two with Dr. Melissa Hankins this week! We spent last week’s episode talking about the trauma that we face as physicians and how it develops for many of us in residency at the hand of our attending physicians.

This week, Dr. Hankins is cluing us into a trauma processing model called EFT tapping (Emotional Freedom Techniques). EFT Tapping is a unique way to bring you back into the present moment in your body and diffuse the stress response while you process traumatic events, past or present. It has even been shown to decrease cortisol levels associated with stressful events or memories.

As physicians, many of us have experienced traumatic events in our childhood that allowed us to develop the traits that make us so effective as physicians. Many of us are people-pleasers, perfectionists, workaholics, ETC. Oftentimes, the development of these habits stem from an untreated trauma that occurred early in our lives.

Self-compassion and self-forgiveness are key to processing daily trauma and correcting bad habits or behaviors that were formed as a trauma response. Finding a self-care outlet to discharge the trauma that you experience in the moment can limit its ability to resurface in unexpected ways. Taking the time to make sure that you’re handling your trauma as it arises can save a world of hurt for your future self and those who surround you.

Tune in to this week’s episode to get more details on how the trauma we faced as children can present in our adult lives and some effective treatments that we can use to face those events without triggering a trauma response.

“Trauma is not the thing that happened to you, it's how you are reacting to the thing that happened to you.” Dr. Melissa Hankins

In this episode:

[00:26] Welcome back to the show with Dr. Melissa Hankins!

[00:55] The role that early life trauma plays in being a physician.

[01:51] The difference between “big T” trauma and “little t” trauma.

[04:34] Understanding your behaviors and the actions that formed your habits.

[05:37] Strategies to minimize the ongoing trauma you experience daily.

[10:58] What is EFT Tapping and how can it release repressed trauma?

[14:28] Dr. Melissa’s new book for female physician burnout.

[16:06] Bringing awareness of trauma to the coaching space.

Links and Resources

Thriving After Burnout: A Compilation of Real Stories and Strategies to Reduce Female Physician Burnout by Sharon T. McLaughlin and Female Physicians Entrepreneur Group

Connect with Dr. Melissa Hankins:

Institute of Coaching

LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

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1. Buy my Kindle Book,Doctor Me First, on Amazon
2. Come sit with me in the Badass Collective Slack Group.