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Holding Space with Dr. Barker
Holding Space with Dr. Christopher Barker is a psychology podcast focused on how unresolved complex trauma shapes daily life — from childhood through adulthood.
Complex trauma isn’t only about major events. It develops through chronic stress, attachment wounds, emotional neglect, and relational instability. Over time, these survival adaptations can show up as ADHD-like symptoms in children, emotional dysregulation, workplace conflict, burnout, leadership struggles, relationship challenges, and intergenerational family patterns.
Through the lens of EMDR therapy, attachment theory, neuroscience, and trauma-informed care, Dr. Barker explains how the nervous system learns to survive — and how healing becomes possible.
Each episode offers research-based insight and practical tools for regulating triggers, improving relationships, and moving from survival mode to intentional living.
Understanding your story is the beginning. Healing transforms how you live it.
Welcome to Holding Space.
https://substack.com/@christopherbarkerphd
Holding Space with Dr. Barker
Navigating Complex Trauma: Understanding Dissociation, PTSD, and the Journey to Healing
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In this episode of Holding Space, Dr. Barker explores the multifaceted nature of trauma, with a focus on complex trauma that often begins in childhood. He explains how repeated exposure to traumatic experiences—such as abuse, neglect, domestic violence, and other interpersonal stressors—can lead to long-term psychological effects, including severe PTSD, dissociation, and symptoms like derealization and depersonalization. Dr. Barker discusses how these experiences can leave individuals feeling disconnected from their bodies and emotions, often manifesting in a range of responses like fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. He also touches on how these trauma responses can affect brain development, interpersonal relationships, and even contribute to generational patterns of trauma. Throughout the episode, listeners are encouraged to practice self-care and seek professional help when needed, as Dr. Barker emphasizes the importance of understanding and honoring one’s experiences in the path toward healing.
Holding Space For You