Joy and pain. Sunshine and rain.

Life can be really, really hard sometimes. Trauma. Betrayal. Gaslighting… fear, pain, abandonment… it can be immobilizing. It’s not surprising that these things can (and often do) lead to depression. I remember being in some pretty dark places after the discovery of my ex’s deviant sexual behaviors – especially in the early days.

One thing that I learned, quickly, that had the possibility to bring me out of those depths of despair, was laughter. Cultivating experiences where we can laugh and/or feel joy is often overlooked and not truly understood. So today, I’ve invited Dr. Jessica Lamar onto the pod to talk about why these things are so important for us.

Welcome to Deconstructing Gaslighting®, the podcast. If this is the first time you’re listening to the pod, welcome! If you are looking for help specifically around gaslighting issues, I encourage you to check out my website, where I have a number of self-paced programs designed to help you find your answers around gaslighting.

My guest today is Dr. Jessica Lamar, Co-Founder and Director of Business Development and Strategy at the Bellevue Trauma Recovery Center (BTRC) in Seattle, WA.

Story Time: Sarah and Jessica geek out about the science behind laughter and smiling, talk about the difference between faking it til you make it and toxic positivity, and share tips on how to nurture laughter and joy.

Top Take-Aways:

1. Start small and safe
2. Be intentional/choose to give yourself opportunities to laugh/find joy
3. Look out for toxic positivity by being aware of "but" vs "and" (you want to be using the "and").

If you'd like to follow Dr. Jessica Lamar and the Bellevue Trauma Recovery Center (BTRC), you can do so on Instagram where you can sign up for the email list, find resources, and learn more about their intensives.

I invite you to follow me on your preferred social media platform. I’m on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.

Thank you, my listener, for listening to today’s episode. If you found it helpful and want to help me get it in the hands of more people who could benefit from it, please leave a review and subscribe. Additionally, if you can think of one person in particular who could benefit, please share it with them.

And remember – you may have crashed and burned; been broken and hurt, but damn it, you’re a phoenix and you’re rising again. I think it’s time we fly.