Speaker

In its most basic definition, the English word trauma comes from the Greek word meaning wound. Dr. Jamie explores trauma and its impact on a variety of human conditions like addiction, other mental health issues, injustice, workplace and systematic toxicity, and social unrest. After exploring the problems caused by unhealed trauma, she transitions into exploring solutions for healing using the framework of the WOUND (Willingness to take a look, Options abound, Unlearn and relearn messages, Needs assessment, and Determine your future path). By engaging in this inquiry and taking action, people are inspired to shift away from patterns that no longer work for them and move towards success as they define it; which is indeed a whole different kind of success!

Spiritual abuse is whenever God (or any other spiritual construct like Enlightenment) is used to wield power and control over others. Spiritual abuse happens in the home, in church/house of worship, in community or institutional settings, or at the level of the state. Bringing in her own experiences of growing up in two high demand Christian religions and surviving an ashram experience, Dr. Jamie helps audiences see that spiritual abuse is a legitimate form of trauma and unpacks how its poison is pervasive at every level of global society. This content is essential for audiences who either want to (a) identify the ways in which spiritual trauma has hurt them personally, or (b) better understand the impact of Christian Fascism/Christian Supremacy as an increasingly state-sponsored form of spiritual abuse. This issue has especially devastated the LGBTQ+ community and talks of this nature can be given with that specialized focus. The talk uses the framework of DETOX (Damage acknowledgment, Evaluate beliefs and patterns, Trust yourself, Open the door to something new, and eXplore authentic experiences) as a guide for charting a healing course.

People often find themselves stuck in cycles of unhealthy or unsatisfying relationships, whether they be romantic, collegial, or professional. In this talk, we are invited to consider how everything we’ve learned about fairy tales in our respective cultures and modes of socialization have scripted us for disappointment or even failure. After engaging in some exploration, we are then challenged to rewrite the traditional fairy tale into a personal narrative that is more authentic and realistic to our lived experiences. The talk uses the framework of DETOX (Damage acknowledgment, Evaluate beliefs and patterns, Trust yourself, Open the door to something new, and eXplore authentic experiences) as a guide for charting a healing course. Ditching what other people want for us and our lives is a powerful strategy for healing the wounds that keep us stuck, especially in our emotional, relational, and spiritual lives.

Because of media misrepresentation and sensationalism, dissociative disorders (especially dissociative identity disorder-DID) are widely misunderstood by members of society and even by the mental health field. Dr. Jamie Marich, one of the few clinical professional leaders who is “out” about her own dissociative disorder gives you an insider’s view to understanding dissociation, separating fact from fiction, and addressing modern controversies like the impact of social media on people self-diagnosing with DID. Dr. Jamie helps audiences understand that having a dissociative disorder does not have to be a crippling life sentence of shame as it relates to one’s mental health. Dissociation is a superpower and more and more people in the “plural” community, as they are coming to call themselves, are seeing it as such. Let Dr. Jamie be your guide as she answers everything you’ve ever wanted to know about dissociation but were afraid to ask.

Dr. Jamie is over twenty years sober from drugs and alcohol, having gotten sober at the age of 23. She is able to speak with any audience focusing on more of the personal aspect of her story and/or weaving in her experience as a clinical professional. Dr. Jamie, widely known for her book Trauma and the 12 Steps, is a master at bridging the gap between traditional approaches to addiction recovery like the 12-steps with more trauma-responsive innovations in recovery. Dr. Jamie has a wide array of experiences speaking at recovery conferences, to people seeking recovery, and to their family and loved ones.

The experiences of bisexual individuals often get left out of larger discussions about LGBTQ+ issues, even though bisexual individuals experience suicidal ideations and mental health struggles at higher degrees of prevalence than their gay or lesbian peers. Dr. Jamie explains the struggles that bisexuals encounter leading to their own unique set of mental health concerns, largely resulting from the phenomenon of having to live with a foot in both worlds—feeling too queer for the heteronormativity of “straight” society, yet often labeled as not “queer” enough by others in the LGBTQ+ community because of issues like passing privilege. Dr. Jamie is always willing to share from her personal and professional experience both on this issue.

In modern times, the word mindfulness has become a buzz word, and Dr. Jamie is well-trained and able to teach about mindfulness, yoga, and other approaches to meditation in a variety of settings. She takes a slightly different twist on it, encouraging people to see all life experiences as a chance to practice meditation and relaying simple practices to begin one’s journey. Dr. Jamie can tailor this presentation to any audience as she helps attendees personalize their intentions for living a more peaceful life. This presentation is also adaptable as a corporate or organizational retreat to promote team building and growth strategies.

Expressive arts therapy uses all available creative forms (e.g., music, dancing, visual arts, drama, writing, film making, etc.) and their combination to help us work through our creative and expressive blocks. Dr. Jamie, a registered expressive arts therapist and teacher, can build experiences for your group ranging from a simple keynote to full retreat experiences that can help people and systems: (a) identify where they are stuck with creativity and expression, (b) experiment with the process over product orientation of expressive arts therapy to work through these blocks. Rich conversations amongst groups typically follow such experiences, and Dr. Jamie is skilled at facilitating connections for individuals and within the systems where they create or work.