United States
of Trauma
The suffering in the U.S. today traces back to the unhealed wounds of its founding. UNITED STATES OF TRAUMA is a podcast which asks: can we heal a nation?
Currently seeking collaborators and guests. Launching 2025.
TELL ME MORE.
UNITED STATES OF TRAUMA views the United States as a biological ecosystem and posits that just as an individual can experience Trauma, so too can a country.
It is well documented that symptoms of Trauma in an individual can be addiction, personality disorders, depression, anxiety, and the bullying of others. Perhaps the symptoms we see in this country: excessive rates of child abuse, incest, gun violence, ecocide, and militarization overseas are also symptoms of the same core ailment on a national scale.
Over the past decade we have learned a vast amount about Trauma: when, how, and why it manifests and what its impact is both physically and psychologically on the individual.
The United States of America is a country born of rape. Without proper acknowledgement and healing of the traumatic events that are the foundation of this country, the U.S. will continue to inflict pain and suffering on itself and others.
But there is hope. The past two decades – and increasingly so – doctors, researchers, and healers are coalescing indigenous knowledge, novel therapies, and neuroscience with success. Profound and beautiful testimonials of treatment abound: individuals who lived with PTSD for decades are now free of flashbacks, survivors of abuse are now able to develop healthy relationships, and car accident survivors are able to sing along to the radio as they drive – for the first time in years.
Perhaps, we can borrow what is successfully healing individuals’ TRAUMA and apply it to the country.
UNITED STATES OF TRAUMA brings together experts in environmentalism, biomimicry, indigenous sovereignty, land rematriation, and Trauma theory from neuroscience and psychology.
We come together with the goal of answering the question: “can we heal a nation?” And maybe even ‘how?”.
EXAMPLE EPISODES 🎙
Body of Evidence
Some individuals who were enslaved in the U.S. were subjected to medical experiments without consent–or anesthesia. Some cells taken from these people are even still used today—without compensation. This episode reveals the painful history of exploitation within American medicine and explores what it will take to build a system based on trust and dignity.
Class Warfare
America’s school system was built on control—from Native boarding schools to racial segregation. Today, these foundations manifest in the school-to-prison pipeline, drastic inequities, and even the epidemic of school shootings. This episode examines how the trauma embedded in education still shapes our classrooms and explores how we can transform schools into sources of healing.
Oh my God
Puritanical values and forced conversions left a lasting mark on America, impacting reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ inclusion, and racial divides in religious spaces. This episode explores the deep-seated trauma of organized religion and its lasting influence on American society, asking what it would take to finally heal these “holy wounds.”
Trigger Warning
From muskets to AR-15s, America’s relationship with guns is as old as the nation itself. Firearms were essential to colonization and territorial expansion, but they also laid the groundwork for today’s gun violence epidemic. This episode traces America’s “loaded history” with guns and explores what it says about our collective trauma.
Labor Pains
From 13th Amendment-sanctioned prison labor to modern-day exploitation on farms, America’s economy has long relied on forced or underpaid labor. Today, incarcerated individuals and undocumented farmworkers still work in harsh conditions for little pay. This episode exposes the disturbing reality of labor abuse and explores what it would take to build an economy rooted in dignity.
Shaman Becky
Indigenous cultures practiced plant medicine as sacred healing, but today, “shamanic” retreats and psychedelic therapies are booming in wellness trends. From ayahuasca retreats to corporate-led mental health “cures,” this episode unpacks the cultural appropriation embedded in the wellness industry and the harm it inflicts on the wisdom of Indigenous healers.
NOMINATE A GUEST OR LET US KNOW IF YOU WANT TO HELP OUT.
We are currently looking for:
Guests for each episode – please nominate a potential interviewee (or yourself) by completing the form
Volunteer Graphic Design – If you are interested in creating the brand identity for UNITED STATES OF TRAUMA
Volunteers – I’d love to chat with anyone who is interested in supporting with: design, PR, video production, podcast production, etc.