Trauma, Triggers, and PTSD with Natalie Gutierrez

In this week’s episode of Off the Cuff with Danny LoPriore, my guest is licensed psychotherapist Natalie Gutierrez. Join me as I sit down with Natalie to talk about the different types of PTSD, the art of meaning confrontation, how she works with trauma victims of all ethnic backgrounds, and how she came up with the idea and title for her new book, ‘The Pain We Carry: Healing from Complex PTSD for People of Color’.

 

“It's not that we are the pain. We are carrying pain, but we are not the trauma that has happened to us. We carry it.” Natalie – (35:15)

During my conversation with Natalie, we talk about some very heavy topics on which she reflects with immense detail and maturity. On one occasion Natalie reflects on internalized racism and how it pours into institutional racism that we see around us such as in schools.

 

“I understand internalized racism to be the messages that we internalize about ourselves regarding race. So, I think it starts first with the messages that we hear systemically. The laws or the laws systems that just kind of create the ideology of race, the construct of race also for oppression, ideological oppression that then pours into institutional racism.” – Natalie (22:44)

 

In this episode, I also reflected on how trauma can be both a good and bad thing based on my life experience in the psych ward in which Natalie informs the need to grow around the trauma rather than glorify it.

 

“We don't want to glorify trauma and we can also grow around it. And to varying degrees for some people, it creates the, I don't want to say resilience because I know that word is tiring and old depending on what we do with it, it can inform how we grow from it.” Natalie – (52:46)

 

In This Episode:

(01:24) – Welcoming Natalie to Off the Cuff and discussing family origins.

(03:25) – On what made her choose to help people with trauma and PTSD. 

(07:54) – On friends and parents asking her to psychoanalyze them.

(10:54) – Reflecting on how more therapists today have gone through their own trauma in the past.

(16:07) – Talking about therapy as more homework than being in the office.

(19:18) – Taking accountability for your own actions.

(22:44) – Talking about internalized racism and institutional racism.

(26:46) – Elaborating on where generational trauma comes from.

(33:22) – How Natalie came up with the title of her book.

(36:22) – Natalie talks about the different forms of PTSD.

(39:10) – Talking about complex trauma and emotional triggers.

(42:16) – Explaining the art of confrontation.

(44:17) – How social media affects how people think about themselves.

(46:02) – Natalie answers whether she is happy so far today and asks Danny the same.

(51:18) – Danny reflects on going to the psych ward and not the insane asylum.

 

Our Guest

Natalie Gutierrez is a licensed psychotherapist with a specialty in Trauma. She works with people who have suffered complex trauma, relational trauma, and sexual trauma. She is trained in EMDR and uses Internal Family System and an eclectic approach to healing. 

 

Resources & Links

Off The Cuff

https://www.offthecuff.fm/

https://www.youtube.com/c/OffTheCuffwithDannyLoPriore

https://www.instagram.com/1and1otc/

https://www.instagram.com/dannylopriore/

 

Natalie Gutierrez

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliegutierrezlmft/

https://www.instagram.com/nataliegutierrezlmft/

https://traumacounselingnyc.com/

 

The Pain We Carry by Natalie Gutierrez

https://www.amazon.com/Pain-We-Carry-Healing-Handbook/dp/1684039312