Join this episode of The Miracle You as Vince Kramer of Imagine Miracles and his special guest Peg Shippert while they reveal the steps needed to overcome or help someone overcome sexual trauma. Peg shares ways to help you on this journey.
Peg is a licensed professional counselor, a speaker, a victim advocate, and an educator who specializes in helping survivors of sexual violence and their loved ones heal.
She has a private psychotherapy practice in Boulder, CO, where she often works with her professional therapy dog, Nova.
Peg is passionate about making the world a safer place for survivors of sexual violence. Her TEDx talk, “Changing the Culture of Rape Secrecy That Empowers Perpetrators,” describes simple ways we can all support people with sexual trauma, and help stop sexual violence.
Episode Resources:
Website: pegshippert.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PegShippertCounseling/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PegShippert
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pegshippert/
TEDx: https://www.ted.com/talks/peg_shippert
Three Key Points:
We experience many things in our lives, and some negative events make us feel powerless and without a sense of control. So many people who experience trauma in their lives have a tendency to allow that trauma to take control of our lives. We must move beyond the guilt, the blame and shame of trauma to become the person we’re meant to be.
The need to feel connected is so often confused with the need for sex. Perceptions on love and relationships often get distorted from the true meaning of what it’s like to be connected with others.
Most communities have some form of a Rape Crisis Hotline. You can find them by contacting RAINN.ORG which knows about all the different hotlines across the country. They also have 24/7 online chat with confidential conversations with agents who are trained to handle those situations.
Show Notes:
00:43 – Vince Kramer shares how it can feel like some people take away our power when trauma takes over.
3:00 – Working with survivors of sexual trauma for more than a decade, Peg Shippert started by helping survivors heal. Then she moved into the space of prevention of sexual trauma. Teaching young women sexual knowledge and the power of consent, Peg is helping to end sexual assault.
4:28 – With a preconceived notion that males have more important and vital roles in career, Peg started off in a career that wasn’t considered “woman’s work.” Through a slow journey of self-realization of what’s important for her, she adapted her universe to reflect her true nature.
9:30 – Peg used to regret her career path choices, but now she looks at it from the point of view that she had to go through that to get to where she is now. She had to prove she could make it in a man’s world, but then she had to reevaluate if that’s what she really wants.
11:24 – As a geologist, Peg found many valuable lessons in her career. Looking at the world through that lens, she was able to find insight into people who are living very different lives than what she’s been living.
13:55 – EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. Peg shares the theory that EMDR puts the patient into a state of REM sleep and by doing so we can expand the brain to help process information in our subconscious.
16:20 – Nova is a super sweet therapy dog that Peg uses in her therapy. Simply the physical contact of petting the animal can be super soothing, especially when discussing huge traumas. Nova also has experienced trauma, and her stories are told to her clients with similar experiences.
19:00 – A number of Peg’s clients have sought to become therapists themselves, or victim advocates. Some have even gone so far to publicly tell their stories to share that people aren’t alone and that recovery is possible.
22:49 – Sharing a story of someone she talks about in her TEDx Talk, Peg shares how it’s harder to not seek help and how situations get worse – even dramatically worse.
26:22 – Our culture has a lot of messages out there to keep it secret. Keeping it a secret makes it worse. Visit learntohelpsurvivors.com for more information on the best ways to approach the problem.
Imagine Miracles Resources:
- Your Unique Purpose Formula: Vince’s Five-Step Process to Discover Your Purpose and Your Miracle Life.
- C.R.E.A.T.E Model: Vince’s Six Steps to Creating and Living the Life that You Desire.
- Free Chapter: From Vince’s Best-selling Book Sharing the Four Things You Don’t Know Keeping You From Living a Miracle Life.