Dr. Hector Rodriguez’s Story • Rewiring the Traumatized Brain

Dr. Hector Rodriguez’s Story • Rewiring the Traumatized Brain

[Content Warning]: Discussion of childhood sexual abuse, grooming Trauma doesn't just leave emotional scars; it rewires the brain. In this episode of Trauma Interrupted, Jan Broberg sits down with Dr. Hector Rodriguez, an integrative psychiatrist, founder of White Butterfly Clinic in Miami, and holder of both a medical degree and a Master of Divinity. Dr. Hector brings a rare combination of neuroscience and soul-level care to a field that too often reduces people to their symptoms.  Together, Jan and Dr. Hector explore how traumatic events, especially those experienced in childhood, alter the nervous system, the immune system, and the brain's visual memory centers. Dr. Hector explains how SPECT brain imaging allows him to actually see trauma patterns in the brain, often uncovering buried wounds that no other test has been able to find. He shares the story of a patient in his late 60s who spent decades unable to sleep, only to discover through EMDR that a single witnessed assault at age four had quietly shaped his entire life. The conversation moves through developmental trauma, the neuroscience of grooming, how freeze responses get mislabeled as weakness, and the delicate work of teaching children resilience without passing on generational fear. Dr. Hector also speaks openly about his own journey as a Cuban immigrant, his theological training, and why he believes the people who have had to rebuild themselves from the ground up are often the ones who change the world.  If you've ever been told to just get over it, dismissed by a doctor who couldn't find anything wrong, or wonder why certain things still affect you after all this time, this episode is for you. Where To Find Dr. Hector Rodriguez: White Butterfly Clinic [https://www.whitebutterflyclinic.com/] If you or someone you know is experiencing emotional distress or suicidal ideation, please access the resources below: National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988 National Sexual Assault Hotline  (RAINN) : 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) National Alliance for Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264   🎧 LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE 🍎 Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jan-broberg-show/id1643071063] 🎵 Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/4AQmMbpuuMXlbty7sFX6HJ?si=e6514982443445e4] ▶️ YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@TraumaInterrupted]   ❣️ JAN BROBERG FOUNDATION 🌐 JanBrobergFoundation.org [https://janbrobergfoundation.org/] 🫂 Survivor Circle [https://traumasurvivorcircle.circle.so/home] (free community) ⏳ T.I.M.E. Program [https://traumasurvivorcircle.circle.so/home] 🔎 SPOT6 [https://janbrobergfoundation.org/our-programs/spot6/] 📖 The Jan Broberg Story [https://www.amazon.com/Jan-Broberg-Story-Abducted-Brainwashed/dp/1957616113/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1678663258&sr=8-1] (book) 🗞️ Newsletter [https://cheerful-musician-4821.ck.page/2bd6211d14]   📲 CONNECT 📷 Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/janibroberg/] 🎶 TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@janbroberg] ✍️ Share Your Story [https://cheerful-musician-4821.ck.page/3922119ad9] 💌 Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2012771/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2012771/support]

Kat Emrick’s Story • Backyard Trafficking and the Girls Nobody Noticed

[Content Warning]: Discussions of child sexual assault/abuse, neglect, child sexual exploitation, discussion of sexual acts, mild language Kat Emrick grew up in a single-parent household in Michigan, moving between her mother's home and her aunt and uncle’s before landing, at around age 12 or 13, largely on her own. She was seeking connection and attention she hadn't found at home, and that vulnerability is exactly what a trafficker exploited. In this episode of Trauma Interrupted, Jan Broberg sits down with Kat for a searingly honest conversation about what backyard trafficking actually looks like, not the high-profile Epstein-level cases that make headlines, but the everyday, neighborhood-level exploitation of kids that nobody wants to believe is happening. Kat shares how she was recruited, what the grooming process felt like from the inside, and what it meant to be a 13-year-old having sex with men in their suburban homes while their family photos looked down from the walls. They also talk about what comes after: four marriages, four children, taking part in advocacy as a birth doula, and the persistent reality that trauma doesn't just end when the exploitation does. Kat is blunt, funny, self-aware, and unsparing, about the systems that failed her, the police who didn't believe her, and the ongoing lack of support available to survivors today. This is a conversation about what we miss when we dismiss the "troubled teenager" in our neighborhood. And it's a conversation about what it takes to use your voice anyway. Where To Find Kat: Insta: @emotionalsupportbae [https://www.instagram.com/emotionalsupportbae/] Mentioned Resources: S.A.S.S. [https://sexassaultsurvivorstories.libsyn.com/] (Sexual Assault Survivor Stories) If you or someone you know is experiencing emotional distress or suicidal ideation, please access the resources below: National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988 National Sexual Assault Hotline  (RAINN) : 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) National Alliance for Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264   🎧 LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE 🍎 Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jan-broberg-show/id1643071063] 🎵 Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/4AQmMbpuuMXlbty7sFX6HJ?si=e6514982443445e4] ▶️ YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@TraumaInterrupted]   ❣️ JAN BROBERG FOUNDATION 🌐 JanBrobergFoundation.org [https://janbrobergfoundation.org/] 🫂 Survivor Circle [https://traumasurvivorcircle.circle.so/home] (free community) ⏳ T.I.M.E. Program [https://traumasurvivorcircle.circle.so/home] 🔎 SPOT6 [https://janbrobergfoundation.org/our-programs/spot6/] 📖 The Jan Broberg Story [https://www.amazon.com/Jan-Broberg-Story-Abducted-Brainwashed/dp/1957616113/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1678663258&sr=8-1] (book) 🗞️ Newsletter [https://cheerful-musician-4821.ck.page/2bd6211d14]   📲 CONNECT 📷 Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/janibroberg/] 🎶 TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@janbroberg] ✍️ Share Your Story [https://cheerful-musician-4821.ck.page/3922119ad9] 💌 Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2012771/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2012771/support]

Roanna White’s Story • A Teacher’s Journey Through Trauma, Loneliness, and Healing

[Content Warning]: Discussion of child sexual abuse, suicidal ideation, intrusive thoughts of self-harm, and youth suicide. What happens when the body holds a secret the mind hasn't found yet? In this episode of Trauma Interrupted, Jan Broberg sits down with Roanna (Ro) White, Australian educator, advocate, and entrepreneur, whose healing journey began not with a memory, but with a physical sensation she couldn't ignore. Ro spent years managing high-functioning depression, gut health issues, and a nervous system that never seemed to rest. It wasn't until she entered somatic therapy that the body began to tell its story: a childhood sexual abuse experience she had no conscious memory of, buried since she was around four years old. From the first crack of awareness, Ro walked a long road, through CBT, antidepressants, insomnia, intrusive thoughts, and eventually toward something that looked a lot like freedom. In this conversation, Jan and Ro explore what it means to heal when you don't know what you're healing from, why so many women in their 40s are only just beginning to process childhood trauma, and how community, service, and radical honesty became Ro's most powerful medicines. Ro also shares the inspiration behind her upcoming book, The Quiet Crisis, and her "hire a friend" connection platform Ynkyer, both born from her own experience of feeling profoundly alone while surrounded by people. If you've ever thought something is off but couldn't name it, this episode is for you. Where To Find Ro: Insta: @One.Ro.Many.Roads   Youtube: @oneromanyroads [https://www.youtube.com/@OneRoManyRoads] Keep Your Eyes Out For What’s Coming Up For Ro: Upcoming Book: The Quiet Crisis: Understanding and Healing Loneliness in the Modern World (Find It On Amazon Upon Release) Ynkyer (Still in development phase in Australia) Mentioned Resources: Workaway [https://www.workaway.info/] If you or someone you know is experiencing emotional distress or suicidal ideation, please access the resources below: National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988 National Sexual Assault Hotline  (RAINN) : 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) National Alliance for Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264   🎧 LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE 🍎 Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jan-broberg-show/id1643071063] 🎵 Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/4AQmMbpuuMXlbty7sFX6HJ?si=e6514982443445e4] ▶️ YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@TraumaInterrupted]   ❣️ JAN BROBERG FOUNDATION 🌐 JanBrobergFoundation.org [https://janbrobergfoundation.org/] 🫂 Survivor Circle [https://traumasurvivorcircle.circle.so/home] (free community) ⏳ T.I.M.E. Program [https://traumasurvivorcircle.circle.so/home] 🔎 SPOT6 [https://janbrobergfoundation.org/our-programs/spot6/] 📖 The Jan Broberg Story [https://www.amazon.com/Jan-Broberg-Story-Abducted-Brainwashed/dp/1957616113/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1678663258&sr=8-1] (book) 🗞️ Newsletter [https://cheerful-musician-4821.ck.page/2bd6211d14]   📲 CONNECT 📷 Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/janibroberg/] 🎶 TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@janbroberg] ✍️ Share Your Story [https://cheerful-musician-4821.ck.page/3922119ad9] 💌 Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2012771/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2012771/support]

Sonny Von Cleveland’s Story • Our Voice Is Our Healing Mechanism

[Content Warning]: Discussion of childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault in a carceral setting, and graphic statistics related to child sexual abuse material and human trafficking. What if the very thing you've been hiding is the thing that could set you free? Sonny Von Cleveland is an author, speaker, and survivor who spent most of his childhood enduring sexual abuse by multiple perpetrators, beginning before he could form reliable memories of it. At 16, facing the compounded wreckage of an unprotected childhood, he entered the prison system and spent 18 years inside. Today he has recently been appointed as Director of Public Engagement and Content with Our Rescue and works alongside Operation Light Shine to fight child sexual exploitation and trafficking at the source. In this conversation with Jan Broberg, Sonny introduces a framework he calls comparative trauma syndrome, the damaging habit of ranking our pain against someone else's, and based on that, deciding we're not worthy of healing. He and Jan explore why speaking about trauma isn't re-traumatizing but strengthening, why voice is the one healing tool no one can take from you, and what it actually means to interrupt your own trauma cycle. They also go deep on Operation Light Shine's intercept task forces, the staggering gap in government funding for child exploitation prevention, and what every parent and every social media user can do right now to protect children. Where To Find Sonny: Buy Sonny’s book: Hey White Boy: Conversations of Redemption [https://a.co/d/05xYh93O] Conversations of Redemption [https://www.youtube.com/@sonnyvonclevelandofficial] on Youtube Our Rescue [https://ourrescue.org/] Mentioned Resources: Man’s Search for Meaning [https://a.co/d/04D5uJIv] by Victor Frankl Operation Light Shine [https://operationlightshine.org/] Hunting Warhead [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hunting-the-suicide-salesman/id1480270157] If you or someone you know is experiencing emotional distress or suicidal ideation, please access the resources below: National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988 National Sexual Assault Hotline  (RAINN) : 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) National Alliance for Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264   🎧 LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE 🍎 Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jan-broberg-show/id1643071063] 🎵 Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/4AQmMbpuuMXlbty7sFX6HJ?si=e6514982443445e4] ▶️ YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@TraumaInterrupted]   ❣️ JAN BROBERG FOUNDATION 🌐 JanBrobergFoundation.org [https://janbrobergfoundation.org/] 🫂 Survivor Circle [https://traumasurvivorcircle.circle.so/home] (free community) ⏳ T.I.M.E. Program [https://traumasurvivorcircle.circle.so/home] 🔎 SPOT6 [https://janbrobergfoundation.org/our-programs/spot6/] 📖 The Jan Broberg Story [https://www.amazon.com/Jan-Broberg-Story-Abducted-Brainwashed/dp/1957616113/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1678663258&sr=8-1] (book) 🗞️ Newsletter [https://cheerful-musician-4821.ck.page/2bd6211d14]   📲 CONNECT 📷 Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/janibroberg/] 🎶 TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@janbroberg] ✍️ Share Your Story [https://cheerful-musician-4821.ck.page/3922119ad9]  💌 Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2012771/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2012771/support]

Dr. David E. Clarke’s Story • When Your Body Won't Let You Forget

[Content Warning]: Discussions of childhood sexual abuse, physical and emotional abuse, parental betrayal, chronic trauma-related physical illness, and medical dismissal. When doctors can't find anything wrong, it doesn't mean nothing is wrong; it may mean they're looking in the wrong place. In this episode, Jan sits down with Dr. David Clarke, a gastroenterologist-turned-pioneer in neuroplastic medicine, to explore the real, physical ways that trauma lives in the body long after the abuse has stopped. From a patient with one bowel movement a month to a man with 55 years of unexplained stomach pain, Dr. Clarke's stories aren't just remarkable — they're a roadmap for anyone who has ever been dismissed, misdiagnosed, or told to just get over it. This conversation is for every survivor who has wondered why their body still hurts.  Dr. David Clarke is a board-certified gastroenterologist and president of the Association for the Treatment of Neuroplastic Symptoms (ATNS), a volunteer-led nonprofit he founded to bring science-backed treatment to the millions of people whose physical symptoms are rooted in stress, trauma, and adverse childhood experiences. His book They Can't Find Anything Wrong is used as a medical school textbook in Slovenia and can be found in libraries across multiple continents.  Where To Find Dr. David Clarke: They Can’t Find Anything Wrong [https://a.co/d/0a8wcScs] by Dr David Clarke Be Sure To Visit: Symptomatic.me [https://www.symptomatic.me/] Dr. David Clarke’s Podcast: The Story Behind The Symptoms [https://www.symptomatic.me/thestorybehindthesymptoms] If you or someone you know is experiencing emotional distress or suicidal ideation, please access the resources below: National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call/Text 988 National Sexual Assault Hotline  (RAINN) : 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) National Alliance for Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264   🎧 LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE 🍎 Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jan-broberg-show/id1643071063] 🎵 Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/4AQmMbpuuMXlbty7sFX6HJ?si=e6514982443445e4] ▶️ YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@TraumaInterrupted]   ❣️ JAN BROBERG FOUNDATION 🌐 JanBrobergFoundation.org [https://janbrobergfoundation.org/] 🫂 Survivor Circle [https://traumasurvivorcircle.circle.so/home] (free community) ⏳ T.I.M.E. Program [https://traumasurvivorcircle.circle.so/home] 🔎 SPOT6 [https://janbrobergfoundation.org/our-programs/spot6/] 📖 The Jan Broberg Story [https://www.amazon.com/Jan-Broberg-Story-Abducted-Brainwashed/dp/1957616113/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1678663258&sr=8-1] (book) 🗞️ Newsletter [https://cheerful-musician-4821.ck.page/2bd6211d14]   📲 CONNECT 📷 Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/janibroberg/] 🎶 TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@janbroberg] ✍️ Share Your Story [https://cheerful-musician-4821.ck.page/3922119ad9]  💌 Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2012771/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2012771/support]