There is something incredibly healing about being truly heard.
Not interrupted.
Not analysed.
Not rushed towards a solution.
Just heard.
In Episode 22 of Riding the Trauma Train, Lydia sits down with Dee Jodel for a deeply honest and grounding conversation about trauma, inner child healing, women’s circles, cacao ceremonies, emotional safety and reconnecting with yourself.
This episode feels soft in the best possible way. It is the kind of conversation that gently reminds you that healing does not always need to be loud or dramatic. Sometimes it begins in stillness. Sometimes it begins with somebody finally holding space for you without judgement.
Trauma Is Not Always What We Think It Is
One of the most powerful moments in this conversation comes when Dee shares how she first recognised that she had experienced trauma.
For years, she believed trauma only applied to people who had experienced extreme abuse, violence or war. Like many people, she dismissed her own experiences because they did not fit the version of trauma she had in her head.
But during a hypnotherapy session, Dee was taken back to a childhood memory of being in hospital at four years old.
At the time, parents were not allowed to stay with their children in hospital. Although Dee knew she was loved, her nervous system still experienced that separation as abandonment.
That moment became one of the first breadcrumbs in her healing journey.
It is such an important reminder that trauma is deeply personal. It is not always about the event itself. Often, it is about how safe or unsafe we felt in that moment and what beliefs we carried away from it afterwards.
The Power of Being Fully Heard
Throughout the episode, Lydia and Dee talk about the importance of emotional safety and being witnessed without needing to perform, explain or fix yourself.
For many trauma survivors, one of the deepest wounds is not just what happened, but what happened afterwards.
Not being listened to.
Not being believed.
Being told to move on.
Being made to feel “too emotional”.
Dee explains how women’s circles and cacao ceremonies create intentional spaces where people can simply be present with whatever they are carrying.
No fixing.
No judgement.
No pressure.
Just space to be heard.
And honestly, that feels incredibly powerful in a world that constantly pushes people to suppress, rush or disconnect from themselves.
Cacao Ceremonies and Intentional Healing
The conversation also explores the deeper meaning behind ceremonial cacao.
As Dee explains, cacao is not just about drinking chocolate. It is about intention, grounding and creating sacred moments of connection.
Unlike the rushed pace many of us live in, cacao ceremonies encourage people to slow down and reconnect with themselves more consciously.
Through meditation, reflection, music, sharing and stillness, these ceremonies can support:
- emotional healing
- nervous system regulation
- mindfulness
- self-connection
- grounding
- heart-opening experiences
Lydia and Dee also talk about how healing often comes through small, gentle practices rather than dramatic transformations.
Sometimes it is a walk in nature.
Sometimes it is music.
Sometimes it is finally allowing yourself to feel something you have spent years trying to avoid.
Nature, Creativity and Emotional Expression
Another beautiful thread running through this episode is creativity.
Dee shares how her song Show Me came through while walking in nature during a time when she felt lost and disconnected from her path.
That moment sparked a conversation about how creativity can become a form of healing and emotional expression, especially for people who struggle to put their feelings into words.
Lydia also reflects on how being outside, slowing down and reconnecting with herself often inspires poetry, reflection and emotional release.
Nature gives us space to hear ourselves again.
And maybe that is something many of us are craving more than ever.
Breaking Generational Patterns
Towards the end of the episode, the conversation moves into parenting, emotional awareness and generational trauma.
Lydia speaks honestly about wanting to raise her daughters differently by encouraging emotional expression instead of suppression.
Rather than teaching children to bottle everything up, there is a conscious effort to create space for emotions to exist safely.
Anger.
Fear.
Sadness.
Overwhelm.
Not as something shameful, but as part of being human.
It is such an important conversation because emotional intelligence is something many of us were never taught growing up.
Instead, we learned to:
- stay quiet
- get on with it
- stop crying
- push through
But healing often begins when we finally give ourselves permission to feel what is actually there.
Healing Does Not Have To Look Perfect
One of the biggest takeaways from this episode is that healing is not linear and it does not need to look perfect.
There is no finish line.
No perfect version of “healed”.
Just moments of awareness.
Moments of connection.
Moments where we slowly come back to ourselves.
Whether it is through women’s circles, creativity, nature, meditation, cacao ceremonies or simply learning how to sit with your emotions more compassionately, this conversation offers such a gentle reminder that you are allowed to heal in your own way and at your own pace.
And sometimes, the most healing thing of all is finally feeling heard.