How To Deal With Grief and Trauma
You can't go through life without experiencing loss and trauma the question is how do we deal and live with the grief and pain? Join Nathalie Himmelrich, grief expert and author, talking to people who have experienced grief and trauma first-hand. If you want to be inspired by others who traveled through their grief and trauma, found that healing is possible, and came out the other end knowing they can survive and thrive in life after loss. For more info: www.nathaliehimmelrich.com
How To Deal With Grief and Trauma
174 The Many Faces of Trauma | Society-Shaped Trauma (Part 2): Poverty, Insecurity & Social Exclusion
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Chronic scarcity and instability can shape the nervous system in ways that look like anxiety, irritability, shutdown, or “burnout,” even when a person is working incredibly hard to survive. In this episode, we explore poverty, insecurity, and social exclusion as a society-shaped trauma pathway—where the threat is often not a single event, but ongoing conditions with limited control and limited recovery. Using simple polyvagal-informed language, we name common “invisible injuries” of scarcity stress, why shame so often gets layered on top, and what helps realistically—without pretending that regulation solves structural problems. We close with a short grounding practice designed to create a stabilising sense of contact, support, and one manageable next step.
In this episode, you’ll learn
- Why poverty and social exclusion belong in trauma education
- A clear nervous-system definition of scarcity stress (ongoing + low control + low recovery)
- Polyvagal-informed patterns: chronic mobilisation, shutdown, and cycling
- Common signs (non-diagnostic): sleep disruption, rumination, decision fatigue, shame, withdrawal
- What helps realistically: micro-stability anchors, 24-hour planning, buffers and community support, reducing shame exposure
- A grounding practice for stabilising under high load
Grounding practice (2–3 minutes): “3-Point Stabiliser”
- Find 3 points of contact (feet, back, hands)
- Press feet into the floor and release (twice)
- Phrase: “In this moment, I can take one step”
- Name one small next step
Check the website for the free resources offered for both those affected by trauma and those supporting them.
What’s next: Migration & Displacement Trauma: Losing Home, Language, Self
💡 If today’s episode touched you, please share it with someone who might need it.
🤝 Become a supporter of the show! Starting at $3/month & leave a review.
Stay Connected
- 🌐 Visit nathaliehimmelrich.com
- 💌 Subscribe to the newsletter for resources and updates
- 🎧 Never miss an episode—follow the podcast!
- 💛 Socials Instagram Facebook
Find Support Resources
- 💜 For Grievers – Resources
https://nathaliehimmelrich.com/grief-trauma-support/ - 💜 For Supporters – Supporting someone https://nathaliehimmelrich.com/supporters-resources/
- 💜 Books – Explore books on grief and healing https://nathaliehimmelrich.com/books/
- 💜 Support – Offers - free and paid
https://nathaliehimmelrich.com/free-resources-hub/
Podcasts we love
Check out these other fine podcasts recommended by us, not an algorithm.
Grief Is My Side Hustle
meghanrjarvis
Grief Refuge
Reid Peterson | Grief Refuge
Therapy Works
Julia Samuel
Grief Works
Julia Samuel
Open to Hope
Open to Hope
Curating Grief
Charlene Lam
Beziehungskosmos
Sabine Meyer & Felizitas Ambauen