EP.079 | Unlearning What Keeps You Stuck | Learned Distress with Sara Avery

EP.079 | Unlearning What Keeps You Stuck | Learned Distress with Sara Avery

From Hello Trauma Brain by Raysa Michelle

April 9, 2026 · 1h 13m · Season 3 · Episode 79

About this episode

In this episode, Sara Avery discusses the challenges of healing from complex trauma and introduces the concept of Learned Distress.

Welcome to Hello Trauma Brain, a podcast where I share my personal journey of living with Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD), and the tools and practices I'm using to heal, recover, and grow. 🎙️ In this episode, Sara Avery, executive director of the Learned Distress Removal Process, joins me to discuss why healing from complex trauma can feel so difficult, even when we're doing all the "right" things. Sara Avery shares her 25-year journey helping people heal from complex trauma through the Learned Distress Removal Process Sara explains what Learned Distress is, how it gets created during childhood, and why many survivors keep ending up in the same kinds of relationships and situations. We explore the six Learned Distress types (Idealist, Perfectionist, Caregiver, Optimist, Defeatist, and Dictator) and what core well-being looks like when it's uncovered for each type. Sara shares the story behind the development of the Learned Distress Removal Process and her collaboration with founder Mimi Herrmann. Our conversation touches on the connection between emotional and physical health, the role of sleep in healing, how to begin accessing your core well-being, and so much…

People in this episode

Host: Raysa Michelle

Guest: Sara Avery

Topics covered

  • C-PTSD
  • healing
  • Learned Distress
  • complex trauma
  • emotional health
  • core well-being

Keywords

  • C-PTSD
  • Learned Distress
  • healing
  • complex trauma
  • emotional health
  • core well-being
  • relationships
  • self-improvement

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Learned Distress Removal Process

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