The Body Remembers: Exploring the Invisible Wounds Left by Serious Illness

The Body Remembers: Exploring the Invisible Wounds Left by Serious Illness

June 18, 2026 · 50 min

About this episode

The episode explores the lingering effects of medical crises and the importance of emotional healing for both patients and clinicians.

On this episode, we explore the lingering effects of medical crises, both physical and emotional, and what true healing really means. We hear about one doctor’s journey to reconnecting with her body — and her pain — after nearly dying, what researchers are learning about medical trauma, and how a traumatic brain injury transformed the lives and marriage of a couple. As a physician, Rana Awdish’s goal was to get her patients healthy as quickly as possible. But when she experienced her own medical emergency — one that ended her pregnancy and nearly killed her — her perspective on the role of clinicians shifted. Awdish later wrote a memoir about her experience, “ In Shock ,” that explored the importance of not only healing patients, but connecting with them on an emotional level. But the story didn’t end there. Fellow doctor and podcast host Neda Frayha talks with Awdish about her continuing journey, in the wake of the book’s success, to realizing that she hadn’t fully healed from her medical crisis, and that just as clinicians needed to connect with their patients, she needed to connect with her own body. Awdish’s new book is " After Shock: Learning to Reinhabit My Body After…

People in this episode

Host: Neda Frayha

Guest: Rana Awdish

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: In Shock, After Shock: Learning to Reinhabit My Body After Illness

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