Filmmaker Gia Galligani joins Dr. Lipov to share how a friend’s treatment for PTSI became a documentary—and why changing one word could change how the world sees trauma

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In this episode of Brain Hope Reality, Dr. Eugene Lipov welcomes filmmaker Gia Galligani, whose latest documentary project was sparked by witnessing close friends undergo treatment for PTSD at the Stella Center. Their journey—both emotional and medical—serves as a powerful lens into the broader campaign to redefine PTSD as PTSI: Post-Traumatic Stress Injury. Galligani discusses what led her to tell this story, how the treatment visibly changed her friends within days, and why storytelling can be as life-saving as science.

The conversation ranges from the stigma of the word “disorder” to the measurable biology of trauma, including how mental health impacts aging, cardiovascular health, and immune function. Galligani reflects on the experience not only as a filmmaker but as a witness to healing—and becomes a voice for families and caregivers, who are too often left out of the trauma conversation. Dr. Lipov outlines the scientific and grassroots effort to push the American Psychiatric Association to change the DSM’s terminology and calls on listeners to join the letter-writing campaign via itsptsi.com. Together, the episode offers a compelling blend of clinical insight, lived experience, and a call to action: trauma is treatable, and words matter.