In recent years, a surge of work—from best-selling books like The Body Keeps the Score to documentaries, podcasts, and professional trainings— have shaped how the public and mental health profession think about trauma and the body. But what if the science isn’t as settled as we think?
In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Michael Scheeringa, a leading child and adolescent trauma psychiatrist, researcher, and author of The Body Does Not Keep The Score & The Trouble with Trauma. Dr. Scheeringa challenges popular narratives around “toxic stress,” trauma-induced brain damage, and trauma-informed ideology, bringing a data-driven perspective to one of the most emotionally charged topics in mental health.
We explore:
The science (and limits) behind trauma and brain research
Why the diathesis-stress model might explain PTSD better than the “toxic stress” story
The role of predisposition vs. protective factors in trauma recovery
Whether popular trauma frameworks are shaped more by politics than by evidence
Whether you’re a clinician or curious listener, this conversation will challenge you, like it did us, to think more critically about trauma science.
Guest Bio
Dr. Michael S. Scheeringa, M.D. is a retired child and adolescent psychiatrist, former Professor and Vice Chair at Tulane University School of Medicine, and a leading researcher in the field of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Over his nearly three-decade career, he has served as principal investigator on more than 15 federally funded studies, authored over 90 peer-reviewed articles, and written several books, including The Trouble with Trauma and Treating PTSD in Preschoolers. Dr Scheeringa's research informed the DSM-5 criteria for PTSD in young children.
