Embodiment for the Rest of Us - Season 1, Episode 7: Sheila Ciminera
Chavonne (she/her) and Jenn (she/her) interviewed Sheila Ciminera (she/her) about her embodiment journey. To learn more about her work, check out her website, bearwitnesstherapy.com.
Sheila Ciminera, LCSW, is a social worker and owner of To Bear Witness Therapy. Over the past 17 years, she has had the privilege of being case manager, program developer, individual and group therapist, clinical supervisor, acudetox specialist, professor, and trainer. Her primary focus is supporting helping professionals with compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma. She also specializes in working with individuals dealing with trauma, addictions, and justice involvement- all through the lens of trauma-informed care and harm reduction. She loves punk rock, yoga, traveling, art, and her two beautiful pit bulls.
Content Warning: discussion of privilege, discussion of diet culture, mention of mental health struggles, mention of medical fatphobia, discussion of detoxing, mention of juice cleansing, discussion of substance usage and addiction, discussion of incarceration, discussion of trauma, discussion of the stigma against formerly incarcerated people
Trigger Warnings:
57:13: Sheila discusses Lizzo going on a detox
1:12:05: Sheila discusses women being shackled during childbirth and then having their babies taken away
The captions for this episode can be found at https://embodimentfortherestofus.com/season-1/season-1-episode-7-sheila-ciminera/#captions
A few highlights:
5:07: Sheila shares her understanding of embodiment and her own embodiment journey
9:39: Sheila discusses what lights her up and how to make this accessible for everyone
30:33: Sheila discusses her understanding of “the rest of us” and how she is a part of that, as well as her privileges
40:10: Sheila discusses how to account for trauma related to body size and/or fatness within trauma-informed model of care
47:52: Sheila discusses where HAES® and IE fall short
55:00: Sheila discusses her take on the connection between healthism and harm reduction
1:10:46: Sheila discusses how formerly incarcerated women are left out of traditional wellness, body image, and embodiment conversations
1:27:13: Sheila shares how listeners can make a difference based on this conversation
1:30:55: Sheila shares how to be found and what’s next for her
Links from this episode:
Oxytocin Connection Between Dogs and Their Humans
Music: “Wheel of Karma” by Jason Shaw
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Website: embodimentfortherestofus.com
Twitter: @embodimentus
Instagram: @embodimentfortherestofus
