If you've ever left a doctor's appointment feeling worse than when you walked in — not from the news you received, but from how you were treated — this episode is for you.

I sat down with Casey Berna, licensed clinical social worker, endometriosis advocate, and author of Endometriosis: From Harm to Hope, A Chronic Illness Guide, for a deeply honest conversation about medical trauma, the nervous system, and what it really means to heal.

We talk about: the 7–10 year diagnostic delay so many endometriosis patients face, why gaslighting in medical settings is a form of emotional abuse, how your nervous system responds to repeated harm (and why that's not your fault), a simple nervous system regulation tool called finger breathing, the layered grief of living with chronic illness, what truly trauma-informed care looks like — from providers AND from the people in your life, and Casey's powerful message about learning to believe yourself again.

Whether you're living with endometriosis, another chronic illness, or have experienced medical trauma of any kind, this conversation will remind you: your experience deserves recognition.

Resources mentioned: CaseyBerna.com | @EndoSocialWorker | Endometriosis: From Harm to Hope (available at bookshop.org) | Below the Belt documentary at https://www.projectendo.org/