Therapy Chat · Laura Reagan, LCSW-C

477: Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness with Dr. David Treleaven

April 10, 2025·52 min·4 clips

David Treleaven describes how a retreat caused a 'circuit breaker' in his body, leading to weeks of dissociation.

This episode features host Laura Reagan interviewing Dr. David Treleaven, a trauma therapist and mindfulness practitioner, about his book "Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness." Dr. Treleaven shares his personal and professional insights into how mindfulness practices can interact with trauma. He recounts his own difficult experience on a meditation retreat where focusing on traumatic memories led to dissociation and dysregulation, despite following standard mindfulness instructions. Dr. Treleaven argues that while mindfulness can be beneficial, it can also inadvertently retraumatize individuals by overwhelming them with unresolved symptoms. He emphasizes that trauma conversations must be grounded in an understanding of systemic oppression and social justice. The discussion references concepts like the "four R's" from the National Center for Trauma-Informed Care and Peter Levine's somatic experiencing model, using the myth of Medusa as an analogy. Dr. Treleaven explains that without proper support, individuals in silent retreats can feel unsafe and unseen, particularly people of color in predominantly white, privileged spaces. He introduces the idea of spiritual bypassing, where spiritual practices like meditation might reinforce avoidance of necessary developmental healing, such as dissociation being mistaken for advanced practice. The conversation explores why asking trauma survivors to pay sustained, silent attention to their inner experience can trigger flashbacks and a sense of being out of control. Laura Reagan adds that well-intentioned but unskilled teachers might dismiss a practitioner's distress, potentially replicating attachment wounds. Dr. Treleaven suggests the mindfulness movement has a responsibility to apply its capacity for discomfort to confront issues of privilege and injustice. The tone is educational and conversational, blending personal narrative with clinical concepts. This episode is ideal for therapists, mindfulness teachers, or regular meditators interested in the intersection of trauma and contemplative practice. Listeners seeking a purely promotional discussion of mindfulness' benefits or those uncomfortable with social justice frameworks might find it less appealing.

As heard by us

Mindfulness gets sharper when safety, privilege, and social context are part of the practice.

Therapy Chat treats mindfulness as a question of safety, power, and social setting, not just a private route to calm. The episode is strongest when it shows how the same practice can feel steady in one room and off in another, especially when a mostly white, middle upper-class…

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Why you'd press play

A thoughtful look at how mindfulness can land differently depending on social context, privilege, and whether people feel safe or seen.

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