Can I Recover From Medical Trauma? Dr. Jim Jackson (Part 2)
Can I Recover From Medical Trauma? Dr. Jim Jackson (Part 2)  
Podcast: The Biology of Trauma® With Dr. Aimie
Published On: Thu Aug 13 2026
Description: Most trauma has a place you can avoid. Medical trauma lives inside your body, so there is nowhere to go. Dr. Aimie sits down with Dr. James Jackson for the second half of their conversation on medical trauma. What will surprise you is how much recovery is available while the symptoms are still present. This is Part 2 of a two part conversation. Part 1 is here. ➡ Full show notes + resources: https://bit.ly/BOT190 Dr. Jackson works with people recovering after critical illness, and he is direct about something most clinicians avoid saying. Patients have been taught that recovery means every symptom is erased. That standard fails most bodies. He offers a different measure, along with the markers that actually move. Dr. Aimie also shares why she left general surgery residency after four years, and the one question she started asking her patients that changed everything about how she practiced.   WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: 02:55 — Why do you carry the source of a medical trauma with you? 05:35 — What is acceptance and commitment therapy? 06:37 — How can you be fine right now? 07:09 — Why did Dr. Aimie leave general surgery residency? 08:17 — What happens when you ask a patient what their diagnosis means to them? 11:40 — Why should no one else decide what counts as a big trauma? 13:33 — Why is overselling recovery a problem? 14:46 — What does a rich recovery actually look like? 15:32 — What are the objective markers that recovery is happening? 17:02 — How should we talk about post-traumatic growth? 20:22 — Why can no one recover from medical trauma alone?   "If the trauma happened in your body, you're carrying that around. You're carrying it around, and you can't avoid it. It's always there." — Dr. James Jackson   If you have quietly decided you are not recovering because something still hurts, this episode is for you.   RESOURCES: Take the free 2-Minute Assessment for Discovering Your Pattern of Stored Trauma. You cannot change a pattern you cannot see. Find your primary pattern of responding when life becomes too much, then see how the other four show up. Get The Biology of Trauma. Avoidance and the pattern of disconnection are on page 117, chapter nine, The Patterns of Pain: Recognizing Stored Trauma in the Body. Reclaiming Your Life from Medical Trauma by Dr. James C. Jackson, PsyD. This episode is educational and is not medical advice. Please work with your own qualified healthcare provider for decisions about your care.