Do you ever feel trapped in your body, defined by your pain, or disconnected from the person you used to be? If you’re living with chronic illness, disability, or navigating the aftermath of trauma, this episode is for you.
In today’s powerful conversation, Shannon sits down with Dr. Jennifer Caspari, author of You Are More Than Your Body, to explore what it really means to heal, emotionally, spiritually, and physically, when your body feels like a battlefield.
Jennifer was born three months premature and lives with cerebral palsy. Navigating the world as a disabled person and working as a licensed clinical psychologist, she brings a rare and deeply personal insight into the healing process. Her lived experience, combined with her professional training, offers a compassionate, empowering lens for anyone struggling to reclaim their identity after illness, injury, or emotional trauma.
In this episode, we explore:
- The power of emotional regulation and how it supports healing from trauma or chronic illness
- Reframe your brain: Your Pain Is Not Your Identity
- How feeling misunderstood or judged by others adds to emotional pain
- The deep isolation that often comes with chronic conditions—and how to begin rebuilding connection
- Radical acceptance as a healing tool when life doesn’t go as planned
- How to foster self-worth and practice self-forgiveness after trauma
- Reclaiming identity and purpose after a life-altering diagnosis
- What post-traumatic growth really looks like—and how it offers a new path forward
- How to rewrite the story you tell yourself about pain, illness, and limitation
- The biggest takeaway from Jennifer’s book—and how to embody it in daily life
Jennifer reminds us that we are not broken. We are not our diagnosis. We are not what happened to us. And healing doesn’t mean going back to who we were, it means becoming someone new, someone wiser, someone freer.
Listen to Podcast Episode:
About Jennifer Caspari
Jennifer Caspari, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist working at a group practice in Colorado, CBT Denver, that specializes in general and health psychology. She is passionate about helping clients live full and meaningful lives including those living with acute or chronic illness and chronic pain. She lives with cerebral palsy and writes a Psychology Today blog titled Living Well When Your Body Doesn’t Cooperate. Dr. Caspari is the creator and instructor of a nationwide chronic pain course with PESI, a national leader in providing continuing education to mental health professionals.
About the book:
You Are More Than Your Body is for anyone coping with chronic pain, brain fog, fatigue, or the emotional distress that comes from being misunderstood, dismissed, or judged by others. It’s a compassionate guide for those ready to move from surviving to thriving.
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