Podcast: Navigating Trauma, Transformations, and Truth With Emily Lafferman, MD

In this episode of “Psyched Perspectives,” host Frank A. Clark, MD, discusses trauma, transformations, and truth with colleague Emily Lafferman, MD. Lafferman shared a poem she wrote as a reflection on her transition and learning in psychiatry residency, called “Regalis Becoming.” Working together at Prisma Health, the two have a dedicated project to share insights in the psychiatrist experience beyond break room conversations. As a fellow poet, Clark shared his response poem, titled “A Genial Gift.” The themes the pair address through poetry provide a release, says Lafferman, and “the potential of my poem and my words to fall on seasoned ears is a feeling…it will resonate for others, especially those that have faced a lot of trauma themselves or worked with patients with trauma.” Discussion of therapeutic struggle or the clinician’s own dealings with personal trauma is something Clark and Lafferman tend to work through in their poetry.

Lafferman’s interest in trauma, transformation, and truth has been something she’s reflected on as a medical resident. Aware of the trauma psychiatrists confront quite often, she worked to identify why trauma may be so intimidating as a clinician. She found that she had a discomfort in herself that arose when assisting patients discussing their trauma. Yet, this could be a clinical tool for her to relate to her patients and colleagues. Lafferman notes that she took on the perspective on trauma that it can be something of a paradox, leaving patients wanting connection while feeling isolated.¹

Clark adds that both he and Lafferman engage in therapy as patients, and knowing what it is like to “sit in the other chair” allows them to connect more strongly with both their patients and themselves. Clark references The Anxious Generation and the collective trauma that can occur in particular aspects of society.² A constant news cycle with a focus on negativity and inundation of information can heighten the arousal of the amygdala, Clark points out.

Dr Clark is an outpatient psychiatrist at Prisma Health-Upstate and clinical associate professor at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Greenville. He served on the American Psychiatric Association’s Task Force to Address Structural Racism Throughout Psychiatry, and he currently serves as the Diversity and Inclusion section editor and advisory board member for Psychiatric Times.

Dr Lafferman is a resident at Greer Psychiatry with Dr Clark. She received her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Emory University, and worked in many different fields of medicine before earning her MD from Ross University School of Medicine. Her professional interests include CAP, reproductive psychiatry, different psychotherapeutic modalities and mindfulness based practice.