85-Your Authentic Self Is Waiting on the Other Side of Therapy With Linda Feig Knipe

Linda's powerful journey through trauma and therapy unfolds as she shares how a professor's casual comment triggered severe PTSD symptoms decades after her sexual assault. Rather than continuing to bury her experience—something she'd done for years believing it showed strength—she embarked on a therapeutic journey that would transform her life.

The conversation delves deep into how trauma affects our minds and bodies. Linda beautifully explains memory as "biology plus biography," revealing why traumatic memories become fragmented and resurface unexpectedly as PTSD symptoms. Her description of experiencing a persistent "creepy feeling" in her back, which she eventually recognized as dread from her assault, offers listeners a visceral understanding of how the body holds onto trauma when the mind tries to forget.

What makes this episode particularly valuable is the candid exploration of therapy itself—not as we see it portrayed in media, but as it actually unfolds. Linda shares the fears that kept her from seeking help sooner: the shame of revealing things she'd sworn never to discuss, practical concerns about cost and finding the right therapist, and the false belief that strength means handling problems alone. 

Though Linda emphasizes the difficulty of therapy—calling it "the hardest thing I've ever done"—she equally celebrates its profound rewards. Her journey helped her become the authentic person she always wanted to be, find love with her soulmate, and develop a lasting sense of gratitude that sustained her even through his death. For anyone struggling with trauma or considering therapy, Linda's message offers both comfort and conviction: we all face difficult experiences, but true healing comes through vulnerability, connection, and the courage to face what we've hidden from ourselves.

Ready to start your own healing journey? Check out Linda's book "Braving Therapy" and remember that whatever trauma you're carrying, you don't have to face it alone.

Linda's Links:

https://www.1in3podcast.com/guests/linda-feig-knipe/

https://lfeigknipe.com/

https://a.co/d/hho9KQQ

1 in 3 is intended for mature audiences. Episodes contain explicit content and may be triggering to some.

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If you are in the United States and need help right now, call the national domestic violence hotline at 800-799-7233 or text the word “start” to 88788.

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Cover art by Laura Swift Dahlke
Music by Tim Crowe