EP 78: Healing Hidden Trauma and Finding Your Voice with Christina L. Woods

In this episode of That's Where I'm At, host Laura speaks with Christina L. Woods, an internationally recognized Clinical Hypnotherapist, Rapid Transformational Therapist®, Certified High Performance Coach, Reiki Master, author, and founder of Wise Woods Hypnotherapy, Inc. Christina helps women unlock their worth, release limiting beliefs, and align with their authentic selves through her signature Wise Woods Method™, which blends hypnotherapy, coaching, and energy healing. Christina shares her powerful personal journey from a 30-year corporate career to discovering hypnotherapy after her marriage collapsed and her health declined. Drawing from both her professional background and lived experience, she opens up about buried childhood trauma, including sexual abuse she didn't acknowledge until age 50, and how it shaped patterns of people-pleasing, overachievement, and self-sabotage. Together, Laura and Christina explore the power of subconscious beliefs, the role of various healing modalities, and the importance of self-compassion, boundaries, and breaking shame. This episode is a deeply honest and transformative conversation about reclaiming your identity, trusting your inner wisdom, and creating a life that feels aligned, meaningful, and fully your own.   Key Topics & Timestamps Guest Introduction & Overview (00:01:33) Laura introduces Christina Woods, her background, and previews the conversation about childhood trauma and healing. Christina's Career Shift & Hypnotherapy Introduction (00:03:17) Christina shares her transition from corporate life to healing work and initial misconceptions about hypnotherapy. Childhood Patterns & Overachievement (00:04:10) Christina discusses how childhood survival strategies led to people-pleasing, overachievement, and stress in adulthood. Therapy & Hypnotherapy Experience (00:05:06) Christina describes her journey into therapy, discovering hypnotherapy, and how it quickly revealed and rewired limiting beliefs. How Beliefs Shape Reality (00:07:04) Explains how subconscious beliefs drive behavior and how hypnotherapy helps rewire them for positive change. Challenging Internal Narratives (00:08:02) Laura and Christina discuss questioning negative self-talk and the importance of forming new, positive neural pathways. Learning, Failing, and Growth (00:11:13) They talk about the value of trying new things, embracing failure, and how the brain grows through new experiences. Impact of Narcissistic Relationships (00:12:27) Laura shares how being with a narcissist stifled her ability to try and fail, leading to self-silencing. Seeking Evidence for Beliefs (00:13:06) Christina explains how people seek evidence to support their strongest beliefs, even if those beliefs are negative or untrue. Paradigm Shifts & Changing Self-Dialogue (00:14:21) Discussion on how changing internal dialogue can shift reality and self-perception. Questioning Thoughts & Ownership (00:15:14) Laura emphasizes that not all thoughts are true and the importance of identifying whose voice is influencing self-perception. Unlearning Old Patterns After Divorce (00:19:26) Laura reflects on the process of unlearning automatic behaviors and discovering her authentic self post-divorce. Making New Thoughts Familiar (00:20:26) Christina explains the brain's resistance to change and the need to make new, positive thoughts familiar through repetition. Childhood Trauma's Impact on Adulthood (00:22:29) Christina shares how buried childhood sexual abuse shaped her self-worth, relationships, and coping mechanisms. The Relief of Facing Trauma (00:27:10) Christina describes the relief and self-compassion that came from acknowledging and processing her trauma. Break