In this episode of Transforming Trauma, Emily is joined by Dr. Albert Wong, a leading clinician and educator in the field of somatics. A Marshall Scholar educated at Princeton and Oxford, he also served as residential staff at the Esalen Institute for five years. In his most recent endeavor, Dr. Albert Wong is Director of the Trauma Informed Certificate Program at Somatopia, an online training in Somatic Psychology, the body-mind connection and embodied approaches to healing.
From Dr. Wong’s perspective, not all trauma is created equal, particularly complex trauma. It can be especially difficult to identify and address when the one who hurt you is the one you love. Typically when humans need support, they rely on their loved ones and the community around them, so how do they manage that when the one they love is the one who caused the hurt? Although this predicament can be overwhelming, Dr. Wong also provides a message of hope for people still in this hurting stage. He shares that people are not alone in this hurt, it doesn’t last forever, and trauma does not have to define you.
When asked about the trajectory of his work, Dr. Wong reflects on his time at the Esalen Institute where he was influenced by Peter Levine, Daniel Siegel, and the tradition of Gestalt Psychology. He shares that most of his work derives from the spirit of deep embodied listening, valuing the wisdom of the body, the notion of somatic experience, and tuning in to what is incomplete in the body.
Dr. Wong is committed to finding ways to bring others in the psychological world together so that the field is not so fragmented. He aims to be relationally vulnerable as he and other experts co-create and evolve psychological understanding and approaches.
We are grateful to Dr. Wong for his contributions to the world of somatic therapy and complex trauma. We invite you to listen to the full episode to learn more about his journey and future endeavors.
About Dr. Albert Wong:
Dr. Albert Wong is the Director of the Trauma Certificate Program at Somatopia and the former Director of Somatic Psychology at John F. Kennedy University. A leading educator in the field of somatics, he trains students in somatic psychology, healing trauma, and the mind-body connection through his online platform, Somatopia.
Dr. Wong has been honored for his work in psychotherapy by the American Psychological Association Psychoanalytic Division, the Northern California Community for Emotionally Focused Therapy, and the Yale Psychoanalytic Research Training Program. He has been featured on PBS, Time Magazine and his work has been published in titles ranging from the scientific journal Biological Cybernetics to the book anthology Radical Spirit.
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You can listen to this episode on the Transforming Trauma website, on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
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