Who am I, who is the other and how do we relate to each other? In the podcast series Human knowledge bestselling author Fleur van Groningen took a satisfying dive into the human psyche for eight weeks. From giftedness and high sensitivity to passing on trauma and codependentie. Listen to all episodes here.
1. High Sensitivity
What is high sensitivity, how is it characterized and what are the advantages and disadvantages? In this episode, Fleur van Groningen talks to Esther Bergsma, expert on high sensitivity, social science researcher and author of five books, including The highly sensitive brain. Former radio and television presenter Eva Daeleman is also a guest. In this episode she talks candidly about being highly sensitive as a wife, partner, daughter and mother.
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2. Giftedness
What is giftedness, how often does it occur and how do you recognize it? In this episode, Fleur van Groningen talks to clinical psychologist Elke Beliën, who is exceptionally gifted. Toon Hens is also joining us. He has known for almost two years that he is gifted and says that his life course has not gone by itself. Many gifted people are lonely, suffer from severe fears and can become traumatized as a child if their environment does not provide enough understanding.
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3. Trauma
How does trauma arise, how do you recognize it and how can you recover from it? In this episode, Fleur van Groningen talks to former psychiatrist and author Bram Bakker, for whom ‘old pain’ – the things you really needed as a child but didn’t get – is perhaps the worst poison. Sofie Verstraete is a guest as a witness. She is recovering from complex childhood trauma. The message should be clear: we cannot continue to ignore trauma, not as human beings and not as a society.
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4. Adhesion
Are you securely or insecurely attached? And why is it so important to know this? In this episode, Fleur van Groningen speaks with clinical psychologist Alice Braham, who specializes in emotion regulation. While she guides us through the fascinating landscape of our attachment styles, Deborah Seymus reflects on her childhood and how it has profoundly influenced her turbulent relationship course afterwards. Deborah is a journalist for The morning and author of the book Fifty cocks laterin which she makes a connection between her toxic relationships and childhood traumas in both a playful and poignant way.
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5. Pass-through trauma
The trauma you carry does not have to be your own. You can develop physical or emotional complaints as a result of ‘passing on trauma’: the unhealed pain of your ancestors. This can be the result of migration, war, the holocaust… But also less extreme traumas are often passed on to subsequent generations. Think of toxic relationship patterns or daily, racist humiliations. In this episode, Fleur van Groningen speaks with clinical psychologist, system therapist and author Birsen Taspinar, a Flemish woman of Turkish descent. She has been working with (transgenerational) trauma for fifteen years. Artist and author Carmen van Geffen is a guest as a witness. She is of Dutch-Indonesian origin and for a long time had all kinds of inexplicable complaints that were out of proportion to her own life, and ultimately turned out to be from passing on trauma.
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6. Personality issues
Personality problems: when human characteristics take on unhealthy and harmful proportions. In this episode, Fleur van Groningen takes a closer look at narcissistic personality disorder and speaks with psychiatrist and psychotherapist Dirk De Wachter, head of the system and family therapy department at the University Psychiatric Center of KU Leuven. As an expert by experience, psychotherapist Maya Vaneecken talks about two previous relationships with people with a narcissistic personality disorder. In the meantime, she has recovered from the psychological abuse and looks back on it nuanced: she also sees her own part in the facts.
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7. Codependentie
When you codependent you self-efface by caring excessively for others. Because you are always busy with others, you hardly come to self-care. This can lead to experiences of failure, a negative self-image and a paralyzing insecurity. In this episode, Fleur van Groningen speaks with therapist, addiction counselor and author Claudia Krumme. She works with people who struggle with codependentie, narcissistic abuse and relationship and love addiction. Tiny Sanders is also joining us. She was for a long time codependent and relationship addict, but that is going a lot better now and she has learned a lot from it.
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8. Food for the mind
There is a clear interplay between nutrition and mental well-being. Conscious eating therefore also testifies to a solid example of human knowledge. In this final episode, Fleur van Groningen speaks with dietitian and certified ‘intuitive eating’ counselor Tina Somers. She sees a clear connection between how we feel and what we eat. Evi Hanssen, radio presenter and author of, among other things, joins as a witness Since I stopped drinking. Since Evi stopped drinking alcohol three and a half years ago, she feels significantly better not only physically but also mentally.
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