Stephanie Foo on Complex PTSD, Finding Recovery, and This American Life

Depresh Mode with John Moe

Maximum Fun

Health & Fitness, John Moe, Interview, Comedy Interviews, Comedy, Mental Health

4.9 • 854 Ratings

🗓️ 19 January 2026

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The author and radio producer investigates and reveals a very painful childhood

Transcript

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0:00.0	Brief mention of suicidality in this episode, some detailed accounts of child abuse, all necessary to tell the story, but be advised.
0:10.5	I've been making mental health podcasts since 2016, a long time, and I admit it's kind of hard to come up with completely original things to say every week that
0:22.4	I've never said before. But usually, when I repeat myself, it's because it's something that's
0:29.0	really, really important. I want you to memorize it. I want to burn it into your brain. I want to
0:36.0	tattoo it on your brain. So you know what? Let's fire
0:39.2	up the tattoo needle. Regu, can you get the sound of a tattoo needle right here? Yeah, here you go.
0:46.7	Okay, great. Inscribe this on the listener's brain, if you could. It is vital to know, to understand,
0:54.0	and process what happened to you as a kid. It is vital to know, to understand, and process what happened to you as a kid.
0:57.2	It's vital to understanding your mental composition, to know who you are so you can function
1:03.8	now and in the future. It's not something you get over any more than a tree gets over its roots, any more than a house
1:12.1	gets over its foundation. This is especially true if bad things happened back then, or if a lot
1:19.7	of bad things happened. It's not about blaming anyone. You can do that too. If you want,
1:25.1	you don't have to. It's about functioning as well as you can, managing what you have to manage and living the best life possible.
1:34.7	Dig into that stuff, no matter who you are.
1:38.8	Okay, that's the tattoo you just got on your brain.
1:41.9	Regu, how does it look?
1:43.2	Just finishing up here. There, all done.
1:47.1	Ooh, that's nice. Good job. Thank you. Collegraphy, sweet. It's Depression Mode. I'm John Mo. I'm glad you're here.
2:07.0	You've probably heard of post-traumatic stress disorder.
2:13.6	You might not be familiar with complex post-traumatic stress disorder or C-PTSD.
2:18.3	Regular PTSD is a response to a traumatic event. It might be a car accident, an incidents of violence, a wartime experience.
2:22.3	Complex PTSD is a form of PTSD that's a result of multiple traumas over the course of a long period
	...

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