What if our understanding of human connection is missing the very ground beneath our feet? This week I welcomed back my friend and colleague Linda Thai as she challenges Western psychology and offers a decolonized lens on attachment theory, moving beyond individual dynamics to explore how intergenerational trauma is inextricably linked to our displacement from land and culture.

Linda is a former child refugee from Vietnam who, with her family, took refuge in Australia during the Vietnam War and is now based in Alaska. From the indigenous wisdom of Alaska to the historical echoes of the Great Irish Migration, Linda illustrates how "grief is the great metabolizer" and why true secure attachment requires reclaiming the ancestral rituals and land-based practices that modernity has stripped away. Join us for an essential conversation on rediscovering our place within the larger metabolistic web of life to foster collective healing and authentic cultural reclamation.

Linda Thai, LMSW is an internationally-regarded trauma expert who understands the wounds of war, refugitude, and migration, and the lingering imprints of authoritarianism, military occupation, and colonialism echoed through generations. Trained across multiple modalities for the healing of complex developmental trauma, her teaching is infused with empathy, storytelling, humor, research, practical tools, applied knowledge, and experiential wisdom.

Learn more about Linda and her work via her website: linda-thai.com

Resources for Therapists and Helping Professionals:

Therapists, visit the new For Therapists page on the Trauma Therapist Network website for discounts on CE trainings, save $1000 on Synthesis Institute's May 2026 Psychedelic Facilitation training, other recommended resources and more. Registration for the May training closes on May 11th so hurry and register to take advantage of this amazing offer!

Therapists and mental health professionals: I created a FREE video to help you feel more confident in supporting survivors of sexual violence in an embodied and trauma sensitive manner. Check it out here!

Therapists - if you're ready to allow yourself to be held in nature with a community of like-minded therapists, my Mind, Body + Soul Healing Retreat for Therapists in Tulum, Mexico is here. November/December dates are on the website now! Sign up for my email list to stay up to date on this year's Tulum retreat and future retreats in the US and in beautiful international locations.

Also, new members are being accepted in the Trauma Therapist Network membership community now. I facilitate 4 live calls per month. We have a new membership tier - check out everything included in TTN membership and choose the tier fits your needs! You can upgrade or downgrade your membership at any time. Learn more and apply here. And Sue is going to be a special guest on our Learning Calls in May, June and July! Learn from her for free and gain so much more as a TTN member.

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Find a trauma therapist near you via findtraumatherapy.com! We believe that trauma is real, healing is possible and help is available at Trauma Therapist Network.

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527: A Decolonized Perspective On Attachment Theory with Linda Thai

Therapy Chat