Dr. Betsy Campisi
Ph.D. Cultural Anthropology
Certified Trauma Recovery Coach
Certified Life Coach
Reiki Master
Trauma Survivor
My Story and Why I Created the Joy Recovery Project, LLC
I am a trauma survivor with PTSD, which derailed a promising academic career. Before that, I had had an exciting life going into the Peace Corps in Honduras and working with Cuban refugees, and then getting a Master's Degree in Latin American and Caribbean Studies. I then thought I was going to conquer the world as an anthropologist studying group trauma.
Ironically, as I was studying how Cuban refugees processed trauma through art and community, I was carrying my own vicarious trauma from working with them at the US Navy base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and I didn't even know it. It was only when I was completely frozen and depressed and couldn't write that I sought talk therapy. Just as I was making progress, my mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which added more layers of pain since she was my best friend.
Talk therapy helped me get through my dissertation, understand a few things about my childhood, and provided a shoulder to cry on about my beloved mother. Yet, I found myself still in therapy after 12 years and still having PTSD, which killed my confidence so badly that I couldn't interview well for academic positions, even though I eventually published a book.
After my therapist suddenly left, dropping a text saying that I’d “always have PTSD,” I started researching and made huge strides once I found body-based approaches.
After I started experimenting with body-based techniques and found they worked much better and faster for trauma healing, I wanted to help others heal. Along the way, I become a certified trauma recovery coach.
This journey led me to create the Joy Reconnection Method, a holistic coaching experience designed to help you heal from trauma, regulate your nervous system, and rebuild self-worth. Whether you’re stuck, overwhelmed, or frustrated with traditional therapy, this program can help you move forward with confidence and hope. I started doing this because I don't want anyone else to waste years and years just talking and not healing. I firmly believe you would do best with both, IF your therapist has training in trauma recovery - mine didn't and it was mostly a waste of time and money.
The reason I call my coaching business, "The Joy Recovery Project" is because I found that with a more balanced nervous system, I was able to feel joy again; it wasn't just that the yucky trauma feelings were going away, I could feel the underlying happiness that is characteristic of being human.
You see, when you push down trauma you also suppress your ability to feel joy. When you resolve the trauma, even if by merely regulating your nervous system, the joy can re-emerge!
If this resonates with you, book a free consultation and take the first step toward your healing journey. You don’t have to stay stuck—true healing is possible.
What you will get with an anthropologist as your guide is a fascination with the biology of trauma and a deep respect for the cultural tools people already use to help themselves and their communities heal.