What happens when your childhood home feels empty, and the people closest to you silence your pain?
In this episode of The Life Shift Podcast, Shigeko Ito shares her journey from an emotionally neglectful childhood in Japan to waking up in a mental hospital as a teenager, and how she eventually found resilience, self compassion, and healing.
Shigeko is an educator, mental health advocate, and author of The Pond Beyond the Forest: Reflections on Childhood Trauma and Motherhood. Through her story, she explores the weight of generational trauma, the stigma of mental health in Japan, and the healing power of storytelling.
Guest Links
Website: https://shigekoito.com
Book: The Pond Beyond the Forest (She Writes Press)
What you'll hear in this episode:
- How childhood emotional neglect shapes identity and survival
- The disorienting experience of waking up in a mental hospital
- Finding resilience through education, motherhood, and writing
- Why self compassion became the foundation of her healing journey
Timestamps
0:00 Opening story – waking up in a mental hospital
5:40 Discovering the healing power of storytelling
16:00 Contrast between families in Japan and America
20:00 Hospitalization and stigma around mental health
28:00 Coming to America and thriving in a new environment
38:00 Learning about complex PTSD and finding language for healing
44:00 Writing her memoir and breaking generational trauma
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