Shows / The Shadow Sessions
The Shadow Sessions
The Shadow Sessions is hosted by Hiba Balfaqih, an unconventional psychologist and trauma alchemist. We explore the stories that most people bury—particularly those tied to shame, trauma, and identity. Our goal is to shed light on the hidden corners of human experience, allowing listeners to hear stories that challenge societal norms and spark deep,introspective conversations.
Episodes
The Shadow Sessions"I'm Tired Of Pretending"
Sometimes survival means putting on a mask. In this episode of The Notebook, Hiba Balfaqih explores why survivors can learn to hide their pain, appear strong…
The Shadow SessionsShe Escaped ISIS. Then Lost Her Son.
How does someone go from escaping an abusive relationship to joining an extremist organization just six weeks later? In this episode of The Shadow Sessions…
The Shadow Sessions"Our Lavender Marriage"
Martin is gay. Brandi is straight. They’re married, raising a daughter together, and neither of them is planning to leave. Their relationship has attracted…
The Shadow Sessions"I am A Psychopath"
What if manipulation doesn’t feel like manipulation? What if it feels like you’ve finally met someone who understands you? In this episode of The Shadow…
The Shadow SessionsWhy Your Mind Shuts Down To Survive
What happens psychologically when the people meant to protect you become the ones taking away your choices? In this episode of The Notebook, Hiba Balfaqih…
The Shadow SessionsEvery 7 Seconds this Happens To A Girl
What happens when the people who love you believe that harming you is an act of protection? In this episode of The Shadow Sessions, Hiba Balfaqih speaks with…
The Shadow Sessions"I Saw Who Killed My Mom at 3 Years Old"
What happens when the first truth you ever tell is the one no one believes? In this episode of The Shadow Sessions, Hiba Balfaqih speaks with Jade, who was…
The Shadow SessionsMy Husband Raped Me
Leaving an abusive relationship is rarely as simple as walking away. Sometimes the forces keeping someone trapped aren't fear alone—they're love, loyalty…
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He Could Kill Her So Why Did She Stay?
Some conversations don't end when the cameras stop rolling—they deserve to be unpacked. In this episode of The Notebook, Hiba Balfaqih reflects on her…
The Shadow SessionsPhycologist Answers Your Questions
In this special Q&A episode of The Shadow Sessions, Hiba Balfaqih answers listener questions covering a wide range of topics. Rather than offering quick…
The Shadow SessionsThe Abuser Was Never A Stranger
We've spent generations teaching children to fear strangers. But the evidence tells a different story. In this special reflection episode of The Shadow…
The Shadow SessionsThe Most Shocking Moments - Part 2
Some moments stay with you long after the conversation ends. In this special episode of The Shadow Sessions, Hiba Balfaqih revisits some of the most powerful…
The Shadow SessionsThe Most Shocking Moments
Some moments stay with you long after the conversation ends. In this special episode of The Shadow Sessions, Hiba Balfaqih revisits some of the most powerful…
The Shadow SessionsWhen Your Mother Is The Danger
Some conversations don't end when the cameras stop rolling—they deserve to be unpacked. In this episode of The Notebook, Hiba Balfaqih reflects on her…
The Shadow SessionsThe Story Her Kidnapper Never Wanted Told
How do you respond when your life changes in a matter of seconds? In this episode of The Shadow Sessions, Hiba Balfaqih speaks with Allison Smith, whose…
The Shadow SessionsWhat Epestein Did To Her Mind
Some conversations don't end when the cameras stop rolling—they deserve to be unpacked. In this episode of The Notebook, Hiba Balfaqih reflects on her…
The Shadow SessionsThe Truth Behind Being A Sex Worker
What happens when the beliefs you're raised with become the source of your deepest wounds? In this episode of The Shadow Sessions, Hiba Balfaqih speaks with…
The Shadow SessionsMy Family Was America's Most Dangerous Cult
What happens when the person who teaches you right from wrong is later revealed to be responsible for unimaginable violence? In this episode of The Shadow…
The Shadow SessionsI Killed My Abuser
What happens when the people meant to protect you never do? In this episode of The Shadow Sessions, Hiba Balfaqih speaks with David, who spent years growing up…
The Shadow SessionsHow A 16 Years Old Robbed A Bank
We love stories about bank robbers. The masks. The getaway cars. The thrill of the chase. Popular culture often turns them into anti‑heroes—rebels who live…
The Shadow SessionsAmerica's Most Hated
We often imagine hate as something obvious—loud, ignorant, easy to recognize. But radicalization rarely begins that way. It begins with belonging. With anger…
The Shadow SessionsThe Untold Reality of Undercover Operations
We’re taught to see law enforcement as strength—authority, control, protection. But what does it cost to live in danger every day? In this episode of The…
The Shadow SessionsThe Wheelchair Doesn't Stop Me
Violence doesn’t always end a life. Sometimes it changes it completely. In this episode of The Shadow Sessions, Hiba Balfaqih speaks with Wesley, whose life…
The Shadow SessionsThe Judge Said It Was The Worst He'd Ever seen
We’re taught adoption is a second chance—a safer home, a new beginning. But what happens when the place meant to protect becomes the source of harm? In this…
The Shadow SessionsWhen The Monster was Family
Most people imagine abuse as something that happens in dark, distant places. But in reality, it often happens at home—by someone the child knows, someone the…
The Shadow SessionsSold At 4 For Drug Money by her Mother
We grow up with a core belief: a mother is safety, protection, and home. But what happens when that foundation breaks? In this episode of The Shadow Sessions…
The Shadow SessionsSentenced to Life at Just 13 Years Old
What kind of system gives a child a life sentence? In this episode of The Shadow Sessions, Hiba Balfaqih speaks with Ian, who at just thirteen years old was…
The Shadow SessionsHuman Trafficking Survivor Speaks Out
We often talk about war in terms of soldiers, politics, and strategy. But conflict creates another reality—one where systems collapse, laws disappear, and…
The Shadow Sessions“I Was A Jihadi Spy”
What creates a terrorist? Not the headline, the attack, or the manifesto. Before violence, there is always a story. In this episode of The Shadow Sessions…
The Shadow Sessions"I Jumped From A Burning Plane…"
We love stories about survival—the miracle, the comeback, the headline. But we rarely talk about what survival actually costs. In this episode of The Shadow…
The Shadow SessionsWhat Started On Tinder Ended In Terror
We raise girls on fairy tales—Prince Charming, fast love, and the promise of forever. They’re taught to be chosen, to be patient, to make relationships work…
The Shadow SessionsEpstein’s Survivor: Jena-Lisa Jones Reveals All
Abuse doesn’t always hide in dark corners. Sometimes it lives in mansions, on private jets, and behind the reputations of powerful people. In this episode of…
The Shadow SessionsShe Was 15: A Woman’s Reality of Forced Child Marriage
What if your family told you you were going on vacation… And instead, you were married off? In this episode of The Shadow Sessions, Hiba Balfaqih speaks with…
The Shadow SessionsJoe DiMeo on Living After 80% Burns and the World’s First Face & Double Hand Transplant
We live in a world obsessed with appearance. We chase beauty, filters, and familiarity — often tying confidence to what we see in the mirror. But what happens…
The Shadow SessionsBoys Can Be Victims Too: The Silence Around Male Sexual Abuse
When we hear the word abuse, many people picture a girl. Culturally, harm is often associated with her fear and her silence. But what happens when the victim…
The Shadow SessionsWhen Anger Explodes: The Hidden Psychology Behind Losing Control
We all carry anger. Some swallow it. Some hide it behind success, silence, or survival. But what happens when it erupts? When pain becomes pressure, and…
The Shadow SessionsFrom Prison to MMA Legend: The Making of Frank Shamrock
We’re taught to fight for what we want—to toughen up and push through. But what happens when fighting is all you’ve ever known? When childhood teaches you that…
The Shadow SessionsThe Sin Of Being a Girl: Surviving Honor-Based Violence
What if your biggest sin is being born a girl? What happens when violence is justified as tradition and silence is enforced as honor? In this episode of The…
The Shadow SessionsAfter the Collapse: Bankruptcy, Identity Loss and Building Again
Not all shadows look like darkness. Some look like ambition. Some look like discipline, perseverance, and the pressure to hold everything together while…
The Shadow SessionsHacker & Identity James Linton
We’re taught to imagine hackers as men in hoodies—isolated, brilliant, dangerous. But what if the real story isn’t about code or breaches at all? What if it’s…
The Shadow SessionsMikey, The Death Doula
Not all shadows are dark. Some are quiet. Some are tender. Some ask us to slow down and sit with the one certainty we spend our lives trying to outrun. In this…
The Shadow SessionsA Childhood Without Safety: Growing Up Inside the Prison System
What happens when a child grows up without safety—and the system responds with punishment instead of protection? In this episode of The Shadow Sessions, host…
The Shadow SessionsThe Secret She Carried for Decades: Her Father Was the Father of Her Children
We teach kids to avoid strangers. To trust their gut. To believe home means safety. But what if home was the danger? In this first episode of The Shadow…
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We All Have Something We Are Hiding
The Shadow Sessions is a podcast for the stories we hide, the ones too painful, too early, or too private to ever make it to therapy. Hosted by psychologist…