Ton Mazzone, director of Traumality, joins me on The Trauma Therapist Podcast, Guest Host series. Ton created the independent documentary film “Traumality” about the role of trauma as a link to mental health diagnoses. It’s a terrific film and this post contains our 20 minute podcast along with a 90 second excerpt about how creating a movement with Traumality to help the UK – and the world – become trauma-responsive is Ton’s “Ikigai” – his reason for being. Ton also shares the serendipitous moment that led him to decide he wanted to include me in his film.
I was delighted to be a part of Traumality and honored to be invited to be the interviewer of someone of my choice in this Guest Host Series by Guy Macpherson, founder of The Trauma Therapist Podcast. I introduced you to Ton Mazzone’s film in a recent blog post and it is now available to watch online. A transcript of this podcast is available to download at the bottom of this post.
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Why Did You Create Traumality?
Here is some of what Ton has experienced in the years that led him to create this film.
I was really socially anxious to the extent where in social situations I found it very hard to communicate without stumbling my words and shaking, trembling, my heart pounding, and it led to a lot of really awkward interactions…
I went to my GP, general practitioner in the UK, and I was hoping to get this, “Okay, what has happened? What’s going on?” And they just said, “You’ve got this diagnosis of social anxiety, anxiety and depression, and here’s the medication that’s going to help you.”
And intuitively, it just felt wrong, and I left feeling more broken than I did when I went in because that just reinforced the fact that I am the problem.
It was a few years of trying different things before Ton learned about trauma.
… and eventually, I learnt about trauma And it just got me thinking, “Why wasn’t I taught this at school? Why didn’t my GP know about this? Why isn’t this public information?”
He included a focus on the underestimated role of relationships in childhood, which is part of what he realized had affected and shaped his mental health.
I wanted to create this documentary for the younger version of me, the documentary I wish I came across, in the hope that it reaches anybody else who is also going through what I went through.
Some of what Ton discovered about how understanding trauma is helpful include:
- [understanding the effects of trauma] means looking and seeing people through the lens of potentially their past experiences and how that could be showing up today
- it’s about awareness, but it’s also about what can you do in your own communities to make it more trauma-informed. It’s about speaking to people. It’s about passing it on
This is an independent film that Ton has created from a place of clarity about what’s needed:
- I don’t have a marketing team. I don’t have producers. I’m a one-man band with this, and so any sort of word of mouth passing this on means a great deal to me, and I’m really appreciative of everybody who, so far, who’s done that and has actually led to this amazing campaign which is happening.
- I’m not going to go into detail of the debt that I’ve got myself into… I have made a lot of sacrifices, but it’s because I believe in the project. It’s not just a film that I’ve made. It’s not that. It feels like a vocation.
There are 4 parts to the film
What he experienced led Ton to structure the film to address the kinds of questions so many of us have – including what is trauma (Part 1) and is there evidence that trauma is a risk factor for mental health diagnoses and symptoms? (Yes, in Part 2). Part 3 highlights, with case examples from Ton and others who have had huge shifts in their health and wellbeing by working with their health from a trauma perspective, how a lack of understanding of trauma can cause additional trauma and harm, including by the mental health industry. Part 4 highlights what it can look like when we become trauma-informed as a society and who is doing this.
- What is Trauma
- The Evidence (includes examples from IFS – Internal Family Systems)
- The mental health industry, as seen through a trauma lens
- Who is implementing trauma-informed practices?
Excerpt – Traumality is My “Ikigai”
Towards the end of our podcast, Ton describes how this film feels like his “Ikigai” – a Japanese term that means “reason for being,” It looks like I said it wrong and it’s actually pronounced “ee-kee-guy”. Above is an excerpt with this part of our conversation, in which we connect over a similar feeling about this work.
Watch the Full Podcast
- Watch on Youtube
- Listen to the full podcast on Spotify – Speaker – Apple Podcasts
Sharing the Film in the IFS Community
Ton met up with Dick Schwartz, the founder of IFS ((Internal Family Systems) at Oxford’s Transform Trauma Master’s Events Conference September 2026. Dick is wanting to share segments of the film with the IFS community that describe the role of IFS and wished him a Happy Birthday:
Host a Screening
Ton has been attending live screenings in the UK, with the National Health Service, in Scotland with plans for screenings in Ireland and Northern Ireland and elsewhere with more to come.
Want to share with your community? You can host a screening in different ways through Kinema:
- private online screening
- online screening that is free for attendees
- live or online screening with a community group
Host a Live Screening in the USA – Let’s Coordinate
I want to host a live screening of Traumality in Boulder, Colorado to provide the opportunity for discussion with Q&A at the end. I’m inquiring about options.
If anyone else is interested in hosting in Colorado or elsewhere in the USA, maybe we can coordinate our dates so Ton can join us in person. Contact Ton through this link about hosting a screening of the film – or you can get in touch with me.
Join the Traumality Community
Ton has created a new online Traumality community that you can join here. It’s free. Ton describes it this way:
“TRAUMALITY was never just about making a film. We wanted to help people connect the dots, then give those conversations somewhere to continue. Somewhere people could find others who care about this work, share what they know and build something together.
“We keep asking schools, healthcare services and communities to become more trauma-informed. But where do the people trying to make that happen come together?
We’ve built a free community platform on TRAUMALITY to give us that space.
On the platform, you can:
- Create a community around a place or purpose. It could be a Trauma-informed NHS tribe, a Brighton community, or educators working to change how schools respond to children.
- Make your group public or private and choose who can join.
Tribes / Communities can:
- Organise events online or in person.
- Create courses to share your knowledge.
- Post updates and announcements to keep your community involved.
- Run polls to hear what members think and need.
You can also:
- Connect with others across healthcare, education, therapy and local communities.
- Write blogs and share posts about what you’re learning or putting into practice.
- Find resources, including services, books and information on trauma-informed practice.
- Recommend resources you think others should know about
The platform is open in beta and free to join. Join the TRAUMALITY community here.
Download a Transcript of this Podcast
Links to Ton Mazzone and Traumality
- Traumality
- Traumality Podcast
- @tonmazzone, tonthecreator, tonoftales
- New Blog Post with PTSD UK on Why I made Traumality with extra details
- IMBD – leave a comment and a rating to increase visibility, validity and reach
- FB
- Youtube
- Tik Tok
- X
Links to Guy Macpherson, founder of The Trauma Therapist Podcast & Guest Host Series
Guy interviewed me on his podcast here.
More on Guy and his Podcast:
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