Infertility as Existential Trauma

Dr. Clay Brigance, Licensed Professional Counselor and researcher, brings both clinical expertise and personal experience to this deeply human exploration of infertility as a form of existential trauma.

Drawing from his own fertility journey and years of clinical practice, Dr. Brigance covers:

• Infertility as trauma: why fertility struggles meet the clinical criteria for trauma and PTSD, and how the experience reshapes identity and meaning

• The isolating nature of infertility: how couples withdraw from social connections, and why well-meaning advice often causes additional harm

• The male experience: how men process fertility grief differently, the role of masculinity and "well-intended chivalry," and why couples often grieve on different timelines

• Couple dynamics and decisional conflict: navigating treatment decisions together when partners have different risk tolerances and emotional responses

• Reproductive grief and PTSD research: what the clinical literature tells us about the psychological toll, including duration of symptoms and factors that predict resilience

• Communication for non-therapists: practical guidance for providers, nurses, and support workers on how to avoid inadvertently adding to a patient's trauma

• Achieving acceptance: how individuals and couples move through grief toward redefining identity and finding meaning, even without the outcome they hoped for

Essential viewing for patients navigating fertility struggles and the providers, counselors, and support staff who walk alongside them. Pairs well with the Restorative Reproductive Medicine framework for understanding infertility as a multifaceted experience.