Hysteria to Healing

Alicia Divico, LMHC

Published on: 11/12/2025

How gender bias shaped early mental-health theories, especially through diagnoses like hysteria that pathologized women’s emotions and trauma. It also highlights the military’s major role in developing modern psychology through testing, trauma research, and clinical training. Today’s mental-health practice aims to be trauma-informed, holistic, and client-centered to avoid repeating past harms.