Truth Be Told ·Oct 7, 2026 ·59 min

When the Story Comes in Pieces: Trauma-Informed Interviewing with Bryan Barlow

Evaluation and Summary

7.9/10

Truth Be Told hosts Dave Thompson (CFI) and Bryan Barlow (CFI, Staff Instructor at Wicklander-Zulawski & Associates and former Chicago Police detective) explore trauma-informed interviewing—a critical skill for investigators, HR professionals, and others who conduct interviews. The episode centers on a core insight: trauma fundamentally alters how people experience, process, store, and retrieve memories, and these alterations are often misinterpreted as deception. Barlow draws on his background in law enforcement and interviewing training to explain the neuroscience and practical implications. Key topics include why trauma survivors may remember events non-chronologically, recall only fragments (like the sound of an impact without context), or display emotional responses that don't match investigator expectations. The hosts discuss why delayed reporting or gradual disclosure shouldn't automatically trigger suspicion, and how investigators risk contaminating their own judgment by imposing preconceived notions of how 'normal' memory and behavior should look. The conversation extends beyond law enforcement to broader applications: human resources, workplace investigations, healthcare, security, and fraud investigations. Practical techniques are explored—safety, patience, rapport-building, empowerment, and strategic use of silence—as tools to improve interview quality and reliability. The episode also addresses investigator wellness, acknowledging the cumulative psychological toll of repeated exposure to traumatic narratives and the necessity of self-care for those conducting difficult interviews. The overarching message reframes the investigator's role: rather than asking 'Why doesn't this story make sense?', the trauma-informed approach asks 'What might I be missing?' This shifts the burden from the interviewee to the interviewer's own assumptions and understanding. The episode positions trauma-informed interviewing not as an excuse for inconsistencies but as a framework for more accurate, ethical, and effective investigation by accounting for how trauma actually works neurologically and behaviorally.

Verdict: A well-structured, credible exploration of trauma-informed interviewing with clear practical value for investigators, HR professionals, and anyone conducting sensitive interviews; strong on relevance and substance, though the source material limits assessment of conversational depth and engagement.

Education rubric

Clarity of explanation 4/5 20%

Show notes clearly explain trauma's effects on memory and behavior with concrete examples (non-chronological recall, fragmented memories), though actual episode dialogue isn't available to assess how well concepts are articulated in convers
Accuracy 4/5 20%

Grounded in established trauma neuroscience and interviewing best practices; guest is credentialed (CFI, law enforcement background, professional standards role), though source material doesn't cite specific research or studies.
Structure 4/5 15%

Show notes indicate logical progression from trauma's effects on memory, to misinterpretation as deception, to practical techniques, to broader applications and investigator self-care—a coherent arc.
Substance 4/5 15%

Covers neuroscience, practical interviewing techniques, cross-sector applications, and investigator wellness; dense with actionable concepts, though show notes don't reveal depth of case examples or evidence presented.
Delivers on its title 5/5 15%

Title 'When the Story Comes in Pieces: Trauma-Informed Interviewing' is directly addressed; episode explores fragmented memory, non-linear recall, and how to interview trauma survivors—fully on-topic.
Value for time 4/5 15%

59 minutes for a focused topic with practical applications across multiple fields; show notes suggest substantive content without obvious padding, though pacing cannot be assessed from notes alone.

How we score Education

Worth it if you conduct interviews in law enforcement, HR, workplace investigations, healthcare, or security, or if you want to understand how trauma shapes memory and why investigative assumptions often backfire.

#trauma #interviewing #law enforcement #memory #investigation

Based on the episode description. AI-generated; it can be wrong.

Show notes

What happens when someone remembers the sound of an impact—but not the details immediately before it? When they recall pieces of an experience out of order? Or when their emotional response doesn't look the way we expect it to? Those gaps and inconsistencies can be easy to interpret as deception. But trauma can fundamentally influence how people experience, process, store, and retrieve information. In this episode of Truth Be Told , Dave Thompson, CFI sits down with Bryan Barlow, CFI, Staff Instructor and Professional Standards Lead at Wicklander-Zulawski & Associates, to explore the science and practice of trauma-informed interviewing. Drawing from Bryan's experience as a Chicago Police detective, trainer, and interviewing practitioner, they discuss how trauma can affect memory and behavior—and why investigators need to be careful about imposing their own expectations on how someone "should" remember or respond to an event. The conversation explores why memory isn't always chronological, why delayed reporting or gradual disclosure shouldn't automatically be interpreted as deception, and how safety, patience, rapport, empowerment, and even silence can improve an interview. Dave and Bryan also examine the broader application of trauma-informed practices across law enforcement, human resources, workplace investigations, healthcare, security, fraud investigations, and everyday human interactions. And the responsibility doesn't end with the interviewee. They also discuss the cumulative impact that repeated exposure to difficult stories and investigations can have on investigators themselves—and why self-care must be part of the conversation. Trauma-informed interviewing isn't about excusing inconsistencies or abandoning investigative curiosity. It's about understanding what else might explain what we're seeing before we decide what it means. Because sometimes the most important question isn't, "Why doesn't this story make sense?" It's "What might I be missing?" About Wicklander-Zulawski & Associates (WZ) Wicklander-Zulawski & Associates (WZ) is a global leader in investigative interviewing training, helping law enforcement, human resources, loss prevention, and corporate investigators conduct more effective, ethical, and reliable interviews. WZ provides training in evidence-based investigative interviewing, trauma-informed interviewing, workplace investigations, rapport development, and other evidence-based approaches designed to improve communication and decision-making.

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