Episodios

  • Morning Anxiety: Starting Your Day with Calm

    Morning Anxiety: Starting Your Day with Calm
    Jul 14 2025
    In this episode, we unpack the real-life experience of waking up with anxiety—and how living with CPTSD can turn mornings into the hardest part of the day. You’ll hear why your body and brain might default to “danger mode” before you even open your eyes, and how gentle routines, grounding techniques, and self-compassion can start to shift your mornings from chaos to calm. Listener stories, science-backed tools, and honest conversation create a space where you’re not alone in your struggle—and where hope is more than just a buzzword. If mornings have ever felt impossible, this episode will give you permission to go slow, to choose kindness over criticism, and to try one small thing tomorrow that might just make all the difference.

    Key Takeaways
    • Morning anxiety is common for people with CPTSD and not a personal failure
    • Gentle routines and sensory grounding can help calm your nervous system
    • Self-compassion is essential, especially on tough mornings
    • Progress comes in small, personal steps, not perfection
    • You’re not alone—community and support matter in healing

    What You’ll Discover
    • Why CPTSD makes mornings uniquely difficult for many people
    • The role of cortisol and nervous system patterns in morning anxiety
    • Practical micro-resets and morning “buffers” to break the anxiety cycle
    • How to challenge self-criticism with kindness and humor
    • Real listener stories about reclaiming mornings, one small act at a time

    Resources Mentioned
    • “The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel van der Kolk
    • “Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself” by Kristin Neff
    • “Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma” by Peter Levine
    • Mindfulness and grounding research in trauma recovery (Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 2010)

    Next Episode Preview
    Next time, we’ll explore how breathwork and meditation can help regulate your nervous system and support trauma recovery—even on the toughest mornings.

    📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at cptsd@senseofthisshit.com.

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    35 m
  • CPTSD: Navigating Romantic Relationships After Trauma

    CPTSD: Navigating Romantic Relationships After Trauma
    Jul 11 2025
    In this episode, we dive deep into what it means to love—and be loved—after complex trauma. With compassion, humor, and honesty, Gregory unpacks why relationships can feel so terrifying yet hopeful for those with CPTSD. You’ll learn how past wounds show up in new connections, why self-sabotage is so common, and how gentle awareness can slowly reshape the way you approach love. Whether you’re single, dating, or partnered, this conversation is a heartfelt guide to healing, connection, and finding the courage to show up as your real self.

    Key Takeaways
    • Trauma can make intimacy feel both alluring and dangerous
    • Relationship fears often come from old survival patterns
    • Self-sabotage is a protective instinct that can be unlearned
    • Clear communication and boundaries build real intimacy
    • Healing is possible, even if love feels overwhelming

    What You’ll Discover
    • How CPTSD shapes attachment and triggers in romance
    • Tools to ground yourself in moments of fear or doubt
    • The difference between real red flags and trauma triggers
    • Steps for gentle, honest communication with partners
    • Stories and hope from listeners on their own healing journey

    Resources Mentioned
    • Attached by Amir Levine and Rachel Heller
    • The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
    • Hold Me Tight by Dr. Sue Johnson
    • Trauma-informed therapy (in-person or online)

    Next Episode Preview
    Next week, we’ll explore gentle tools to tackle morning anxiety and help you start your day with calm and confidence.

    📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at cptsd@senseofthisshit.com.

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    15 m
  • Meditation for Emotional Healing: Reclaiming Calm, Connection, and Self-Compassion with CPTSD

    Meditation for Emotional Healing: Reclaiming Calm, Connection, and Self-Compassion with CPTSD
    Jul 7 2025
    In this episode, we explore how meditation can become a powerful, practical tool for emotional healing, especially for those living with CPTSD. With gentle guidance, relatable stories, and a down-to-earth approach, you’ll discover how meditation doesn’t require perfection or quieting your mind—it’s about building a kinder relationship with yourself, breath by breath. Whether you’re brand new to meditation or returning after setbacks, you’ll find hope, validation, and realistic strategies for weaving mindfulness into daily life—no incense or pretzel poses required.

    Key Takeaways
    • Meditation builds emotional resilience, even if your mind feels busy
    • Safety, self-compassion, and choice are essential for trauma-sensitive practice
    • Tiny, regular moments of mindfulness rewire the brain over time
    • Guided, movement-based, or micro-meditations can all support healing
    • Progress means showing up—perfection isn’t required

    What You’ll Discover
    • Why meditation feels different for trauma survivors
    • Research-backed benefits for the CPTSD brain and body
    • How to make meditation safe, gentle, and your own
    • Practical tools for handling triggers and setbacks
    • Tips for building a practice that fits real, imperfect life

    Resources Mentioned
    • “The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel van der Kolk
    • “Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness” by David Treleaven
    • Insight Timer app (free meditations, trauma-sensitive options)
    • Research: Farb et al., 2010, mindfulness and emotion regulation
    • Tara Brach’s guided self-compassion meditations

    Next Episode Preview
    Next time, we’ll explore using visualization practices to calm panic attacks and create an inner sense of safety you can access anytime.

    📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at cptsd@senseofthisshit.com.

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    37 m
  • Building Trust in Yourself and Others: Gentle Foundations for CPTSD Healing

    Building Trust in Yourself and Others: Gentle Foundations for CPTSD Healing
    Jul 4 2025
    In this episode, we gently explore what it means to rebuild trust after complex trauma—starting with yourself, and extending to the people around you. With warmth, honesty, and practical tools, Gregory shares how trust is not a one-time leap but a series of small, everyday actions. From keeping tiny promises to yourself to learning how to test and honor boundaries with others, we dig into the fears, hopes, and setbacks that make trust such a challenging but essential part of recovery. Listener stories bring these ideas to life, and research-backed strategies help you move at your own pace. Whether you’re learning to trust your own gut again or considering how to open up to someone new, this episode is your companion for the messy, beautiful journey of learning to trust after CPTSD.

    Key Takeaways
    • Trust is built through small, consistent acts, not grand gestures
    • Self-trust means honoring your needs, limits, and feelings
    • Trusting others requires gentle risk and discernment, not blind faith
    • Boundaries are the scaffolding for healthy trust
    • Compassion and patience with setbacks make trust sustainable

    What You’ll Discover
    • Why CPTSD makes trust so hard—and why that’s not your fault
    • How to rebuild trust with yourself through daily micro-promises
    • Ways to test trust in relationships safely and gradually
    • Tools to handle setbacks without shaming yourself
    • Next steps for creating safe spaces at home for trauma recovery

    Resources Mentioned
    • “The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel van der Kolk
    • “Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving” by Pete Walker
    • Journal of Traumatic Stress – research on trust and trauma recovery
    • Insight Timer (app) for guided mindfulness and grounding

    Next Episode Preview
    In our next episode, we’ll explore how to create a safe, healing space at home—practical strategies for comfort, calm, and trauma recovery.

    📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at cptsd@senseofthisshit.com.

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    Más Menos
    16 m
  • Staying Grounded Through Difficult Conversations: CPTSD Survival Skills for Tough Talks

    Staying Grounded Through Difficult Conversations: CPTSD Survival Skills for Tough Talks
    Jun 30 2025
    In this episode, we unpack how to stay grounded through difficult conversations—a challenge almost everyone with CPTSD faces. Whether it’s a tense talk with family, a tough moment at work, or setting boundaries with someone who drains you, you’ll find practical tools, gentle validation, and real-life stories that remind you you’re not alone. Host Gregory guides you through the why and how of grounding before, during, and after high-stress interactions, offering hope that it really can get easier—one conversation at a time.

    Key Takeaways
    • Grounding skills help interrupt panic and freeze during tense conversations
    • Preparation and self-compassion are the foundation for difficult talks
    • Aftercare rituals support healing and emotional recovery
    • Boundaries are healthy and your needs matter
    • Progress is measured in small steps, not perfection

    What You’ll Discover
    • Why your brain and body react so strongly to confrontation
    • How to prepare for and recover from high-stress conversations
    • Powerful grounding exercises for use in real time
    • The link between self-compassion and resilience
    • Listener stories of overcoming old patterns

    Resources Mentioned
    • “The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel van der Kolk
    • “Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving” by Pete Walker
    • “Self-Compassion” by Kristin Neff
    • National Center for PTSD – PTSD Coach App
    • Polyvagal Theory by Stephen Porges

    Next Episode Preview
    Next time, we’ll explore how journaling can become a powerful tool for healing, self-discovery, and long-term trauma recovery. You won’t want to miss it.

    📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at cptsd@senseofthisshit.com.

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    41 m
  • Healing Through Gratitude Practices: Gentle Tools for Emotional Recovery

    Healing Through Gratitude Practices: Gentle Tools for Emotional Recovery
    Jun 27 2025
    In this episode, we explore how small, everyday moments of gratitude can offer powerful healing for those living with CPTSD. Gregory gently guides listeners through the realities of practicing gratitude—not as toxic positivity, but as a quiet, grounded way to reclaim agency, calm the nervous system, and rediscover hope alongside pain. With listener stories, research-backed insights, and practical tools, you’ll learn how gratitude can become part of your daily healing, no matter how difficult things feel.

    Key Takeaways
    • Gratitude is not about denying pain but noticing moments of light alongside it
    • Research shows gratitude reduces stress and supports nervous system regulation
    • Even micro-moments of thankfulness can shift mood and support healing
    • Gentle, consistent gratitude practices widen your window of tolerance
    • Gratitude helps build resilience without bypassing difficult emotions

    What You’ll Discover
    • How trauma can make gratitude feel impossible and how to start anyway
    • Tiny gratitude practices for tough days and how to make them stick
    • Listener stories of healing through real, imperfect gratitude
    • Ways to use gratitude to support relationships and connection
    • How gratitude can help you honor both pain and hope at once

    Resources Mentioned
    • “The Gratitude Project” by Greater Good Science Center
    • “Thanks! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier” by Robert Emmons
    • “The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel van der Kolk
    • “Gratitude and Well-Being: A Review and Theoretical Integration” (Wood et al., 2010)

    Next Episode Preview
    Next week, we’ll talk about setting realistic expectations in CPTSD recovery—how to honor your progress without falling into perfectionism. You’ll get practical tips for embracing your journey with more self-kindness.

    📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at cptsd@senseofthisshit.com.

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    Help keep these vital conversations alive—join here: Click Here
    Más Menos
    13 m
  • Building Real Resilience: How to Strengthen Your Emotional Core with CPTSD

    Building Real Resilience: How to Strengthen Your Emotional Core with CPTSD
    Jun 23 2025
    In this episode, we take a compassionate and practical look at what it really means to develop emotional resilience while living with complex PTSD. Drawing from both science and the lived experience of our community, we’ll explore why resilience isn’t about being unbreakable—but about learning to bend, heal, and hope again after trauma. Through honest storytelling, research-backed tools, and everyday wisdom, Gregory guides you through the messy, courageous, and deeply human process of nurturing resilience, even when the past feels overwhelming. You’ll walk away with concrete ideas for grounding, gentle routines, creative expression, and self-compassion—plus real-life listener stories to remind you you’re never alone.

    Key Takeaways
    • Resilience is learned through small, daily acts—not innate toughness
    • Grounding techniques help anchor your nervous system in moments of overwhelm
    • Creative expression and nature support emotional healing and growth
    • Self-compassion is essential for recovering from setbacks and shame
    • Community and support are vital for building lasting resilience

    What You’ll Discover
    • Why emotional resilience looks different for those with CPTSD
    • How tiny rituals and routines can foster a sense of safety
    • Ways to reframe setbacks as part of healing—not failure
    • Practical exercises to soften the inner critic and grow self-kindness
    • The role of hope, rest, and meaning-making in long-term recovery

    Resources Mentioned
    • “The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel van der Kolk
    • “Radical Acceptance” by Tara Brach
    • “Self-Compassion” by Kristin Neff
    • “Waking the Tiger” by Peter Levine
    • Insight Timer (meditation and mindfulness app)

    Next Episode Preview
    Next week, we’ll explore long-term breathing techniques for anxiety relief—gentle, practical tools you can use anytime your nervous system needs a break.

    📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at cptsd@senseofthisshit.com.

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    Help keep these vital conversations alive—join here: Click Here
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    41 m
  • Understanding Triggers: Practical Tools for Trauma Recovery & CPTSD Healing

    Understanding Triggers: Practical Tools for Trauma Recovery & CPTSD Healing
    Jun 20 2025
    In this episode, I invite you to slow down with me and explore why certain sights, sounds, and sensations still send your nervous system into high alert—even when every logical part of you knows you’re safe. Through compassionate storytelling, plain-language neuroscience, and real-world experiments, we’ll map the journey from raw reactivity to grounded choice. You’ll hear how listeners traced their startle response back to cupboard doors or bus brakes, discover how an “over-helpful” smoke-alarm brain can be gently re-trained, and pick up science-backed practices you can try the moment this episode ends. If you’ve ever wondered whether triggers will rule your life forever, take heart—there is spaciousness on the other side of curiosity and care.

    Key Takeaways
    • Triggers are learned danger signals, not personal failures
    • Observation without judgment builds distance from automatic reactions
    • Compassionate self-talk lowers nervous-system alarm faster than shame
    • Bilateral stimulation and orientation calm body and mind in minutes
    • Choice, even in tiny doses, rewires dignity into everyday life

    What You’ll Discover
    • How to track trigger patterns using a “wildlife photographer” mindset
    • The five-step path: observation, context, compassion, experimentation, integration
    • Real listener stories that translate theory into lived possibility
    • Research on nutrition and cortisol’s role in trigger intensity
    • Portable grounding tools for moments you can’t escape the environment

    Resources Mentioned
    • Levine, P. A. Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma
    • Shapiro, F. EMDR: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
    • Frontiers in Psychology (2024) study on orientation exercises
    • University of Toronto cortisol-reduction trial (2023)
    • Calm App – grounding soundscapes and breath timers

    Next Episode Preview
    Next week we’ll tackle strategies for managing triggers in crowded public spaces, so you can move through busy environments without feeling like a raw nerve.

    📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at cptsd@senseofthisshit.com.

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    Help keep these vital conversations alive— Click Here
    Más Menos
    14 m