Working With Your Inner Critic Through Compassion and Curiosity

Host Jesse Deal welcomes listeners to the Trauma Unbound Podcast, shares his journey with childhood and relational trauma, offers a content warning, and invites listeners to the “Resistance” breaking generational trauma, noting his website, email, and one-on-one trauma coaching. He explores the inner critic as a protective part often shaped by a parent’s fearful voice, and describes how fighting it with an angry part creates internal chaos. Using his difficulty starting creative tasks as an example, he explains that avoiding exposure can create a false sense of safety that limits life. He models turning toward the inner critic with curiosity, listening for its origin story (a childhood humiliation episode like spilling crayons and being yelled at), validating the shame, and offering compassionate witnessing to build trust over time. He emphasizes that healing is ongoing but can become smoother with practice.

00:00 Welcome and Safety Note

00:55 Meet Your Inner Critic

02:04 Whose Voice Is It

02:48 My Creative Block Example

06:24 Turn Toward the Critic

09:03 The Crayons Memory

11:31 Compassion Builds Trust

13:41 Working With Parts Over Time

15:57 Final Takeaways and Thanks

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