Setting boundaries after trauma isn’t just hard—it can feel impossible. In this deeply honest episode, Gregory tackles why those of us with CPTSD struggle to say no, feel guilty for protecting ourselves, and often lose our sense of self in the process. Through raw listener stories, science-backed insights, and practical tools, Gregory explores how healthy boundaries can transform not only your relationships but your relationship with yourself. If you’ve ever felt like your needs don’t matter or that “no” is a dirty word, this episode will help you reclaim your right to take up space and choose yourself, guilt-free.

Key Takeaways

• Why boundary-setting feels so threatening for trauma survivors—and why it’s a vital skill for recovery.
• How to identify the difference between boundaries and walls (and why both show up).
• Practical scripts, tools, and body-based techniques to start setting boundaries—without over-explaining or crumbling at the first sign of pushback.
• How to handle the inevitable guilt, grief, and relationship changes that come with healthier limits.
• The neuroscience of boundaries: how practicing them actually rewires your brain for healing.

What You’ll Discover

• Why people-pleasing and boundary collapse are survival strategies—not character flaws.
• Real listener stories of messy, brave boundary-setting (and what happened after).
• What to do when loved ones test your limits, and how to respond to guilt-trips and emotional blackmail.
• The link between boundaries, self-worth, and physical health.
• Why “no” is a complete sentence—and how boundaries can actually create deeper intimacy.

Resources Mentioned

• Trauma and Recovery by Dr. Judith Herman
• Dr. Dan Siegel’s work on neuroplasticity and trauma
• Dr. John Gottman’s research on boundaries in relationships
• Dr. Bessel van der Kolk’s The Body Keeps the Score
• Dr. Gabor Maté on boundaries and chronic health
• Dr. Kristin Neff’s self-compassion research
• Dr. Martha Stout on dissociation and boundary repair

Coming up next: We’ll dig into the connection between CPTSD and triggers—why certain moments, sounds, or situations can hijack your brain and body, and the most effective tools for grounding and regaining control. Plus: simple, research-backed ways to build emotional safety even in stressful environments. Don’t miss it!

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In this episode, we're diving deep into building authentic support systems for CPTSD recovery. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by the idea of asking for help or wondered why traditional advice about "reaching out" doesn't work for trauma survivors, this one's for you. Gregory breaks down the neuroscience behind co-regulation, shares real stories from our community, and provides practical tools you can use today to create meaningful connections. We'll explore why quality trumps quantity in relationships, how to identify truly safe people, and why your healing literally happens in relationship with others.

Key Takeaways

• Support systems for trauma survivors look different than conventional friendship advice
• Co-regulation with safe people literally rewires your nervous system for healing
• Three to five quality connections are more effective than large social networks
• Building support means finding people who witness you without trying to fix you
• Your brain is designed for connection and healing happens in relationship

What You'll Discover

• The two-question check-in method for identifying what support you actually need
• How to use the vulnerability ladder to build trust gradually with new people
• Why the support system audit helps you identify energy-draining versus nourishing relationships
• The shared activity strategy for meeting like-minded people naturally through common interests
• How to practice the gradual share technique to test safety in new connections

Resources Mentioned

• Dr. Stephen Porges' Polyvagal Theory and co-regulation research
• Journal of Traumatic Stress study on social support and PTSD recovery
• UCLA Social Cognitive Neuroscience Lab findings on social pain and rejection
• Dr. Kristin Neff's work on self-compassion and relationship quality
• Harvard Study of Adult Development longitudinal research on relationships and health

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Next week we'll explore "The Power of Boundaries in Trauma Healing" and discover why boundaries aren't walls but gates with really good locks. We'll discuss how to set healthy limits without feeling like a complete asshole.

📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at [email protected].

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In this episode, we explore the complex journey of reconnecting with joy after trauma, addressing why happiness can feel dangerous when you're healing from CPTSD. Gregory shares personal insights about falling into the "healing trap" where managing trauma becomes so consuming that we forget how to actually enjoy life. Through listener stories, scientific research, and practical tools, we discover that joy isn't something we earn through perfect healing—it's a birthright that trauma tried to steal, and we can reclaim it one micro-moment at a time.

Key Takeaways
• Joy and trauma recovery aren't mutually exclusive—they can coexist as part of your healing journey
• "Joy guilt" is a common trauma response that doesn't reflect your worth or right to happiness
• Micro-moments of pleasure are valid building blocks of joy, not consolation prizes
• Your post-trauma joy may look different than before, and that's perfectly okay
• Small, consistent practices create neural pathways that make joy more accessible over time

What You'll Discover
• Why trauma creates "joy anxiety" and how to work with this protective mechanism
• The neuroscience behind how positive emotions literally rewire your brain for resilience
• Practical tools like "joy archaeology" and "joy stalking" to rebuild your happiness capacity
• How to create joy rituals that work even when you don't feel joyful
• Stories from listeners who found unexpected pathways back to authentic happiness

Resources Mentioned
• "The Body Keeps the Score" by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk - trauma's impact on the nervous system
• Dr. Barbara Fredrickson's research on positive emotions and the "broaden-and-build theory"
• Dr. Rick Hanson's work on neuroplasticity and "taking in the good" practices
• Dr. Deb Dana's polyvagal theory and nervous system states
• Dr. Kristin Neff's self-compassion research and its connection to life satisfaction

Next Episode Preview
We'll be diving into the tricky territory of setting boundaries with family members who don't understand your healing journey, including scripts and strategies for protecting your progress during the holidays.

📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at [email protected].

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In this episode, we dive into the reality of emotional overwhelm—how it hijacks your mind and body, and why it’s so common for those living with CPTSD. Gregory brings warmth, validation, and a dose of gently irreverent humor as he guides you through the science behind overwhelm, shares practical grounding techniques, and explains how self-compassion can be a lifeline in the storm. Real listener stories remind you that you’re not alone, and you’ll walk away with fresh hope, knowing your feelings are valid and there are tools to help you find steadier ground.

Key Takeaways
• Emotional overwhelm is a normal trauma response, not a personal failure
• Grounding techniques help anchor you in the present moment
• Self-compassion is a powerful tool for calming your nervous system
• Breaking big worries into smaller steps can make things feel manageable
• Progress is about kindness, not perfection

What You’ll Discover
• Why the brain and body react so intensely to overwhelm
• The 5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise and how to use it
• How to recognize emotional overwhelm as a wave, not a permanent state
• Tips for planning ahead when you know overwhelm might hit
• Ways to talk to yourself with the same kindness you’d give a friend

Resources Mentioned
• “The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel van der Kolk
• “Self-Compassion” by Kristin Neff
• Insight Timer app (grounding & mindfulness)
• National Center for PTSD: ptsd.va.gov
• “Radical Acceptance” by Tara Brach

Next Episode Preview
Next time, we’ll explore how to reconnect with joy and rediscover happiness, even after trauma. Join us as we find light after the storm.

📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at [email protected].

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In this episode, we explore the deeply human experience of loneliness through the lens of CPTSD, breaking the silence around isolation and the old stories trauma can tell us. With compassion and practicality, Gregory guides listeners through the real reasons loneliness takes root after trauma—and how to start gently shifting it. You’ll hear honest stories, research-backed strategies, and hope for finding your way back to meaningful connection, both with others and with yourself. Whether you’re surrounded by people or physically alone, this episode offers validation and real tools to help you move through loneliness at your own pace. If loneliness feels like a stubborn shadow in your healing journey, know you’re not alone—and that healing, even in tiny steps, is possible.

Key Takeaways
• Loneliness with CPTSD is rooted in nervous system responses, not personal failure
• Shame and self-criticism often intensify isolation for trauma survivors
• Small, safe steps toward connection can gently retrain your brain over time
• Self-compassion and self-soothing are essential skills for coping with loneliness
• Healthy boundaries create safer, more sustainable connectionsWhat You’ll Discover
• How trauma wires the brain to fear connection and crave isolation
• Practical grounding and reframing techniques for lonely moments
• Ways to redefine connection and find community that fits you
• The role of grief and self-rediscovery in healing from loneliness
• How to turn self-kindness into a foundation for future relationships

Resources Mentioned
• “The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel van der Kolk
• “Attached” by Amir Levine & Rachel Heller
• “Braving the Wilderness” by Brené Brown
• “Loneliness and Social Isolation as Risk Factors for Mortality” (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2015)
• CPTSD Foundation online community

Next Episode Preview
Next week, we’ll unpack strategies for handling emotional overwhelm and finding your center in the storm. Join us for tools you can use in the heat of the moment.

📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at [email protected].

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In this episode, Gregory gently guides listeners through the transformative potential of breathwork and meditation as tools for healing complex trauma. Drawing from lived experience and community stories, he explores how intentional breathing and mindful presence can help soothe a chronically overactive nervous system, build a sense of safety in the body, and begin the process of reconnecting with oneself after trauma. With warmth, humor, and deep compassion, Gregory offers simple, actionable practices you can try anywhere—reminding us that healing isn’t about perfection, but about showing up for yourself, one breath at a time. Whether you’re brand new to meditation or returning after setbacks, you’ll find validation, encouragement, and practical hope in this conversation. As always, the invitation is to honor your own pace, celebrate every small step, and know you’re never alone on this journey.

Key Takeaways
• Intentional breathwork signals safety to the nervous system
• Meditation is about noticing, not silencing the mind
• Healing happens in tiny, consistent steps over time
• Breathwork and movement can be combined for grounding
• Progress is measured in moments of self-compassion

What You’ll Discover
• Why trauma disrupts breathing and body awareness
• How to use box breathing and visualizations for calm
• The science behind neuroplasticity and trauma healing
• Ways to adapt meditation for busy or anxious minds
• Strategies for honoring your own pace in recovery

Resources Mentioned
• The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
• Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness by David Treleaven
• Insight Timer app (meditation guides)
• Calm app (guided breathwork)
• Polyvagal Theory resources (nervous system regulation)

Next Episode Preview
Next week, we’ll explore real-world strategies for coping with loneliness in trauma recovery—and how to find connection even when it feels impossible.

📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at [email protected].

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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 [email protected].

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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 [email protected].

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Help keep these vital conversations alive—Click Here.

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 [email protected]. 

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Help keep these vital conversations alive—join here: Click Here

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 [email protected]. 

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Help keep these vital conversations alive—Click Here