An insatiable need for romantic attention and love. Periods of overeating or starving. Using alcohol, food, or over-working to numb out. A pattern of unstable and painful relationships.

Does this sound painfully familiar?

Kelly McDaniel is a trauma therapist who saw these traits over and over in clients who felt trapped in cycles of harmful behaviors and were unable to stop. In 2008, she coined the term Mother Hunger as a way to describe this pattern and has since helped countless women. In this conversation, Kelly and Laura talk about:

– What Mother Hunger is

– How Mother Hunger shows up in our relationship to food

– The three critical elements of mothering and what happens when those needs aren’t met

– What Mother Hunger looks like in other relationships, like friendships and at work

– The link between food and unstable relationship patterns

– The concept of “frozen grief”

– The double-bind women face when it comes to sexual expression

– How to begin to heal

Episode link: https://www.tmstpod.com/episodes/51-kelly-mcdaniel-on-mother-hunger

Show notes:

Ready to Heal book

Mother Hunger book

Kelly’s website: https://kellymcdanieltherapy.com/

Kelly’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellymcdanieltherapy/

Spotify playlist for this episode:

Tell Me Something True is a 100% independent podcast. There are no corporations or advertisers backing this community. We are 100% funded by the TMST community. Become a TMST member today so you can hear the uncut interviews, attend private events with Laura and help keep TMST ad-free.

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TMST is hosted by Laura McKowen, the bestselling author of We Are The Luckiest and founder of The Luckiest Club. Follow the show and Laura on Instagram.