NARCISSISTIC ABUSE RECOVERY | Narcissist, Co-Parenting, Grey Rock Method, Boundaries, Healing, Toxic Relationship

NARCISSISTIC ABUSE RECOVERY | Narcissist, Co-Parenting, Grey Rock Method, Boundaries, Healing, Toxic Relationship

By Christy Jade - Narcissistic Abuse Coach, Grey Rock Coach , Gaslighting Expert, No Contact MentorHealth & FitnessMental HealthEducationSelf-ImprovementHow To
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NARCISSISTIC ABUSE RECOVERY | Narcissist, Co-Parenting, Grey Rock Method, Boundaries, Healing, Toxic Relationship episodes

  • 5 Signs You’re Trauma Bonded (Not in Love) — Why You Still Can’t Let Go

    If you can’t seem to let go—even when you know they’re wrong for you—you might not be in love… you might be trauma bonded. In this episode, we break down 5 clear signs you’re stuck in a trauma bond and why it feels so intense, confusing, and hard to walk away. This is about clarity, not shame—so you can finally start breaking free.

    💖 Work With Christy

    ✨ Ready for real-time transformation?

    Step into your power with Christy 1:1. Her 3-Month Transformational Coaching + Somatic Healing package helps you regulate your nervous system, rebuild self-trust, and feel safe in your own skin again.
    👉 https://shethrives.thrivecart.com/transformational-coaching-quarterly/

    🎁 Fun Queen Resources

    💌 Join the Free Private Facebook Community — connect with other Queens rebuilding after narcissistic abuse.

    👉 https://www.facebook.com/groups/narcissisticabuserecoverypodcast

    👑 Grab Your Free Boundaries Pocket Guide — learn how to say nope without guilt.

    👉 https://christyjade.ck.page/ce79ea9250

    💬 Copy-Paste-Peace Scripts — ready-made boundary phrases that protect your peace.

    👉 https://shethrives.thrivecart.com/copy-paste-peace-scripts/

    TRANSCRIPTS
    Speaker 1 (00:00):

    If you ever said, "I know they're bad for me, so why can't I let them go? " This episode might change everything because what if it's not really love at all? Welcome to your Thursday Thrive In Five, your five minute pause from the chaos, the gaslighting, and that text you knew better than to reply to. Take a breath queen, this one's for you. Hello, hello my queens. How are you? It has been, I don't know, let's look at the date. Over two months, I believe, since I've had a new fresh episode. I got COVID for the first time ever and it reactivated my mono that I had in my twenties that just stays there looking cute in your body for decades. I'm 46, sorry. I also had a birthday during this horrendous time. I ended up in the hospital. I had heart issues. I am now on a ... This is all TMI, but you know who I am.

    (01:15)

    I'm like queen of TMI. I have to take a heart medicine, hopefully not forever, a beta blocker because my heart rate just would not settle. Basically it threw my nervous system into chaos and even the queen of somatoculin couldn't comment the hell down and I couldn't sleep so I am on a little sleep sedative. And again, hopefully I can come off of all these, but for now they're keeping me in check, but I was almost like bedridden other than a few things here and there for two months. So my body, I'm like just crawling out of a deep ... It's like I've been in a bunker, but it feels like it was for a year. The body atrophies quicker than you fucking think. That's what I've learned here.

    (02:11)

    So that being said, I have les energy. I am fatigued still, not like to the extent I was and it's hard knowing what is recovery and what's just like reconditioning my body. So I will spare the rest of the details, but I'm crawling out of the hole and I know some of you checked on me. Thank you very much. Sorry if I didn't get back to all of you on messages and stuff. It's been a wild ride, but I've missed doing my podcast. So here we are and before all this happened, I planned on doing a series basically on trauma, trauma bonding, stuff like that. So today we're starting this new series and we're talking about something that keeps so many women stuck longer than they need to be, these trauma bonds. And before you go, "Oh yeah, heard that term." Right? It's kind of like a buzzword.

    (03:10)

    I want you to stay with me because most people do not fully understand what this actually feels like in real life because it doesn't feel like just straight trauma. It can feel like love, like chemistry, like connection. It feels like, but we had something special, right? So today I'm going to walk you through five signs. You are trauma bonded, not in love. And I want you to gently notice what resonates with you. No shame, no judgment, no kicking yourself.This happens to a lot of people with narcissists because they're really good at what they do. Okay? Just be aware. So sign one. You can't let go even when you know better. Okay This is a big one. Logically you know this person hurt you or continues to hurt you. This relationship was unhealthy. You deserve better. Maybe you don't think you do. Some people aren't there, but maybe you do.

    (04:18)

    And yet you still miss them. You still think about them. You still feel pulled back or get pulled back into their shit, into their chaos, right? That is not you being weak. That is your nervous system being conditioned. So a trauma bond is literally created through cycles of emotional highs and lows. Your brain gets hooked on the relief after the pain. Hear that again. Yo brain gets hooked on the relief it feels after the pain. So you're not like ... Some people are like, "Oh, you're addicted to chaos. You're addicted to the abuse." You hear all these things, right? Like you're addicted to bad boys who actually have been conditioned and are addicted to the relief after the bad things that they put you through or the hurt, which is a cycle, right? The abuse cycle. It is a cycle. So you're not crazy. You're conditioned.

    (05:22)

    Number two, sign two, the highs felt addictive. So let's talk about those good moments and this really reminds me of a relationship I had long ago with a narcissist and I always joked, but ha ha, not so funny. It was like Eminem and Kim. And I don't think it was to that extent, thank God. But those highs were so high and this is what keeps the bond alive. When it was good, girl, it felt really good. They're charming. They can be attentive and loving. Maybe everything you wanted or dreamed of. Maybe you wrote down what you wanted and they were it in those high moments. And your brain goes, see, that's who they are. It's in there. I saw it. But here's the truth. That version of them is just part of the cycle. The high only exists because of the low and your brain gets addicted to chasing that high again.

    (06:34)

    Okay.

    (06:37)

    Sign number three, you find yourself blaming yourself more than them. This one hits deep. You find yourself thinking, well, maybe I overreacted or maybe I'm sensitive because they probably have told you you're sensitive or you overreact or you're just crazy. Or maybe I pushed them away. Maybe it was how I dealt with relationships. Maybe I'm not seeing it. Or maybe if I just handled things better, it would've worked or they would've been better to me or they wouldn't have hurt me or they wouldn't have had to be how they were because I was how I was. No. They were the ones causing the chaos. This is just what happens when you've been gaslit, right? Yo brain starts turning inward instead of seeing clearly outward like a healthy brain does. So instead of saying they hurt me, you say, "What's wrong with me? " Does that sound familiar?

    (07:45)

    Instead of saying, "They hurt me. " Saying that out loud. You say, "What's wrong with me? " Or, "What did I do? " Or, "Why did I do this? " It starts to go inward. Okay? Sign number four.

    (08:06)

    We can all relate to this one. You feel anxiety more than peace. Real love, the healthy kind that I now have with my husband and you can get as well for just 1999 on QVC. No, but you can. Don't worry. There's still hope. Okay. There is healthy laveta there. It feels steady. Trauma bonding feels like this. Walking on eggshells. Waiting for the next shift up or down. Overanalyzing text messages or what they said or what they didn't say. Feeling relief, then dread, then relief again. Is that familiar? The emotional whiplash and your body knows it. That tight chest, the short breath, you're spinning mind ruminating all the time. Get stuck thinking, thinking, thinking. That is not healthy love. That is your nervous system in what we call survival mode. Whether you are going through physical, emotional, spiritual, financial abuse, any, all of the above, your nervous system is reacting.

    (09:45)

    Sign number five. You confuse intensity with connection. This one is important. They're all important. But man, that intensity can take over. This one's huge. Huge, huge. Okay. You think we had something so deep, something like I've never had before, something I'll never get again. By the way, that's actually a good thing. I remember thinking that with that relationship like, "Oh, I'll never have these highs again. I don't want those highs again because guess what? With those highs come very low lows." But what you actually had was intensity, not intimacy and there is a difference, right? Intensity is fast bonding, right? They love bomb you right away. They adore you. They say everything you wish you would've heard from everyone always. Oh my gosh, there's finally this man or woman who knows how to show love and they're not afraid to show it. And I feel special.

    (11:03)

    Big emotions. Intensity is big emotions, right? And very high highs, but what? Class, what comes with those highs? Low lows. Yes. Intimacy is what? And this is what you need to really hear. This is what I have with my husband. Safety. Consistency. I think I'll bold that one in my mind. Consistency. I will tell you right now there are no narcissists out there that are consistent and I can put my stamp on that. Okay? And intimacy is calm. Are you going to have a thousand percent agreement all of the time? No. But overall, if you're zoomed out looking at a pattern of a healthy relationship and love, you are going to feel safe. You're going to feel like you're on the same team. You're going to feel consistent energy and emotion. And overall, you're going to feel a calm, a comfort in this relationship like I do.

    (12:26)

    I feel like I'm so certain of my relationship. There's never any question. It's just like it's stable. That's a good word for it too. Stable. I can lean on my relationship. I know it's there. I know it's not going anywhere. I know that I'm safe, emotionally safe in it, physically safe in it, mentally safe in it, financially safe in it. Unless I go play some blackjack. Just kidding. All right. If it didn't feel calm, it wasn't secure. If you're listening to this, you're probably in a very insecure relationship or maybe still are and you know my advice. Listen to the other apps and get out. You deserve so much better and there is so much better out there. Sometimes we may ... I did feel like I deserved more at a point when I was with that ex that was a narky narc.

    (13:26)

    I kind of knew I deserved more. He'd make me question myself, of course. But part of me was more like, "But then why does it feel so good when it's good? Like that can't be normal. I'll never find that again." And I'm telling you, that type of good is not the good you want. And I'm not saying I don't have high highs with my husband. We have extra fun times or we laugh a lot together, but there's a difference between that crazy almost out of this world high that is unfortunately balanced with the very low lows.

    (14:13)

    So you don't need more willpower to pull out of this situation to either not get pulled back or just you're struggling just moving forward, even if you're not going back to them or in touch with them, just emotionally and healing and going back to your thoughts, right? They can still have you mentally, even if you're not with them physically or emotionally. They can still have your fucking brain. I know, honey. I've been there. Okay? You don't need more willpower. You need nervous system support. You need clear boundaries and you need the truth over and over and over again, because your truth has been unraveled.

    (15:04)

    And once you see the real of the pattern, you can start breaking it. Okay? So if this episode hit you and you're realizing, oh, this is deeper than I thought, you don't have to do this alone. This is exactly what I help women do. Break trauma bonds, regulate their emotions, and finally feel free again. And all the ways to work with me are in the show notes. So pick your poison. Just kidding. Let's chat. And if you're in a place and this is for not the women who are trying to get out of these situations, the women who I work with are disconnected. That is a requirement and you must be disconnected from the relationship. Okay? So you've got to be disconnected already. You can't be living with your narcissist person. You are on the other side, you're seeing the patterns and you're going, "Okay, I know I can do this.

    (16:12)

    I want to do this. I want to move on with my life. I've already made steps to be away from them, but I feel stuck mentally. So Christie, I need your help." That is the women that work with me so we can step forward and up and out and fly like fly. Okay? So next we're going to talk about why trauma bonds feel like an addiction and how to actually start breaking them. So definitely hit the follow button or whatever. I don't even know what it says on there, whatever podcast platform you are on to follow my podcast so you start getting all of my lovely episodes again because this is going to be a very epic series if I don't say so myself. I'm not biased at all. All right. Thank you so much for joining. I have missed you guys and you can always feel free to email me.

    (17:20)

    My email is always in the show notes and just say hello or tell me about your situation, just whatever. I love talking to my people. So send me a little note and I hope you all have a fabulous day and you deserve healthy love and a healthy mind that can get unstuck from this boo shit because that's all it is. It's just a little bullshit. All right. I'll see you in the next episode on Thursday. Bye.

    19 min
  • Trauma Left Behind? Break the Narcissistic Abuse Loop in 90 Seconds

    Still replaying every convo, text, or mind game—trying to make sense of the narcissist? In this 5-minute reset, Christy Jade shows you how to break the brain loop that keeps you obsessed with understanding them and finally reclaim your peace. Learn how trauma trains your mind to overanalyze—and the simple somatic shift that ends the cycle for good.

    💖 Work With Christy

    ✨ Ready for real-time transformation?

    Step into your power with Christy 1:1. Her 3-Month Transformational Coaching + Somatic Healing package helps you regulate your nervous system, rebuild self-trust, and feel safe in your own skin again.
    👉 https://shethrives.thrivecart.com/transformational-coaching-quarterly/

    🎁 Fun Queen Resources

    💌 Join the Free Private Facebook Community — connect with other Queens rebuilding after narcissistic abuse.

    👉 https://www.facebook.com/groups/narcissisticabuserecoverypodcast

    👑 Grab Your Free Boundaries Pocket Guide — learn how to say nope without guilt.

    👉 https://christyjade.ck.page/ce79ea9250

    💬 Copy-Paste-Peace Scripts — ready-made boundary phrases that protect your peace.

    👉 https://shethrives.thrivecart.com/copy-paste-peace-scripts/

     

    Speaker 1 (00:03):

    Welcome to your Thursday, thrive in five, your five minute pause from the chaos, the gaslighting, and that text you knew better than to reply to take a breath Queen. This one's for you. All right, take a deep breath today, queen. Happy Thursday. This thrive in five is for the woman who cannot stop replaying all the conversations, the manipulations, every, why did he do that? Why is he doing that? Whether it's your past or current situation that you are having to deal with a narcissist. Maybe you're, maybe it's a family member, maybe it's your boss, but understanding the narcissist will not bring you peace, and we think it will, right? We try to understand to relieve something in us, but your brain keeps dragging you back, even though deep down you probably know, you'll never fully understand and comprehend a narcissist because they don't make sense in the same way we do.

    (01:18)

    They don't think the same way we do. They're not healthy people. So let's shift that today. So here's the thing, your brain is not broken. It's doing what it was actually trained to do, to analyze danger, to stay safe by being in the situations. So when you lived in a narcissistic environment, you became a detective. You were constantly decoding, tone, expression, hidden meanings. Are you shaking your head yet? Because your survival basically depended on it. So now that you're free, your brain doesn't realize it can stop working overtime. That's the loop. The body's addiction to this vigilance disguised as logic. It's not logic, it's vigilance. It's over vigilance, right? So let's get to today's practice. It's a calming quick one, and we are going to calm that beautiful brain of yours that deserves every piece. So wherever you are, gently place one hand on your heart and one on your belly. You're going to inhale through your nose for 4, 3, 2, 1. Hold for one, two, and exhale, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Now you can repeat after me. I am safe.

    (03:17)

    I don't need to understand them to be free. How's that feel? So as you exhale, imagine the thoughts spinning in your head, melting down into your body and out through your feet. So we're going to inhale, 1, 2, 3, hold it. And as you exhale, imagine those thoughts that just whine and whine melting down your body and out your feet. Let your body carry what your mind can't. So if you want to repeat that a couple times, you can always pause this. Do it as many times as you need to, and each time, remind yourself, I choose peace over answers.

    (04:24)

    You get to choose, and it might seem hard, but every time you do this, you get closer. Every time you do anything somatic, you really get closer to it so you don't heal by finding new information about them. That's what we think. You heal by giving your nervous system proof that the danger is over. I'm going to say that again. You heal by giving your nervous system proof that this danger is over. And I know everyone's situation is different, but most of you are on the other side getting out of the situation. You've left your co-parenting or you're not living with the person every day like you once were. That could be a parent, a sibling, an ex, right? So this is really for you that knowing you are out of imminent danger and you need your nervous system to come on board with that. So every time you redirect from analyzing them to soothing yourself, you're rewiring your brain for peace. And that is the power they never want you to have, right?

    (05:56)

    Ugh. It would just kill them to know you're at peace. They want you all up in the chaos with them. They want the control of your peace. They want to hold your peace and never let you have it. And we're not here for that. Are we Queens? No. So if you're ready to learn the deeper somatic tools, this is just the tiny tip, right? This is what I can do on these podcasts. I can give you as much as I can give you and I try. But to really do the deeper transformation and use those tools that really go in deep and are longer lasting to stop those mental spirals and actually feel safe in your own body. You can do that by working one-on-one with me, and that is where the real rewiring happens. I always have the link in my show notes of the podcast.

    (06:50)

    So if you're on Apple, you go to my main page there, or this episode description, I'll have it there as well. It's all over my podcast. And that is where the magic happens. And if you're not there yet, keep taking these five minutes for you. Your piece is rebuilding itself every single time you choose it. Saying out loud, like I'm serious, saying things out loud is so helpful for our brains and bodies to connect, to catch up with each other saying, I'm choosing peace. Or what is the most peaceful choice I can make right now? When you're in those situations where you're like, I don't know what to do, what is the most peaceful choice for me? What's the most peaceful choice for my child if you have a child, right? I get it, I get it. That also it can swing the other way where we just, we want to show them or we want to, they're acting crazy and we feel like we need to meet them where they're at. No, we need to be the peace.

    (07:59)

    I get the justice part, trust me, my middle name, my whole life was seeking justice all around. And then once I realized what a narcissist was and how manipulative they were, and I had one in my life, I was like, oh, I'm going to show them that I'm onto them and this and that, and I did. And I learned the hard way. That's not actually how you win with narcissist. Winning is having peace and doing the work that you are no longer affected by them. It's not overnight, but it can happen and it can happen quicker than you think, which is beautiful. Ask my clients. Okay? So take one more deep breath queen. Inhale and release. And remember, your freedom doesn't live in their story and their narrative and their bullshit. It lives in your body that you get to choose, you get control of to say, I'm going to do X, Y, Z.

    (09:05)

    What's that? X, Y, Z. I hope it's peace. You look way better in peace than you do in chaos. Okay? Alright, so don't forget to follow this podcast. Share it if you think it would help someone else. Of course, if you want that deep transformation, I do have two spots open for the next three months, I believe. So grab a spot if you want one. And remember it's every Tuesday and Thursday we have Tuesday are the longer episodes. We dive deep talking about doing the talkie talk, and then the Thursdays are thrive in five where we try to do a little more of the somatic stuff, little exercises and tools that you can take with you. Alright, I'll see you in the next video. Smooches love yous and keep cleaning.

    10 min
  • How to Heal Trauma Through Breathwork

    Empowered Boundaries Course

    https://shethrives.thrivecart.com/empowered-boundaries/
     
     
    TRANSCRIPT:
    Speaker 1: (00:00)
    Huh, that's me being creepy, but also me introducing what we are going to talk about today, which is breath work. What are the benefits of breath work for people who are looking to heal? Stay close and you will find out,

    Speaker 1: (00:18)
    Hey Queens, welcome to, but still she thrives. Do you wanna stop getting caught up in that wicked web of a creepy crawling narcissist? You find yourself up late at night replaying the abuse you put up with and wondering how you can heal now. Do you wake up hoping for healthy relationships and peace only to feel totally exhausted? And mind F girl, I see you, I'm Christie. I too had to disconnect from toxic people in my life and I wished I could undo the damage I felt ashamed, lonely and kind of lost. But I'm a stubborn Italian and I refuse to give up. I found ways to recalibrate my mind and embody more quickly than I thought and can now share them with you. In this podcast, you will find coping tools, healing methods, and confidence boosters so you can trust yourself and find peace and freedom. So shields up ladies, let's go protect our peace.

    Speaker 1: (01:15)
    I was introduced to breath work during the global pandemic of 2020 when I think we all needed some breath work. Uh, it was good timing. Yes, I was introduced to that and it really can be life changing and there's so much more to it than you would think. There's all sorts of types of practices. That was all a lot of words to say. Different practices for breath work, just different patterns, different ways you can use it from physical healing to mental and emotional and spiritual healing. There's just a lot of jam pack goodness up in the breath work world. I have done some breath work with my clients and I am getting certified to not only do breath work but all sorts of fun somatic healing therapies. So I'll be talking about that more. But I also wanna get to the point of this episode and dive in.

    Speaker 1: (02:13)
    So what does breath work do? Breath work refers to various practices that involve conscious control and manipulation of our breath, right? And we do this to achieve specific outcomes, like I said, that can be physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. So while individual experience can vary, these are five ways in general which breath work can potentially contribute to your healing on this lovely healing journey you are on. Number one, stress reduction. And this is big. This is a big one. We want stress reduction when we're going through the healing journey. We don't need extra stress, we need a lot less. So this is a great way. So deep and rhythmic breathing activates what is called, and you may have heard of this I've mentioned a couple times in some of my episodes. But parasympathetic nervous system, right? And this promotes relaxation and reduces the effects of the body stress response, which is normal in our everyday lives.

    Speaker 1: (03:17)
    But we can use this breathing to activate the parasympathetic nervous system. And this can lead to lower levels of cortisol. I've heard that word thrown around a lot. It is the stress hormone and this can help lower it and get you to a calmer state of mind, which will help alleviate all the symptoms with stress related crap, right? We, we know all the feelings, the racing heart, the sweating, the nervousness, the worry, all of that can totally be helped just by deep and rhythmic breathing. That's why they do it during labor. Number two, improved mental clarity. This was like the icing on the cake for me. So focused and intentional breathing can enhance mental clarity and concentration. So increasing this flow of oxygen to the brain with, again, there's different patterns we can use for different things, but increasing that flow of oxygen can improve the cognitive function and help all of us gain better control over our thoughts and reduce that mental fog.

    Speaker 1: (04:30)
    Can I get a what? What for the perimenopause women of the world right now? Or a menopausal mental fog is a thing. I'm starting to get it. I'm not loving it so I'm gonna start doing a little more breath work around that. But it enhances the overall mental wellbeing. So I am loving this benefit. Number three, emotional release breath work can provide a very cathartic release of those pent up emotions. Certain techniques encourage the expression and release of those stored emotions letting us process and let go of the burdens we carry, right? This can be particularly beneficial for those dealing with trauma. We know about trauma if we're in that narcissistic world, which if you're on here, you may be anxiety in general or grief And grief is a huge one. And around the holidays it can be really, really hard if you have been grieving someone or you just grieve have had to grieve anyone or a loss of a relationship, even that can be considered a grief, right?

    Speaker 1: (05:40)
    So it's releasing all of these things and breath work can kind of release that, you know? And it's just like that bottled up. Like you feel like you're gonna explode and you hold it in and this is a way to let it out without screaming and crying and punching a pillow. , you just gotta breathe girl. Um, no, but I do like this one. This is like a great way to, when you're kind of just feeling overwhelmed with emotions, it's a really good way to release it in a healthy way. Not saying that screaming a punching a pillow is not healthy. I mean that is a way you can do it too. Just don't punch anybody or something that could hurt your hand. Okay, number four, enhanced mind and body connection. So breath work often emphasizes that connection between the mind and the body. I am big on this.

    Speaker 1: (06:35)
    I'm always saying get out of your mind and into your body because they are connected. But sometimes we have to know when to lean into which one. As humans, especially as women, especially as women who have gone through some shunt, we can get so stuck in our mind and our thoughts. So through this mindful breathing, we can become more aware of the physical sensations, our emotions, and our thought patterns. And this increases our awareness for a greater sense of self-awareness, knowing what's going on with all parts of us and a deeper connection between that mental and the physical, right? So why I was talking about the whole leaning on one side versus the other is the more self-aware you are of where your thoughts are, right? Like, oh wow, I'm really in my head right now. Maybe I need to glide over into my body focusing on that breath.

    Speaker 1: (07:38)
    Maybe you start doing, there's other somatic practices you can do like grounding or just tracking different things going on with your physical body. You can start rubbing your hands together, getting out of your head and into your body will change how you are, you know, basically functioning because you're going from inside of those thoughts and the mind racing and putting it into the the physical body, which is a great place to be when you're trying to calm your nervous system down. Last but not least, regulation of the autonomic nervous system. So again, these various breath work techniques such as diaphragmatic breathing, which is through your diaphragm, very focused on breathing in and out of the diaphragm and paced breathing. I do a lot of that with my clients can influence that part of the nervous system. And this can lead to a better balance between this sympathetic, which is that fight or flight.

    Speaker 1: (08:40)
    You know what I mean? I'm always the fight person. Unfortunately if something's coming at me, I'm going right back at it, right? But there's also that flight side. I have a friend they actually used to call us fight and flight. I was always like, what is it? I'll take care of it. I'll protect y'all. Little scrappy do as my husband calls me and my friend was flight, like she just doesn't like anything that's just not totally calm. It freaks her out and she shuts down. So she just disappear. Like you'd be like, where did she go? Where did that woman go? And then I'm there with my scrappy dupal, right? But that's the sympathetic part of the system. And then the S parasympathetic is the rest and digest. So these are the branches of that nervous system. So this balance is crucial for your overall health.

    Speaker 1: (09:34)
    So you've got to be having a balance of both of these helping to reduce, get this, y'all get this helps reduce chronic inflammation, which is one of the biggest part of our modern world as like as far as health goes, there's so much inflammation from diet, from stress. That nervous system, when it is all crazy and chaotic, it throws our system off and it causes chronic inflammation. So this can help promote the healing process within the body. And I think that's freaking epic and I love it. And I love this work. I'm so excited to be getting deeper into this myself as I go through my certification. So I can definitely touch on this stuff I do with my clients. Like I said, if you want to work with me, do some coaching, do some breath breathwork, do other modalities of energy healing, please look at the different packages I have in my show notes.

    Speaker 1: (10:36)
    And also you can always email me at fierce Mama C at Gmail, that is in my show notes as well. And breathwork really is a great supplement if you're in therapy, if you're doing coaching, if you're just on a healing journey trying out different things to see what works best for you, it's a great thing to explore. And with like talk therapy coaching, it's really a good, good supplement to get the healing from the body out. Almost that sounded weird like where we we're a weird transformer, but all the talking and coaching and motivation, like there is a lot of great things happening there. I see it with my own clients, but I wanted to start adding this deeper layer so we can also in parallel be really going deep and heal from the inside out while we are doing a little of the coaching therapy.

    Speaker 1: (11:25)
    So I'm so excited to be kind of doing the shift. So any feedback from you guys on things you would like to see me cover on here on this podcast, please email me again in the show notes. Um, and a reminder, if you have health concerns, please consult with your doctor before incorporating breath work into your practice just to make sure you're all good. If you're a typical healthy person, obviously you wanna go in slow and you don't wanna do the, the really deep fast breaths like right away. In my experience, I did that right away. 'cause I'm always like, look at me, I'm gonna jump in everything I do. I like to like really dive in and I did a little too fast. I didn't like pass out or anything, but I was like, I think that I feel a little bit lightheaded. So definitely go in slow, work your way up.

    Speaker 1: (12:16)
    If you're a typical healthy individual, if you do have health issues, talk to your doctor about how you can make breath work, work for you. There's definitely ways to do it. It's just gonna probably be slower, the pacing, maybe building up very slowly, but that is not my specialty. So I would like you to check in with your doctor if you do have those special health conditions. Okie dokie. Anyway, I love you guys. I'm so excited for, I don't know, life . No, I'm excited to introduce you to this modality. If you have not heard of it before. Most most of us have heard of breathing. That's a thing. But breath work as in really being a healing tool. I'm just, I'm just so excited and fascinated by how beneficial it can be. So I will talk to you in the next episode of, but still Sheath Rises. Let's Hands to Heart It. We're gonna do a couple affirmations here. If you're on the road, do not put your hands on your heart, please keep 'em on the wheel unless you're in an Uber . All right, let's take a deep breath in through the nose and out one more through the nose and out.

    Speaker 1: (13:36)
    I can heal myself. Repeat after me. I am healing every day. Last one, KA, I'm a queen. Alright, Queens, I love you. Keep that chin up. You are doing an amazing job. It is holiday season if you're listening to this live, and the narcissists come out full-blown. So be prepared. Let me know if you need my support, message me or sign up for one of my packages and I'll talk to you soon. Smooches Andes.
    15 min
  • 5-Minute Reset for When You Feel Pulled Back Into the Trauma Bond

    5-Minute Reset for When You Feel Pulled Back Into the Trauma Bond

    If you’ve ever felt that magnetic pull to check their page… or that instant surge of anxiety when their name pops up — this quick episode is for you.

    In this Thrive in 5, Christy Jade guides you through a powerful five-minute reset to help calm your nervous system, stop the obsessive thoughts, and get your peace back — fast.

    Because you don’t need to text, check, or fix. You just need to breathe, reset, and remember your crown. 👑

     Your Next Step in Healing

    ✨ Ready to rebuild your peace, power, and self-trust after narcissistic abuse?

    Explore Christy’s most transformative programs below:

    🌸 Empowered Boundaries Course

    Learn how to set boundaries that actually stick — without the guilt spiral. Includes 10 video modules, a meditation bundle, and lifetime access.
    → https://shethrives.thrivecart.com/empowered-boundaries/

    💖 1:1 Coaching + Somatic Healing

    Reclaim your peace, power, and clarity in a private, guided journey with Christy. This is where REAL customized transformation is made! Save money when you sign up for 6 and 12 month!
    3-Month Coaching Container → https://shethrives.thrivecart.com/transformational-coaching-quarterly/
    6-Month Coaching Container → https://shethrives.thrivecart.com/6-month-queens-of-peace-program/
    12-Month Coaching Container → https://shethrives.thrivecart.com/12-month-queens-of-peace-program/

    💌 Resources for Your Healing Journey

    ✨ Grab your FREE Boundaries Pocket Guide → https://christyjade.ck.page/ce79ea9250

    ✨ Join the FREE Facebook Community for daily support + sisterhood → https://www.facebook.com/groups/christyjade
    ✨ Snag your Copy-Paste-Peace Scripts for boundary convos that actually work → https://shethrives.thrivecart.com/copy-paste-peace-fast-37/

     

    Speaker 1 (00:00):

    Queen, are you feeling that magnetic pull to check their page, getting that spike of anxiety when their name pops up? Whatever it is, you're not regressing, okay? Your nervous system is just having a little flare up in this Thrivent five, I'm going to walk you through a quick emotional reset to get you back to calm, clear, and crowned. Of course, shine it up. Welcome to your Thursday, thrive in five, your five minute pause from the chaos, the gaslighting, and that text you knew better than to reply to take a breath queen. This one's for you.

    (00:45)

    Alright? You're not crazy for still feeling that pull. Okay? Whether that looks like you're questioning things that happened, wondering if you made a mistake, wondering why you even did this. What did you feeling like guilt around it? All right? What happened to me? How did this happen? How did I even get here? And get there and get everywhere? Okay? Your brain built highways to respond to their chaos and healing means building detours, right? So today we're going to walk one of those detours together, okay? So stop what you're doing. If you're driving, you might want to save this for later and go back to it when you get to your destination, when you have a few minutes of quiet. So if you are in a quiet space, stop what you're doing. Take a breath. All right? Now focus on where your feet are grounded. You can stand up, sit down, but try to ground your feet on whatever floor you have beneath you. Okay? Take one. Slow inhale through your nose, 1, 2, 3, 4, and exhale through your mouth, six counts, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. And repeat after me out loud. I am safe in this moment.

    (02:21)

    Okay? That one sentence tells your body, we are not in danger anymore or we're not in danger right now. So now move something. You can shake out your hands and your arms. You can roll your shoulders back. I love that. I love a good neck roll. Stretch your neck, side to side. Whatever feels best to you. This is your body reset, queen. It's your time to decide, right? It's time for you to get some decisions in this life. Alright? Now imagine the leftover tension leaving your body with every exhale. Okay? So let's say you're rolling your shoulders, just roll back and every time you reach a certain spot, imagine just releasing tension, releasing that tension out of your body, okay?

    (03:18)

    Are actually releasing the chemical residue of the trauma bond, the cortisol, the hyper vigilance you're very familiar with, right? So you can always pause this if you want, feel like you need a little extra or just go through the rest of the exercise with all of us, okay? So you've shaken at your hands, rolled your shoulders, your neck, whatever. Felt good. Now we're going to reframe, okay? So repeat after me again. And if you are someone who is missing this person, this is for you. And if not, we'll get to you. Don't worry. Okay? Missing them doesn't mean I made a mistake. Missing them doesn't mean I made a mistake. You're repeating after me, okay? Now, if you're wondering why you still are getting sucked in by them, why you're still responding, even when you know shouldn't, doesn't mean you want to be with them or you miss them. This can mean that you're still craving the chaos. Okay? So repeat after me. I'm craving the chaos, not the person. Let's make that clear. I'm craving the chaos, not the person.

    (04:42)

    Okay? Now, this will be basically for everybody. We're covering everyone here, okay? Because if you listen to Tuesday's episode, if not, you need to listen to that. But if you did already, we talked about peace not being as exciting as the chaos, right? Those ups and downs, highs and lows, dopamine hits. Peace is a little more consistent, which is great. Stable, which is great, but it can feel boring, especially when you are used to those spikes. So it might feel boring. But boring is when you know you're healing. You need this, okay? So remind yourself, repeat after me. Peace might feel boring, but boring is healing. Peace might be boring, but boring is healing. So every time you reframe it like that, you weaken that old wiring, that chaos is love. That this addiction to the dopamine is fun and great. It's not. It's stanky.

    (05:52)

    Okay? Now let's get a little sparkle return. Okay? Close your eyes. Picture your gold shiny crown. Okay? That glowing reminder that you belong to yourself. Now you're not under the thumb of that narcissist. Inhale golden light. Exhale the residue of their energy. Ugh. Get it away. Get it away. Inhale your light. If you're a God person, that can be God's light. Exhale, the negative energy that is no longer yours doesn't serve you. Goodbye. Okay, now smile. Even if it's a tiny one, even if it's a little bitty smile, that's your nervous system, remembering joy, remembering peace.

    (06:53)

    Let yourself sit in that for a second with that crown, that beautiful golden light. It's yours. You have control of it. You can tap into it at any time. Save this or any of my thrives and fives for easy access to tapping into yourself. Okay? So you just took back a little piece of your power in five minutes. If you want more tools like this to stay grounded, you can grab my boundaries Pocket guide, right? If you need to set some boundaries or the Empowered Boundaries course for deeper healing, and if you want insane transformation, you are ready. You are over this, done with it, and you're ready to actually take an hour, hour a week. I am holding you to that. It is, this is weekly work with me and you get access in between. So if you're someone who's ready to show up and glow up, go check out my three month one-on-one program.

    (07:58)

    It is epic. It is transformational. You're already a queen. You're going to be a double queen, okay? So go check out those ways to work with me and I will see you in the next, not see you. I will talk to you. You can imagine what I look like, but I won't be there. Should I do these on video? I did a few of 'em. Tell me if you would like these on video or if you are a podcast person in the Facebook group. Yes, speaking of which, join my free Facebook group. That's where all the magic happens. Can you imagine? There's more magic that is always in the show notes too. So yes, tell me in there if you would like video or you like audio is good for you. Alright? And don't forget to follow my podcast on the main page of wherever you are listening to this. You go to my main page on whatever platform and just hit the follow button so you can follow my podcast. See? So you don't miss of this magic glitter. Okay? All right, I love you. I will see you in the next, I'm just going to, maybe it's God saying you need to do video. Maybe I'll see you in a video soon, huh? Smooches deuces later.

    10 min
  • The Trauma Bond Hangover: Why Healing Feels Harder Than Leaving and How to Heal from It

    You finally broke free — but why does it still feel so hard to breathe?

    In this episode, Christy Jade breaks down what no one tells you about life after the trauma bond.

    If you’ve ever caught yourself craving the chaos, feeling pulled to respond to that text, or getting triggered by their name — even though you know they’re toxic — this one’s for you.

    You’re not weak. You’re not “going backward.”

    You’re experiencing what Christy calls the trauma bond hangover — that emotional, mental, and physical crash that happens when your body is detoxing from dysfunction.

    👑 Your Next Step in Healing

    ✨ Ready to rebuild your peace, power, and self-trust after narcissistic abuse?

    Explore Christy’s most transformative programs below:

    🌸 Empowered Boundaries Course

    Learn how to set boundaries that actually stick — without the guilt spiral. Includes 10 video modules, a meditation bundle, and lifetime access.
    → https://shethrives.thrivecart.com/empowered-boundaries/

    💖 1:1 Coaching + Somatic Healing

    Reclaim your peace, power, and clarity in a private, guided journey with Christy. This is where REAL customized transformation is made!
    → https://shethrives.thrivecart.com/transformational-coaching-quarterly/

    💌 Resources for Your Healing Journey

    ✨ Grab your FREE Boundaries Pocket Guide → https://christyjade.ck.page/ce79ea9250

    ✨ Join the FREE Facebook Community for daily support + sisterhood → https://www.facebook.com/groups/christyjade
    ✨ Snag your Copy-Paste-Peace Scripts for boundary convos that actually work → https://shethrives.thrivecart.com/copy-paste-peace-fast-37/

    💬 Episode Highlights

    • Why guilt spikes when a toxic parent gets older or sick

    • The truth about “honoring your parents” — and what that really looks like in abuse recovery

    • How to stop confusing compassion with obligation

    • Nervous system tools to stay grounded when guilt-tripping starts

    • Christy’s personal reflection on balancing empathy with self-care

      🩷 Let’s Connect

      Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/fiercechristyjade/

      Email me!

       

      TRANSCRIPT
      Speaker 1 (00:00):

      Alright, so you finally got out, you blocked, deleted. Maybe you even changed your number. So why does it still feel like you've been hit by a damn emotional freight train? Today we're going to talk about the part no one really warns you about the trauma bond hangover, the weird, awful mix of craving the chaos, feeling that pull to check their page or getting instantly triggered when their name pops up on your phone. I know that one, even when you know they're toxic, your body's still wired to respond like it is life or death. So you're not weak, you're healing from an emotional addiction. So we're going to talk about what is really going on underneath and how to help calm that nervous system so you can finally actually start to feel free.

      (00:53)

      Have you finally broken free from that narcissist creepy crawly web, but still feel stuck in fear. Wish you could trust yourself again and take your life back. Well, you're in the right place, queen. I'm Christie, wife, mom and narcissistic abuse recovery coach. I've walked the messy road, wasted money on the wrong therapist and dry advice and how to come to Jesus moment to get me here to feel free. I had to reconnect with me, set boundaries that stuck and find healing methods that actually lasted. Now I've created a plan that's empowering, doable, and yes, even fun because I'm sparkly and fun. So of course it's going to be fun. So if you're ready to break cycles, reclaim your peace and trust yourself again, this podcast is for you. So steep, that chamomile tea, silence, all that crazy chaos out there and let's cue your royal glow up.

      (01:51)

      Okay, queen, let's be honest, nobody really talks about this part. Everyone cheers you on when you're finally leaving the narcissist. You did it, you're free. I hated that mofo. But what happens when freedom doesn't just immediately feel peaceful? You may think you're going to get this huge relief and you may get some, but you expected more and it could be years later and you could still be stuck in feeling that lack of peace. So what happens when your brain keeps checking for danger or your body jolts every time you see their name, you're out of the relationship technically, but it still feels like they are living rent free in your damn head. That is the trauma bond hangover. And if you're in it, oh honey, I get it. I have been there. It is not a fun place. It is not a fun carnival and we want to help you get out.

      (02:42)

      Okay, so I first, what is the trauma bond hangover? It is what happens when your body is still addicted to the roller coaster even though you've stepped off the ride. That's what we talk about somatic healing that I do with my clients. That's why we do that body work because your body is still stuck. So your brain was trained literally to associate chaos with connection, okay? Every love bomb, every cruel text, every silent treatment created these chemical spikes and crashes all about the rollercoaster, the dopamine, cortisol, all of it out of balance. So now when you try to rest, your nervous system doesn't know what to do. It's like what? Where's the next hit? Where's the next crisis? It's not that you miss them. Technically you miss the chemical storm or you get pulled in because it's so familiar. So it's not like, yes, you're not laying there going, God, I miss being sucked in the drama and I miss those highs and lows.

      (03:53)

      You're not like consciously sitting there thinking about that, but your body is responding and it responds to what's comfortable. So if you get that jolt and your body goes, oh, this is comfortable, I'm getting that pang of fear that I see when I see this person's name, because when you lived with them and let's say they were physically abusive to you, even mentally abusive, it's all abuse. When you were dealing with it on a more intimate level, your body responded in a way, kind of like a survival mode way, and now your body is still stuck in that. It's having that same trigger and the same addiction technically. So your body, I don't want to say you miss the chemical storm, but your body misses. It became dependent on it, and your brain mistakes that storm for love because that's what it learned. I want to go say that's what it was conditioned for by your lovely narc.

      (04:54)

      Okay, so let's be real. Trauma bonds do not dissolve the moment you block someone. That's just not how it works. Your body has to unlearn survival mode, and that's why we love somatic healing. But why does the healing feel harder than the leaving? So leaving takes adrenaline, okay, you're in action mode. You pack your things, you make a plan, you move. Healing is when you're away, maybe not completely away, but you're physically away in that daily sense, right? The more frequent being with this person, and that's when the silence hits. So that adrenaline fades and emotions rush in. It kind of reminds me of if you're, let's say caring for a very sick parent and you have adrenaline, you're taking them to the doctors, you are having a lot of immediate emotions worrying. Are they going to get so sick they pass, or is this the time I've gone through this myself?

      (06:04)

      So I'm just comparing something that feels a little similar to me, right? It's all this adrenaline, it's what your body does in survival mode and to focus. You're talking to doctors, you're making things happen, getting the images from the hospital, doing all this. You're in go, go, go mode. And when they pass, there is a span of time where yes, that adrenaline continues. You're making the calls, you're talking people, you're hosting people, you're arranging, making all the arrangements. And then they say, always check on your friends. A few weeks after someone, a parent or someone close, whatever has passed, because that's when the silence trickles in. That's when the people aren't around as much and the adrenaline calms and you are with your thoughts and your fears and everything in silence, and the emotions can really rush in. Then so you start feeling everything you stuff down to basically survive, and that's when the cravings come.

      (07:17)

      So the urge is to text, to peek at their profile even if you don't want to be back with them, and maybe you do, maybe you're in a place where you're questioning, did I make a mistake? I know that that can happen especially immediately after, but let's say you're further down the journey and you're like, hell no, I don't want to go back to that. But you still find yourself rereading their text messages, analyzing, talking to your friends about it, and even if you know they're baiting you, even if you know they haven't changed, you still do these things. Your body is saying, this silence feels unsafe. So you are at war. Your heart, your brain, your body, they're having different stories. Go on because for so long, chaos felt like home chaos felt like home, and I'm so glad it's not your home baby girl.

      (08:13)

      But your body's still feeling like that. It's still comfortable with that. You might get triggered by the tiniest things, a song, a smell, a message, and this could be a nostalgic feeling or it could trigger you, and you get mad when you think about that person. I'm not saying it has to be one specific emotion, but it can trigger any emotions. Maybe you feel a buzzing under your skin like you're waiting for something bad to happen, right? That's not weakness. That is your nervous system trying to find the new normal. Like I said, it does not happen overnight. So how do we get through this hangover without taking their bait, without texting them back or losing our damn marbles? So we have to talk a little strategy. It can feel impossible if you don't understand what's happening. Your brain can just fire all over with all the different ideas and let me try to be the nice guy.

      (09:17)

      Let me yell back at them, right? There's all these different ideas that spiral and you spiral and you spiral. So step one, don't spiral. Don't ground, okay? When the urge hits to take any kind, ofit, any kind of debate, I don't think that was good English there, but right to respond, to check, to fix, pause and breathe. Look around the room. You might've heard me talk about this before, but it's a simple thing you can do with your kindergartners so you can do it. We keep these things simple because when your brain's in overdrive like that, you need simple. Okay? So you might be like, Christie, you sound like you're talking to a five-year-old. I have to, okay, so you name five things you can see, just look around. Okay, I'm going to do it right now. So I'm pumped up. Even just from talking on podcast, getting passionate, thinking about right.

      (10:13)

      Watch me calm down in a few seconds. Okay? I see a beautiful pearl necklace, I see beautiful roses. Oh, I see my palm tree bag. That immediately gives me peace. I am a palm tree obsessed woman. My rose gold brush that makes me happy and oh, a fuzzy flamingo pen. Now you know what weird shit I have on my house, but I feel my body already, just my nervous systems rebalancing. So that's what you do. Look around, name five things and then say, I'm safe right now. It sounds simple, but it tells your body you are not in danger anymore. All right? Now step two, move the energy out. You can shake your body, right? Shake your legs, shake your arms, shake your body line. I have a flamingo theme going on today. I have a flamingo, I don't know, stuffed animal thing that you press a button and it dances and sings and it sings that.

      (11:24)

      Shake your body line, work, work, do it all the time. Something like that, and it just reminds me of that. Alright? I'm having a lot of a DD moments today. So you shake your body line, you walk, you stretch, whatever helps your body release those chemicals that are pumping from the stress cycle, okay? You're not just healing from your heart, you are retraining your nervous system. It's a whole system, okay? It's got a lot involved in step three, create a response plan for your triggers, right? I talked about those triggers that pop up. Write out what you'll do. I'm a pen to paper, girl, forget digital. Get yourself a planner or not planner a journal, do a planner too. I'm big on paper planners, but for this, a journal where you start writing some stuff down your affirmations, all the good stuff, but you could write down what you'll do when that text comes through or when you feel tempted to peek at something or a trigger comes just in general.

      (12:32)

      So you can write it down. If they text me, I will screenshot it. Block and walk outside because you want to have evidence. I will say that keep all your evidence so you can screenshot it, block it, say I'll deal with it later and don't deal with it later. If you don't have to, you can block them momentarily. I know with co-parenting it's tough if you are allowed to block them permanently, block 'em permanently. If not, block it for a few moments. Go take a walk, and then if I get triggered, I'll do my grounding routine instead of reacting. So we're training ourselves, right? We're training ourselves. So we're writing pen to paper. If this happens, I'm doing this. We have a plan. We have to have a plan because you are just floating out there like a crazy old balloon in the wind and you need to get grounded.

      (13:24)

      You need a plan to get grounded. So whatever works for you, you're creating a pause between trigger and action. We don't want that initial action to happen taking the bait and it will just not just affect you, but it will get them to engage with you more and more. You know how it works. You've been doing this. They love you to engage, they love you to take the bait and they thrive off the chaos. Don't give it to 'em. Another question, you can write down, what is the most peaceful thing I could do right now? Guess what? It's not responding. It's not spiraling, right? It's going and taking a walk. It's looking for five things in the room. It's making a lovely chocolate milkshake you deserve. And step four, fill the void with real connection. You cannot detox from chaos and isolation. You were probably in a very isolated place while you, you're with them.

      (14:24)

      Most are very controlling. Try to keep you from the people that matter in your life. So you are free from that now, right? And you were wired for survival and you did whatever it took to stay alive in that relationship, emotionally, mentally, spiritually. And now you're learning what peace feels like. And it may feel weird at first me, it did. Hell yeah, it did. It's quiet, it's steady, it's predictable. If you make it that way, I'm a God person. So now to me, peace and joy is predictable because God wants me to have that every day. That's a whole other episode, but it's not exciting, like chaos. You miss the excitement. Your body may miss all those dopamine hits, but it's safe. And our goal is peace and safety now. So every time you choose not to respond, not to check, not to spiral, you're teaching your body that peace is the new normal and we love that it looks way better on you.

      (15:30)

      I'll be honest than your chaos face. Nobody wants a chaos face. Should I make T-shirts with that? You're rewiring your heart from this fake love to true safety. So when that ache hits that urge to reach out or the trigger that just that visceral reaction it causes, remind yourself this is not a sign to go back, it's a sign. I'm just healing. My body's getting used to the new normal. It's not going to feel peace overnight. It's not going to feel calm overnight, but with some tools and I got plenty more tools and if you do one-on-one work with me. I always put the links, how to work with me in the show notes, one-on-one work we do. Customized definitely more than just looking around at five objects though that can help. We do a lot of deep, deep inner work to undo the damage and to retrain your brain and God's there with you in the stillness, right?

      (16:28)

      Helping you rewire for real love, real peace and the real stuff, right? And freedom. Imagine what it would feel like if three months from now you barely remember what it was like to feel triggered every time you saw the phone ring, every time that you didn't know what to do or how to respond. You didn't know why they were doing this, saying this. You were terrified that your kids think you're the devil. Imagine if you could have a calm nervous system, what that would feel like. So I have a three month program. There is I think one opening left for ongoing three month, my three month program. I can only take a certain amount of those. That's some intense she is. We do mindset and somatic healing and that you got to show up to. I am not taking clients who are not committed to doing once a week work.

      (17:34)

      That's a waste of time because if you're spending the money that you spend to do three months, you need to be showing up and that's where the transformation happens. Not showing up once and then a month and a half later like, Hey, oh, I signed up for my next, no, we do weekly calls and you get me on Voxer, which is like a walkie talkie app. Once a day I will chat with you, answer any questions, give you motivation, whatever you need in between those other calls. So you get this really fun feature when you sign up for three month. Okay? So check that out in my show notes. And if you're in this hangover phase, you feel in the pull the triggers. I also have Empowered Boundaries course. That's like a self-led thing. I will say the transformation you get on the three month one-on-one is much deeper, much longer lasting.

      (18:32)

      But the Empowered Boundaries course is great for people who maybe aren't ready for that level yet, but want to start setting boundaries and doing a little of that energetic work. So that I will also put in my show notes and there is the Free Boundaries Pocket guide, which if you have not grabbed that, that's always there too. Alright? And remember, Thursday is Thrive in five. So that's always related to my Tuesday episode. So we will have a usually the somatic type thing or even maybe a motivational mini episode directly correlated to Tuesday's episode. So this week it will be related to this lovely trauma bond hangover. Okay? All right, and you guys have a great day, great week. You look amazing today. Go look at yourself. I want you to look in the mirror today. I want you to say I'm a damn queen and I look good.

      (19:35)

      Yeah, you got to say it just like that too, because it's half the meaning. If you don't give it that sassy azzy, you are, you're a damn queen. I will see you in the next one on Thursday. Don't forget to make sure you're following my podcast wherever you're listening, just go to my main show and hit follow or subscribe. I don't know what it says. Some little button somewhere so that you don't miss me. I'm here twice a week just waiting to hang out. So you don't want to miss that, do you? No. All right. Love you Smooches Bye.

      21 min
    • 5 Minutes to Calmer Parenting and Stronger Kids After Narcissistic Abuse

      In this Thrive in 5, Christy Jade guides you through a simple five-minute process that helps you protect your child’s emotional safety when dealing with a narcissistic parent. Instead of reacting from fear, conditioning, or pressure to “keep things smooth,” you’ll learn how to regulate your body, detach from the narcissist’s hooks, and model calm authority your child can immediately feel.

      This micro-training focuses on one small but powerful shift: stabilizing your own nervous system so your child learns emotional safety, discernment, and self-trust — even when the other parent continues their chaos. These five minutes will change how you show up in high-conflict moments.

      Feeling stuck in the mental loop of the narcissist? Let’s reset it.

      If you’re tired of the obsessive thoughts, emotional triggers, or constantly replaying what happened, my Calm & Clarity Reset Call is designed to help you shift out of that spiral quickly.

      In this focused 1:1 session we’ll calm your nervous system, untangle what’s actually keeping you stuck, and create clear next steps so you can move forward with confidence.

      Book your Reset Call here:

      https://shethrives.thrivecart.com/calm-and-clarity-reset-call/

      3-Month Coaching Container: Reclaim Your Peace

      This container is designed for women who are ready to stabilize their nervous system, rebuild self-trust, and start creating real emotional freedom after narcissistic abuse.

      Apply here:

      https://shethrives.thrivecart.com/transformational-coaching-quarterly/

      6-Month Coaching Container: Queens of Peace

      For deeper healing and long-term transformation. Together we work through trauma patterns, boundaries, nervous system regulation, and rebuilding the life you want after abuse.

      Apply here:

      https://shethrives.thrivecart.com/6-month-queens-of-peace-program/

      12-Month Coaching Container

      This is the highest level of support for women ready to fully reclaim their power and build a life that feels peaceful, confident, and aligned.

      Apply here:

      https://shethrives.thrivecart.com/12-month-queens-of-peace-program/

      Additional Support & Resources

      Boundaries Pocket Guide (Free)

      https://christyjade.ck.page/ce79ea9250

      Copy-Paste-Peace Scripts

      https://shethrives.thrivecart.com/copy-paste-peace-fast-37/

      Empowered Boundaries Course

      https://shethrives.thrivecart.com/empowered-boundaries/

      Free Facebook Community

      https://www.facebook.com/groups/christyjade

      TRANSCRIPT

      Speaker 1 (00:03):

      Welcome to your Thursday, thrive in five, your five minute pause from the chaos, the gaslighting, and that text you knew better than to reply to take a breath Queen. This one's for you. Today's Thrive in five is all about your energy and moments when the narcissistic parent creates tension because your kids absorb your state more than the actual words that are spoken, right? They're little sponges. So you're going to teach your child safety by regulating yourself first, right in the moment. So we're going to give you this advice. You can save this if you're feeling it right now. You can use it now, but you can listen to know what to do. And then definitely save this episode. So in the moment you can refer to it and maybe you can even take little notes. But this is definitely a saver episode. Alright, so you're going to set your timer for five minutes, okay?

      (01:06)

      Get yourself a little timer. It can be on your phone. One of those cute ones you have in the kitchen, the little kitchen timers. I have one that's a little mushroom. It's so cute. Alright, squirrel. Okay, so five minutes. Minute one, you're going to notice your body's alarm system. So think of that last text demand or surprise request from the narcissistic parent, right? And your body probably does one of these things. The chest tightens, the stomach drop. I know that one. The shoulders rise all the way up to your ears and your breath gets shallow, right? One of those two of those, all of those. So first, in that first minute, notice it name the sensation out loud like my chest feels tight. Naming it out loud equals calming it. Okay? True, true facts, only true facts here on the Queen's show. Alright, minute two, you're going to then slow the pace for your child.

      (02:11)

      Kids mirror your nervous system. Okay? Remember that? So you can repeat this three breath pattern and you can do it silently or with your child if they're present to teach them, right? We're role modeling and teaching our children what to do when stress comes about. So one, you're going to inhale through your nose. Two, you're going to hold it for two seconds, and three, you're going to exhale a little longer than that. Inhale. And this tells your child and yourself, we handle intensity with calm, not chaos. Opposite of the lovely narc, right? We want to be opposite. So we handle intensity with calm, not chaos. Minute three, detach from that narcs hook. Okay? Ask yourself, what is the fact here? Not the feeling. I get it. We are all up in our feelings. We're empaths. We're good hearted people, we've been mind ed, right? I get it.

      (03:22)

      But we need to role model and give ourselves peace. So what is the fact? So what's an example of that? The feeling is he's trying to control me again and getting triggered. The fact is pickup is at four. That's all I need to address. Whatever he's trying to do, we don't need to worry about. It's good to know that, right? That's very helpful when you're learning about the narcissist. But we know that already now at this point. Yeah, but our focus is the fact, whatever the deal is, pickup, set for whatever facts are safe, that's our safety feelings. That is the narcissist playground, right? They want to see and feel and hear all your feelings. That's you taking their bait. So this reduces your reactivity and models discernment for your kid, no matter how old they are, if they're two or they are 18. Alright, minute four, we're going to choose one sentence of calm authority.

      (04:32)

      So pick one neutral boundaried line, like per the order pickup remains at four o'clock. Or I'll refer to the agreement or I'm not available for additional changes. Short and steady to the point. I always say, don't take the bait, don't get emotional, keep it short. And that equals emotional safety for your child too. Okay? So this is the piece that those kids internalize for life. How are you responding? Calm and authoritative, right? Per the order. Pickup remains at four. It's just the facts. People. We're queens. We don't have time for all these big emotions. Okay? Number five, we're minute five. Sorry. Teach your children one mini skill, okay? And again, refer back to Tuesday's episode. If you have not listened to that, please go listen to that. That's going to really dig into the best ways to deal with the entire situation with a narcissist, dealing with the kids and all of the toxic things you don't want to do yourself.

      (05:52)

      And how to keep the peace, but in a way that isn't what you normally would do with someone who's not toxic. So please watch. Listen to that episode if you haven't. So right after contact with the narcissistic parent, you're not going to trash talk them, right? You're going to do the mature adult thing that will keep peace for you and your child. You can't control the narc, okay? Do this one grounding micro practice with your child. And this one, you get to even call it a fun little cute child thing. The butterfly hug. And it's 30 seconds and anyone can learn this and it is good for you. It's good for a 2-year-old. It's good for that 15-year-old who's going to roll their I. So you just cross your arms over your chest. You tap the left side right on the top of your arm tap.

      (06:46)

      I'm doing it right now if you can hear, I'm giving myself a good old butterfly hug. And then tap the right, tap the left. Tap the right while you are slowing your breathing in through the nose, out through the mouth. Tap left, tap right. Okay. So cross arms over chest tap left tap right, tap left, tap right. Slow breathing until you feel your nervous system calm. But 30 seconds is a good amount of time and you can say your body knows how to keep you safe. So this teaches them to trust the intuition that therapists, some therapists tell them to ignore that. Tell them to push through and to keep the peace. That's the keeping the peace that I'm not here for. We're not bypassing feelings. We are honoring our intuition, their intuition and teaching them your body knows how to keep you safe. And doing the butterfly hugs.

      (07:54)

      There's other examples too, but that's a good one is very important to me. So you don't change a narcissist, you're not going to change the narcissist, but you can change the energetic environment that your child grows up in while they're in your care. And they can do these things. And I know a narc is very controlling, so maybe they can't do it right in the middle of an interaction with their narc parent. But you can tell them if you ever have a tense situation at narc, parents, don't call 'em narc, but narc parents home and there's an interaction that makes you sad or upset, just don't take the bait. You can teach them in children's terms of not taking the bait, just kind of gray rocking a. And when they get a chance to be in private, to go to their room or whatever, teach them the grounding skills they will need because they will need them.

      (09:05)

      And again, I say not everyone wants to really say all this out loud. If your child is a child of a narcissist, they need to be prepared. That's okay. We are where we are here. We can't change the past, we can't change what happened. All we can do is do the best with where we are. And your child can still be an amazing, healthy individual. They have you as a parent that is getting healthy, that's learning these tools that cares immensely for them. So they're ahead of a lot of people. Look, there are people with two parents that nobody really teaches them any tools or how to do X, Y, Z. So you are prepared, you're getting prepared and you're helping them prepare for what they need to do to cope with these situations. So this can be little, just five minutes at a time things.

      (10:02)

      We have the five minute situation and then we have just the butterfly hug alone. They can do that easy peasy lemon squeezy in 30 seconds that can just calm them down and help their nervous system. And they get to also say to themselves, your body knows how to keep you safe during those times. So save this episode already. And don't forget if you didn't listen to Tuesday's episode, definitely, definitely listen to that. It's a great episode. I may be biased, but it's amazing. Just kidding. So if you're not following my podcast, go find the follow button so you don't miss any episodes because we got some good shit up in here. Okay? Yeah, we do. And as always, all the information is in the show notes as far as how to work with me. If you want transformational kick ass customized help, there's a couple different ways you can check the links out.

      (11:07)

      But I have monthly and I have a three month really transformational, crazy, amazing epic work. And both I do coaching with you and somatic healing, which is through the body. We are healing deep stuff, but we don't have to do this super sad. Let's lay on a couch and cry about it for five hours, right? We're not going to bypass feelings, but we are going to have some magic happen. We're going to GoFund places, I call 'em Soul Cas. We go on little locations. We help our nervous system regulate. There's so many beautiful things in somatic healing. So you can read more about that in the links in my show notes. And I have a free private Facebook page, so definitely go join that to be around more women who understand what you're going through. It's a women only private Facebook group for narcissistic abuse recovery.

      (12:08)

      So jump on and there. And I have, if you haven't grabbed them yet, there is my pocket boundaries. What's it? Boundaries Pocket guide is the official term. And that's just some helpful boundaries that you can set just a little free before you. And I also have my Boundaries course, which is self-paced if you just want something more like that. So obviously the one-on work with me is where you're going to get the deepest, most beneficial work. But there are other options out there. If you're not ready for that or can't the investment, you can't make that investment. So definitely check all of that out and I will see you in the next video. It's not a video, not, I keep calling it a video. I was a YouTuber once, a big bad YouTuber. I still have my YouTube actually should go check it out. There's all sorts of crazy weird videos on there.

      (13:09)

      Steal a Kiss 33 on YouTube. I barely do videos there anymore. But yes, that was my life, my old life. I did makeup tutorials, I did vlogs, all sorts of fun. And I should be putting videos up there, but I'm very focused on my podcast and my book I'm writing. Once I finish my book, I might start doing more videos again just for funsies. But yes, you guys, I'm also writing a book about narcissistic abuse recovery and it's going to be awesome. I'm so excited. All this stuff I'm working on right now is just very, very exciting. So I can't wait to get that completed. I hope I'm writing that. I'm on chapter seven out of 12, but I'm going to go over it a couple more times. And I have a couple people waiting in the wings that are going to read it as beta readers. And then I do have an editor in New York City that I'm going to work with to edit it and the publishing. And I think she may be helping me with that too. But it's going to be unlike any other narcissistic abuse recovery book that is out there of that, I am sure. Right? I think if you know me, that's not a surprise. This is not going to be boring, old, stale facts. There's some queening going on in it. So stay tuned for that. Alright, I will see you in the next audio in the next podcast, not video and chin up. Shine that crown. You look amazing, okay? And you are so valuable and so, so special, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Okay? Okay. Bye.

      16 min
    • How to Set Boundaries with a Narcissist Co-Parent

      Ready to stop feeling like a doormat in your own life?

      Snag your FREE copy of “Bye, Guilt. Hello, Boundaries! Guide to Boundaries That Stick (Without the Guilt Spiral)”
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      💥 Ditch guilt for good
      💥 Set boundaries that actually hold up (even with narcissists)
      💥 Protect your peace like the queen you are

      This guide is your first step to saying nope with confidence—and meaning it.

      —

      🎧 EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

      Let’s be honest—co-parenting with a narcissist is next-level. You’re not just managing a schedule… you’re managing chaos, manipulation, and emotional landmines.

      In this episode, I’m breaking down:

      • The #1 mindset shift that will change the game

      • Boundaries that actually work with a narcissistic co-parent

      • Scripts and strategies to stay calm, clear, and in control

      • Why traditional co-parenting advice fails (and what to do instead)

        This is your permission slip to stop playing nice and start protecting your peace.

        —

        💬 Join my private FREE Facebook group for support + healing:

        https://www.facebook.com/groups/2420729361374989

        —

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        Check out my Empowered Boundaries Course—a self-paced journey to help you stop people-pleasing and start standing tall in your truth.
        👉 https://shethrives.thrivecart.com/empowered-boundaries/?coupon=QUEEN50

        —

        Let’s connect:

        💖 Instagram: @fiercechristyjade
        💬 Email support & coaching: [email protected]

          

        👉 Book your private session → https://christyjade.com/somatichealing

         

        :  


        ---

         

        Speaker 1 (00:00):

        Tired of feeling like your narcissistic ex is still controlling your life somewhat, even after the breakup you're trying to co-parent. But it feels more like combat. Let's be real, right? Boundaries should help. So why do they not seem to work with them today? We're getting into y narcissists are different beasts when it comes to co-parenting and some boundary strategies that actually work. Let's go clean. Have you finally broken free from that narcissist creepy crawly web, but still feel stuck in fear? Wish you could trust yourself again and take your life back while you're in the right place. Queen. I'm Christie, wife, mom and narcissistic abuse recovery coach. I've walked the messy road, wasted money on the wrong therapist and dry ice, and had to come to Jesus moment to get me here to feel free. I had to reconnect with me, set boundaries that stuck, and find healing methods that actually lasted.

        (01:03)

        Now I've created a plan that's empowering, doable, and yes, even fun because I'm sparkly and fun. So of course it's going to be fun. So if you're ready to break cycles, reclaim your peace and trust yourself. Again, this podcast is for you. So steep, that chamomile tea, silence, all that crazy chaos out there. And let's cue your royal glow up. Hello, it is Christa. Today we're diving into one of the most exhausting post abuse challenges, co-parenting with a narcissist. Let's be real. This is not normal. This is parallel parenting with a manipulative, self-serving adult child who uses the kids as pawns and the drama as fuel. They love that drama and that's why, oh, just communicate better or take the high road advice from well-meaning people doesn't work here. It doesn't work. And so let's break it down. Why are they different? Right? First, they don't want peace.

        (02:10)

        Some healthy minded individuals after a divorce may be hurt, but they really do want peace in the end. So they might disagree with you, but they actually want the resolution a narcissist. They want what control. We know that chaos, they actually want chaos and a reaction. You're feeding them even if it's a negative reaction. So if your boundaries are focused on keeping the peace, you're already playing their game. Okay? Number two, they weaponize everything. So information, your tone, the kid's schedule, anything can be twisted. This means your boundaries have to be so tight, minimal. And my part of what I teach in my boundaries course and elsewhere is emotionless. And that's hard. That's hard for a lot of you, and it was hard for me, but there's ways to do it, okay? And number three, they see boundaries as attacks. They're not seeing, you're protecting yourself.

        (03:19)

        They're seeing you attacking them. So it's a rejection. And we all know that narcissists cannot handle rejection. So they'll either push back on it, they'll guilt trip you, or one of the worst things, especially when you're dealing with co-parenting and children, they will punish you through the kids. So that's why setting the boundary isn't enough. You need a backup plan for the backlash because there inevitably will be backlash with a narcissist when you set a boundary. So some boundaries that actually work with narcissistic co-parents or parallel parents, we'll call 'em Number one, like I said, I love the no emotion rule. Use a no emotion, no explanation policy. So think of it like a business email energy. So I'm not available to swap weekends. Please refer to the agreement, not I can't this weekend I have a family event and I've been really overwhelmed. No, save all that noise.

        (04:27)

        The unnecessary information that they can use to turn on you, they use it against you later. They'll twist it, whatever, no extra info, very to the point. They love when you overexplain. Keep it short, clear, no room for debate or conversation. Number two, communicate only through a parallel parenting app. So our family wizard is the one I have heard great things about, or talking parents. I don't know someone personally who uses that, but I've seen that also talked about. And they document everything and reduce that real time interaction. Why? Because narcissists specifically are less likely to manipulate when the receipts are permanent. They might still do it, but then it's documented and you have it against them, right? But they are a little less likely to, especially when they're not up in a rage to do that because they can be very calculated. So they're like, oh yeah, I don't want that outside of this circle with my ex.

        (05:37)

        So it will help them and help you. So the bonuses, you won't be tempted to respond to their nonsense at midnight. You're on this app, it helps you too. So I just love technology in situations like this. Number three, set emotional boundaries with you yourself. Okay? This is the one no one really talks about. You are not just setting boundaries with them. You're setting them with yourself. Okay? So here's an example. I will not engage with my parallel parent after 6:00 PM whatever it is. Maybe that's not your time, maybe it's eight. Whatever suits your schedule and your peace of mind, let yourself have those nights where you can just relax and say, I'm not even going to acknowledge them. Number two, I will not read texts more than once. Don't get into that monkey mind where you read things over and over and try to analyze and figure out. Read it just once. And then to the third point, I will pause before responding so I don't go into trigger mode. And there's more on this in my boundaries course. But if you don't go into trigger mode, you help yourself keep that piece, you're helping yourself.

        (07:06)

        They're going to keep coming at you. You can't control them. You can't control what you're doing. So you can control when you, you're accepting their texts, looking at them, you can control how many times you're looking at them. And you can control, even though it's a little hard saying, I'm going to go count to 30, right? Do something like that. And once you get to 30, your body has already calmed down a bit, and you can go into something else and then have a second point of, okay, now that I'm calm, I'm going to just leave that and I'm going to go do this. Maybe to take your mind off it. Put on some funny animal videos. Go throw some laundry in. Whatever you got to do to kind of get out of that triggered emotional response because you do not want to take their bait and respond while you were feeling that way.

        (07:59)

        And we want to keep it short and simple, like I said. And when you're in trigger mode, you can't do that. So this though, a bonus of emotional boundaries with yourself is this builds that self-trust. We've talked about that. You have trouble trying to get back. You don't know if you can trust yourself anymore. This help builds that. Setting boundaries with yourself. You're making agreements with you and you're protecting yourself. And when you trust you, their chaos cannot pull you back in. When you get to that point where you start saying, okay, I've got me, I'm going to protect me. I know what I'm doing. They can't get you back in. I love that. So let's recap. Narcissists don't want peace. They want power. We know that regular co-parenting tips do not work on dynamics. They just don't. Number three, your boundaries need to be airtight.

        (09:02)

        The biggest thing, emotion free, if you take anything from this podcast, emotion free and backed by emotional self-protection, right? So take the emotions out it, step away. Do not respond when you are triggered. Final thoughts here. You're not powerless, okay? You're not difficult or bitter for setting limits at all. They'll make you think you are, but you're not. I'm the queen. Be a boundaries. I know, okay, you're not. You're a mom. Reclaiming her peace in the middle of a damn storm. That is crazy. But do you know that's actually your superpower? That you are here saying, I'm going to show up for my kids. I'm going to show up for myself. I'm not doing this anymore. That's not bitter, that's not mean. That's smart as hell.

        (10:02)

        So if you're ready to create boundaries that actually stick, even with the most manipulative X, you can download my free guide called Buy Guilt, hello Boundaries. I love it. And that is packed with guilt-free scripts starter steps to help you say no with zero apology. And you can go from there. I do have a course too, but check out that free guide first, and I will put the link as always in the podcast description area, the notes area, whatever you want to call it, and make sure you're subscribed to the podcast so you get all my goodies. But I'm so excited. This is a brand new free guide. This Buy Guilt, hello Boundaries. It's going to help you out. It's brand new. So it's got all sorts of good stuff that I have learned through the years and polished up. So go grab that. That is your homework for this day. Go grab that. It's, I'll have the link like I said in the description, and I will see you in the next episode. Don't forget, Thursdays are my quicker episodes that are more like hands-on healing from the body visualizations, meditations. Sometimes we'll do like a script, so they're shorter, little bite sized episodes that you can save and go back to over and over again. So make sure to follow the podcast so you get the notifications, and I will see you on Thursday. Bye, queen.

        12 min
      • Breaking the Trauma Bond and How to Break Free

        Breaking the Trauma Bond: What Keeps You Hooked (And How to Finally Break Free)

        Episode Description (Show Notes):

        You left… but you still feel hooked.

        You blocked them… but you still think about them.
        You know they were toxic… so why does part of you miss them?

        Welcome to the trauma bond.

        In this episode, Christy breaks down:

        What a trauma bond really is
        Why you feel addicted to someone who hurt you

        The exact steps to finally unhook and come back to YOU

        If you’ve ever felt confused, ashamed, or obsessed after narcissistic abuse—this is your wake-up call (and your soft place to land). 💕

        Free Gift: The Boundaries Pocket Guide

        Want to stop second-guessing yourself and finally set boundaries that stick without the guilt spiral?

        Download Christy’s free Boundaries Pocket Guide — designed to help you reclaim your peace and protect your power after narcissistic abuse.
        Grab it here → https://christyjade.kit.com/ce79ea9250

        Ready to Go Deeper in Your Healing?

        Whether you’re newly out or years into recovery, support changes everything.

        Here are 3 powerful ways to work with Christy:

        Reclaiming You: 1:1 Clarity & Intake Session

        This 90-minute session is for the woman who’s serious about healing and wants to explore working together in a deeper way. It’s not designed as a one-off quick fix—but rather a powerful first step for those considering the monthly or 3-month coaching containers. If you're feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure which path to take next, this session is for you.
        Book here: https://shethrives.thrivecart.com/journey-to-peace-coaching-blueprint/

        3-Month Transformational Coaching Package

        This is the most supportive and spacious container I offer. We’ll dive deep into emotional healing, nervous system support, boundary work, and personal empowerment so you can rise fully in your peace and power.
        Learn more: https://shethrives.thrivecart.com/transformational-coaching-quarterly/

         Related Episodes You’ll Love:

        Still Attached to the Narcissist? This Deep Cord Cutting Practice Can Help

        https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/still-attached-to-the-narcissist-this-deep-cord/id1662241353?i=1000708306120

        Thrive in 5: Still Energetically Tied to the Narcissist? Cut the Cord With This Quick Practice

        https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/still-energetically-tied-to-the-narcissist-cut-the/id1662241353?i=1000706789155

        Stay Connected:

        Follow Christy on Instagram →

        https://www.instagram.com/fiercechristyjade/

        TRANSCRIPT

        Speaker 1 (00:00):

        So you block them, you want no contact, whatever it is, they're toxic. So why does part of you still miss them or just obsess over them? Why do you feel guilty or worse even tempted to go back? I've been getting some messages lately with listeners who really are trying to stay away and out of the life and not take the bait, but it is hard for them. So let's go into it. If you've ever felt like you're addicted to the narcissist, this episode is for you. We're talking about the trauma bond, what it is, why it's so hard to break, and how to finally unhook and come back to you because you're the queen, right?

        (00:46)

        Have you finally broken free from that narcissist creepy crawly web, but still feel stuck in fear? Wish you could trust yourself again and take your life back. Well, you're in the right place, queen. I'm Christie, wife, mom and narcissistic abuse recovery coach. I've walked the messy road, wasted money on the wrong therapist and dry advice, and had to come to Jesus moment to get me here to feel free. I had to reconnect with me, set boundaries that stuck, and find healing methods that actually lasted. Now I've created a plan that's empowering, doable, and yes, even fun because I'm sparkly and fun. So of course it's going to be fun. So if you're ready to break cycles, reclaim your peace and trust yourself again, this podcast is for you. So steep, that chamomile tea, silence, all that crazy chaos out there. And let's cue your royal glow up.

        (01:44)

        Hello, beautiful soul. Welcome back to Narcissistic Abuse Recovery Podcast where we were clean that peace, protect our power, and rebuild self-trust after narcissistic abuse. I'm Christy Jade, and today we are going deep into something most survivors wrestle with. I'd probably say all of them, even after they leave it is the trauma bond. That soul tie feeling, the obsessive loop that goes round and round in your mind, that craving for someone you know is harmful. And we can get shame about this, right? Kick that shit to the curb. We don't have time for your shame. Alright? So you're not crazy. You are trauma bonded and we're going to talk about it. So what is a trauma bond? It is a psychological and physiological attachment. These are real things, okay? Science that forms through repeated cycles of abuse and the intermittent reinforcement. So basically they hurt you.

        (02:49)

        They love bomb you, so you feel relief, right? Then what do they do? They pull away again. It's like, yo-yo, right? And your nervous system actually does become addicted to this cycle. The ups and downs, it becomes attached to it. It's the cycle. It's familiar, and you want that relief, right? Even after they hurt you, you're waiting, okay, well, I'm just holding onto that high. So kind of like a slot machine. You don't really know what you're going to get each day. You keep pulling the lever, hoping this time they're going to love you, right? They're going to treat you right? You're going to change them. Maybe this is all stuff I've heard about in my own life, of course, and then heard from you guys and working with clients. So the more unpredictable the behavior, the stronger bond.

        (03:48)

        That's why narcissists are masters at trauma bonding you so signs that you're still hooked even after going no contact or low contact. These trauma bonds can still linger. So here's some signs to know if you are still bonded, you miss them more than you want to admit. You might keep it on the dl. You fantasize them about them changing. Maybe even after you are broken up completely could be after you're divorced, these things happen, right? You doubt yourself or feel guilty for leaving. You have those moments. Maybe it's not all the time you feel anxious, empty or depressed without them. And again, this can be one or all of these. You don't have to necessarily feel all of these, but these are different versions. You minimize what they did. Oh, it wasn't that bad, right? Or look, we had good times though, right? That's minimizing the bad too.

        (04:51)

        Or you feel pulled to contact them even when you know it's basically self-sabotage. You still have that pull. This isn't weakness. And I know we can feel weak when we're in this, I get it, but it's a physiological, psychological and emotional loop. And until you interrupt it, it's going to keep looping. So why is it so hard to break? We're going to break down why you're still hooked. Even when your logical mind, you know that guy, there's like on the left shoulder, his logic says run. There is brain chemistry involved in this. So take a sigh of relief, maybe hug yourself. Like, Hey, this is actually a real condition in my brain.

        (05:39)

        So give yourself grace, please. So each high you got after a discard or mistreatment abuse, the hoover, the love bomb. That's the cycle. Discard Hoover love bomb released dopamine. You literally became chemically addicted to those tiny hits of validation and relief. And it's a cycle of knowing, oh, well, you know the pattern. You've been around this person long enough to know what the pattern is. So that can look like, oh, there's this abuse. I know what comes after it. That dopamine hit, it's going to feel better after. So I'm going to stick around for that dopamine. Okay?

        (06:26)

        Also, you attach during crisis. So that's another reason you are hooked, right? So you brain bonded during trauma. This is a primal survival strategy. Primal. It says stay close to danger so you can control it. And this is a big one in my past. Predict it. You feel like, okay, at least I know I can predict what's going to happen. Spoiler, you cannot control it, but your brain keeps trying. It wants to, which makes sense. And then there's the low self-worth equals an easier hook. So another reason it's hard to break when someone makes you feel like only they can love you the way they love you. Or maybe you're not worthy of love, right? These abusers often will make you feel like shit, knock you down, crush any confidence you have so they can have control over you and hook you more, right? It can tap into your childhood wounds, unmet needs you had, whether it was childhood are grown and fears, just even based on fears that you can lower your self-worth. They become your source of value. Really, you're dependent on them in those dopamine hits and those love bombs to feel valuable. So when they pull away, you panic because your sense of self, which is not from this point on, that's not going to be our sense of self anymore. We're going to do this work, but because that sense of self is tied to them. So how do you break free? That's all Great. Christie, how do you break free?

        (08:13)

        Let's flip the script here, Rick. Rick, here's how you start cutting the cord for real. First, label it as trauma bond. Naming it really out loud. Say it out loud. I'm a big advocate of saying shit out loud. Name it. This is trauma bond. It is not love. It is not a soulmate. It is a trauma bond. Say it. This is a trauma bond. Go ahead, queen. And then we're going to rename it from love toon. So that is going to reframe it in your mind and you might have to repeat that. You can repeat as much as you want. Put it on a beautiful old sticky note on your mirror. Number two, here we are my favorite going no contact. I know it's not as easy as it is for some as others, and some situations are hard to do. Do that in obviously co-parenting littles, but as limited as possible.

        (09:17)

        Okay? So that's blocking on socials. Even if you just check their page or you're not following them necessarily, no, every exposure is another dopamine hit. Okay? Think about it. I want you to suck that up. Why do you check their socials? It's actually a dopamine hit. It's reinforcing your cycle of what the shitty shit and the dopamine hit. We want to get rid of the cycle. Cold Turkey is hard, but it is clean. We love a good clean break and it works faster than the slow trying to pull away from that dopamine ripping off the bandaid. And by the way, if you need help doing this and support, that's what I'm here for. So check out the ways to work with me in my show notes always there and my emails there. If you have any questions about what I think you need, you can always email me too.

        (10:14)

        Alright. Number three, flood your nervous system with safety. We can't think our way out of this. This is a body thing. This is where the somatic work comes in. And I do somatic work with most of my clients. We need to feel safe in our bodies. That's where all of the somatic energy healing comes. So this, and it's like, oh, somatic. We're not going to get crazy going into somatic healing today. I'm going to give you a few examples of what you can do. Getting a walk in nature, grounding with your bare feet. Yes, go hippie on me. Okay, orienting practice. I think I've talked about this one, but you're looking around, you're naming what you see often. I will tell myself, prompt myself, okay, find four aqua things in the room. Aqua is a little harder than red, right? So I like a little challenge or find four different patterns.

        (11:10)

        Find what are two smells I can smell? What are three sounds? I can hear the birds chirping, right? The air filter that's blowing the TV two rooms away. It makes you present. Breath work, even cold water. I don't mess with cold water. I don't care. I don't care how much work I need. I'm never doing the cold water plunge. Okay? But you do, you boo boo. So you calm your body, you clear your mind. And yes, those might be momentary, but hey, they all add up. If you want to do deeper work, hit me up. Number four, rewire the belief that you need them. Let's say it for the people in the back, in the way, way back, rewire the belief that you need them. Start affirming. Have you heard of affirmations? Yeah. Love shouldn't hurt.

        (12:04)

        And maybe save this episode or write these down. You can repeat 'em. Love shouldn't hurt. I don't chase chaos. I choose peace. And this one, okay, I was taught conditioned that this was love. It is not. And I get to learn a new way, the real way, by the way. So you're not just detoxing from them. I'm going to repeat this. I really feel this in my heart that you need to hear it. You're not just detoxing from them. You're detoxing from the belief that love equals pain. Okay? You're so used to that. It was just part of the bargain, part of the deal. No, no ma'am.

        (13:04)

        So detox from that belief, and you can keep those affirmations so you don't really miss them. I know it feels like that. You miss the illusion, the validation, the love bombing, the dopamine, the feeling special when they would put you in those moments. And the good news is you can give yourself everything you were chasing in them. Do you know that? Work with me, queen. You're going to be a confident as queen. Upgrade. We're upgrading our confidence here. If this episode hit home, go share it. Is there someone else who could use this that that's feeling hooked? Okay, save it. Let's normalize this part of the healing journey, because shame has no seat at our table or our throne, whatever you want to call it. If you want more help unwinding trauma from your nervous system, let's grab your intake call and start our journey.

        (14:11)

        The intake call, it's about an hour and a half, an hour to an hour and a half, depending how far we go in your story. It's really me getting a background. We usually have time to do a little somatic exercise together, and then that sets you up and sets me up with the information so that we can start our really deep work together, like lasting work. And I say that because Somatic Healing was a life changer for me. I did therapy for years. I love therapy. I love all the shit, but the somatic healing, and I do both. We do a little therapy, but we also, we really focus on feeling better and safe in the body too, right? Because the body remembers everything. That's where it sits. That's where we upset. Stomach, stress, shoulders, all these symptoms that we get can be so related to our nervous system being so jacked up from all the years of dealing with this crap, right?

        (15:18)

        Yeah. We work on the brain stuff too, the mind stuff. How to deal with the narcs in your life if you're still involved with them at all that. But we do both so that you can have a complete healing and really a healing that not just the foundation, but then afterwards you actually get to thrive, right? You're getting this, I almost picture it like a, what's it? A vault? You've run what? Jump on that vault and then you're limitless. You might feel like that's not even attainable right now. So I won't go too deep into that. I know it can feel far away, but I'm telling you, I've been there. I have gone through a lot of shit in my life and I am an amazing peace bubble in my life. I'm unshakeable. I know my truth. I don't take the bait of any freaking narcissist anymore.

        (16:16)

        I have way more confidence and self-trust. Even more important than confidence is my self trust. You can get there. If I can get there, you can get there. Okay? So if you're interested in doing this work, one-on-one links are in the show notes or email me. Alright? Felt some passion up in here, but you are not alone. You're not broken. You're finally freeing yourself, right? This was a trauma bond and we're taking the scissors and we're cutting them, by the way. Ooh. I also want you to go in the show notes. There's also an energetic cord cutting episode I have. I think I actually have two of 'em. There's a longer one and a Thrive in five. If you don't know, I do thrive in fives on Thursdays. They're five minutes around. Five minutes. I'm chatty. So maybe 10 somatic healing exercises every single Thursday to get that hands-on ship. Okay? So I'll put those two episodes in the show notes as well. All right, see you in the next step. Love you. Bye.

        18 min
      • Affirmations to Heal After Narcissistic Abuse (When Your Mind Won’t Let Go)

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        10 min

      About NARCISSISTIC ABUSE RECOVERY | Narcissist, Co-Parenting, Grey Rock Method, Boundaries, Healing, Toxic Relationship

      From the publisher's feed

      Healing Tools for Women

      Are you feeling lost after breaking free from a toxic relationship? Are you afraid you will get sucked back in, whether it is with the same narcissist or a new one? Are you ready to finally live in peace?

      In this podcast, you will find healing methods and coping solutions to set you free from narcissistic abuse and its effects. My mission is to equip you to become strong and free through confidence building, proven healing methods and finding peace. If you’re ready to say yes to thriving after abuse and stop chasing everything that hasn’t worked for a plan that will- you’re in the right place!

      Hey, I’m Christy. A mom, wife and a ruthless narcissist avoider! For years of my life, I went to therapists that didn’t understand narcissism, read generic abuse recovery books and tried things that didn’t help me truly disconnect and break the cycle of narcissistic abuse. I wasted money on tools that didn’t give me lasting results. I finally realized that if I was going to truly disconnect and heal, I had to understand narcissists’ minds and the effects on their victims. After years of education and endless conversations with victims of narcissistic abuse, I created a perfect plan to not just disconnect fully from the current narcissists in my life, but to avoid getting sucked in by future ones, while creating healthy boundaries and healing from the effects of abuse. A life of thriving, not just surviving. And I am ready to share it all with you!

      If you are a woman ready to finally find a clear cut plan to stop the cycle and heal from narcissistic abuse -effective solutions that have results that are undeniable: like a peaceful night’s sleep, decreased overwhelm, and unshakable confidence, then this podcast is for you!
      Grab that mocha latte, it’s time to dive in.

      Wanna work together 1:1, queen? Grab your first power call for mindset and somatic healing now:
      https://shethrives.thrivecart.com/journey-to-peace-coaching-blueprint/

      Best of NARCISSISTIC ABUSE RECOVERY | Narcissist, Co-Parenting, Grey Rock Method, Boundaries, Healing, Toxic Relationship

      Ranked by our users in the last 21 days

      1. Number 1: How to Spot a Narcissist in 60 Seconds
        6 min
      2. Number 2: 5 Signs You’re Trauma Bonded (Not in Love) — Why You Still Can’t Let Go
        19 min
      3. Number 3: How to Set Boundaries with a Narcissist Co-Parent
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